We "Still Call Australia Home"

This joyful meeting was long overdue.

Meet TomandEdna, yes, in our mind they are as one. Enjoying the new facilities at The National Trust's Chedworth Roman Villa.

Along the top of the Cotswolds, with Mal and Carol and the fashionable Walking poles.  Helpful in Neil's muddy lanes.

Yet another visit to Hidcote Gardens.

Lunch in Marlow, a handy spot on the Thames to catch up with niece Kate and Karim.

Marlow, like Alcester, also has a gold Post box, celebrating a local gold medal winner at the Olympics.

Back in Beijing in the hutongs. We have used the local phrases for "back lanes" in each country to describe our journey.

This adapted bicycle has food, but also a wok, or frying pan, sitting in a brazier of hot coals as he peddles along!

Just another card game, - another loser reluctantly handing over the cash !

Evening stroll, in the company of thousands.  It was National Holiday Week.

This is 'only' the train station.  It is like an armadillo.  The airport is enormous, as new airports are.  At least we got lunch, since we were too late for the hotel breakfast.

Australian  dawn.

A Grand Welcome Home. 

Jack reads a story with adaptations ordered by Adela.  There was dancing to follow... always dancing.

And Gill tells me she looked after these two teddies, but that she could have done it better if they lived at her house!

Good to be back in Australia! 

70 successive sleeping places.

58 types of beer.

77 separate journeys logged on the Eurail pass.

18 countries.

10 currencies.

12 languages plus English.

158 days.

8,000 kms approximately by train.

1,200 by bus.

800 by boat.

200 by plane in Europe. Plus the flights to and from Australia.

5 kms on bikes (!)

5,500 kms approximately by car in UK.

Here endeth the lesson.

Time to see more of Australia.

Yorkshire

In Central Scotland, mates from university, and how the time flew!
Marie provided for her husband Paul (left), and Jim and Bob (right). All school teachers for most of their careers. We missed you, Kay.  Paul, in answer to your question, my sister-in-law said straight away that the collective noun for a group of superannuated geographers must be a "mappery" (!)


Off to St Cyrus, near Montrose, where Neil's brother found their great(x4) grandfather's birth registered by their great(x5) grandfather.  We looked in this old graveyard hidden down the cliff because Jim at Uni Mates re-union lunch had said he had visited St Cyrus' old burial ground at the foot of the cliff whilst walking there & had seen Graham headstones, which we found quite remarkable.  They must be distant "cousins".

From the top of the cliff by St Cyrus looking down. A long way to the old graveyard.

Another great (x5) grandfather was watchmaker in the nearby town of Laurencekirk.

There were twin Gateposts to the pheasant-infested property of "the Big House" of the area, formerly Grahams.

Still called Pitbeadlie, this was the place of the tenant farmer's house, an older building then, where the Graham ancestor Alexander registered the birth of his son Alexander. A popular name. Sandra's family too, have at least 6 Alexanders going back, not counting the 2 females in the family today.


After that family diversion, we caught up with my brother, Mal, & Carol, his better half, at their friends caravan, on the coast of East Yorkshire, where Mal & I grew up.  It was a chance to catch up with our shared hobby, steam trains :-

Steam on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
Another day we did train chasing.

Neil's brother Mal and his wife Carol, at their friends' caravan.

Riding with the top down in their new 'TwinTop' convertible.

This is the crypt is below Lastingham Church, and  still in use. Oldest archeological  piece was from the 10th century.

Out on the Moors.









Wildlife: red grouse and hare.

Flamborough North Landing. Looks bright, but the wind is chill.

Mal and Neil.

Mal, Carol and Neil.

What a special time it has been back in Yorkshire!



The High Wolds of East Yorkshire, with York in the distance...

Neil's parents, Bridlington.

Paternal grandparents in Hull.

Maternal grandparents, Hull.

Bruce, of Hull City Council, marking the plot of Peter Graham, the great-grandfather, who came down from North East Scotland, and of Isabella, his wife.

Outer Hebrides - the First Time !

Crossing was smooth with cliffs & Gannets to see...

 Arriving at Tarbert, Isle of Harris enabled us to see the rocky landscape behind the village, and in the evening, a local drive confirmed our thoughts - its a barren land, in many ways !

 But with spectacular moments to offset the above...

 Strong winds, peaty water meeting a blue sea, gives rise to lovely combinations - but it was fresh, too..

 with other animals unperturbed by such minimal concerns..

 We crossed to North Uist in the afternoon, & our ferry had to weave in & out of so many rocks, with waves coming up a couple of channels, too - giving us a few sea-worthy moments

 The Uists & Benbecula are different to Harris with sandy (Machair) lowlands, strangely on the windward, ocean, side !

See the soccer pitch. although the local game is shinty - a kind of very dangerous hockey.

Peat has accumulated over the years & it is cut & left to dry out, before being used to heat the houses - smells like old rope on fire ?

 Birds were our interest, of course, & we saw these, which were not actually walking like all the rest, due to the windy conditions..

 Beautiful views of Barra, to the south of Eriskay, with its causeway from South Uist, left.  Several of  these join up islands, which the otters have to hurdle...

The narrow roads go round garden fences, according to villager's wishes.
Most of the roads are single track with passing places !

 Property is cheap... and wet...

 Atmospherics are plentiful...

And when the wind comes back - it blows the waterfalls back up the cliff faces of Skye !