Greetings from the picturesque seaside town of Eastbourne in East Sussex, England where I am now holidaying with Mum and Dad.

Renowned for its picturesque white, chalk cliffs and miles and miles of walking trails, it is a hiker’s paradise.

Among one of the most famous sites in the area is Beachy Head, named not for a beach, but rather the corruption of the original French word “beau chef” meaning beautiful headland. It remains in pristine condition because in 1929, a far-sighted group of Eastbourne council-men bought 4,000 acres of land surrounding Beachy Head to protect it from development. Thank heavens!

Beachy Head cliff is the highest chalk cliff in Britain standing at over 530 feet above sea level. Not only it is stunningly beautiful, but sadly it is also a popular suicide destination allegedly, only surpassed by the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, USA.

In the car heading to Eastbourne – me, Mum and Dad in the back!

Beachy Head, pictured. We had dinner last night at the Beachy Head Inn!

And, what a treat!

I had lunch yesterday with brother Ian and his youngest son Jacob at the most fantastic Thai restaurant in Stansted Mountfitchet, a delightful English village in Essex. This is a haunt of Ian and Jacobs and will be added to my must return to list!

Wow, the food was simply superb and the presentation was stunning. Jacob and I both ordered the Dim Sun for starters which arrived with a hand-carved flower made from a swede as the decoration. We both also ordered the beef and coconut curry to follow which, had I not been in company, I would probably have picked up the dish and licked it, not something I would ever think of doing normally, but I just didn’t want to stop eating.

Ian ordered the platter for starters and the prawn and egg noodles for his main dish and again, he demolished the lot and said it was the best he’d ever eaten.

Here are father and son posing for the blog!

From Left: Brother Ian with his youngest son, Jacob (20).

On Friday night my very dear girlfriend Gill and I pitched up to the Deal Court car park in London’s Thamesmead to watch a Tilted Production’s performance of BELONGING(s).

The piece is performed by an inter-generational troupe, and provokes thoughts on the notion of belonging, migration and the fleeting nature of what surrounds us. Our friend Cecil, whom I have known for over 30 years, has been with the dance group for over three years and is now living his dream as a dancer. We watch him perform in the fierce and unusual London heat, stretch his fibers to the core, and lift a fellow performer with intense grace as if he was a feather, simply amazing.

In all honesty, Gill and I approached the starting venue, located in a dated housing estate in a not so nice part of London SE2, with a sense of trepidation. As we walked past a gypsy encampment, several pubs which Cecil had warned against approaching, it was refreshing to meet fellow thespian enthusiasts on a warm and humid night, ready to challenge ones own boundaries through dance and performance.

As Act I, Scene I opened in a car park, with some ten professional performers using cardboard boxes and gramophone records to portray industrialisation, automation and the decimation of both, timed perfectly to well-chosen music, one was immediately drawn into the many concepts of what the dancers where conveying. It was mesmeric. Graceful. Thought provoking. And, as we and the audience followed one of the dancers along the streets to the next scene, each of us had our own ideas of what we had just witnessed and what it each meant to us. And, as we debated, and Cecil joined us, there are no wrong answers and, interestingly enough we are still thinking about it!

From Left: Cecil, one of Tilted Production’s performers, girlfriend Gill, and me. I have known Cecil for 30+ years, Gill for 20+ years and the one thing we always do is laugh!

Gramophone records featured throughout the performance of BELONGING(s)! Cecil is second from right.

Act III of BELONGING(s) took place in a field overlooking Greenwich peninsula where to my delight there were three working wind turbines!

 

 

 

Greetings from London!

After a quick 8 1/2 hour night flight from Houston, a long 1 3/4 hour wait to get through customs, a rapid 45-minute drive around the M-25 trying to re-acquaint myself with handling a manual car on the right-hand side of the road, I arrive at 389 High Road, Woodford Green, my London house!

It’s not exactly much to look at from the outside, but bearing in mind that it is a Grade 2 listed building which pre-dates 1730, making it and its sister property next door the oldest houses in Woodford Green, it’s not doing too badly at some 280+ years of age!

The differences between the two houses are quite marked. The adjoining property (with the red door) has had few alterations made to it since it was built, including the original staircase which was made from horse-hair. Mine on the other hand was bought by a builder, gutted inside and turned into a seven level, fully open house which includes two spiral staircases and a mad layout which entails you taking staircases up and down all over the house.

In the 1990s, after the builder finished messing with it, the council listed it as a Grade 2 building making further major alterations difficult to ensure the integrity of the building remained in tact. It was at this time that I bought the house and continued with cosmetic modernization such as adding floor to ceiling radiators in stunning colours such as purple, orange and yellow, painting the spiral staircases a magnificent shade of green and adding stainless steel cladding and wooden floors.

Typical July weather for the Wimbledon tennis championships – it has just poured with rain!

 

Packing Assistants or Packing Assistance – you choose! Whichever is your choice it certainly made me smile!

I am heading to London tonight to see the family and take Mum and Dad away for a few days.

So today I have been getting myself ready for the trip with some much needed assistance from the furry assistants!

I don’t know what it is about suitcases and kitties, but whenever we get a case out they are straight away vying for a position inside it. Even Holly for whom today was a whole new experience as she has never seen a suitcase before, was the first to check it out.

More from London!

Holly exploring her first ever suitcase!

Abigail quality checking if the suitcase is comfortable!

Archer sitting in my hand-luggage case licking a bag containing English money!

Hooray! Americans are free! Free from a life of cucumber sandwiches, playing tennis on the lawn, watching cricket, drinking warm beer, driving on the wrong side of the road and speaking in forked tongues! Phew, what a lucky escape, HA!

Today, the US celebrates Independence Day, also known as the Fourth of July or July Fourth, and it is a national holiday, so all non-essential federal institutions such as post offices and courts are closed.

The day marks the adoption of the Declaration of Independence 241 years ago on July 4, 1776 when the Continental Congress declared that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as a new nation, the United States of America, and no longer part of the British Empire.

Many politicians make it a point on this day to appear at a public event to praise the nation’s heritage, laws, history, society, and people.

The Fourth of July is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, family barbecues and parties with buildings and homes decorated with flags and all things red, white and blue including High Meadow Ranch and our fur babies!

Patriotic Poppy-dog!

Archer catching a much-needed snooze!

Abigail only just tolerating the photo shoot!

Not even a bandana will get Artie out of Poppy’s bed!

Holly trying to use the bandana as a disguise to raid Artie’s biscuit bowl