Stepping back in

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All the while we are getting around, we try to pop in on people on the off chance and we had been lucky so far, but what does seem to be clear is that after the initial welcome all our conversations just continue where we left off and most people comment that it is as if we left the room 5 minutes ago and just wandered back in.

How true that is, but no matter how easy it is to pick up, saying goodbye is a hard thing to do, what makes it easier at this stage of the trip is the fact that we are still on holiday and still have a few weeks ahead of us, I know from past experience that it will be harder the closer we get to going home.

Oh, I used that dreaded word “home”, one of my closest friends picked me up on that the other day when I happened to mention going home and she was somewhat upset with me that I had referred to Australia as home and surely England is still my home. Hmmm, I did not have a get out of jail card on that one, my friend Barbara herself had left her home country some years ago (I won’t mention how many) and it took her a number of years to call England home, even after she got married to an Englishman and settled down here.

We headed to Gun Wharf today, this was on our schedule, but it was a day late, which was a shame as it was raining and not a good day to do the Spinnaker Tower, no matter we wanted to do it and today was our only opportunity.

There was no queue so we walked straight up to buy a ticket and wandered straight over to the lift, when I realised what I was actually doing, I cannot believe I agreed to do this or was I the one that suggested it?

The lift doors open and we are directed out, the lady controlling the lift said that she would meet us on the second floor when we had finished. Drat, that means we have to go up a level as if being on the first level wasn’t bad enough.

We walked through the doors onto the enclosed platform, it took me a while to get to the edge for a good look, but I eventually got there, of course Andy walked straight over to the edge and he is trying to point things out to me, but it is hard to see with your eyes closed.

It is wet and windy outside and I can feel the gentle movement in this structure, I don’t feel very secure! There is a “walking on air” platform here in the middle of the floor, no, I was not brave enough, a woman asked me to take her picture, I obliged from the safety of the non see through floor.

Seriously though, it was good to see the surrounds of Portsmouth from this great height, you can see HMS Warrior, Old Portsmouth, the new modern surrounds of Gun Wharf and beyond. Well worth a visit.

I was lucky enough to have dinner on the HMS Warrior several years ago, the very first ironhulled warship and commissioned by the British Navy, apparently launched in 1860 and withdrawn from service in 1883 and now rests in Portsmouth as a Museum ship.

On the second floor, even bigger gulp, we find a little coffee shop, little being the operative word, of course Andy suggested coffee, oh dear even more time spent up here.

After our coffee we went up to the outside viewing platform, it is enclosed and has mesh over the roof, not that I would want to try and climb over the top, believe me. I braved the edge and looked through the rain drop covered glass and felt very relieved when we met the lift on the second floor to head back to the ground.

That afternoon, our next port of call, we headed to my friends Keeley and Denzil for another overnight stop, we let ourselves in as they were both at work, made ourselves completely at home including breaking a milk bottle on the way in and relaxed for a while until they came in from work (without breaking anything else, honest!).

Keeley had arranged dinner that night with our friends Barbara and Brett, so when we were all ready we headed off to the White Horse at Otterbourne, another lovely English pub.

Barbara and Brett were standing outside when we arrived, another terrific reunion followed by another terrific meal. There has been so much good food so far and it has all been very difficult to resist.

The food was excellent there, my chips even turned up in a bucket! Ok not a full size bucket, but it did look good.

Unfortunately time escaped as usual and it was time to head back to Keeley’s where we all had coffee and chatted some more but being a school night the small party dispersed and so to bed.

The following morning was fairly easy going, we packed a few things and dragged our cases off with us, leaving a few things behind as we were coming back to stay, we had few things to do regarding the house, and then before lunchtime we were heading to Salisbury (Wiltshire) on our way to Birmingham to pick up a few things that Andy had ordered.

Salisbury was really pretty, we did visit here often when we lived in England and I guess you forget how to appreciate the beauty of the place. But then that is what I am finding as we are driving around the countryside anyway. Everything is so green and lush (everyone reminds us that it has been raining so much of course it is green and lush).

We had a quick bite of lunch and headed back to our hire car and set off, towards the West Midlands.

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Photos

Spinnaker Tower
Gun Wharf Keys, Portsmouth

No!
I did not dare.

View from the Floor!
I asked Andy to take this picture, I could not bear to look!

What a load of Balls
And they have people inside.

Comments

[Jo Trouble]

Friends
Treasure those friends with whom you can pick things up again immediately, regardless of the length of absence! Enjoy the rest of your time in the UK.