Paris 2nd June - 5th

We met in Paris after my 23hr flight from NZ and Jeff in from Kathmandu at 7pm Monday. There is a Cafe/Bar at the bottom of the street in an area called Belleville where we have the same apartment as last year. Was a relief to see each other given the logistics. Nice to be in a familiar area again with all the idiosyncrasies of French living.

Next day a long walk required so set off to walk down to the Seine River.

There is always plenty to see with tourist boat traffic and sellers of art and books along the river. Were very happy just to sit in the sun on benches and let it swirl around us.  Always amazed how much the French can talk rapidly including hand gestures, we are positively mute by comparison.

Delighted to come across the Belleville market on the way down the hill. Must be at least a mile long with an abundance of fruit, vegetables, fish and meat. Some household items think mini hardware store - need a plug?

Did not fancy the sheeps head.

Headed up to Montmarte as there was an art installation to be seen, a man walking through a wall.

All the time passing classic Parisian actvities and sights which helped brain fog from long flights to be pushed into the background.

These were shop assistants enjoying the sun in front of their shop, not much in the way of haute couture sales today.

Graffiti everywhere in Paris, some better than others but not on the scale we saw in Spain last year.

Next day, after a good nights sleep, set forth on our "lets look for this". Metro is €2.50 and one can get a reasonable distance on that as long as you do not exit just keep changing metro lines.

This is the Tuileries gardens between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde. This installation reminded us of something we saw at the Guggenheim museum in Bilboa, Spain. What is it doing in the middle of gardens created in the 1600's?

This is by the Petit Palace, size and weight not an issue.

La Samaritaine was an old department store built 1870 that someone had done a number on, not a hint of history left, all glass and steel, very high end. Crossed the Alexandre 111 bridge with its cast iron lamps and come across two New Zealanders bike packing their way through various areas of France. They were staying in what is known as Formule One accommodation. For €50 per night at 9sqm ( tiny) they and their bikes stay in. Have to admire their budgeting efforts. The joke was the chap had exactly the same NZ made cycle jackets as us, Ground Effect, hence us spotting them.

Advertisement for Ground Effect jackets.

Walked on to what is known as the Passage Panoramas, oldest covered passageway in Paris from 1799. Astounding array of artisan and unusual shops. Lots of dining also. Came across a walking stick shop with every conceivable stick type. The owner was reducing the height of one for a chap. 

Had thought about going to the Bouillon for lunch (classic French workingman's lunch at good price) but eating a baguette sandwich sitting on a bench people watching was the mood.

The Musee Carnavalet is of Paris history contained in two adjoining properties , the Hotel Carnavalet and Hotel le Peletier de Saint Fargeau. Cleverly done with from 11th century in the cellar then climbed upstairs through following centuries. Well worth a visit.

Final day in Paris we thought another visit to Versailles a worthy endeavour. We had previously visited the gardens but as the entry queue to the palace was 1 1/2 hours long did not get into the palace. This time we booked a 1pm slot for the palace. The enormity of palace and gardens are impressive to say the least. Louis X1V had a grand vision and over his 70+ year reign, other than continually fight wars, he created a statement as to the beauty and superiority of France.

Staggering opulence any wonder the populous revolted in 1789.

The gardens are dotted with gilded fountains on ponds and the lakes.

Recognise these two colonialists? We are in front of the orangey where large shrubs/ trees are grown in wooden crates and moved about as necessary for occassions and to winter over under cover. A fitting end to our stay in Paris.

Nepal 23rd May - 1st June

 I had the privilege to be the traveling companion for a dear friend who initially introduced us to Nepal in 2017. He and his late wife first visited Nepal in 1984 and had since undertaken many philanthropic projects in the village of Jubing in the Solukhumbu region. He had yet to see the results of his last project, a toilet block for the school, hence the reason for the visit.

We flew from Kathmandu into Lukla, the airport with a history of being terrifyingly difficult to fly in to. Fortunately the day was fine and landing went without a hitch.

From Lukla we helicoptered to the highest point we would achieve on our journey, Everest View at 3880m with Dhana our guide, his son Golden portering and daughter Onee acting as trainee guide. The fine day allowed a clear view of Everest in the distance and closer peaks before we began our days descent to Namche Bazar.

So many activities are manual such as turning rocks into gravel by containing a rock in a clamp and breaking it with a hand mallet, to portering goods. Typically porters are paid 100 Nepali rupees per kg of weight carried. Distance and difficulty of terrain also have a bearing on the price paid.

First village we walked into was Khum Jung, the village where Sir Edmund Hillary set up a school and hospital. We arrived in time for morning assembly where the children line up in their classes and do morning exercises, sing and listen to two selected students speak on what the school means to them. Everyone is immaculately turned out in uniform but for the pre schoolers who are still allowed mufti.

