AN UPDATE AT LAST

The driveway at Westwell  Manor

The reflecting pool

one of the many well groomed lawns

Looking down to the Manor House

The beautiful herbacious border

The cafe court yard at Hyde Hall

Brilliant red ivy

Bill and Allie enjoying a coffee at Hyde Hall

The "Sisters" part of the African exhibition

The main square in Brugge

A typical canal scene

One of the many bridges over the canals

Lovely old grand buildings

Typical architecture along the canals

German mass grave-44,00 buried here.Only black or grey stone used .

The Canadian memorial "The Pensive Soldier"

The NZ memorial by the road side

Tyne Cot cemetry.Thousand of NZ soldiers-Known only to God.

The Mennen Gate at Ypres

Ypres-totally rebuilt after the war

Unexploded shells by the roadside

Up=market appartments in London

Looking down the stairwell at Fortnum and Masons

Hello everyone and apologies for the void in blogging.  I have just read the post that the cook did whilst I was away in NZ, and those photos of Lake Como gave me happy memories.  It truly is a beautiful spot and we did love having good friends with us.  Being in the village here is OK, but there is nothing like having people around you who truly know you.

My time back in NZ was pretty busy with my Father's funeral and then making arrangements for my Mother to continue to live on her own.  She is pretty feeble and unstable now as a result of both old age and the grief, but does not want to leave her home.  It was quite surreal being there and dealing with such huge decisions.  We have named  my sister Florence Nightengale and she is doing a splendid job of holding the fort.  However she has renamed herself Florence Nuttingale!!

She is due over here on the 19th Oct, so I am getting very excited to see her.  We have booked a trip to Paris for 2 nights just after she arrives.  We will take the Euro Star over - can you imagine, it is only a 2.15hr journey -  and that way she can see some country side also.

I was pretty whacked after my flight back - so had a few quiet days here at Knightcote continuing with the gardening chores.  Jonnie had done a marvellous job all by himself.  Susie is doing some serious redecorating, so he had extra jobs to do too.  The first thing I noticed was the Autumn feel in the air and change of colour in foliage.  We now know that it has been the driest summer on record so that is contributing to the earlier leaf drop (about 4 weeks) and we can expect brilliant colour.

About a month ago we had to deliver some chairs and trestles across to Susie's friend Thomas.  He was having a family christening at his 'Manor'.  His late wife was a re known English garden designer and has created the most amazing garden at what was her home.  Thomas opens it up as part of the national garden scheme.  It is one of those ones you see in books and think - 'is this for real'.  The house is a huge Georgian Style Manor and the garden consists of lots of garden rooms.  The vegetable patch is a Peter Rabbit Heaven.  I have never seen such huge and abundant celeriac, carrots, leeks, beetroot, lettuce etc.  It was such a treat being able to see it.  Our favourite part was the reflection pool.  This is quite a large oblong shape shallow pool that has been painted with a special black paint that is not for sale any more.  It reflects everything around it like a mirror - just stunning.  His property is quite near the town of Burford which is also to die for gorgeous.  If you want to see an excellent example of a quaint village this has got to be it.  The pub was covered in a selection of climbers and had flowering baskets hanging off the walls - gorgeous cafes and bakeries, galleries and lovely shoe shops etc.

Two weekends ago we spent two nights at Chelmsford with Bill and Ali, my brother and his wife.  We had a great day out with them to Hyde Hall - another of the RHS example gardens.  Essex is the driest region in England, so this garden is an example of what works well in a dry climate.  The had a huge Australian and NZ section (not sure about NZ being dry), but alot of the plants suffered very badly with the severe Winter they had and needed to be replaced.  The outdoor cafe part was just lovely and made my head spin as to how I could create something similar at home-on a smaller scale of course.  (Poor John)  There was a sculpture display of African artists there also with some stunning pieces.

