New York City Day 3

New York City Day 3


Sunday 3rd July 2011

Woke up to thunderstorms and heavy rain which did not look too promising for our trip round Manhattan Island. Nevertheless we decided to carry on regardless and went down for our breakfast in the Starbucks on the fourth floor of the hotel. Whilst having my latte and biscuit I noticed a city gent having his shoes polished on one of those box seats. I have seen them in films and read of them in old books such as those by Charles Dickens but I had never imagined that they were still in use so I had difficulty in taking my eyes away. The well-dressed gent with his suit and tie was reading his newspaper while a coloured man was busy buffing his shoes ready for the day ahead.

We set off in good time to walk the short distance to the ferry terminal which happened to be not far away from where our ship had berthed but we got caught in a heavy shower of rain. This being New York however all we had to do was hand over $5 to an enterprising umbrella salesman who had appeared on the street as if by magic. Buying an umbrella is of course a sure fire way of getting the rain to stop and sure enough it turned to light drizzle after a few minutes and we were able to reach the seafront without getting too wet.

Our ferry was due to leave from pier 83 at the western end of 42nd street with ‘Circle Line’ cruises and although we arrived in good time there was still a long line waiting in the by now familiar cattle barrier formation. We had our photographs taken at the end of one line then re-joined another. Once the gate opened we all moved smoothly on to the boat and it was not long before we moved off. The boat was quite large and consisted of a lower fully enclosed deck with a partially open upper deck. Although the weather was still misty with a light drizzle we decided to stay on the upper deck under the shelter of a canvas canopy where we stayed for the whole trip.

The boat moved out of our berth and down the Hudson River to take an anticlockwise circuit of Manhattan Island but first it made a diversion towards Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Ellis Island was where all the immigrants to America had to report before entering the country and looked quite welcoming through the drizzle. The Statue of Liberty looked smaller than I imagined but I suppose it is the significance that counts especially if you have been thrown out of your own country. After waiting for everyone to take photographs the boat then returned to Manhattan Island and joined the East River. We had a running commentary during the whole of our trip which was very informative whilst at the same time not too serious which made up for the poor visibility. Many of the larger skyscrapers are around the southern tip of Manhattan where the bedrock is particularly solid and we were able to see them through the gloom. A helicopter took off from a heliport near Wall Street as we passed by and we went under first Brooklyn Bridge then the Manhattan Bridge. We sailed past the Yankee Stadium on our right then the smaller old tower blocks of Harlem on our left before we turned to join the channel taking us round the north side of the island. This channel is not a regular route for boats and the bridges are much closer to the water level. We only just managed to clear one of the bridges and we had to wait for a train to go over a swing bridge before it opened to let us pass through. The northern side of Manhattan is not all built up and there is a fair amount of greenery in this area.

When we reached the Hudson River again we turned south towards our berth passing a small lighthouse that has been dwarfed by a new bridge. Many of the older tower blocks in this area have the circular wooden water towers on the roof which are a mandatory fire protection feature.

The weather slowly improved over the morning and the rain had cleared by the time we got off the boat so we took a leisurely stroll to the Empire State Building on the corner of 5th Avenue and 34th Street. On the way we were looking for somewhere to have our lunch and walking past our hotel we noticed a place called ‘Juniors’ across the road. We had noticed this place as somewhere to have our breakfast but had been too busy to give it a try so we decided to give it a go for lunch. The café or restaurant turned out to be bigger than it seemed from the road and served all American food in all American portions but it was not cheap. We tried not to eat too much as we had booked a meal in the hotel restaurant for the evening but even so we were glad of the walk to the Empire State building to walk off some of the calories.
Our tickets for the Empire State building tour had been provided in advance as part of our Bath travel package but we could use them at any time. When we arrived the queues or lines were almost non-existent but it was a circuitous route to get to the elevators and by the time we reached them there were quite a number of visitors waiting. We had to have our bags checked and our photo taken for the purpose of selling us a souvenir copy even though we had no intention of buying one. We had already bought one from the boat trip earlier in the day. Eventually we got to go in the elevator which took us up to the 80th floor. Then we had to walk a short distance to another elevator which took us to the observation platform on the 86th floor. The sights from the top are certainly impressive but it was still a bit misty and the building is so high that most things seem small in comparison to the building you are on. Empire State was a slang term for New York before the building took it over and since the collapse of the north tower of the World Trade Centre it is once again the highest building in New York.

When our visit had finished and we had found our way out of the building we walked back to the hotel and got ready for our evening meal in the revolving restaurant on the 49th floor. The revolving part actually consists of two floors with a buffet and bar on the top floor and a sit down restaurant on the lower floor. The Bath travel night time tour that was cancelled included a visit to the buffet floor but we had our meal in the sit down lower floor. The restaurant took just over an hour to do one rotation which is about how long it took us for our meal. Our meal was a ‘price fixee’ at $79 each which with the wine worked out about $250. The meal turned out to be very good but the waiter in common with many of the hotel staff were not very helpful which was a pity since all the other people we met were warm and friendly. The hotel at 49 floors is not the smallest tower block in New York but neither is it the tallest and as we were on Times Square several of the nearby towers blocked our view. We did however have a good view of the air conditioning plants and aerials on the roof.

After our meal we went up to the top buffet bar and had a drink sitting at a small bar stool table while the room did a further rotation. The buffet was an eat as much as you want type of place and we watched a group of four youths load up their plates to overflowing then go back to the buffet for a refill. We did not have far to travel back to our room on the 22nd floor and it was not long before we went to bed for a good night’s sleep.

