England
2nd January, 1979
That was by no means the end of your nightmare journey. The ferry left Calais just after 12.00, but instead of getting to Dover by 1.00 p.m. (British time) we got in at 3.00 p.m., so instead of taking us two hours to cross the Channel it took us four hours. The crossing was incredibly rough and there were people lying all over the place green about the gills. I was one of them, but Ann didn't feel in the least bit sick. I think if they known how rough it was going to be they would not have set sail when we did. We were, in fact, the last ferry to cross until the storm had abated. They had no immigration officials on board, so we had to stay on board for immigration clearance after docking, and it was 5.30 p.m. before Ann and I were sitting in the train which finally left for London at 6.00. It was 9.00 p.m. when we got to Margaret and Mark's making it a full twenty-five-hour journey!
We spent New Year's Day recovering, and late in the day we were driven over to Frances and Allan's by Mark. We have now discovered that the particular blizzard we were caught in was the worst in sixteen years! It is still iced over, but, we hope, starting to thaw. We have postponed the hiring of our car until Thursday, because none of us fancies driving on iced-over roads!
New Year's Day - the coldest since
1963!
Looking out from Margaret and Mark's
on New Year's Day.
5th January
The weather is still against us! We have put off our car yet again, this time until Monday. The girl at the car hire firm laughs each time I phone and put it off for another two days. We are now sitting in a train about to leave for Wrexham for the weekend. If we do take the car on Monday we certainly won't venture very far, so we decided to go up to Janet's for the weekend. The weather hasn't been too bad since the first snow fell, but it's freezing and pavements are all covered in ice. I slipped and fell flat on my backside yesterday.
The day before yesterday we went into London and booked for various shows and musical concerts, then we caught the train out to Witham and spent the afternoon and evening with the Olivers. It was lovely to see them again. The children are so grown up. Ingrid is working and David writes A level this year and has spent his holiday working backstage at the Young Vic. I think Pete was particularly pleased to be able to speak to Rhodesians. He would love to come back even if only for a holiday.
Yesterday we got up late, as we got back from Witham after 1.00 a.m. We went into town and confirmed our flights and then stood Frances to lunch at the Chicago Pizza Factory where we had enormous pizzas. After that it was the National Gallery which was nothing like as full and noisy as the Louvre.
In the evening we went to see the D'Oyly Carte Company doing The Mikado at Sadler's Wells Theatre.
The Mikado was by far the least impressive musical performance we have seen so far, but still enjoyed it very much.
When I say that the weather has not been too bad, I don't want you to think that we're basking in sunshine! I just mean that the snow has stopped and the blizzard forecast for yesterday missed us and hit Europe instead. The temperatures are still very low. We've just passed a canal completely frozen over, though how thick the ice is I wouldn't know.
The ice is very thick. We've just passed several people skating on the canal!
7th January
Wrexham
We arrived a the station in Wrexham on time and Janet was there to meet us. We have had a very pleasant stay here and leave today for London. The news we've seen in Wrexham has been rather gloomy. According to the newspapers there has been panic buying of petrol and groceries resulting in many places now being sold out. That's the bad news. The good news is that the thaw really has arrived, and there is no snow around anywhere today, and the ice has all gone too. We hope it extends all the way to London.
We had intended to take our car tomorrow, but what with all the strikes it seems as if there will be no petrol anyway. We have decided that without the car we will continue to see as much of England as we can by train. We will go up to Culford and also visit Canterbury and Oxford, if we can. Yesterday Janet took us into Chester where she was visiting her cousin in hospital. We went in her Dad's car, as she is conserving her own petrol to get her back to Culford on Monday when school starts again after the Christmas break. We saw Chester Cathedral which was lovely. And we also bought Ann a Kenwood Chef, and five more LPs for me, being a set of the complete sacred music of Berlioz.
Chester from Victoria Gate.
Chester Cathedral.
Above and below, inside Chester Cathedral.
The organ in Chester Cathedral.
8th January
On Saturday evening some friends of Mr and Mrs Hodges came round and we all had a very pleasant evening. On Sunday we caught the train back to London at about mid-day, and it was a very full train because of the schools and colleges all going back. We headed for Frances and Alan's and on phoning the Daveys we decided to take the car, petrol notwithstanding!
