Back to Shropshire

We are now on the last leg of our tour as we drive back to the Welsh border and the market town of Ludlow. In 2013 we spent one night here and liked it so much we returned in 2014 for one week. Before we left in 2014, we booked the same house for two weeks for this year and it should have been three!

The house is in a fabulous location with a pub at each end of our street and the centre of the town is 5 minutes walk. We have an outside garden, all we need is the sun to go with it and that's not looking promising. There are markets on every day except Tuesday and the surrounding countryside is glorious. Just drive, walk, train or catch a bus, it's all good.
Last time we were here we discovered Barnsley Chops which are just double lamb loin chops, but oh so very delicious.

Had to do them again.

The pub to the right of our front door is called The Wheatsheaf. They have a special on steak on Wednesday night, so we thought we'd test drive them. Some of the best Ribeye I've had. Sorry, flat battery in the camera, no photo.

The Wheatsheaf

Went to the local produce market this morning, only held on the 1st and 4th Thursday of the month, so we were lucky. Caught up with a stall holder we'd met last year who is an award winning sausage and bacon producer. Again we tried to be restrained, but God it's hard. We bought 3 packets of different sausages and a packet of Oak smoked bacon, all for £10. She also felt compelled to give us a freebie chorizo sausage for loyalty. What hope do we have?
Then we discovered a cheese-maker (blessed is he) and bought a White Cheshire and a Red Leicester with black peppercorns. It's going to be a good weekend I think.
Quick, get me outta here. Lovely music to leave by.......

Harpist in Harp Lane

When too many pies are never enough

We left Gosport and drove back to Ledbury today to visit our friendly butcher and baker of pies David Waller. We thought we'd visit and collect supplies. It's always such a difficult choice cause everything looks so tempting.
We decided on a small piece of Game Pie for lunch on the run, very convenient.

Then for a picnic dinner we chose a piece of a much larger Pork & Pistachio Pie which was liberally laced with garlic, an original standard Pork Pie and a Wild Boar Pie. There was also a Beef & Stilton pie, but we thought we'd be sensible and call it a day.

Standard Pork Pie

Pork & Pistachio Pie

Beef & Stilton Pie

Wild Boar Pie

Then we saw a Pork Meatloaf which had been lattice wrapped in streaky bacon. Yummo.... that can tomorrow nights meal with mash.

Pork Meatloaf

Feeling vey pleased with ourselves we said that was it. We hadn't seen David to chat to on this occasion, we were served by his trusted offsider. The butcher could detect a savage interest in pies, on John's part and also detected a 'not from around here' type accent. We told him we'd been returning here for years because his pies were soooo good. He was very pleased and on account of our loyalty, he'd throw in the Beef & Stilton one to try.

So much for self restraint....
We will return next Friday for more supplies and hopefully a chat with David...
Let the Foody experience begin!

Southwick

Southwick is a tiny village 30 mins from Gosport. We went there because our friend Andy told us it was pretty and the only one village shop sold terrific pasties. So, off we drove not really expecting what we found.
Southwick, which was first mentioned early in the 12th century would appear to have grown from a farm into a small village which is renown for one or two interesting events: Henry VI married Margaret of Anjou here in 1445, King Charles I used to visit here and the present Southwick House was built here in 1841 after the first Southwick House was demolished at the beginning of the 19th century and the second one burnt down in 1838.
We went to buy a pasty from the Village shop but they weren't ready, so we thought we'd have a look in the parish church to fill in some time.

 











There was a display inside telling the story of D-Day and how Southwick House had been commissioned by the British Navy and the story of how Eisenhower had planned, and in June 1944, at Southwick House, made the decision to invade Normandy.
The Battle of Normandy resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany's control. The invasion was one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history and required extensive planning and it all happened here. Eisenhower and his mates used to drink in the Golden Lion which because it had its own brewery out the back, never ran out of beer!
Amazing.....

Because the village is so old the varied architecture is noticeable......

In the end, we did get our pasties and they were good. We had a chat with the fellow who baked them, not a baker, but a man whom, with his wife and child made a life style change. With social media and Facebook this place is making a killing. He entered an International Pasty Competition at the Eden Project and won 3rd prize. That is 3rd best pasty maker in the world!

Amazing.....again

Day Trip to Chicester

So what does one do in Gosport when John is off exploring his childhood (weird sense of dejavu here. Have I written this before? Anway....) one takes a day trip to Chichester. I caught the train and had a lovely day. It's only a 30 min train ride away and very easy.
Shopping is good and there is a cathedral which looked worth visiting but was conducting a funeral. So I went off to walk the Bishop's Palace Garden which was very pretty.