New York Day 2

New York – The City Day 2
Saturday 2nd July 2011

The Marriott Marquis hotel is situated between 42nd and 43rd Streets just off Times Square in the middle of Manhattan New York. Times Square is one of the busiest places on the planet with people and vehicles rushing about 24 hours a day. Up in our room on the 22nd floor however all was peace and quiet as we woke up to our second day in the big city. The room was air conditioned like on the ship but the air conditioning was much quieter and with the room being so large you could hardly tell it was functioning. Despite it being the first night in a strange bed we both had a really good sleep and were ready for anything that the city could show us.
Bath travel had organised a free coach tour of the city for the morning so we decided to have our breakfast in the hotel and went down to Starbucks on the 4th floor. I had a coffee and biscuit and tried a piece of Joan’s bagel. When we joined the coach at the front of the hotel we were one of the last to board. Either the rest were early birds or they could not sleep for some reason.
If you imagine Manhattan as the face of a clock and our hotel as the middle the coach went towards nine o’clock then clockwise around the face until returning to our hotel. Our first stop was at Central Park for a look at Strawberry Fields and the John Lennon memorial. In actual fact we parked opposite the apartment block where Lennon was shot beneath the gas lamps then walked into the park and around the landscaped area that is Strawberry Fields. We had an official New York tour guide with us who was very friendly and knowledgeable although the only thing I remember about him was that he was a birdwatcher in his spare time and spent most of it looking at birds in Central Park. Apparently Central Park is a well-known stopping off point for migratory birds and during the winter as many as a hundred different species can be seen at any one visit.
Our next point of call was down Broadway at Trump Tower. This is perhaps one of the finest examples of modern opulence as you would ever see even though we could only visit the ground floor and basement. The toilets in the basement had walls lined with orange marble, mirrors and brass fittings that made it look like an Aladdin’s cave. Next door to Trump Tower is Tiffany’s famous for scenes in the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s. After taking a photo of Joan looking in the window we went inside and had a look at the jewellery. Although members of the public are only allowed on the ground floor, buyers are invited to go up in the security controlled elevator; the items on display are still quite spectacular. We were allowed to take a photo of the yellow diamond that Katherine Hepburn wore in the film.
The coach then took us down through Little Italy and China Town to the southern tip of Manhattan and Ground Zero. On the way we passed by the church which acted as a base for the rescuers and stopped at the newly built Winter gardens to view the construction site. The Winter Gardens is an impressive sight in itself. It is like a large glass enclosed amphitheatre where you enter by the arena and walk up to look through windows at the top of the seating. On the way fully grown palm trees have been planted and the glass entry overlooks the southern shoreline of Manhattan. The view of the building site which is ground zero is not really impressive but it is the memories that it invokes that make it worthwhile. We also had time to walk down to the shore and it was from there that I had my first real sight of the Statue of Liberty although it was some distance away.
Our journey then took us back up the west side of Manhattan to our hotel dropping people off on the way. There was a great deal of traffic at this time for some reason and we were about twenty minutes late arriving back at the hotel
We then went out looking for lunch. During our coach trip someone recommended a place called ‘Edisons’ as a reasonable place to eat which was just round the corner from our hotel so we went there. In an effort to avoid a large meal we decided to have a sweet and something to drink so I had a baked apple and Joan had a Cheesecake. We found the place to be ordinary by New York standards reminiscent of any café in the north east of England. Afterwards we walked up to 51st street and found the Italian restaurant that we had booked for the evening so we would know how to find it later. On our way back to the hotel we called in to a drug store for a couple of books and some biscuits in case we had time in our room.
During our coach trip we had learned that our planned tour for the Sunday had been cancelled due to lack of demand. This threw all our plans into ruin and we had to reorganise our itinerary. We decided to book a meal at the revolving restaurant on top of the hotel as this was due to be part of the original tour and we also booked a round- the- island boat trip for 10am on Sunday morning. Booking anything in New York is a piece of cake particularly in Times Square. There is a dedicated New York tour booking office and there is a theatre booking office built in to the seating ramp in Times Square. Ticket sellers from all the shows walk round the square advertising and selling cheap last minute tickets. It all adds to the atmosphere right up to the theatre opening both in the afternoon and evening.
Our evening meal was one we originally booked on the ship over the Atlantic at an Italian restaurant called ‘Vice Versa’ and we left the hotel in good time to get there by foot. This was really the first time we noticed that the weather was becoming very warm. The temperature never fell below 30degrees centigrade the whole time we were there and the day we left had reached over 43degrees which is over a hundred degrees Fahrenheit. We were therefore glad to get inside the air conditioned restaurant. The restaurant itself had only a narrow façade at the front but opened out inside and had an outside patio at the back which only became used as people came in later in the evening.
I had salad starter and duck pasta for the main meal but we shared a tiramisu for sweet. The food was good and we particularly enjoyed the tiramisu. The whole experience was very enjoyable and Joan was quite surprised to find one of the waiters had a brother living in Sunderland. We walked back to the hotel along a very busy and hot Broadway. It was good to get back into the air conditioned room for a well-earned night’s sleep.

New York Day 1

New York -The City day 1

Friday 1st July 2011


We did not sleep well in our cabin aboard the Queen Mary 2 and we had set the alarm for 05.15. Nevertheless we were awake by 05.00 and we could see buildings through our cabin window. Joan got up and went out on our balcony to have a look then gave a running commentary as I lay in bed trying to get back to sleep. When I did at last get up the ship had passed under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and also passed the Statue of Liberty although Joan had already taken a photograph of the statue. The buildings which were our first sight of New York turned out to be skyscrapers of New Jersey visible from our port side cabin. When I managed to crawl on to the veranda all I could see was a customs boat escorting us up the river and a few buildings on the New Jersey coast. The sea was flat calm giving us a peaceful introduction to New York City.

Our suitcases had already gone from outside our cabin so we were left with our hand luggage and the clothes we stood up in. Breakfast was at 06.00 which we took with a leisurely pace watching another large cruise ship, the ‘Carnival Miracle’, pull in to the quayside on the opposite berth to ourselves. This was not seen as good news as the extra two or three thousand passengers would mean delay for us in unloading and customs clearance. We then went to the 'Golden Lion' pub to wait for our signal to leave. As this pub was on the starboard side we had a good view of the dockside so we could see the unloading taking place and the passengers disembarking. It was also a good opportunity to practice my dart throwing skills as there were very few other people waiting in this part of the ship.

When we looked out of the window we could see the suitcases on pallets being unloaded from the ship and one or two passengers walking over to customs. If you wanted to carry your entire luggage you could have gone off the ship early but we had decided to stick with the Bath Travel arrangements that had organised a coach to take us to our hotel together with our luggage. Other passengers who were staying on the ship for the journey up to Boston were disembarking for a day in New York and we saw our dinner table couple walking along the ramp going for a day’s shopping.
As we watched we noticed that the stevedore activity was slowing down and they were gradually moving off the quayside. Shortly afterwards an announcement came over the tannoy to say that the stevedores had walked off the job because of a dispute over extra pay for the upcoming holiday on the 4th July. Half an hour later we had the good news that some of the striking stevedores had returned to finish off the unloading but because of the large number of passengers and few stevedores we had to wait even longer to disembark.

When we at last got the call to leave the ship we joined the queue near the exit but after a half hour or so of no movement we were told to sit down again. I went off in search of a toilet and when I got back the queue had reformed and it was moving forward to the gangplank. Our first experience of land in America was in a large hanger like building packed with hundreds of passengers waiting to leave. We were directed to an area where our luggage should be and told to look for our cases. When we had found them we joined another queue in temporary barriered zigzag walkways that led to about six or so customs desks. Guards with sniffer dogs patrolled the lines and when we eventually reached a desk we had to hand over our documents and have our fingerprints and iris checked. Fortunately we got through without any problems and made our way with our luggage to find our coach. We got to the coach stop but had a further wait because the coach had a time limited stop so had to go round the block before approaching the stop again. The coach left for the hotel at 11.15 already six hours after we had got up.