Lorry drivers' strike, Soham.
We met the Daveys at the car hire place. Funnily enough we were due to meet at 10.00 and we were worried that we were going to be very late; but in the event we arrived within seconds of each other at 10.45! Eventually we set off, heading towards Oxford, through very attractive countryside once we had left London. We stopped for lunch at a pub in Amersham, and then on to Oxford. We had to do a complete circle around a roundabout just outside Oxford after we had spotted PETROL available at a station. We were allowed only £1's worth, but it was something. The hire company had given us only three-quarters of a tank to start off with! We found a very pleasant bed and breakfast place and then caught a bus into town, where parking was going to be too difficult to warrant taking the car in. We wandered around various bits of the city and university, and saw most of Christ Church as well as walking around the grounds of New College.
We are now back at our B&B and will watch the evening news to see what's happening as far as petrol is concerned.
Christchurch College, Oxford.
Above and below, inside Christchurch College Chapel.
All Souls', Oxford.
The Bell Tower, Christchurch College,
Oxford.
St Aldgate's Street, Oxford.
9th January a.m.
We went and had supper in an Italian restaurant down the road, then had an early night. We are now about to set off for the Cotswolds.
10th January
7.45 a.m.
Stratford-Upon-Avon
Ann's ending to the last instalment ("we are about to set off for the Cotswolds") was a bit optimistic as our car wouldn't start! We eventually called the A.A. and it took them a long time to confirm our membership. We were eventually on the road about an hour or so late. That aside, we had a wonderful day with lots of sunshine in beautiful countryside.
First morning with the car - heavy
frost - no start.
Our first stop was Fairford to look at the church there, and then on to a pub lunch in Ashton-Under-Hill. These English pubs really are pleasant for lunches. We then headed for Stratford-Upon-Avon, stopping off at Evesham on the way, where the have a magnificent cathedral and ruins, and also some very quaint shops and houses, as do all of the towns hereabouts.
Church of St Mary the Virgin,
Fairford.
Ashton-Under-Hill.
Lunch at The Star, Ashton-Under-Hill.
National & Westminster Bank, Evesham.
Above and below, the bell tower, Evesham Abbey (c.a. 1529).
When we got to Stratford-Upon-Avon our hostess at our B&B suggested we should buy tickets for the Royal Shakespeare Company doing Antony and Cleopatra. We queued for about one-and-a-half hours for returned tickets and eventually got two for £5.00 (each!). It was a real treat to see such high-class professional theatre. Glenda Jackson, whom Ann and I both like very much as an actress, was Cleopatra and was perfectly cast. We thoroughly enjoyed the evening, even though it meant going without supper because of (a) the cost of the tickets and (b) the time spent queuing! We are hoping our car will start tomorrow, as we have quite a full day planned.
River Avon, at Stratford.
Holy Trinity Church, Stratford, where
Shakespeare was christened.
Tony, Andrea and Ann at the Royal
Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford.
Sleeping duck on the frozen River
Avon.
I'm not quite sure why Ray seems to have left out our doings on 11th January! Our car started and before setting off properly we went over Shakespeare's birthplace and then Anne Hathaway's cottage, and finally on to Warwick Castle where we spent some time looking it over. It was very interesting but very cold, as they had no heating oil! Then the snow started as we headed off across East Anglia in a comparatively long run. We left the snow behind soon after Warwick but met it again near Bury, but not too heavy and no problem to drive in.
Shakespeare's birthplace.
Ann Hathaway's cottage.
Warwick Castle.
Original fortifications, now within
the castle.
View of the Avon from Warwick Castle.
12th January
Ealing, London
We had a very pleasant trip out to Ely Cathedral yesterday, when we took all of the smaller roads and had a scenic trip around East Anglia. When we got to Bury St Edmunds it was snowing quite heavily. We walked around the Abbey ruins and then went on to Culford School where the Headmaster took us on a conducted tour. In the evening we took Fred, Vanessa (with whom we were staying) and Janet out to dinner, and it proved a very pleasant evening. We set off early this morning for London and managed to get all the way to the car hire people (Ross Car Hire) just before 11.30 a.m. when the car had to be back, making only two navigational errors along the way!