We headed down to Dover after leaving them and crossed over on the ferry to Brugge in Belgium.  We had heard lots of gorgeous reports about Brugge and we were both keen to visit Flanders and some of the war cemetries.  What a gorgeous town - picture post card perfect, very very old, very clean, and very pretty.
Our hotel offered wonderful hospitality and superb breakfasts.  The town is surrounded by a canal and is medieval.  It has lots of squares and gorgeous shops and the best selection of beers you will ever come across.  We had a bash at trying as many as possible.  Some of the pubs have over four hundred types and each brand of beer has its own glass.  Making a selection from the menu  booklet is like reading a shopping on line catalogue.  Belgium is also known for its beautiful lace so there was plenty of outlets for lace linen, lingere, antique wedding veils, cushion covers etc.  They also make the best french fries there.  We have the recipie for the perfect chip and the trick is to double cook them.

One whole day of our stay was taken up with a guided excursion to the Flanders Fields.   Our group consisted of 8, so lovely and small and all commonwealth members.  Our guide gave us a fantastic overview of the war and its locations.  I was stunned to learn that the battles took place in such a confined area and that the front line continued to move back and forwards.  The trench warfare was something new and they were very extensive - quite amazing really.  Menin Gate is an enormous monument with 55,000 names of soldiers who died, but were never found. The last post is played every evening at 8.00p.m. under this gate.  It makes me teary just writing about it.

Kiwi visitors and Italy

biscuits and pasta

August 27-2011. This is the Cook reporting in. Sadly Sue's Dad passed away last Thursday so we got Sue on a plane that night and she is back in NZ for the Funeral and to be with her family. Was very sad but not unexpected.
So---- That leaves me in charge holding the fort till my lovely wife returns on 7th September. Hopefully I won't have any visitors till after Sue returns.On the 14th August, Kerry Tait ( a good friend from Geraldine) arrived with 2 friends and stayed the night before heading off to Scotland. Was good to see them and catch up on a bit of "goss", then on the Thursday Deb and Paul Clarke arrived. We picked them up from Banbury station and they stayed with us for 4 days. Unfortunately, Susie, our employer was due up that Saturday so we sent Deb and Paul off for the night to Chipping Campden and then they came back late Sunday after all the guests had departed. It was so good seeing them both especially Debbie who is looking really well.On the Monday the four of us flew to Milan, stayed one night then had a good look at the shops the next day. Boy the Italians are the true fashion icons of the world. Shoe shops to die for and clothes of every colour and design. Sue managed some shoes and yours truely 2 polo shirts and 3 pairs of undies!!!! We then picked up a car later in the day and drove to our apartment in Menaagio on Lake Como. This has to be one of the most beautiful places in the world. Our apartment was on the side of a hill, about 5 minutes walk to the main Piazza and the views from our balcony across the lake to Varenna and Bellagio were stunning.
Every day was sunny and hot (37-38 c ) so that meant a few swims in the lake and several gelatos along with cold beers. Did a ferry trip across the lake to Varenna, Bellagio, Tremezzo and as well  a drive to the top of the lake to Colico. George C has his villa just down the lake at Leno but no we did not sight him during our stay. We met 7 lovely African girls, who were staying in the same apartment as us. One was from London and was turning 40 and her 2 sisters and 4 friends flew in from South Africa to celebrate the occasion.
One night we were treated to a free concert by an Italian Orchestra in the Piazza. We dined at a restaurant right next to the stage and listened to Vivaldi and Mozart for 2 hours- quite magical.
 Sue and I flew back to England on Monday but Deb and Paul stayed on for 2 more days before heading off to Singapore.All in all a wonderful week but now back to rain and much cooler temperatures. The garden and lawns are in need of some attention so that will keep me occupied. Spent last couple of days assembling some new furniture and nothing is ever straight forward. Got the trundle bed erected only to find that the mattress for the bit that rolls under the bed is the wrong size. I did squash it in but then it wouldn't fit where it was supposed to go!!! Has been put in the too hard basket till next week.
  We have about 8 large apple trees here, absolutly laden with fruit so its chutney time. Have got a large pot of pear and apple on the Aga so must keep my eye on it. The good news is that I am getting a new ladder so that I can do the hedges safely and not balancing on one foot with both arms extended, with the petrol hedge trimmer threatening to amputate one of them. We are also getting a new dishwasher and drier ( it blew up the day we left for Italy). Have now got to project manage the decorating of the pool room and tower which will be a challenge. Well chutney is looking good, stewed apple is done so must away for some LAMBS FRY and BACON

making bad hair good

shelling broad beans

Kerri and friends

floral display at the cross in Banbury

our hotel in Milan-was excellent 

caught sue's eye-will make it for a 50th of the price!!!

