ENGLAND – BRIGHTWELL BALDWIN

Off the ferry we drive and back into the land of the English speaking and back to some sort of normality if we can call it that (and driving on the ‘correct’ side of the road). I have teed up some screen shots of a place we can go and buy our English sim cards for phones and tablet which happens to be Chichester.  These small towns are the most difficult to find parking for the van to be able to buy the things you need.  As we travel on the motorway towards Chichester we are surprised at the amount of litter in this country that lines both sides of the road.  We just can’t figure out why councils don’t have people cleaning it up, there is so much of it. We notice this more coming off the ferries at the ports and heading out on the highways though there is litter on the side of the road elsewhere.

I have found a Waitrose carpark here in Chichester and we drive in. It is really busy and they don’t allow parks big enough for people like us, but we back into a park that won’t interfere with anyone else getting by. They charge in these supermarket carparks if you aren’t shopping at the supermarket but thankfully it looks like the ticket machine is broken.  We walk into Chichester and find the mobile shop and buy our sims.  Yay, we have op shops by the mile here in England and we go into the few we have time for before we think we should get back to the van just in case someone is checking our time in the park.  We find a couple of puzzles we can do whilst house sitting.  We haven’t had time for doing puzzles for years.  We will need to buy some new clothes soon as we have been washing our current small holding of clothes for 12 months and some are starting to get a little tatty looking so we will be dropping into quite a few op shops in the near future.

Back to the van and we head towards Arundel where I have spied a park that doesn’t cost much for campers. When we arrive there the carpark for campers is closed but there are a couple of older ones parked along the side of Mill road which is opposite a large castle here in the village.  These other campers don’t look like they have been moved for a while so we figure its ok for us to stay here for the night.  We park up and go for a wee walk around the village.  It is very cute but we won’t be able to look around the castle as it is closed for the winter and not opening for a few weeks.  We come across a pub and Scot figures we need to have a drink to celebrate being back in England as that’s what you do.  The drinks are very expensive and we find out that it is far more expensive in the south of England than what it is in the north where we thought the prices were really good.  One drink is ok, so we have that and head back to the van for the night.  It is cold and with no heater it’s a good idea to cook food and fill a hot water bottle to help heat up the van.

We are going to meet the owners of two of our house sits in 2 days time so we need to stay in Arundel for 2 nights, so the second day here we have a further wander around the village and see a bit more of the outer streets. It is cold so we stop for a coffee.  2.50pounds – 3pounds for a coffee is expensive but there won’t be a lot more of these, we have to start conserving money until we get some work.  We walk around the town and check out an old church – like every village, town and city has one or many.  It is a cute place but there aren’t many people around as it is quite cold and there has been a bit of drizzle.  We check out the odd charity/op shop and then take a walk along the mill road where the van is parked down to a lake where there are many ducks and swans.  We always forget to bring the bread when we visit lakes and rivers where there is bird life.  The ducks and swans are very used to getting fed so seem to hassle anyone entering the lake area hoping for a morsel to be given.  It is a lovely walk but a bit muddy and wet along some bits of the pathway which I think we will find quite normal in the UK.

We head back to the van to get some dinner on the stove to help warm the van up a bit.

Wednesday 2nd March

We thought we had lost this day as it was so insignificant that we couldn’t remember what we had done. We left the roadside park and headed down to Rustington and parked up in the Waitrose carpark.  I wanted to check out some of the op shops and a health shop.  We had 2 hours free parking here.  We perused a few of the shops and hurried back to the van just before our time was up.  We then headed off to a campground that was close to Horsham since I wanted to feel fresh before we met our house sit owners.  We had parked ourselves in a spot and had just set up when a storm came over and we had winds and hail.  It was cosy and warm in the van so we sat and watched tv whilst the weather went on around us.  A half day of rest for us.

3 March

We head out in the morning towards Horsham where we will meet the owners of the house we will be looking after 3^rd.  We hang around in a nearby carpark until it is time to go and visit and then head over to the house.  It is down a narrow little private drive where unfortunately progress has caught up to it nearby and there are huge developments going on but thankfully it hasn’t spoilt their outlook and you wouldn’t know it is happening when at the house.  The owners are lovely and after a chat we head off to the next place – Woking where our 2^nd house sit owners are waiting to meet us.  We stop on the way in Guildford to have a bite of lunch.  We park up in a carpark near a pub and go in and order lunch.  I then realise we are in a carpark that we aren’t allowed to park in and I have to go out and find somewhere else to park the car (leaving Scot at the pub….oh ohh….)  What a nightmare trying to find a spot with the van in a town like this.  I really don’t know where I am going but head down the road where I think there is other parking.  I find something but they are re-painting the parks and it is only a fluke that someone pulls out from a park where the van can go in enough to allow others to pass by.  It is one of the major challenges with the van – to find a reasonable park to go somewhere.  We can’t wait to get a normal car one day so we can do this travelling without the headache of parking and narrow roads.

