Day 5 Lyme Hall

A much better sleep. Woken by Amelia at 6. This morning we went to Lachie’s sport’s training. It was led by a young Welshman called Alistair, who did a good job of keeping the 3-4year olds on track. Although the sun was shining, it was really cold in the hall and I was very glad I had taken my coat. While I was watching Lachie, and Amelia’s determined efforts to join in, I spent the time editing photos in an effort to catch up.

From here we set off for Lyme Hall near Manchester arriving about 11:30. The National Trust properties open later in the day. They are restricted to how many hours per year they may open.

Lyme Hall was magnificent- both the home and the gardens. Just needed Mr Darcy to ride up to complete the picture. There were hundreds of people enjoying the area, investigating the home, but many more walking, or picnicking with family.

We ate lunch first. I had GF soup and they ate sandwiches. £12 entrance fee for me. Sarah and family have a pass. The rooms were spectacular in detail and ornamentation. The tapestries, woodwork and ornate ceilings were a feature and the views from the windows were amazing.

The gardens were featuring daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and the rhododendrons were just starting. The formal Italian garden was magnificent from the view above, as were the flower beds near the Hall. But the reflections of the Hall and trees in the lake were just stunning. You could dress up in “Pride and Prejudice” costumes and several people did and were wandering through the grounds in their costumes.

There seemed to be just as many people arriving as we were leaving (3:30). Lachie had been invited to a birthday party and it took about an hour to get there/ home.

They stopped off at the birthday party and I walked the short distance back to the house where I completed my job of editing/ culling previous photos. At the same time I did the washing and bought in the load from yesterday. Despite the warm weather, the clothes needed to be finished off in the dryer.

When they arrived home from the party, the kids had dinner and played outside until bath time. Sarah and Tim were going out, so of course Lachie took a very long time to settle down to sleep. Amelia was much faster. I continued to upload today’s photos Of course I haven’t been using Facebook and there has been no time to do my usual blog.

Day 4 Speke Hall a National Trust property– near Liverpool

After staying up till 12 to download photos and write my diary, I woke at 3 am and couldn’t get back to sleep. Eventually I gave up and used my awake time to continue to edit photos. Finally returning to sleep about 4 and being woken by Amelia at exactly 6 am.

Sarah drove Tim to work and returned to have a quick run, while we watched the TV and read some books. We made lunch and set off at 10:30 for Speke Hall. The drive took us almost to Liverpool, past vast areas of industrial land and over the huge bridge, which spans the Mersey River. The drive was lovely because the trees are just beginning to unfurl leaves and the blossom trees are fully loaded. The King Alfred daffodils are past their best, but the white ones are still looking good.

Speke Hall is a famous half -timbered medieval home. Sir William Norris began building it in 1530 and incorporated an existing earlier building. Norris was a catholic and so there is at least one priest hole and several features to aid in the safety of the catholic family. The gardens were lovely, but the house was even better, in particular the carved decorative woodwork and furniture as well as the William Morris’s wallpaper. It has many features to keep the kids happy including play grounds and the Maze, which was Lachie’s favourite. We had our lunch and the kids had a play.

We drove via Liverpool and the Birkenhead tunnel that was built by hand, under the Mersey. Buses and trucks have to use the middle lanes for the required   height.

When we picked up Tim we drove back to visit Port Sunlight. This was a village constructed by the Lever brothers in1887 to accommodate their workers. In the 56 acres they created 800 houses and public buildings, employing 30 architects to design blocks of houses. It was to be an exercise in profit sharing, using company profits to improve the village. The village was named after one of their detergents- Sunlight. Beautiful settings, gardens and well maintained homes even today.

A trip to Waitrose to pick up some supplies, then we drove up to Weston Grove to get some fish and chips for dinner. Finally a gluten free fish and chip shop. They have a separate fryer for the GF. The fish was delicious. Extra delicious because I hadn’t had any battered fish for the last 38 years. We drove home and had dinner. After dinner Sarah and Tim took the kids to the playground. I washed up, downloaded photos and typed up my diary, but kept falling asleep all the time. I’ve been fighting sleep since it hit like a wall at 6 o’clock.

Now 9:47 pm and I’m off to bed. Still have tons to cull before sending any photos of yesterday. I took over 700 photos- there is so much to see.

Day 3 Walking tour of Chester

Day 3 Day 3 Hoole/ Chester - 15 kms of walking and MANY photos

Hoole is basically next door to Chester. Chester was first established as a Roman fortress and town, known as Deva Victrix in about AD 74 or 75. The fortress was in the shape of a rectangle with rounded corners. It was a port town. No longer close to the sea. It is believed to have been destined to become the most important town in England. Two major Roman roads intersected in the middle of the town

I woke after a good night’s sleep. At one stage Tim’s coughing woke me up, but basically exhaustion won for me. Issue number 2 of this trip was discovered late last night: tablets that were still in the fridge at home!

It was a glorious sunny, 23 C day. The hottest day in April since 1946.

We had breakfast, then it was time for Tim to go to work and the kids to go to school/Day care and our walking tour to begin. Sarah took me through the main shopping street of Hoole, past the Chester Railway Station to the historic Chester black and white buildings/ shopping area. I was taking photos as fast as I could. So many beautiful historic buildings with amazing quirky carved details.

Our first stop was St Peter’s built on Roman foundations by Ethelfreda, daughter of King Alfred the Great, in 907. It was a beautiful church and the impressive stain glass windows. We walked down Bridge St to a café, “Jaunty Goat” for morning tea and gf cake. Then we walked to the Roman Gardens, where they have a great view of the Roman wall and the repairs done to the wall after the Battle of Chester in the Civil War under Charles 1.