Ely Cathedral.
Ely Cathedral.
Inside Ely Cathedral.
Organ pipes, Ely Cathedral.
Stained glass windows, Ely Cathedral.
Tombstone at the Abbey, Bury St
Edmunds.
We found petrol in plentiful supply in Northampton, so actually had half a tank left when we returned the car, even though some garages down here are still short. We saw a very long queue on our way to New Malden yesterday morning.
We bought London Transport go-as-you-please tickets costing £11.40 for seven days, and we've already clocked up £1.60 each in journeys. We went to our first concert this evening by Contrapunct (the name of the orchestra) playing Bach's Brandenburg Concertos Nos 3 and 6, and also music by W.F. Bach, Cp> Bach and J.C. Bach. It was really excellent, and so good to hear Bach played as it should be: in No.3 there were ten players and in No.6 there were only seven. We thoroughly enjoyed the evening.
13th January
7.00 p.m.
We seem fated to getting on to trains that are going to be late! Today, which was absolutely beautiful weather-wise, we took a train out to Canterbury. We arrived there a good hour late, and were also late getting back on the same train. We suspect that they were working to rule, all in preparation for the proposed strikes next week. Fortunately we did our northern trip before we had the car, because there are no trains in that direction at present.
But back to today's outing. Canterbury Cathedral is a mixture of architectural periods which fit together remarkably well to give a most impressive building with some beautiful windows. And a big plus for us - not too many tourists there! Tonight Frances and Allan are having friends around, and supper smells super!
Canterbury Cathedral.
The South Porch, Canterbury Cathedral.
Detail on the South Porch.
Bell Tower, Canterbury Cathedral.
The Nave.
The Choir, Presbytery and Trinity
Chapel.
The Shrine of Martyrs.
Above and below, stained glass windows in Canterbury Cathedral.
14th January
7.00 p.m.
Our dinner last night with Frances and Alan went off very well and we finally got to bed at 3.00 a.m. As a results we were not feeling our best today! Frances and Alan took us out to Henley and Shiplake, where I have an interview tomorrow. It is a beautiful area, and I feel slightly happier about the prospect of coming to live here.
After that we went straight to the Elizabeth Hall to hear the Melos Ensemble playing Mozart's Oboe Quartet, Fauré's Quartet, Britten's something-or-other for harp, and Schubert's Trout Quintet. We thoroughly enjoyed it all, although I confess fell asleep during the last two movements of the Fauré! This was not through any fault of the music, but rather as a direct result of last night's frivolities.
Tuesday, 16th January
It was just as well that Frances and Alan had taken us on our little drive on Sunday, because yesterday was so misty that we hardly saw anything. We went by train and were met at Shiplake Station by College transport. We met the Head and while he was interviewing Ray I chatted to John Worwood.
We had a look at the Science Labs and then had lunch in the College dining hall. Then John showed us around one of the boarding houses and then took us to Henley to see the outside of a flat which Ray could have if he got the job. Then we had tea and John left us in Henley to catch the train back. We were back in time to grab a bite of supper before going into town to see Bedroom Farce, a comedy by Alan Ayckbourn, which we both thoroughly enjoyed. I'll leave Ray to give his thoughts on Shiplake.
Shiplake is certainly no Falcon! In fact I was so unimpressed that I really can't see us settling down and being happy there. I would be teaching a mixed Physics, Chemistry and General Science programme to not very bright pupils. Housing is astronomical and there is nothing remotely reasonable for under £30 000, and the better homes (what we would think of as pretty average in Rhodesia) are about £150 000! School accommodation would be provided if we wanted it, but it comes with no central heating in the upper floor of a flat having ceilings so low that I would not be able to stand in some rooms. Altogether not very inspiring. However, I think the job is mine if I wanted it, but what with all the depressing news of rail strikes, transport strikes, massive unemployment and the bad weather, Ann and I will be very happy to be back in war-torn Rhodesia.
18th January 1979
London
This will, sadly, be our last letter from abroad, and it will, of course, be posted only when we get home.
On Tuesday 16th we went on the only bit of London sightseeing we have managed to do. We went to the Tower of London and were guided around by a Yeoman Warder. He gave us very graphic descriptions of all the notable executions that have taken place there. We also went to see the crown jewels, and Ann was particularly taken with the largest diamond on display. She doesn't usually like diamonds!
