SHOCK !
There was almost a whole day of drizzle on Wednesday last week. A whole day ! Drizzle !!
It was the first time we had taken our umbrellas out in almost 2 months. With talk now of almost certain water restrictions and possible crop failures I actually uttered words more commonly heard in Australia, “You can’t complain about the rain, we need it.” Have a look at the BBC weather story below. Essentially southern England has had only 12% of the spring rain we should have had a total of just 15 mls. BBC WEATHER VIDEO
A radio report yesterday had experts predicting crop failures if there is no significant rain in the next two weeks. It seems South East England suffers a similar problem to Canberra, which sits in a rain shadow. It can be raining all over northern and central UK and not here.
It certainly is strange though having had stories on receding dam levels in Australia for the past 10 years (Canberra’s dam levels are 97% full and Sydney’s are 75% as they head into winter) to now have them here in England. After years of saving and reusing water at home we are now doing it here ! The up side of course is great sunny days and we haven’t had the heating on for over two months.
The unseasonal good weather was a bonus for the recent May Day celebrations held at Whiteland's College. Sally's mum and her Grandma went to Whiteland's teacher training College as did Jane, Mark's landlady from 1991. In a tradition that goes back to th elate 1800s, each year the senior students in the college choose either a May Queen or king. It is a job for life and each year a reunion is held and former monarchs return to the college in their specially made robes. maypole dancing and Morris dancers are highlights of the day.
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| May Queens from previous years |
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| Morris dancers |
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| William & Aisha join in the Maypole dancing |
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| More recent May Monarchs. |
Jane was the secretary for the college alumni for a few years and received letters from ex -students from all over the world. Not long after Mark moved into Jane's place in Earslfield, and almost a year before he would meet Sally, Jane received a letter from Tasmania. Jokingly she asked Mark if he knew anyone in Tasmania. No he didn't. What about a 'Margaret Eldridge' did he know her ? No, he didn't.
Little did he know...
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| Jane, Mark & Margaret at Whiteland's College May Day |
Sally’s mum went off to Jersey for a few days to catch up with old friends, she returns today. Sally is, as I write, flying off to Moscow today Wednesday 25th. The latest Icelandic ash cloud looks as if it is not going to be a major problem. We had hoped to meet her there however a combination of delayed visas leading to delayed bookings and then very complicated flights has meant that we have decided not to go.
Mark is currently planning the alternative to a week in Moscow – a week back in Somerset and then to Southern Wales. They'll leave the day after Sally gets back from Moscow. They'll be staying with Valerie in Glastonbury then a swish farmstay near Cardiff for one night then on to a couple of nights in a youth hostel in the Brecon Beacons National Park. They'll be visiting a chocolate factory in Swansea, going down coal mine near Monmouth and hopefully taking a trip on a steam train as well. Sally will take a train to Cardiff to join them next Friday.
This week marks the end of the first half of the summer term and, of course, another week off school before coming back for five weeks and then two months off. Here the kids have 35 weeks of school while at home it is 40 weeks. It certainly seems as if it is an endless round of getting over or getting ready for holidays. Mark is considering a change in career from teaching to travel agent !
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| Sally's world famous Pavlova - now with a chocolate version. |
Aunt Mary came around to help celebrate Sally's birthday and to meet Margaret. The kids are getting a lot out of time with each of our relatives. Mark's mum, Elizabeth, is planning a trip here in August this year. It is all such a contrast to our time in Jakarta. Then, quite understandably given the economic crisis and riots, only Sally's intrepid, fearless, brave and, by the time they got to us, sweaty, scruffy and quite thin aunt Joan and uncle Dick Worsfold visited us very early on. They had been backpacking around Indonesia and S.E Asia and were in dire need of a comfy bed & hot shower !
Last week Margaret and Mark along with another spouse, Simon, went to the Borough markets by London Bridge, a favourite of Mark’s, where he stocked up on some very good pesto, olives, feta and exceptional parmesan cheese. They went into the George Inn for a small drink after the rigors of marketing.
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| Mark resisting the urge to haggle. |
Mark & Margaret also went to one of the final performances of ‘The End of The Rainbow’, a theatre production on the last months of Judy Garland’s life before she died in London in 1967 at just 47 years old. It was an immensely powerful performance by Tracie Bennett.
Aisha is in the middle of the first major exams she has ever really done. She has done a great job of organising her time to study and is pleased with how they have gone so far. She has been topping many of her classes as well as being a human torpedo. William continues to also do well and is making many new friends. It is a bit of a daunting prospect that each of them, after just 6 months in year 7 and year 4 respectively will move up to years 8 & 5 in the new academic year starting in September.
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| AISHA 'STUDYING'. |
We are quietly hoping that, by the time we leave in December 2013, they will have high paying merchant banking jobs.
Thanks to all the people who have posted comments or sent E-mails, and especially the five 'followers'. Not sure what 'following' actually means though.
Oh yes you did have visitors in Jakarta. How could you forget your old auntie and uncle from Canada!!
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