After lunch we head to Woking and park up outside the next house sit. We will be looking after 2 Hungarian Vizlas here and as we meet the owners the dogs are very excited and overwhelm me.  It makes drinking a hot tea difficult with the 2 dogs vying for attention and trying to get on my knee.  I am wondering what we have let ourselves in for now.  It will be fine and we leave there and head towards the place we are house sitting first.  We don’t have to be there for another day so we decide to park up in Henley on Thames which is a lovely place.  The camperstop we spotted doesn’t turn out to be a good place to park as they fine you if you stay overnight and who wants to cop a 70pound fine for that.  I figure out we can park in the train carpark as they take long stay parking of up to a year in the carpark so we head there with the van and position ourselves so we are in a faraway corner and won’t get bothered.  We head to a local pub to have a drink which turns out to be horribly expensive so it is only the one and we go back to the van for dinner and sleep.

Friday 4 March

In the morning we have a wander around Henley and check out the shops. We imagine it will be incredibly busy here in summer and when they have rowing regattas on.  We leave and head to Watlington where our first house sit is.  We are actually staying in a lovely house just outside Watlington near The Chilterns which is a lovely green area west of the London circle.  We are looking after 2 kittens Lenny and Max, an elderly cat Henry and Zilla the elderly hen who actually looks very agile and spritely.  The owners are a lovely couple we get on well with so much so that we feel like we are old friends.  They cook us a lovely dinner as we settle in and make ourselves at home.  The next day after a walk around the local farm publicways they have a local rubbish pickup day so we join them and walk the local roadways picking up all that we can spot.  Mike takes us on a tikki tour around the local area to see a very old church (it has the crypt inside of the granddaughter of Henry Chaucer the English playwright and also has the oldest operating school in England) and graveyard and then takes us to a shopping area of Wallingford.  It is a cute village so we will come back another time to check out the local shops.

Mike and Rebecca head off early that evening to catch their flight and we are left to enjoy this lovely home, pets and location.

Sunday 5 March

We enjoy a short sleep in as the kittens are shut away for the night in a nearby room and they want to get out and have breakfast. Henry needs to be fed and of course Zilla also likes to have a wander in her pen or in the yard if we are close by.  We enjoy a bit of a walk around the paddocks again.

Monday 6 March

We are due at the local garage as we have organised to have an MOT done by them. It is due by the end of this week, so we drive down there only to be told by the owner that the van won’t fit under their door and it does have to be put on the hoists to complete the MOT check.  Wish they had told us that on Friday when we booked the van in.  Now we have to find someone else and in a hurry.  He recommends we go to Chinnor where their garages have higher doors and most likely will fit us in. So off we drive to Chinnor which is about half an hour away.  The guy is really busy but fits us in on the Friday afternoon.  Our niece Lauren is due on Thursday so that should all work in fine.  We head home.

Tuesday and Wednesday

The days are just spent relaxing around the house, playing with the kittens, enjoying ourselves outdoors. There isn’t any gardening to be done as it is all in order so we read and organise bits and pieces that we need to get done.  We also spend a couple of hours in Wallingford checking out the shops. Scot has started drawing with his pencils and trying to get creative again. I think pencils will be the cleanest to start as we don’t want oils over the carpet!

Thursday 9 March

We drive over to Bracknell to pick up Lauren from her nursing job looking after an elderly lady. We are right in the countryside and need to watch our van hitting the overhanging trees all along the narrow roadways.  We drive Lauren back to the house and we enjoy a drink and a catchup since we haven’t seen her since we arrived in London 11 months ago. As we travelled around Europe we always just seemed to miss where she was or was going.  As small as Europe is, it was always difficult for us to try and organise the van to get to another city.  We went for a wander over the local paddocks and public pathways and ended up getting almost told off by a local farmer when we turned the wrong way and went off the public way.