Queen Mary 2 had originally been going to dock at a berth in Brooklyn but we learned during our voyage across the Atlantic that our berth had been changed to one at Manhattan on the East River. This berth turned out to be on a line with 43rd street which coincidentally was the same street as our hotel in Times Square called the ‘Marriott Marquis’. The drive to the hotel which we had hoped would be an introduction to Manhattan turned out to be a 10minute ride up 43rd Street. When we entered the hotel we were directed up the escalators to a room on the 4th floor which was a meeting room reserved for Bath Travel. Here we picked up our room key card and went to find our room 2207 on the 22nd floor. The elevators, of which there were about 20, were all grouped together in a circular structure in the centre of the building. When you found the opening into the elevator room you had to punch your floor number into a key pad which then told you which elevator letter ‘A to P’ you had to take. You then walked to the appropriate elevator and waited for it to arrive after which you entered the elevator and got out at your floor. Some of the elevators were on the outside of the circular structure in which case you could see the hotel layout through the glass walls, others on the inside were the normal elevator cubicle, but you could not select which sort to go into.

After looking round the room which was large with a giant television screen on top of a dresser and locking our valuables in the safe we decided to go out and sample New York City. We also wanted something to eat as it had been a long time since breakfast. Heading east, back to the boat I suppose which was our adopted home, we came across an eating place or restaurant on the corner of 46th Street called ‘Athenee’. We chose it because it looked ordinary, had a simple but comprehensive menu, and looked fairly busy. We were met as soon as we entered, shown to our seats near the window, and given a menu. I picked a burger so I could get in the American psyche and Joan ordered a salad presumably because she didn’t trust foreign food. When they arrived we were overwhelmed by how much was on our plates. My burger in a bun was plate sized and supplemented by fries, pickles and salad. Joan’s salad looked as if it had been made from the contents of our lawnmower bag. Joan only managed to eat half of her salad but I managed all of my burger and salad and even a few fries.

We were well pleased with our first American meal and decided to walk it off by investigating our surroundings. One of the restaurants we had booked from the boat was on 51st street so we decided to walk in that direction to see what it looked like. We went up 9th Avenue, which we were told on the boat was a good place to eat, then along 51st street, before going back along Broadway to 42nd street. We did not see the restaurant but we enjoyed finding our way around which with the avenues and streets in a grid was easy enough.

When we reached Times Square we were pleased that our navigation worked so well and as the weather was warm and sunny we decided to walk westwards along 42nd street. However when we reached Bryant Park the warm turned to hot and walking became a chore so we were glad to get into Grand Central Station with its air conditioning. Grand Central is much more than just a station with its shops and restaurants to such an extent that it is possible to forget that trains actually run from there at all. We walked in on ground level and went up the balcony overlooking the clock then we went down to the clock itself and then downstairs to the basement where all the restaurants and eateries are located. The oyster bar and restaurant were doing business but we were still full from our lunch so after a look around we decided to head back to the hotel. We called into Bryant Park for a rest and a break from the sun before returning to the hotel.

Back in our room Joan unpacked our cases while I tried to sort out why I could not use the phone. I wanted to use the phone to confirm our dinner reservations at the restaurants we had booked from the ships internet system. Eventually I found out that I had to register my credit card which I managed to do at the reception desk. Since our room was part of a block booking through Bath Travel the normal reception and key issue process had not been completed. Even so when I returned to the room and tried the phone it would still not work and I had to contact reception again to get them to unlock the phone. They could have done this when I first went down but it was just the first example of bad service from the hotel staff that did not seem to think it was their job to help the guests.

At about 6pm after showering we went down to the fourth floor to look for some food. There were several eating places in the hotel. The main restaurant was a revolving one on the top 49th floor but there was a large one serving traditional food on the fourth. In addition the pub area on the fourth floor served meals at its tables but after the big lunch we were still not able to face a large meal and opted for the Sushi restaurant next to the pub. This restaurant comprised the usual Sushi bar with a table sit down area on the other side of the work area. Even so being America the portions were quite large.

After dinner we called into the internet café and after several minutes trying to get information from the unhelpful staff we managed to log on. Unfortunately Facebook thought we were so far from home that we must be frauds so after 15minutes we gave up never to return. We then went for a walk round the block to complete our first day. Since part of the walk included Times Square, which is really buzzing at theatre time, it took us longer than we thought and we were glad to get back to our room after a long tiring day.

New York Cruise days 5,6&7

New York Cruise Days 5, 6 and 7

Tuesday 28th June 2011
When we awoke on the fifth day of our trip there was fog outside the window. This was not unexpected as we were travelling through the Grand Banks off Newfoundland which are notorious for their misty weather. The warm waters of the Gulf Stream are directed by the land mass into a north easterly direction off Newfoundland where they meet cold air coming down from the arctic. Cold air above warm water means condensation and hence the foggy conditions.

The area is also well known for its abundant marine life. Fishing stocks have been depleted over the years but there is still sufficient to attract predators such as whales and dolphins. We came across hump backed whales and pods of dolphin. Turtles were also swimming quite close to the ship and once we saw flying fish. Generally the only birds we saw were Shearwaters which spend almost their whole life at sea and even rest on the surface of the water.

We were told that the Titanic sank in this area although obviously we did not stop to have a look. Small snippets of information were given in the daily news sheets that were posted in our cabins last thing at night. At noon each day we also got a report from the bridge telling us of our position, weather forecast and sea conditions but all this information was shown on a channel of our in- cabin television and continuously updated.

We had our usual social breakfast then Joan went to the lectures while I went for my usual six laps of the deck. The air was warm but wet when I started, the deck was very wet, and as I went round the mist turned to rain and the water dripped off the lifeboats above so I was very wet when I eventually got back to the cabin.
Lunch was again at a large table with people we had never met before. This time there were a couple from Wales, a couple from New York and a single man from New York. I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the Americans we met on the ship. I had expected them to be brash, self-important and loud mouthed but they were for the most part quiet and sociable. We got to talking about New York and I was particularly interested in places to eat; a subject I had thought about before we left but decided to try and find more information. The lady from New York, who I think was called Karolyn, took time out to write a list of six or so restaurants that she could recommend as places to eat. In the event we found this list very useful and came to appreciate her choices when we reached New York.
Most couples on the boat were regular cruisers and a lot of them Cunard Cruisers. They were usually retired business people who had owned their own company or lawyers and accountants. To many a cruise was just a way of spending money so they did not have to pay so much tax.

After lunch we went to the second classical concert by the Japanese pianist. When we got back to the cabin my laundered white shirt was waiting. I only took three white shirts so had to have two of them laundered for wearing with my formal suits. Dinner was a formal black and white affair and I had a nice lamb main course. This was the only dinner that we did not have any wine. However when we got ready for bed we decided to open the half bottle of champagne given to us on boarding. It seemed the height of decadence to lie on the bed in a white bath robe drinking champagne and eating chocolates. When we got back to our cabin each night the bed was made up and the next day’s program with a chocolate lay on top. We had saved these up but could not resist eating them with the champagne.