We were a couple of days in advance of Winston Peters, New Zealand's deputy Prime Ministers visit, the first by a member of the NZ government in 25 years. We continue the descent into Namche Bazar. We encounter mule trains at various points on the track including the swing bridges.

From Namche Bazar the route takes us past religious Mani inscriptions carved into massive rocks and onto Monjo where we overnight, having intended to helicopter to our guides village but cloud had stopped all flights out of Lukla where the helicopter was based.

The day dawns fine but we have to wait for the helicopter as it has been diverted to Base Camp for an emergency evacuation. Finally in the village of Jubing we settle in and then pay a visit to the school and the Community Centre where we meet locals and chat about village life with our guide interpreting. The older folks still wear traditional clothing and nose adornments.

The 29th May is Democracy Day, a National holiday celebrating the overthrow of the Royalty and also happens to be the day of the official opening of the school toilet block. Paul is rightly pleased with the result as it is well constructed and should serve to provide quality sanitation for the school community for many generations to come. Paul was treated like royalty, being adorned with Kharta, the traditional gift of a scarf offering thanks and safe passage in the future. Speeches and traditional dancing added to the celebrations.

There is heavy rain overnight which clears for morning. Our driver arrives for the next leg of our journey which is to take us over the Taksindu Pass to Salleri. This is a new road as previously there was only a walking track. The road is still under construction and the rain overnight made the going very slow. Came across a truck which was stuck, lots of guys giving instruction but only one with a shovel, sound familiar ? Finally the truck made it out of the mud and allowed our driver to get through while we walked.

The road surface is being created with stone, hand split and individually placed, has to been seen to be believed.

The following day is going to be along one, Salleri to Kathmandu and it takes us 12 hours door to door. Our taxi is a Mahindra Scorpio SUV and we certainly need the road clearance. The devastation to the roads from the previous years monsoonal rains is incredible. There are bridges and houses lying in the river bed. Huge slips are still over the roads forcing traffic to find new routes into the river bed to get around them.

The traffic in Kathmandu is manic, lots of motor bikes but it all seems to work and traffic is well behaved.

The following day we come across a festival, Machindranath, where a huge tower is constructed on a cart with huge wooden wheels. This is pulled by a large  number of men at the end of the day, something we didn't get to witness, but the people were out in their finery and there were street sellers hawking all manner of goods.

All to soon the day has arrived for me to fly to Paris to meet Sandra. Ten days has flown by and my exposure to Nepal, the countryside and it's people has once again left me humbled by their attitude to life, in awe at what they achieve living in a country that can be cruel but yet spectacular. Namaste.

Highclere and Chichester 30th July to 6th August

We caught up with friends in Great Bedwyn. Phil's step father worked with Jeff on a farm at Lambourn in 1978 when Phil and Jeff joined the local Great Shefford Young Farmers Club. We have visited them each time we come to the UK but sadly they have never been able to come out to NZ.  They take much delight in taking the mickey out of our kiwi accents hence Diana calls Jeff "Jif" and Phil loves to ask " say this word Sandra" ...then rolls about laughing.  They have a Down Syndrome son and Diana has Parkinson which is tragic.  

Jif wearing his birthday apron with Di and her JIF birthday cake.

In the UK charcoal BBQ's are the thing, which given the difficulty in managing the temperature, we thought another of the idiosyncrasies here.

The area around Great Bedwyn includes Newbury which is a nice town and has the Kennett and Avon canal passing through. Still has a stand-alone butcher near the bridge who has great patter, we like to support these businesses as it is tough competing with the supermarkets.  We went into the town a couple of times for supplies and give the dog a walk on the canal path.  

The pub beside this cafe is called the "Wagon and Horses".

We were invited for aperitifs by folks next door to our housesit. Malcolm was one of the brothers that owns the farm estate. During the day Malcolm had decided to cart a couple of old big bales to the farm manure pile and then set them alight. It was the hottest day of the week and English summer thus far at 29C. His weather finger in the air told him the wind direction was OK and a thunderstorm was forecast. The farm estate houses spent the day and the following enveloped in smoke and some irate neighbours let him know about it. There was a tap on the door when we were having drinks and a tenant gave him his pedigree to which he intern advised " I am not @#! God so cannot control the wind or amount of rain". Think maybe burning in the Autumn, as his wife had said, would have been the path of least resistance.

