Blogs from Poole, Dorset, England, United Kingdom, Europe

The last cat sitting that we agreed to while in the UK was for two lovely cats, Jess and Tabs, owned by Patricia and Chris. They live in Parkstone which is a suburb of Poole. We learned that as the strike days for the train were scheduled for the day before and the day after, there might be changes to the schedule on the day in between which is when we were traveling. Fortunately, we found that even though some others were cancelled or delayed, ours was only a few minutes late. We were glad as Patricia had offered to pick us up at the train station so we could meet them, the cats and get a tour of the house before they left on their vacation. Always a nice bonus for us all to meet ... read more

We thought it would be a good idea to join English Heritage and not National Trust as we enjoyed visiting old Castles and Abbey's as opposed to stately homes. We knew we would probably see a fair few heritage sites so by becoming a member the savings would be quite significant. Close to Semley was Wardour Castle and by all accounts worth visiting. The castle was built in the late 14th century as a lightly fortified luxury residence. The castle was badly damaged during the civil war and is now a romantic ruin and incorporated into the landscaped grounds of New Wardour House which has no public access. The castle was just as they described it, a romantic ruin and we really enjoyed exploring it especially as there was hardly anyone else here. Our next destination ... read more

19th Hired a car (cheaper than getting a train down to Poole..and the car hire was for 5 days) Happened to get a really good car with inbuilt GPS, so getting to Poole was a breeze. So good to catch up with everyone again. Staying at Seashells, a B&B just up the road while we get things sorted again back on boat. 21st Back in the water today, the guys at Lake Yard had already antifouled (first time we haven’t done it ourselves, have to admit it was nice to get back..and there she was all clean and pretty, ready to go back in the water right away) Back down in our same berth again so all very familiar. We had left a dehumidifier going while we were away, and were pleased to see no mould ... read more

Zapowiada się interesujący dzień. Wycieczka autobusowa do trzech ciekawych miejsc, w których jeszcze nie byłam. Jeden dzień trzy miejsca. Super. Byłam przed 9 rano na St James Park gdzie już czekał autobus. Usiadłam na ostatnim siedzeniu przy oknie. Obok mnie zostały tylko dwa wolne miejsca, gdyż w kącie była ubikacja- przynajmniej blisko Niedługo po mnie nadeszła Sylwia ze swoją koleżanka Tameą, którą zna ponad pięć lat. Tamea jest z Węgier i pracuje jako opiekunka do dzieci w angielskiej rodzinie. Przesympatyczna dziewczyna. Do Poole jechaliśmy prawie trzy godziny. Poole leży nad drugą co do wielkości naturalną zatoką na świecie, tuż za Sydney. Miasto liczy ok 150 000 mieszkańców i znajduje się w czołówce najdroższych miejscowości do życia w UK. Nazwa pochodzi od celtyckiego słowa bol i od staro-angielskiego słowa pool oznaczającego "miejsce w pobliżu potoku" Wysiedliśmy z ... read more

Well, here we all are again - ready for new adventures. Your correspondent will attempt to convey the sense of excitement from new escapades in his usual subdued and accurate manner. As devoted readers will remember, these musings are always written without exaggeration, hyperbole and always without the word glockenspiel, although as we could be heading towards Switzerland, this rule may be rewritten.Before I regale you with news of our first weekend of the new era, I feel it is my duty to introduce the two new members of our expedition team. Firstly, there is Claude. Now, Claude is a 7.5 metre, 3.5 tonne motor home, who is going to be the coolest mode of transp... read more