Part of the wall of the City of
Canterbury.
The London Port Authority on Tower
Hill.
Above and below, a Yeoman Warder gives his version of the gory details of the Tower's history.
Bowyer Tower.
Tower Bridge from the Tower.
After the Tower we went to the Natural History Museum and saw very few of the vast number of exhibits. We went over one on human biology pretty thoroughly, and found it fascinating! In the evening we went to see the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall with Bernard Haitink conducting and Alfred Brendel at the piano in Beethoven's Piano Concerto No.4 and Shostakovich's Symphony No.4. We took Frances and Allen with us and made an evening of it. We had drinks at a pub and supper at the National Theatre Club restaurant, and then on to the concert, which we all enjoyed. The Shostakovich, which none of us knew, was particularly impressive.
The Natural History Museum,
Kensington.
Walking home to Frances and Alan's on
slippery pavements in sub-zero temperatures after a concert .
Yesterday, 17th December, we spent shopping. I bought a set of Mozart's mature symphonies (the last twenty he wrote) as well as Wagner's Das Rhiengold and Berlioz's Damnation of Faust, all good recordings and incredibly cheap. I also bought a fair amount of sheet music, and shopping again today I found bargains in Mahler's Symphony No.2 and Wagner's Siegfried. I will let Ann tell you about her purchases.
We have packed our suitcases and are going to ask Alan to takes us to the tube station tonight. The underground runs all the way to Heathrow now and leaving our luggage there at the Heathrow station in the left luggage department will save us some bother tomorrow when we actually leave. The two suitcases together weigh 38 kg and our hand luggage (so far) weighs 25 kg!!!! We will have to try the usual trick of Ann waiting somewhere in the distance while I book us in.
Ray forgot to mention that on Wednesday evening we went to supper with Margaret and Mark (by 'we' I mean Frances, Alan and us).
I am very pleased with my various buys: a couple of attachments for the Kenwood; a very pretty dress (short and 'dressy', if you see what I mean); some jerseys and a kilt from Marks and Spencer; various currants and other dried fruits, and that's about all.
19th January
Ealing, London
We woke up this morning to a white London again! Actually, it wasn't entirely unexpected, as we saw in the paper yesterday that another big freeze was on its way, and when we took our suitcases to Heathrow yesterday the puddles in the streets had already started freezing over. A good time, I think, to be leaving. The number of strikes at present and the predicted consequences are all very depressing. We have finally packed everything into our VERY heavy hand luggage, and plan to have lunch here and then leave by 1.00 p.m. With our remaining cash Ann has bought all sorts of expensive goodies for lunch: black cherries, smoked mackerel, halva pears, apples, cashew nuts and so on. As I have only just had breakfast some of it might go out to the airport with us for 'waiting snacks'. We've just heard the news and it's only 1oC outside.
3.00 p.m.
Heathrow
We have booked in and are now waiting for our flight. So far two or three flights have been cancelled because of snow. We are due to take off at 5.15 p.m., so things may have improved by then.
6.15 p.m.
We are on board our plane at Heathrow, already one hour after we were supposed to have taken off. We should be taking off in the next hour after clearing the backlog of planes from the earlier closure of the airport. We have just been given a glass of wine each to pacify me! They've just sprayed foam on our wings, so I hope that means we are about to move.
Ann forgot to tell you about my security check. Firstly, I was carrying Barbara's Spode book which caused a great deal of interest and had to be opened and inspected. Then every one of my record sets had to be opened and inspected. It all took a very long time as they had no x-ray machines working!
We are about to take off at 6.35 p.m. We will certainly have missed our onward connection to Bulawayo.
20th January, 1.30 p.m.
Johannesburg
This will be the last entry in our diary, unless something dramatic happens! We were booked on to the next Bulawayo flight (12.40 p.m.), had lunch at S.A.A.'s expense, and we are now waiting, with many other Rhodesians including several from Falcon, for either our flight or the Salisbury flight at 6.30 p.m. It's raining here and the temperature is 18oC. Our flight from London was very bumpy and uncomfortable, as usual.