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Day 1
England is filled with many surprises. In our short stay we discovered a few of them. A spectacular day in England as we landed with the sun shining, everything looked clean fresh. Karen and Clive fetched us from Manchester airport and we took the scenic route to Ambleside as there were delays on motorway. Breathtaking typical English countryside with cows in the lush green meadows, horses grazing, lambs frolicking around. I would love to know how many kilometers of dry stone walls there are in England, packed with precision up, down and across steep hills and covered in places in thick moss. Quite extraordinary to see traditional gypsy caravans parked next to the side of the road where they are camping, when there are so many more modern caravans and camper vans available. They certainly are quaint and beautiful. We had lunch in Long Preston at the Maypole Inn when Karen spotted a Morris dancer in his traditional garb. It turned out there were a whole troupe of them coming to dance outside the Inn. What a treat to see Morris dancers performing, prancing around with their hankies and other paraphernalia. While watching them we were offered fertility
cake, and at our age, ha ha, that was quite a joke! The cake, which has a strong phallic significance, is freely given, and if you wish you may acknowledge the gift by giving a donation back, but there is no rule that you have to. In giving back, the tradition as well as the cycle continues. The symbolism of the cake in short is to ensure that the earth will be fruitful, support abundant growth and assure the preservation of the species. Of course each element used in the dances has a significant meaning and makes for some interesting reading. Will have to do some Google searching on this topic, when I have more time and am not busy sightseeing!
Day 2 On our second day, another sunny one, we decided to go to the Chipping steam fair. This was equally interesting, as we certainly don't have such fairs of such a scale in SA. The fair took place over three days, with exhibitors camping in the grounds in various vans, caravans and tents, showing off their wares. Some antiquated modes of transport, engines and such like on display. A good insight into the life of
some of the Brits. On our way back to Ambleside we stopped for a very relaxed tea with a lovely view at the Inn at Whitewell. It was a lovely scenic drive heading back with more picturesque sights to see.
And then in typical British fashion, on day 3 the rain set in.......We have been left to our own devices while Karen and Clive have gone to fetch a bigger hire car in Darwin for us to travel in and to pick up Dale, their daughter, who will also be joining us. We will probably take a stroll in the rain to search for some sustenance in a short while. Until such time we are catching up on correspondence, washing, etc. before we hit the road tomorrow to board the ferry to Ireland. Not sure when the next blog will be - all depends on when Internet will be available again.
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