Wednesday 29th June 2011
Clocks were put back an hour the previous night so we had an extra hour in bed. Clocks had been put back every night except for the Sunday and Monday. On Sunday the morning sermon had to be cancelled because the priest had put his clock back an hour and was still in bed. Information was given about the time in GMT and the time in the last and next port of call. In addition ships generally work to UTC time which is a universal standard time given by an atomic clock. The earth’s rotation is slowing down so UTC time is falling behind GMT and has to be adjusted usually on New Year’s Day. If it was not adjusted midnight would be at midday in 36000 years’ time.
The day dawned with a calm sea and a warm breeze. New York is on the same latitude as Naples and we had already left the great circle route to head in a south-easterly direction so we expected the temperature to rise. We did the usual six laps walk round the deck after breakfast then went to a lecture by Giancarlo on Byzantine and Roman art.

In the afternoon we went to the internet café to book tables for our dinner at two restaurants for the coming Saturday and Monday the 4th of July. There were several work stations for computer users located around the ship and internet access was via a ship to shore radio link. You had to subscribe to one of three accounts, either pay as you go or block booking. As we did not expect to be online very long we chose the pay as you go option. The system generally worked very well but if too many people downloaded at the same time the bandwidth became full and anyone else trying was denied access.

Looking at the list of restaurants given us by Kathryn we decided to try an Italian place called ‘Vice Versa’ for the 4th of July but according to the web page it was fully booked. We did however manage to get a booking for the Saturday 2nd July. Our second choice was for ‘David Burke townhouse’ and this had places available on the 4th of July so we booked that as well.

Walking back to our cabin we came across a row of tables with jigsaw puzzles in various stages of completion so we sat down at one table and spent half an hour putting in a few pieces. Dress for dinner was the last formal one of the trip over and as per tradition a chef’s parade took place. Apparently there are more than 160 chefs on board the ship cooking and arranging the food for our meals.

Thursday 30th June 2011
At the back of our minds all day was the fact that we would arrive in New York the next morning. There was nothing to indicate any change. The sea was still as calm as it had been for the last six days and we had not seen any other ships in all that time. Christopher Columbus must have been mad?

Trusting in the fact that we would in fact arrive we had to make sure that all our documents were in order and the correct luggage labels attached to our cases. After breakfast we went down to the Bath travel representatives to double check that the correct labels had been fitted to the correct number of cases so that our luggage could find its way to our hotel. We also had a customs form to fill in for our entry to America but we were warned that we still had to actually go through customs.
Our next thing was the usual six laps of the deck. The air temperature was a mild 22 degrees but with a chilly breeze which was surprising as it was supposed to be very hot in New York. During one of our laps we saw another ship and later in the day we began to see several more as we entered the sea lanes to approach New York.
We attended a political talk by Geoffrey Weinberg on the Obama presidency. It was quite an interesting talk but he was especially good at answering questions from the audience. In the afternoon we did nothing but our packing or rather Joan did the packing while I did nothing. Dinner was in informal dress as anything other than our hand luggage was already packed and sitting outside our cabin door.

In the evening, as on most evenings, we went to see a show in the main theatre. After a while we found a spot just around the corner from the main entrance which had a small table and a rail in front which meant that we did not have to get up to allow anyone else past and we had a good view of the stage. All subsequent evenings we went to the same place including on the way back. We got to know the waiters as well so they knew what drinks we liked. I always had a bottle of Lager but Joan liked to vary her drinks a bit. One evening she thought she would try a vodka martini. The waiter asked what sort of vodka, then what sort of Martini, then what sort of glass, then if she wanted anything in it. In the end they settled on ‘vodka martini straight up with olives’ which he remembered on all subsequent nights.

We tried to go to bed early that night knowing that when we woke up we would be in America.

New York Cruise days 3&4

New York Cruise Days 3&4
Sunday 26th June
Our second night’s sleep was no better than the first but at least we had some rest. Dining plays a large part in cruising particularly on a long voyage like ours. We had already decided before we left that all our meals would be taken in the main restaurant. We could have upgraded for a small supplement to have fine dining at the Todd English restaurant but we thought this was a step too far and everyone who did go said that the food was no different to the main restaurant. We could also have gone to the buffet restaurant but we had decided not to visit this one because of hygiene considerations. You should use the handwash provided but a lot of people do not bother and as the buffet area is a walk through area people are walking past all the time. Some people also pick up a plate then change their minds and put it back again. You might think that people on an expensive cruise are wealthy enough to have good habits when it comes to personal hygiene but this is not the case and in fact the reverse is often true.
Anyway we always went to the Britannia restaurant for a sit down meal which meant two hours for breakfast, two hours for lunch and even longer for dinner. At dinner we always sat at our specified table but at breakfast and lunch you turned up when you liked between the opening times and were allocated a table depending on whether you wanted to share an eight seat table or eat alone on a small table. We always opted to share and by doing this we met different people for each breakfast and lunch and although we did not always like them we met many interesting characters.
One such example occurred at breakfast which we shared with a Scottish couple. She had to use a wheelchair and he was on a restrictive diet after suffering heart trouble. He went to great lengths to make sure his every need was catered for. The tea had to be delivered ‘hot hot’ at the right time. His toast had to be fresh and hot and his butter had to be Benecol. I did agree about the toast which was always warm and dry having travelled by a circuitous route from the preparation area but the tea could be replenished at any time. In general I always thought that complaining spoilt the meal for everyone and it was best to keep ones mouth shut. We did learn that his wife had been instrumental in the design of wheelchair access for the Queen Elizabeth liner and they were regular travellers with Cunard so I suppose they were only getting their money back.
Sunday morning was celebrated by doing four circuits of the deck. The sea was moderate and the fresh breeze made it quite cool. We went to Giancarlo’s lecture on the Sistine chapel with reference to the frescoes on the wall and ceiling. In the afternoon we went to the Illuminations theatre which was set up for a planetarium film called ‘Cosmic Collisions’. We had to obtain tickets for this show as the screen had to be lowered over the centre of the theatre and there was restricted seats which reclined so you could look up to the ceiling.
At dinner we started on our second bottle of red wine and the dress was semi-formal. This was followed with a show by the ‘Cunard Singers and Dancers’ with an Italian theme. It was visually very attractive and well produced.
Monday 27th June
After our normal breakfast we went for a six lap walk around the deck or 2.2 miles. The sea was very calm and the weather sunny with a cool breeze. We then decided to take a walk round the ship taking photographs and trying to find as many rooms as possible. Unfortunately there were other people on the ship and they kept getting in our way. When we went on the top deck part of it was barriered off because the ship’s crew were doing an exercise which involved evacuating a casualty by helicopter from the top deck. Obviously not many helicopters have enough fuel to get to the middle of the Atlantic but I suppose it could come in handy sometimes. There was a line dancing lesson in one of the ballrooms, a bridge session in part of the library and a talk on the pictures of Rolf Harris in the Art Gallery.
This particular cruise also had a competition whereby any passenger could join a small group to write and perform their own song. We did not join this competition or go to the concert at the end of the cruise but we frequently came across small groups in the corridors playing mouth organs or guitars and singing short phrases. Nevertheless we managed to take quite a few photographs and see most of the accessible parts of the ship. Although we were not allowed on the bridge there was a small viewing gallery in which we had to shuffle sideways to allow other passengers to rotate towards the viewing window.
One of the rooms we came across was the internet café where we managed to log on to access our e-mail inboxes. After lunch we went to the theatre for a short hour long production of ‘Hamlet’.
Our dress for dinner was semi-formal but we had to dress an hour earlier as we had to attend a cocktail party given by our tour operator ‘Bath Travel’. Bath travel had a man and wife representative team on board for the whole trip. They were very helpful although we did not have any major problems during our holiday. Free champagne was a big attraction for the party but being rather a small contingent we got to have a long chat with the Commodore and his wife. We talked about the Queen Mary 2 of course but also about the Hythe Ferry which we were both familiar with. I realise he has other things to think about but for a few minutes we could have been having a chat in our local pub.
In the evening we went to a show featuring an Irish comedian. He had been doing the job for many years but he still had to work hard to get any laughs from the multicultural audience.

