Berkshire 8th July to 14th July

 

On the Ridgeway and surrounding Cranes Farm are racing stables. Area is known as the Valley of the Racehorse. There are gallops up and down the hills that horses are worked on in the early morning.  We pass this group and it is nice to see them running free in a large feild not wearing a fly mask and horse cover like Marco the horse we are caring for. In saying that Marco seems quite content, laminitis notwithstanding, we think he must get lonely though.

Jeff decided to go down to Salisbury, an hours drive, to look at purchasing further parts for the MGB. Carburettors need replacing. Had a happy time at the factory, even getting a personal tour. The parts will be sent by DHL so not having to be wrangled into a backpack. The company still handmakes some parts but has also embraced robotics.

We had purchased tickets to attend the Badminton RHS Flower Show after reading an article in the Saturday newspaper about the property. Owned by the Somerset family since the 1700's, a 21,000 ha estate famous for hosting the Badminton Horse Trials. We have been to the Chelsea and Wisley shows in previous years but the RHS wanted to offer an alternative to Chelsea for those not around London which has become a mammoth event.

Dogs in the back of the car and away we go.  Did take 40mins to drive the final 1.5 miles which the chap who parked beside us was less than impressed by. He had worked at Silverstone Formula One last Sunday and said " we traffic managed 65,000 cars better than this!!" Anyway, we had a short look around, jammed and the steel footpath treads laid between sites was incredibly hot on a 33C day. Improvements need to be made to the experience shall we say.  Stopped at a bend in the Lambourn river on the way back to cool down the dogs.

Badminton outside the show area

Ladies with rain, now sun umbrellas on the way in.

Badminton House with its 116 rooms. One of the reasons these sprawling estates have events, shows, film set use is to pay for the upkeep. In the early 1900's some sold off tracts of land for upkeep and death duties. Not many managed to stay entire, as it were, like Badminton.

Jeff trying to get Otto to swim. He chickens out when water touches his belly. Whereas Ella is like a fish, full immersion. Realised Otto, at two years old, has not been taken to the river much whereas Ella, at seven years old, has been given a few more opportunities.

Next day we hosted Jeff's old mate Phil and his wife Diana. Jeff and Phil's step father worked together on the same farm in 1979 and were in the local Young Farmers Club. We have kept in touch over the years and we usually visit them in Great Bedwyn each year. Sadly they have never been to NZ. Having brought up a Downs syndrome son for thirty years, Diana has had early onset Parkinsons for the last ten years. Now other Nuerological issues. Phil full time caring for Diana, their dreams of  travel retirement evaporated. To see the state she is in now, down to 6 stone in weight just makes you want to weep and desperately sad. They really enjoyed their visit, we kept it light and fun. 

Phil and Jeff. We are forever grateful for good health and opportunities we make.

These two larrikins put a smile on your face. In the back of the car watching Sandra head off into Waitrose shopping. In the morning after we have turned out the horse and had our breakfast they stalk you in the house waiting for their walk knowing it will be an adventure. In the car and a short to drive to somewhere that a will be 7-8km jaunt.

Another swim opportunity.

We began our lunch hosting on Saturday with Tim and Caroline from Surrey. Tim has recently retired from being a shop outfitter and Caroline will join the ranks soon. We cycled with them last year on the Channel to the Med ( 1,400 kms over14 days). They were very relaxed and having arrived at 10.30am finally left 5.30pm, when we had to feed the horse. Good fun and we solved all the worlds issues as you do !! Another hot day with 15 days on the trot thus far in the UK!! We love it. Tim and Caroline have no rides planned this year but would like to come to NZ next year. Tim loves trout fishing so we will get them up to Lake Rotoiti and other spots. 

Tim is a big unit, very droll and Caroline just tiny.

Sunday we drove down to Wimborne in Dorset for lunch with folks we met at the Bath sales years ago with David Patient. Geoff and Lisa Ottley; who never let us forget that our efforts in the Bath Sales were paltry. They also own classic cars and Geoff a retired GP. Our good friend Marjory, who was married to David Patient, was there also so just perfect. All these doctors seem to stick together from Med School it seems decades ago. One of the Ottleys daughters, Lara, stayed with us when on her gap year. We are a great respite in Nelson from the Kiwi Experience bus, a good bed, meals and laundry! We are always happy to host and for parents to have a NZ contact for their travelling children.

Today we hosted for lunch more cycling cohorts from the Channel to the Med, John and Maddy. They are the folks who stood us up at Woodstock as Maddy had not written the then arrangement in her diary. She is very animated and talks sixty to the dozen. Her poor patients (she was a dentist)  would never have a chance to reply to her gay chatter. Full of fun whereas John, another medic, is very measured and quiet but boy has he got some deep knowledge. Like Tim and Marjory, John has incredible knowledge about bikes. They did the Munich to Rome ride in June which we are planning next year. Unfortunately Maddy came off her bike second to last day of the 14 day ride - appalling Italian roads. 

So having talked bikes so much over the last few days we think we know what to upgrade our gravel bikes to on return to NZ.