Milan cathedral-awsome

shopping centre-central Milan

our appartment in Menaggio

down the steps

the narrowest part of our st-one way thank goodness

our regular morning coffee stop

looking across to Varena

the view from our balcony

nothing beats a cold beer when it's 38c

biscuits and pasta in the appartment

one of many narrow streets

our favoured coffee stop

looking south of Menaggio

two beauties on lake front in Menaggio

leaving Bellagio on the ferry

 Ciao

PORTOBELLO ROAD

serious bargain hunting in Portobello Rd

A genuine Christian Dior head piece(so the label said)

at last a William and Kate coffee mug (official )

Where we stayed in Nottinghill

Outside the Imperial War Museum Fantastic and thought provoking

Shell or suppository Could be fired over 16 miles from a battle ship

the famous British Spitfire

A big kid cooling her feet in Princess Diana's Memorial 

Waddesdon Manor built by Ferdinand de Rothschild

A magnificent display of  Begonias

the front entrance to the Manor

looking down on to the magnificent gardens

a tribute to William and Kate done in flowers

looking back towards the Manor

The Butchers Arms where we celebrated my birthday

having to make a choice from the menu

Our four days in London were pretty jammed packed but sooo good!  We were so lucky to be able to stay so close to everything.  The road that Susie lives on in Notting Hill is right beside the undeground station of Holland Park.  A gorgeous leafy suberb with mature trees overhanging the wide streets and about 15 mins walk to Notting Hill village.

Her house is Georgian  in syle which is deep, skinny and tall - with 5 floors.  We had 69 steps to our bedroom so you can just imagine how we crawled up them at the end of every day after 10 hours of walking around London.  

We were able to meet with my Brother on Friday for lunch.  He has a new job with the Irish Bank and his office is located just off Oxford St. (Londons' main shopping st)  The receptionist -(a male) - had such a good sense of humour and knew who we were before we even opened our mouths.  He was Australian.  Bill tells me the Irish folk he works with are great people - I don't know how he takes them seriously when they talk.  As you know they do not use the letter H so when they say 'think' it comes out as 'tink' etc.  I would be laughing all day.

We spent the afternoon walking up and down Oxford St and John bought new shoes and a beautiful oyster coloured silk and linen jacket.  (Wonderful sales over here)  He was very chuffed.  We took a walk down to Saville Row where all the bespoke tailors are.  No 1 Saville Row is the robe maker and tailor for the royal family - so was quite impressive.  There was a funny mix of window displays - Some Jackets you would not be seen dead  in.  The work rooms were all below street level so you could look down and see the people at work.  |One guy was making three red robes all laid with gold braid - probably for the military or queens guard.  They were works of art!!

We found the ticket stall for late sales for shows later in the afternoon and were thrilled to get two fantastic seats for 'Jersey Boys' for Saturday night.  We have just missed this show is several cities so were pleased to be able to go.  The music was awesome - you were toe tapping the whole time and in the end standing up and  dancing just like 'Mumma Mia'.  The guy did a fantastic take on Franky Valli as he had quite a special sound.

It was interesting to know his life story too.

We found an Italian restaurant for a late meal and staggered home and crashed.

 Woke to bright sunshine on the Saturday morning  ( don't often wake up to that here), so were very excited about our day.  Portobello Road is a mile of antique shops selling jewellery, clothing, furniture, silver, china, hats, shoes, furs, art, bric-a-brac, tools, and accessories of all kinds and even food down the far end.   It is only open on Saturdays and is just the most liveliest open air market.  Thousands of people flock here for bargains.  It was 10 mins walk from Susie's house so we found a cafe for breakfast and headed down there.  We spent from 9 till 3.30 there just taking it all in and of course shopping.  I found a gorgeous marquesite ring that I just 'had to have' , but we did love just poking around amongst it all.  It has been a bucket list thing, so we can put a bit tick beside it now.