New York Cruise Days 1&2

New York 2011 Part 2 the Voyage out Days 1&2

Friday 24th June. This was our sailing day; the day we had been looking forward to for a long time. We knew our boat was there because we had seen it when we had walked down to Hythe village in the morning. It was called Queen Mary 2 and although it is the oldest Cunard ship it is still the biggest and the only true ‘Ocean Going Liner’ in their fleet. We were supposed to be at Southampton Ocean terminal for 3pm but it opened at 1pm and by 1.10pm we could wait no longer and packed the bags in the car and left. There had also been a lot of road works on the A326 and we were a bit worried in case of delays but in the event the roads were clear all the way to the terminal.
On arrival at the cruise terminal we drew up to the hanger like building and took our luggage out of the car. The luggage was put on a trolley, we handed over the car keys and got a receipt and walked up the escalator to the arrivals lounge. Here we were given a ticket with ‘D’ on it and told to sit down amongst the hundreds of other passengers. Passengers with the letter ‘T’ were being called when we arrived so we had to wait about an hour before A, B, C and then D was called. At the check in desk our passports were checked together with our cruise tickets and credit card then we were issued with a cruise card each. This card was used to open our cabin door and had to be produced for any purchase such as drinks or other items. We did not get a receipt for any items but on the last day of the cruise we got a paper print out of everything we had purchased which was totalled up and debited from our credit card.
We then walked on to the ship having our photo taken on the way and straight to our cabin 5.142 which was on the port side. A vase of flowers was waiting for us together with a half bottle of champagne courtesy of Cunard. Our cases arrived shortly after and Joan did the unpacking. There is a lot of paperwork associated with a cruise. You get a daily written program of events and a newsletter placed on your bed every night and just outside your cabin on the wall is a docket for any personal communication that arrives when you are in bed. The first item of interest was the sail away celebrations on the aft deck which we decided to attend. Unfortunately the drinks and nibbles were not free so after looking round and noting that Southampton Water looked much the same as it always does we returned to our cabin. We could have broken open the free champagne in our cabin but we had to attend the safety exercise almost as soon as we got back. This involved picking up a life jacket from the wardrobe in our cabin and walking in an orderly manner to the muster point. Here we were shown how to put it on and what to do in an emergency.
The next event was the early sitting for dinner at 6pm. This was in the Britannia restaurant and we were allocated table 152 which we used for dinner during the rest of our outbound voyage. Two other couples made up the compliment of six for the next seven dinners. Our dress on the first night was informal. The first and last nights are always informal as the cases may not have arrived on the first and have probably been packed on the last. We had a bottle of Beaujolais which we drank over the first two nights.
After dinner we wandered around trying to get our bearings and looked into the theatre which had an introductory show in progress. We did not stay long before we went upstairs to the Winter Gardens for a drink. The Winter Gardens is a large room with country scenes painted on the walls and ceilings and potted plants dotted about between cane chairs and tables. One wall has a water feature running down. The room was used later to show Wimbledon on a large screen television during which it was very busy. On this occasion however the room was nearly empty and we were able to sit looking out the windows as lights came on in the dusk along the south coast. This was the last time we would see land for the next six days.
Saturday 25th June. We had a poor night’s sleep mainly due to the noisy ventilation which we had to put up with throughout our trip. There was a large ventilator outside the cabin door and together with the in cabin ventilation provided a humming noise which we could not get used to. The ship was very stable however and did not move in even the moderate seas. Moderate was the largest seas that we experienced over both trips but we were told by some passengers that even in the roughest seas the ship hardly moved. I took a half of a seasickness tablet as soon as we got on the ship and took further half tablets if I felt it coming on. Seasickness does not seem to get worse in rougher seas but there is a slight roll that you are not aware of. Once whilst sitting on the toilet I noticed the shower curtain move about an inch one way before going back and repeating itself.
After breakfast we went for a walk round the promenade deck and did three circuits. Three circuits was equal to 1.1 miles. During the morning we went to a lecture on ‘Art Deco’ by the painter/historian Giancarlo Impiglia who had actually painted some of the pictures hung around the ship as well as a portrait of the queen apparently. In the afternoon we went to a classical concert by a Japanese pianist called Hiroaki Takenouchi who was very good.
Our dinner dress for the evening was formal in tuxedo and black suit. This was also an opportunity to meet the captain with free champagne or wine. In practice we had to join a queue, were introduced, had our photo taken then whisked away for a drink. This was also our introduction to the class system on board the ship as part of the room was barriered off for the first class passengers. They did not have to meet the captain he had to meet them. After the drinks we went to our normal table for dinner and the second half of the Beaujolais bottle. We then went to a concert by a female singer who had played the lead in ‘Phantom of the Opera’. She had quite a powerful voice when singing but her narrative was a bit drawn out. So ended our second day at sea.