Crossing the road to the site of the Roman amphitheatre, which held up to 7000. Next door was St. John’s church, possibly founded earlier than 689, and as such one of the oldest churches in Europe. It was a pilgrimage church reputedly holding a piece of the cross. Part of the buildings on site were destroyed after the Reformation. Again glorious stain glass windows and wonderful architectural features.

From here we walked along the Roman wall down to the River Dee where there were plenty enjoying the lovely sunshine. Past the Weir in the river to the medieval Old Dee Bridge and the Bridge Gate, along the Chester University buildings, which has incorporated parts of the Chester Castle. We stopped to have a look at the Grosvenor Bridge in the distance. Up the slight hill to the Chester Racecourse, which used to be the site of the Roman port. The River Dee has silted up so much that the sea is now 17 miles away. In the Racecourse you can see the base of the Roodee Cross.

We walked along Grosvenor St to Bridge St, past the huge Town Hall to the next most amazing church – the extraordinary Chester Cathedral.

This Church of England Cathedral was built in 1093 by the Benedictine monks on the site of a much older church. In 1538 the monastery was disbanded, but in 1541 Henry 8th claimed it for the Church of England and the beautiful stain glass windows document his ties with the church. In 1636 the space beneath the s/w towers were made into a bishop’s consistory court and heard cases until the 1930’s. The Cathedral was definitely a highlight. We had our lunch there in the café which was once the monk’s refractory. They are creating the entire Cathedral complex from Lego and I donated to the cause. There were many amazing parts to this church, including a special children’s chapel. Outside the church I broke my watchband when I was putting on my back pack. Yet another issue to solve.

By now I had used up two camera batteries and it was time to go and pick up Lachie. So we walked along the Roman wall to Cow Lane Bridge and from here along the Shropshire Union Canal, complete with narrow boats. There were many photo opportunities along the canal. Past the Mill and the Chester Shot tower, which is going to be converted into apartments.

We collected Lachie from school, changed into lighter clothes and set off for the local doctor’s to get a script for my missing tablets. A short wait at the surgery, a very quick visit to explain my problem and then we went to the chemist. No cost for the doctor or tablets! NHS. Sarah picked up some shopping on the way home and left Lachie with me to walk home while she walked up to get Amelia.  Lachie started his “rock collection” on the way home. I bought in the washing and Lachie played outside until Sarah arrived. She prepared dinner and the kids began eating slightly before Tim arrived home. The usual dinner bedtime routines and I finally sat down to write my diary at 7:30, but it was interrupted by a TV programme about the Roman connections to Chester, much of which I had seen today. A GREAT walking tour. I down loaded photos, but ran out of editing time. Bed 12 am.

Day 1-2 From Melbourne to Hoole

A great sleep last night, and was woken by the alarm. I had a series of jobs to do before the afternoon pickup. I took Ella to school, then went to the library, chemist and home, where I finished packing my bags. Sarah’s bag of supplies = 6 kgs. My bag 19 kgs, which includes a few items which are also destined for Hoole. My backpack was 9 kgs- blaming computer, electrical cords and medication- plus emergency GF snacks for “just in case” on the flights.

After packing, it was time to feed the birds and clean out their cage, feed the fish, water the pot plants, spray the roses, spray the geraniums, feed the snails and slugs, pick the beans, plant some old potatoes, rake the back lawn for random sticks, clean out the fridge,  a quick tidy and dust and returned phone calls that people had made while I was outside. Shower, washed my hair and finally time for a late lunch.

Heather arrived just before 4, we loaded the bags and set off into the peak hour traffic. I’d arrived too early for the check-in, so I sat for 15 minutes, before queuing for another 15 minutes. Promptly at 6 the check in opened and my luggage disappeared. Hopefully we will be reunited in Manchester. The only glitch was the machine processing the departure passports. It took an extra-long time to process my passport. Went through to the lounge to wait, then boarded on time. Not a spare seat on either section of the flight.

The same very ordinary GF food on the plane, including incredibly stale GF bread, but unlike Qantas no snacks during the flight. Emirates did have fruit IF you went to a galley area. I think I went to every toilet in the plane during the flight. Saw some great movies, but had no sleep.

We arrived on time at Dubai and by the time I went from one terminal to another, had a toilet stop and sat to have a drink, it was time to board again. Somehow at Dubai I lost my boarding pass. They printed another one. Again boarded on time, but we had to sit and wait on the tarmac for 30 minutes for a connecting flight,, delayed by a heart attack. Only 7 hours for this leg from Dubai to Manchester. More movies and still no sleep. I gave up in the end and started knitting once it was daylight.

We’d made up the time and landed very close to documented time. It was a very long walk through Manchester terminals. It is definitely not a fancy airport. Luckily I saw the poster advertising the arrival cards and stopped to fill one out. The longest queues were from returning British/ EU members. The baggage carousel was the usual bun fight. No Customs officers- just a note on the wall.

Sarah and Amelia were waiting for me, which was wonderful. After paying for parking we set off for Chester. The English countryside was lovely. SO green and lush. Trees are just starting to break out in leaf. Sheep and lambs in the fields and the last of the daffodils nodding away in the breeze. An incredible range of architectural styles in the buildings in this area. Sarah drove us to Waitrose, a brand new supermarket that had a large supply of GF food and even some LF cheese and yoghurt. After picking up Lachie from school, we had afternoon tea, then went to pick up Tim from work. We had an early dinner and then the children played outside with Tim. By this time I kept nodding off if I stopped doing anything

I lasted until 10 pm.