The next day we had to take the van into Chinnor for its MOT as now it was overdue but you are allowed to drive as long as it’s going to the garage to get it done. They will be an hour or so, so we leave the van and walk to the nearby pub for an ale while waiting.  The pub is full as it’s a Friday afternoon and all the locals have come down for a pint.  We head back to the garage in an hour but the news isn’t good.  We knew we had a leaking radiator pipe or something as we have had to keep filling the radiator with water and we get pools of water underneath the engine when stopped, so we had expected some kind of news.  However the news is that our rear wheel bearings are shot and need to be replaced so there is no driving the van until they are fixed and they approve our MOT.  We also have a leaking radiator and it needs to be replaced.  Bugger more money but it has served us well and they are totally necessary repairs so we book it in for the following Tuesday. The down side is that we can’t drive it anywhere other than to and from the garage. So luckily our kind next door neighbour will take Lauren to the Reading train station and so Saturday arvo we travel to Reading, drop Lauren off and have a look around the city (apparently you can call them a city and not town if they have a cathedral) which is quite busy. Vicki gets some blueberries at a small market at Spain prices which is great, we look around the huge shopping centre which to me are all the same the world over then head home via a slight detour to see the scenery on the way as it winds along the Thames and the villages and towns are beautiful. The next two days were quiet and restful with nice relaxing walks and playing with the kittens who are not allowed outside yet so they love to play with us and a little pottering about outside when the sun comes out.

Tuesday sees us drop the van off earlyish in the morning and then wait for the next bus to Thame where we are going to spend the day looking around then get the later bus back. It is very cold and though rugged up we spend a cold half hour waiting for the bus which duly arrives and is thankfully warm. Thame is another quaint town and has historical buildings and the typical looking English facades and signs that are so recognisable. Straight away we are in the middle of the markets and the veges and fruit prices seem really good and the produce is fresh so we buy some bananas. We would like to get a few things but can’t be bothered carrying them. We have a look around and as we have found in all villages and towns they have their fair share of charity op shops which we love to search. These are a lot more upmarket than ours at home and are in danger of not being the cheap option compared to retail shops but the quality is good and there are still bargains to be found. I search for books and any clothing that is quality especially if you can jag a good pair of Levis or similar. I am searching for the 3^rd book in a trilogy and so far I haven’t found it but will keep looking. Maybe it is still to new. Vicki is starting to look for good quality work clothes and op shops are great because compared to most retail shops a wide range of people donate clothes so chances are you can find ones that fit. I have no problem as in my size everything pretty much fits but Vicki can struggle but she has found some gems. We decide coffee is in order to warm up so do that and utilise an hour of van waiting time sitting with me reading the local paper and Vicki on the tablet researching something or another. We then explore more shops but in a town this side you can only go around once or twice and anyway it is lunch time so we find a small café and have a really hearty and tasty tomato soup and crusty bread. Again I struggle to pay the prices for anything substantial as we are not earning and when calculated back I find it hard to pay 20$ for a small burger or sandwich. We decide on a plate of chunky fries as well as only 2.50 pounds.

We wander a bit more then get the 3pm bus as we would rather be a bit early than late and miss getting the van and if it is not quite ready then we can sit at the pub down the road for a bit which we have to do. But the van is soon fixed and after paying a bloody lot of quid we head home but happy that the vans fluids are now contained. I know how the van feels leaking everywhere!! The next day we go to Wallingford to get some groceries as it has the closest Waitrose and we know we can park the van. After we do a small tiki tour to Didcot but not a lot to see but at least we are seeing a bit of the countryside and lifestyle. In the distance we can see the old power station that they are decommissioning and strange for us to see the huge cooling towers in the middle of the fields surrounding villages. But cleaner power beckons but unfortunatly this one had a tower that collapsed when it wasn’t meant to and has killed and buried 3 workers and they can’t find one of them. I had seen it in the news but to see it this close is weird.

The owners come home Thursday so we have dinner ready for them and I have made scones and Vicki biscuits as a thank you but we feel when you come home from holiday it is nice not to have to worry about dinner especially when jetlagged. Rebecca is off to bed early as she is shattered and we stay up a bit but it is an early night. It is with a bit of sadness that we head off the next day to our next sit in Woking as we have thoroughly enjoyed our stay and will miss the kittens especially but also the cat and hen as they have such distinct personalities. If all our sits are like this we will be very happy but figure that like life itself they will all be different and set their own challengers which we will just have to make the most of and enjoy the opportunities.