New York Cruise Part 1 introduction

Holiday Cruise to New York 2011
Part 1 Introduction
It was towards the end of 2003 that we moved from Southampton to Hythe on the Waterside and it wasn’t until early 2004 that we started looking for a dentist. We had trouble with our NHS dentist in Southampton before we moved; the practice was going private and although they kept us on we had to make do with a German locum. The chances of getting a NHS dentist in Hythe however was even more remote and the nearest we were offered was about thirty miles away. This was even more frustrating by the fact that a dentist had a private practice just around the corner. We therefore decided that the private practice might be the better option but we were worried that we might not have enough money if we had to have extensive dental work.
We could have got medical insurance or a dental plan but in the end we decided to do it ourselves by putting aside so much money every month into a Cash ISA. Initially we paid for the routine check-ups as we went along so that the money could build up and we continued to do this over the years as fortunately we did not have any expensive treatment.
The money in the Cash Isa built up until in 2010 we had enough for an expensive holiday and we set about finding somewhere to go. We had been on P&O cruises over the years and visited most of the cities of Europe but P&O did not sail to America. Cunard did do this trip however so we decided to investigate whether a trip to America might be possible. The Cunard brochure gave a cruise to New York, Boston and Halifax before returning to New York then back to Southampton. We thought we might be able to sail to New York and spend the five days in the city before picking up the boat for the return journey. When we put this idea to Bath Travel they phoned Cunard and confirmed that we could do this by booking one journey to New York and a second journey from New York to Southampton.
We went ahead on this basis and booked the two trips with the idea that we would book our accommodation at a later date. However about an hour after we had returned from Bath Travel we got a phone call to say that the company had already thought of this option and had a package with hotel and tours for the full trip. Since this would save us having to look for our own hotel and the hotel they used was the Marriott Marquis on Times Square we booked the whole tour.
As the time of our cruise drew nearer we tried to get as much information about New York as we could. We borrowed books from the library and spoke to the travel agents who were very helpful. Also we bought a book from Waterstones called the AA ring book of New York which we found very useful and carried it with us wherever we went in New York. We wrote down a list of the places we would like to visit and the day we would like to visit bearing in mind that we would be there on July 4th which is a public holiday in America. The hotel in common with most places in America was on a room only basis so we would have to look for somewhere to eat our breakfast, lunch and Dinner on each day. Having done all this we knew that by the time we reached New York our plans might be changed.

Coulters Dean

Waterside Natural History Society visit Coulters Dean

The area to the northern edge of Queen Elizabeth Country Park is full of ups and downs. No sooner have you got to the bottom of a down than you have to go up and when you get to the top of an up you have to go down again. This produces quite a challenge for those cyclists and walkers’ going along the South Downs Way but it also provides some delightful side valleys one of which is Coulters Dean. We had to travel about fifty miles to get there and the weather forecast was for heavy showers so we were not too optimistic about our chances of seeing anything. When we arrived at Buriton village we turned right along Kiln Lane to the car park at the top of the hill. From there we walked east along the South Downs Way before branching off into Coulters Dean.
The footpath took us alongside a wooded area which stretched up the hillside but the meadow to our right was what we had come to see. At this time of year the ground is a patchwork of colourful wild flowers and even below the dark threatening clouds the pinks, blues and yellows lit up the meadow. The site which covers a relatively small area is a SSSI managed by Hampshire and IOW wildlife trust which contains some unusual plants but it is their profusion which makes this site special.
The Broad Leaved Helleborine was particularly abundant in the shade of Beech trees along the side of the wood. A Helleborine is a type of orchid although it gets its name by being confused with Hellebore or Christmas Rose; both of which produce leaves up the flower stem. Round Headed Rampion also occurred here in abundance with its dark blue flowers that bring back memories of a small bottle with ‘Quink’ written on the label. The root of Rampion used to be eaten as a vegetable and is still classed as a herb.
Herbs were prolific in the meadow; besides the Rampion there were Marjoram, Thyme and Wild Basil all of which would not be out of place in a kitchen garden. The thyme with its vivid pink flowers covered several of the old ant hills which themselves are a sign of how old the meadow has become. Although the thyme formed a low growing mat the pinkish white flowers of Squinacywort formed an even lower covering. This rather attractively named plant is also a herb and was once used to alleviate the symptoms of Quinsy. Quinsy is an inflammation of the throat around the tonsils which is treated nowadays by antibiotics. Squinancywort, a member of the bedstraw family, has four petals and although the flowers are rather small their effect is increased by their large number.
Members of the Campanula or bell flowers are particularly adapted to the chalk downlands. Besides the Rampion, Clustered Bellflowers and Harebell grow in the meadow with the taller Nettle Bellflower growing at the side of the pathways.
When we eventually walked out of the meadow the sun reappeared from behind the cloud which was a signal for numbers of small white butterflies to appear and flutter like snow just above the ground. Unfortunately the sun did not last very long and the rain came down in earnest as we walked back into the woods. The path through the woods led us up over the hill into the next valley from where we picked up a footpath marked Staunton Way. On arrival at a metalled road we turned left to walk back up to the South downs Way and back to the car park.
Although the weather was mainly rain showers the walk was a pleasant one and worth it for the wild flower display alone which would have won prizes in any flower show.

Pylewell Park

Waterside Natural History Society visit to Pylewell Park

The government has recently published its ‘National Ecosystem Assessment’ report and our visit to Pylewell Park was an opportunity to carry out our own assessment of the value of the countryside. The idea of putting a monetary value on the countryside for the year 2000 was that the value can be compared in future years to assess if it has improved or deteriorated. Some of our members could set the benchmark a half century earlier and regularly say what has happened since but this does not stop us checking the current state.
We started our walk from the end of Shotts Lane to the east of Lymington and walked down a track towards the shore. The intention was to walk along the shore eastwards and turn back inland along the old smugglers route called Tanners Lane. When we reached the Solent Way footpath we were to turn westwards and back to Shotts Lane thus walking round Pylewell Park and house. The tide level was low when we arrived; we had seen the level as we drove through Beaulieu, so we went along the shore as soon as possible.
The dry weather in the spring and early summer followed by heavy rain in June has upset the flowering times of many plants. Some of the early flowering ones have had a short flush of weak growth before going quickly to seed then flowering again and the later ones have tried to flower early before putting on a spurt of vegetative growth. The result of this confusion is that there is a great variety of plants in flower at the moment. Amongst the umbellifers Cow parsley has turned to seed in the hedgerows but has been replaced by Hogweed and Rough Chervil. This latter was suffused with purple but Hemlock Water Dropwort on the contrary was an innocuous grass green colour, exactly the opposite of what you would expect a poisonous plant to look like. A patch of Celery leaved buttercup was seen in a boggy stretch of path with its small petals and large pineapple shaped seed heads.
Plants along the shingle beach have adapted to the conditions and add variety to those growing inland. The yellow Biting Stonecrop and pinkish white English Stonecrop gave a rockery effect to the shore whilst Common Centaury grows inland or on the seashore. Scarlet Pimpernel and Sea Campion were also seen as well as Sea Milkwort. This latter plant is not a member of the milkwort family and is unusual in not having any petals. The sepals take the place of petals and are a pink colour so the plant survives quite happily with its adaptation. A single Yellow Horned Poppy plant that had established itself will surely start to colonise the area.
The weather was quite windy during our walk so we were not surprised when we did not see many butterflies. We did however see a few Meadow Browns, a Red Admiral and a Small Copper. Birds were also difficult to see but quite a large flock of Canada Geese were resting on the mudflats and the usual Black Headed Gulls were fighting for anything in sight.
Our walk was a very enjoyable one with a wide range of wild flowers and scenery. How did we value the countryside after our walk? Well ‘priceless’ seemed to be the majority decision.