Sunday John was very keen to visit the Imperial War Museum.  The museum has had some very good reviews and recommendations.  It certainly is impressive.  The history, displays and explanations told such a heartfelt story (I am getting teary just writing about it now).  We came out feeling as tho we had fought both world war one and two.  The holocaust display was one whole floor dedicated to the stories of the capture, camps torture, and slaughter of the Jews - plus they talked about all the tanks, planes, sub-marines bombs, etc.

We were in dire need of a distraction after this so headed down to Hyde Park for a walk.  The Park was absolutely alive with thousands of people - families, couples,  teenage groups roller blading - was amazing to be amongst.  The day was very hot - about 28 so the gorgeous trees were being well appreciated.  Kensington Gardens borders Hyde Park so we found Princess Diana's fountain.  It is just perfect for her - slabs of Welsh marble with fresh cool water running over a serpentine style irregular circular path.  Hundred of people - including me - bathed hot tired feet, and in most cases of kids their entire bodies.   

One of our jobs whilst being in London was to do some gardening for Susie, so we headed back to her house late Sunday to do this.  Her garden however is about as big as our Kitchen so this was not a major.  We  had to trim some Wisteria back,   trim some buxus and give the walls a scrub and then a good sweep of the tiny courtyard.   Her property backs on to a lovely shared garden with perfect lawn and lovely trees all bordered by apartments. Lucky we did not have to tidy all that.!

Monday morning we headed down to the Silver Vaults upon the recommendation of Carol King.   These have to be seen to be believed.  Located underground in Chancery Lane, they started out as Vaults for the wealthy to store their riches.  Nowadays they are actually retail shops all selling silver of every size, style and price range.  They house the biggest collection of Silver in Europe and we did love learning about the Hall Marks and what story they tell.  I was able to buy Jonnie a book for his Birthday which gives all the Makers names, Company names, dates and also shows the Lion as a symbol that the product is sterling.  Jonnie was most  taken with a salver that had come from a Hotel in France.  It was complete with a heating system so kept food hot whilst being delivered to room service.  It was absolutely gorgeous and was selling for £20,000.  I am glad it was that much - we would have struggled to get it home.

This last weekend My Brother Bill and his wife Ali came to stay and we could celebrate Jonnies birthday together again.  We were here last year with them and enjoyed a concert in the grounds of a mansion at Colchester.  We met at Waddedson Manor - one of the few remaining houses out of 46 around the world at one stage - built by the de Rothschild family.  A huge Jewish banking dynasty.  This home built by Ferdinand de Rothschild is certainly a testimony to their wealth and ability to gather rare and expensive pieces of art, porcelain, china, etc from all over the world.  Incredible interior decor of solid walls of marble, hand stitched tapestry curtains (exquisite) and the finest carpets every produced in the 1700's.

They have enormous stable, and a gorgeous aviary and very manicured gardens.  One of the features of the manor is their seasonal garden displays.

Saturday night we had a fabulous meal at a local restaurant that has been well recommended.  Priors Hardwick is a tiny village about 15 minutes away and the local pub is called  ' T'he Butchers Arms'.  The chef is European, and uses only local and fresh produce.  The whole experience was fantastic - wonderful service - waiters with such a good sense of humour.  We were allowed to sit at our table at the bar and enjoy a drink and order our meal and were taken through to the dining room when they were ready for us to start.   Our desert waitress was such a funny lady - she called herself a walking menu and was able to verbally tell you about the vast selection available.  She was full of fun so there was plenty of banter about choices etc.

This week has bought very hot days - 29-30 so I think summer has arrived, although they say you can never tell in England.  We are having pork spare ribs tonight and using the barbecue for the first time.  

Thanks for all your emails - it does sound very cold over there - Brrrrr.  Much love and hugs John and Sue