Powdermills Hotel Battle

As this is my first ever entry that my background is of someone who has travelled the United Kingdom an awful lot and has travelled to a lot of Europe, Australia and New Zealand. I will have a lot more to contribute in the coming months, but that is it for now and I hope that I shall enjoy meeting many new people and share your thoughts and experiences.

... crack open my piggy bank just yet, can i???

swanning off to paris this week to see grandma and pops, work party do the following week and then brussels before chill-axing over christmas. looking forward to meeting my cousin layla and savouring the seasonal cooking.

lots of love.......
willow
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxx

PS almost forgot -chickenpox have scabbed over now - inherited mum's immune system so kicked viral butt no problem.

After a good nights sleep, we all woke up to a strange object beginning to break through the clouds....the SUN!! I must say that after 5 days of rain, it was a very welcome and just goes to prove that it doesn't always rain in Wales!

Once everyone had packed & sorted themselves out, we set of for Cardiff in bright sunshine. I even had to put on my shades!

At ...

Well I'm getting quite excited now! last night I met Colin, Wendy, Leigh and Sarah, 3 of the team that will be riding with me. They were all really nice and Wendy had even made me a leather waistcoat but I might have to cut down on the doughnuts as it was a little snug!

It was good to meet them all and we discussed the trip, what gear everyone was taking and what the weather would be like. I told them that the sun always shines up North! but I don't think ...

... reading ‘No Popery’ are displayed with pride. Later on in the evening, at one of the seven bonfire sites, a giant effigy of the Pope will be obliterated with explosives to the sound of cheers and laughs. The anti-Catholicism is entwined tightly with a sense of national pride and identity. At the war memorial the societies took it in turns to hold a remembrance service for those who fell in the World Wars. Giant placards of poppies, studded with fizzing fireworks, were held ...

... six miles down the road in Hastings.  We took a wander round the village and had some lunch outside a small café - it was absolutely roasting hot - it must have been the hottest day of the year.  After eating we went to Battle Abbey - it's owned by English Heritage and as we are members we entered for free, picked up our audio tours and went on our way. The audio tour takes you round the battlefield, into the ruins of the abbey ...

Today almost no wind, so we did the whole trip on the engine. No tackling, going straight, well, we arrive at a decent hour. Again a new experience though: a lock, and there is a traffic jam! Everybody waits to get in, so we all are there side by side, trying to keep the boats noses right where it has to be, without bumping the one into the other. Frank is doing a super job, and ...

Today, we leave for Eastbourne, and the wind is not very good (grrr, they had forecasted S-SE wind, but well, forecasts are not this good those days), which means we will have to tack, which will reduce our speed! The weather is ok, even some sun, but we get tired. We reach Dungeness, pass it, but soooo slowly... Frank starts to evaluate our ...

... like a spoon with a moustache protector, ladies skirt hook for maintaining decency up stairs, a battery operated brush that encouraged hair brush and ceramic bed warmers amongst many other peculiar objects! Very Interesting!!! And the house itself had been restored to an excellent condition so you could really imagine how they used to live! Very fancy by the looks! Also very beautiful gardens and views around the house. The drive to the house was spectacular, like ...

... I just completed a culture class on all of this so I probably know more about it than anyone would like to know...but it is very interesting, espescially living here and witnessing the songs, drums, parades, flags and massive contrada dinners that the residents use to show there undying support. Each contrada has it's own symbolic animal and colors which are on full display at the twice annual Palio horseraces that take place in the famous Piazza del Campo in ...