Helen and Paul live in a gorgeous farmhouse dating back to the 1780’s.
All low ceilings (only one bruise on my head), flagstone floors, rooms everywhere and the loudest creaking stairs you ever heard. No chance of Adam and Kate creeping to bed late at night without the parents hearing in a few years time! Kate and Alice are the same age and Adam is a year older than Harriette. We met them in 1995, shortly after both families moved to Hawkinge, in the local GP’s waiting room. In fact H+P had looked at Port Fleur (our last UK home) and only turned it down as it had 2 bedrooms (they have a boy and girl). And we would definitely have bought their previous home had we seen it first. They moved here (to the farmhouse) shortly after we emigrated (a place we would have loved but never been able to afford!). Paul has his own business and works very hard. They have Chester (a red setter) who I am sure remembered us, and since we left have acquired and Irish wolfhound, Ollie. Now I know these dogs are big but you need to be up close to see just I how big. He is the most gentle, docile and intelligent (I’m taking Helen’s word on the latter) creature.
So what have we been up to? Monday we discovered Primark, a seriously low cost clothes shop perfect for H and A. Only had 20 minutes there so need to find another one on our travels. Eric got a SIM card for the phone and we went to pick up the hire car. Driving out of London was as stressful as you could imagine. We left quickly as Ava and the girls were standing on the doorstep waiting to wave us off and it was raining, and had not planed a route out. In honestly I thought Eric knew the way. He then started saying get me out onto the M4 (or A4) and I couldn’t understand why he wanted to go west when we were heading south east. So I tried to take us south even though I was looking at a less than detailed map, which I was struggling to see. Then realised our route took us down by Wimbledon Common (during the tennis), well I’m sure you get the picture. Luckily Eric and I both, unspokenly, realise that this is no-ones fault and we only yell because we are stressed/tired and all is soon forgotten (well once we’re on open, and the correct, road)! Actually the girls were very good and sat quietly rather than telling us not to yell! Finally got to Kent and was struck by the Englishness of everything. Tried to have a conversation about how we felt and the best Harriette could come up with was ‘It’s weird but not weird’. Which we all despaired at considering her true gift is meant to be language! She however thought it was better than my recurrent “It’s so English” every 2 minutes. Got to Staplehurst and met up with my Uncle Tony and Auntie June whom I am very fond of. They are great grandparents now and lots of the family, including my cousin Pauline were there to meet us. From there we popped up to see my cousin Tony and his family. It is their son who had the accident in the Caribbean last December and broke his back. Alex is finally home and they are still in the process to adjusting to their new lives. Alex is amazingly positive and in good humour. He has live in carers and is using some very high tech stuff to try and move things on but it is going to take many years before his final outcome will be known.
From there we, or rather Eric, drove to Selsted (this is still the day I woke at 2am). I was amazed at how quickly we seemed to be getting from A to B. I think our road map must be a different scale to those we use in NZ. We were greeted so warmly with Helen hugging me repeatedly for the first hour saying “I can’t believe you’re finally here”. Katie had been unbearable for weeks apparently but concerned, as the girls were, that they may have all changed and would not get on. Well, no chance. Alice and Katie have been inseparable and talking 10 to the dozen (excitedly) ever since. Helen (this is Helen who can’t cook) seemed determined to prove she had made progress in this department and amazed me with cookbooks (not many but they were obviously used!) and a cupboard of baking ingredients. She was busy mixing and cooking but produced a cobbler with a rock hard crust so did not disappoint us too much!!!! She had also made a pudding without any packet mixes and served this with redcurrants and raspberries from the garden.
Day 3 – Tuesday. Started the day off with my first effort to run/walk for 3 weeks. I have been having physio for my hip but it is two steps forward and one back. I was only able to run for 300m but did a total of about 3.5km walking. I arrived back to find Eric, Paul and Katie in the kitchen eating breakfast. “You look like you’ve been running,” said Paul. ”I have”. His jaw dropped and he exchanged shocked looks with Katie. No one does things like that around here apparently. That may account for the shocked look on the old couples faces that I passed pleasantries with on my way round!
I think I have discovered the art, and joy, of shopping. It was Harriette’s birthday. Not much pressie unwrapping as everyone had given her money. She wanted to go to go to Howletts but the weather looked threatening so we decided on shopping in Canterbury and lunch out. We took 2 cars as Katie had persuaded Helen to let them have the day off school. Adam amazingly wanted to come with us and has been very chatty, not the sulky teenage boy I was expecting. In fact I think Helen has been pleasantly surprised. Seems he has also been looking forward to seeing the girls but then he and Harriette were quite close before we moved. Canterbury was great and I would have loved more time. Eric, H and I were going to do the cathedral while Kate and Alice wanted to hit the shops and marched off arm in arm to do so. Helen declined the cathedral but Adam wanted to come with us. Kings School choir was practicing while we were there and the acoustics were amazing. Standing staring at brilliant 30 ft high stained glass windows (and at this point the sun was even shining which adds to their brilliance) with Handels Messiah and the Halleluiah Chorus booming around you I have to say choked me up and bought tears to my eyes. I think Harriette was similarly struck.
They so should have filmed Parry Potter here:
(When we lived in Whitstable Harriette always asked to go "and see the Black Prince" whenever we were heading off for Canterbury. Here they are together):
The shop on the right is where Eric and I bought our wedding rings:
An hour there and then we hit the shops. Robyn you are to be blamed for the millions of photos we are taking because we are doing our best to show you what we can of this country. Robyn so wants to come to the UK but the trip is a few years off yet.
Next we ambled down to the West Gate to go to Café des Amis for lunch then shopping again, the July sales are everywhere with up to 70% off!! Finally we split up and I took Alice (with Kate of course) to pick Lucy up from school (in Canterbury). I had arranged with Claire that Alice could stay overnight but Alice seemed a bit reluctant. She and Lucy were rather shy with each other and I think need a bit of time to settle in together. Claire was just the same. She said she felt she was in a time warp and that things were the same as when I left, the only difference being of course that she has a son now to add to the 4 girls. Theirs is such a busy household! It was good to see Claire but it was just a flying visit and I am looking forward to catching up under slightly less chaotic circumstances, like the tea-time we arrived at. Helen had taken Adam, Harriette and Eric home and dropped Harriette in Folkestone where she was meeting Bryre, Cheyenne and new friends she has MSN’d with. I picked them up later took them to Bryre’s place where Linda met them and they dressed up to go out for a movie and Chinese meal. Eric then returned them to Bryre’s where they have slept over. We will collect her this morning before we head off to Bath.
No comments:
Post a Comment