The Cathedral



Ingenious

Chichester was founded in 43 AD with the Romans doing their thing as they did so well. The Romans left in 400 AD leaving the wall they built around the city, and the Brits took over. The Cathedral is 11th century and in 1861 the spire collapsed and was rebuilt during the 19th century. it is unusual in that it has a separate bell tower a few metres away.

Hometown Boy

And so we return to Gosport, under sufferance you say? Well yes, it used to be like that, but in fact it is growing on me, and no, not like mould!
You will remember John also grew up in Gosport and he is very fond of the memories associated with it. It's a shithole, but it's his shithole and has nice accommodation and nice friends. Sadly, the elderlies that we used to visit have both died now which is disappointing, but, such is life and death. 

 

A lot of towns have out of shop advertising, but this!?*!? I think it typifies the demographic.

 

Gosport/Portsmouth Harbour

 At the end of our road is a one lane bridge which is presently closed. There is a sign at the top of the road advertising this, but nobody reads it, drives down to the bridge, stops, swears and does a three point turn and goes back up the road. This large truck towing an equally large trailer had this experience. They dealt with it amazingly. The boys dislodged the trailer and pushed it back, reversed the truck, relocated the trailer and off they went. Moral of the story......Pays to read road signs......

 

We did catch up a few times with our friends Andy and Jeanette, always a pleasure with lots of laughs.

There was also the mandatory trip to The Still and West pub on the Portsmouth side of the harbour. Fish and chips watching the passing parade. The sun shone and the puppies played.

One of the America's Cup boats

Ferry from France

Puppy Fun

Dinner

The Red Lion

Throughout the 1950's John's paternal grandparents owned and ran The Red Lion, a pub in Fareham. We have been back here to stay a few times since 1981 and it's most often been a good stay filled with memories from John's childhood. He shows me the same things and tells me the same stories and it's really quite nice. We also go to the local cemetery and tidy Grandpop's grave.
On this occasion we checked into our room which happened to be one of the older ones. As I opened the door to number 22, the look on JE's face was priceless. This very same room was his Granny's sitting room all that time ago.

 It was a big room with a lovely bay window overlooking the main road.

View from the Window

 He relived every moment he had spent with his Gran in this room and pointed out where her furniture used to sit and where and how she used to sit. Weird and just a little bit spooky.
We had a drink downstairs and cheersed all past relatives then walked down to another pub, The Delme Arms, which his Grandpop had also run before he took on The Red Lion.

Before we left we put the boys out on the sofa so they could have a visit with Granny in her room.
When we returned the boys were still there but not standing up as I had left them, but all laying down. Again...weird and quite a lot spooky.
I have no idea...........

Family

As we leave West Wales, we feel we've discovered yet another part of the UK that we really like. Greenery and a rural way of life that we quite enjoy. This feeling cements our plans to make the move to Bowral. We were looking at some real estate offices in our next town stop, Farnham. They could have easily been properties in Bowral!

We visited a couple of pubs John used to frequent when he was younger. All still there, some changed a bit, but all still there.

The Nelson

The outside drink

 

 Interesting to see how you can order a drink, take it outside, sit on the kerb and all is well. Can you imagine doing this in Australia? Occupational health and safety has taken over. No way, either you can't take it out at all, or it needs to be in a plastic cup

The Hop Blossom

The next day we go to visit Aunty Kay who turns 92 next week and her boyfriend Len. Kay is doing pretty well and was very chatty. Sadly can't say the same for Len, he's aged a lot over the last year and is now talking of a nursing home move. Sad.
We drive to Fairwarp to stay with John's cousin Elaine again. When we get there, they had invited neighbours Russell and Annette over for a drink which was really nice. They make us laugh.
We had lots of chats and laughs and visited Elaine's daughter Rachel at her café. She bought a café in a woodland and it seems to be doing well. It's reputation is spreading and they've now started to cater for weddings. Continued good fortune Rachel.

Wilderness in the Woods Cafe

Back to see Kay on Wednesday who's full of beans again. So good to see. She has a cleaner called Mary who comes by once a week. Mary is 76 or 78, not sure really, but is very spritely and had expressed an interest in seeing us again. We'd met her 2 or 3 years previous and we all just clicked. We took them a bunch of flowers each and you would think we'd told Mary she had just won the lottery. Wonderful.

Also caught up with number 1 daughter Sarah and her 3 children, smallest granddaughter Isla and her furry brother Woody.
All in all a very enjoyable time. Thanks Alan and Elaine xxx