Exmouth with Shearings

Exmouth Coach Tour
On Tuesday 4th April we embarked on a coach tour to Exmouth with Shearings. We did not have to meet our feeder coach in Southampton until 10.47 so we had plenty of time to make our own way from Hythe. The weather being good we walked with our cases to the ferry at 09.45 and arrived in Southampton town Quay at about 10.00. It took a good twenty minutes to walk to the National Express coach station and we stood waiting for the coach. It arrived on time and was a ‘Grand Tourer’ coach so we travelled in comfort to Membury Service station where we were due to pick up our holiday coach. It was a good job the coach was comfortable as we had to call at Eastleigh, Winchester and Basingstoke before arriving at Membury. We got lost twice, once at Winchester where the driver missed a turning back on to the motorway, and once at Basingstoke where the wrong postcode was entered into the satnav.
On arrival at Membury an official lady boarded the coach and informed us which coach bay and time to be at for our onward travel. Unfortunately she did not use the coach speaker system and the coach being one of the latest was quite long. All this and people standing in the aisle meant that us at the back could not hear what she said. She seemed quite surprised when we got off the coach and asked what she had been talking about. As we had about an hour at Membury we toddled off in search of refreshments. The café upstairs was a drab affair with basic wooden floors, metal chairs and canteen tables. The food I had was a toasted cheese and ham Panini squashed flat by the toaster; quite the worst food I have had in a long time. On top of this at £17 it was one of the more expensive and poor value for money.
We boarded our holiday coach that would transport us for the rest of our holiday and met our driver Graham for the first time. He introduced himself and took us all the way to Exmouth with commentary as we went. We learned lots of interesting facts like Somerset is derived from Summer settlement. Originally the Somerset levels were flooded in winter and the monks came down from the high land in the spring to graze their animals and plant crops on the fertile land. Since then dykes have been built so the water runs off to the sea on one side and the river on the other.
The coach went along the M4 and the M5 motorways before turning off at Exeter and we soon arrived at the Grand Hotel in Exmouth. We were greeted by a blue hydraulic platform in front of the hotel which stayed there the whole week doing repairs and painting to the hotel façade.
Shearings obviously go to great lengths to pick their hotels because they are all the same. All are old terraced houses with walls knocked out to accommodate dining and function rooms; passageways are constructed on multiple floors and bedrooms are identical. If you want a bit more luxury you have to pay for it in the form of their ‘town and country hotels’. One such, as the driver pointed out, was next door to our hotel and had been refurbished to the tune of millions of pounds.
The meals, as we found out that evening, are also specified to the last pea and could be found on any Shearings holiday. Having said that we never had any complaints about our food and the waitress was very efficient and helpful. This was also helped by the fact that a free glass of wine was provided with every meal and a selection of free drinks given on production of your room card. It was waitress service only in the restaurant and she got very upset if anyone came to her serving table and tried to help themselves. We met our dining companions for the first time on this evening who were a couple called Dave and Dorothy who like us were from the north east and had moved down to Southampton to live in retirement.
After dinner we moved in to the function room and sat at the same table as Dave and Dorothy and were joined by an elderly gentleman by the name of Kevin. Kevin was a southerner through and through although originally from the north west but he was fascinated by the north east accent and sayings which he would try and prompt us to speak at every opportunity.
The Tuesday was our first full day of touring and Graham was waiting with the coach at 09.30. Most of the places on our holiday ended with mouth but the general theme on this day was the moors of Devon so we headed inland and our destination was Tavistock which you will notice does not end in mouth. The weather was dry but overcast when we set out but a light drizzle started when we disembarked from the coach in Tavistock. We had two hours to explore on our own and did not fancy wandering around to no purpose so on seeing a local tourist information office we asked for a town walk. They not only provided us with a town trail document but gave us a plastic folder to keep off the rain.
The walk itself started by going uphill to a viaduct carrying a disused railway line which we walked along through a steep sided gorge. At the end of the gorge we turned left through a modern housing estate to join a canal along which we walked back towards town. The canal was replaced by a river as we neared the town centre and the weather was changing to a steady drizzle. We missed off the last bit of the route so we could visit the indoor market which we had been told was worth a visit. The market contained a good selection of stalls including second hand furniture, old mantel clocks, haberdashery and various food stalls but we did not buy anything.
We re-joined our coach at 12.30 and proceeded to Princetown for our lunch. Princetown is famous for Dartmoor prison which is not located there by coincidence being miles away from anywhere. According to Graham our driver Dartmoor is no longer a top security prison but has been downgraded to category ‘C’. It used to house the ‘Axe murderer’ before he escaped with help from the Kray twins who apparently arranged for his killing and burial.
When on holiday you generally hope for good weather but on this day the drizzle had changed to heavy rain and fog. This weather was exactly the sort you read about in books like ‘the hound of the Baskervilles’ and ‘Jamaica Inn’ which is used to give a sense of menace to the story. How anyone can enjoy living in a land of moors, bogs and granite rocks is a mystery but some people obviously find it romantic. Looking out of the coach window we could only imagine the conditions through the rain and fog but an occasional sight of moorland ponies with rain sodden coats reminded us of the real dangers of getting lost on the moors.
Our visit to Princetown was limited by the weather to lunch at ‘Lords Gifts ‘which was a rather basic affair although somewhat cheaper than Membury Services. After lunch we boarded the coach and travelled to the ‘House of Marbles’ near Bovey Tracey. To get there we descended below the cloud level and the rain had stopped when we entered the factory cum shop. There was a lot of marbles for sale and a glass blowing area but marbles are no longer made on site. One feature that was absorbing was a ball race covering one of the end walls of the building. Balls the size of snooker balls are lifted to the top by a motor driven chain drive and they run under gravity along wire channels initiating levers and rotating ball carriers that divert the balls according to the order in which they start.
We returned to our hotel, had dinner, and settled down for our evening’s entertainment. The entertainment provided followed the same pattern on the next three nights of our holiday but the presenters were different. On the first night it was a female singer and she began with a game of bingo. We did not join in for this one but we did subsequently and lost every time. After the bingo there followed a quiz which we attempted every night. Our first attempt gave us joint first place but we lost the decider question. The quiz was followed by a few songs from the singer and the evening concluded with records to which we could dance if we wished. At the end of all this we were more than glad to get to our beds.
Wednesday was an optional excursion half day to Teignmouth and Dawlish which we opted to do. I thought the driver said Tinmouth initially and I had quite a bit of trouble finding it on the map. We got there by following the coast westwards from Exmouth but we had to travel a fair way towards Exeter before we were able to cross over the river Exe at Topsham. Again according to Graham Sir Trevor Macdonald had a house here but was a naughty boy and had to sell his house to pay alimony to his wife. Teignmouth turned out to be a pleasant seaside resort and we had a good walk along the coastal path. The path is between the sea and the main railway line to the west built by Brunel. On our return to the town centre we decided to have lunch in a café called ‘The Pickwick’ and settled on the Devon crab sandwich. This turned out to be the culinary delight of our holiday. We returned over the moors via Dawlish to our hotel at about 13.15.
The afternoon was time at leisure and we decided to go on a river boat trip up the Exe estuary. We knew the boat left at 14.15 so after the coach got to the hotel we walked directly up to the marina from where the boat departed. When we got to the quay we were one of the first to arrive but as the boat got ready to embark passengers a coach drew up and about thirty people got off for the boat trip. The boat was almost full when we left. All boat trips usually begin with emergency procedures and this one was no exception. The only difference was that the procedure in case of emergency was to go over the side and walk to the shore. We knew that the tide was low but the skipper told us that the depth was only three feet maximum and that the exe had a tidal range of about four metres. Having being reassured in this way the boat moved slowly up river winding between mud flats. Even so we were not able to go very far inland before turning round and heading towards the sea. The skipper told us that the Exe was a favourite spot for bird watching and explained the different types of birds as we went along. He did however miss one bird that we and a few passengers saw and that was an Osprey which swooped down to the water a couple of times before being chased off by other gulls.
We returned to our hotel, had dinner, and settled down for our evening’s entertainment. This evening we tried the bingo and won the quiz outright. The prize was a bottle of champagne perry with a strength of 5% which we had difficulty disposing of as no one wanted to drink it. The entertainment was a guitarist by the name of Steve Davis who played tunes from around the world on a variety of guitars including a Russian balalaika. He was generally accepted to be very good.
Thursday was a full day touring starting with a trip to the city of Exeter in the morning. We decided to spend our time in Exeter with a visit to the cathedral even though it cost £3 each entrance fee. The cathedral is a very pleasant sanctuary from the noise and bustle of the city streets and the entry fee was well worth it. A friendly guide explained everything we needed to know but I was most interested in what the cathedral was like in the time of Henry V111. The cathedral was spared the ravages of monasteries but during a normal day the clergy were separated from the common people by a wood carved enclosure from within the cathedral. Outside of this area people carried out their daily activities to a general background of prayer and music.
After our visit to the cathedral we just had time to find a bank ATM and have lunch at a Café Nero. Our coach then transported us to the seaside town of Sidmouth. Sidmouth is a typical seaside place and the day turned out to be a very warm and sunny one. We decided to walk through a park and up a steep hill overlooking the town where we sat at a wooden bench on a grassy knoll. After a short rest we walked back along the promenade to the town centre for an ice-cream. The day being hot and with us having our fill of seaside towns ending in mouth we sat on a covered seat in a small park near the bus station. We were soon joined by an elderly couple who I assumed was on another bus tour but it turned out they lived locally and had just come for a day out.
The last evening followed the same routine as those previously but was hosted by a fair haired lad of small stature who was probably older than he looked. He was jokey and laughed a lot at his own words but he was difficult for us to hear and the bingo and quiz were quite an ordeal. Luckily we did not win the bottle of champagne this night. His singing was a bit amateurish too.
On the Friday we had to get up early in order to have our cases outside by 07.15 and we set off on our long journey home. Unfortunately my wife had contacted a stomach bug and was violently sick several times on the journey. It took her nearly a week to recover. We cannot say exactly where she caught the bug so don’t know if it was anything to do with Shearings but we will be a bit more cautious next time.