Next day we visited another YFC who has a 600 cow dairy farm now managed by his son. Alastair had been farming with his father near Lambourn since 1953 and originally had 180 cows then to 250 cows. When his son took over a few years ago; the herringbone milking parlour was replaced with a rotary as James had been to NZ and wanted to improve productivity in the English climate. Cow numbers increased to 600, year round milking, contracted to Sainsbury's supermarket at around 43p per litre. Not paid by kg as in NZ. Even though it is summer here all cows and calves are kept in huge sheds because they get more litres per cow than if they were out on the grass fields using energy. This does not sit well with us. They also have the issue of dealing with all the slurry, environmental pressures and Sainsbury's increasing box ticking. They use thousands of litres for wash down, cleaning etc. Son James has put in a biomass burner for heating the water. It would not be viable without the UK agri subsidy they receive. We wonder where it will all end constantly expanding to stand still.

Biomass boiler and controller

They buy in the chip because they do not manage the woods on the farm.

This is Alastair's son in law Luke,who along with their daughter, also live on the farm in one of the houses. Luke has completed a Nuffield Scholarship and produces what they call chard or charcoal for a number of uses. Very enterprising man and being able to work at home is very necessary as Alastair's daughter has MS.

We had several more walks in woods and about until we finished up on Saturday with the housesit. In the UK there are thousands of public walkways, bridleways signposted that cut across fields which may have crops. Some land owners leave a narrow path easily recognised or you make your way in what you think is the right direction. Great fun and we both love these always interesting walks.

Bruno our housesit dog is at the end of the lead on the public footpath through a field of oats.

We left Woolton Hill, Highclere and headed to Chichester to spend time with our great friend Marj. Now retired from medicine she travels, sails, cycles and looks out for her Mum. Marj had put us onto Peak Tours, who we cycled with in Provence, she has done dozens of tours with them. Another friend, from the Isle of Wight; Suzanne, was also staying so lots of laughter.

Next day a walk on the South Downs Way. Got the bus near Marj's house to the start at Cocking as Chichester backs on to the National Park. The South Downs Way is a 160 mile walk of which we did 12 miles. A perfect day and our walk took us past where Marj works with the Sussex  Wildlide Trust in the winter coppicing Hazel. 

The coppice stems are used for Sussex fencing, stakes in Garden centres etc. 

The walkers Marj, Suzanne and I.

A view from the top of the South Downs. Classic English countryside in the south.

To our delight there was a village cricket match on the go when we walked back through Lavant to Chichester. Sitting around the park watching for a while was hard to beat.

Marj cooked an amazing meal for Jeff's continuing birthday that night.  Beef Wellington perfectly done  with greens, potato bake and good wine.  Dessert was a mound of profiteroles. Thought we had died and gone to heaven. 

For our penance, long walk the day before not withstanding, Marj had us out for a cycle next day along quiet roads for 27miles/44km with a coffee stop in Compton. We were very pleased with how we felt given we had not cycled since Provence some seven weeks ago. 

Thankfully Marj has a few cycles, helmets and shoes to borrow. This is a typical signboard. We had stayed at Rowland Castle a couple of weeks previous.

In the afternoon we walked into the city to do a shop at Marks and Spencers the go to department store in the UK for good quality and value. Another celebrity  bottle of bubbles, this time Pelorus brought by Suzanne, and then in the  evening we strolled up to the Earl of March pub for dinner. Jeff birthday celebrations having had a good weeks effort by now felt we had honored his 70th in style.

Yesterday we decided to visit friends in Wimborne, Dorset with Marj. Many years ago we would all meet up with Geoff and Lisa at the Bath New Year sales. The idea was to see who got the best bargain then meet at the Green Tree pub, reknowned for it's bangers and mash for lunch to view the spoils. One year we only bought a sink plug for the accommodation we were working from and Geoff said " we just did not get it".  Geoff is a retired GP with a passion for classic cars and Lisa works as a speech therapist at Salisbury hospital. Their daughter had recently stayed with us on her gap year travelling in NZ. Before we got to their home we went for a walk around Wimborne known for the  Minster which includes a medieval chained library from 1686. The books are actually chained as back in the day the public were not trusted with valuable books, one is from 1343 on how to evade spiritual pitfalls and tomes in Latin written on lambs skin.

Marj and I on the walk around Wimborne on the Castleman Trailway.

This is called the Lady Wimborne bridge from 1853 that was used as a rail bridge until 1977. Certainly not utilitarian and unkempt now but had its glory days.

One of Geoff Ottleys classis cars, Jaguar XK. They took it for a run at a very fast clip.

So today is organising ourselves to fly out of Heathrow at 9pm having completed our grand tour of Spain, France and the UK having left home on the 4th May, phew! It has been all we could have hoped for; fun, fascinating, filled with laughter, good friends and safe. We fly to Port Douglas arriving 32 hrs after we leave Heathrow 😴 to celebrate my sisters 60th birthday with her friends. Home to Nelson night of 15th August is the plan.