Garston Wood

Garston Wood

Our March outdoor meeting was a visit to Garston wood near Sixpenny Handley just over the Hampshire border in Dorset. Sixpenny Handley has nothing to do with money but was derived from two medieval hundreds Saxpena and Hanlega. A hundred was 100 hides. A hide was an area of land about thirty acres which was enough to support a family. Saxpena means hilltop and Hanlega a high clearing in a wood.
We were a little apprehensive about visiting this venue so early in the year as spring had not really become established. On our arrival we found that car parking had been moved to a temporary car park so that renovations could be carried out on the old one. The old car park had been torn up by heavy machinery and piles of earth were waiting to be removed. The track behind the car park had also been damaged by machinery used to clear woodland areas. This walk up the hill was only last year one of the most beautiful woodland walks in the country and will take some time to recover.
A sign near the entrance provided information on why some areas were being cleared. Apparently the fungal disease ‘Phytophtora ramorum’ which is associated with ‘Sudden Oak Death’ has now been found to infect Larch, Beech, and Birch as well as Oaks. Fungus is essential for the breakdown of dead wood but this particular fungus can also transfer to healthy or weakened trees. Larch and Beech trees which do not form a major part of Garston wood had been cut down and the wood was being removed to prevent infection. It is only a few years ago that leaving dead wood on the ground was seen as a good thing to encourage small animals and insects and particularly in Garston Wood where the Dormouse was being encouraged to breed.
Garston wood is managed by the RSPB and although some of the ash and oak trees are very old many of the coppiced hazel trees are renewed every twelve years or so. The hazel wood is plaited to make fencing screens which we saw being constructed during our visit. These screens have been used to keep out deer whilst the younger growth recovers but are now supplemented by wire fencing.
The good news about our visit was that warm spring sunshine had arrived at last. One of the joys of life is walking through mature woodland with warm sunshine on your back, spring flowers at your feet and birds singing in the treetops. Although the flowers were not sufficient in number to carpet the forest floor there were early examples of most spring flowers. Dogs Mercury and the spotted leaves of Lords and Ladies are always amongst the first touch of green trying to push back the memory of a colourless winter. There were some Wood Anemone with their creamy white flowers and a touch of pink. Shiny golden yellow Lesser Celandine flowers contrasted with the pale yellow of the primroses. Early Dog Violet plants were scattered at the side of and sometimes on the paths as if they wanted to be trodden on.
Large queen bumble bees were in constant flight looking for a place to make a hive and hover flies droned around the yellow catkins of pussy willow. The catkins also attracted Blue tits and Great tits giving their chests a yellow tinge from the pollen. Marsh tits and coal tits were also seen on the older oak trees and a Tree Creeper starting on dead wood on the forest floor gradually worked its way up a tree looking for insects. A Nuthatch warning call directed our attention to one part of the woods only for the rustle of Deer crossing our path to make us turn around just as they disappeared from view.
The sounds of bird calls played an important part in our walk with Buzzards calling overhead but the most welcome call was that of the chiffchaff which we eventually located; a sure sign that the summer is just around the corner.

Ovington Village Snowdrops

Waterside Natural History Society goes in search of Snowdrops

If someone asked you what flower looks like a flake of snow then you would immediately think of a snowdrop. Snowdrop or ‘Galanthus’ meaning milk flower was also a slang term for US military police in WW2 but everyone knows what a snowdrop looks like. Garden Centres have them in small pots, town gardens have small groups, older country gardens may have a larger patch; but nothing can compare to seeing large drifts of them in a winters landscape.
Hampshire is lucky to have several locations where you can see snowdrops in large numbers and we chose to visit Ovington village near Alresford which we had heard was a particularly impressive sight. When we arrived at the Bush Inn in Ovington we did not have to look far as snowdrops spread in every direction. When outdoor events are arranged months in advance it is always a matter of luck whether the plant or wildlife is in season but snowdrops are very predictable. Global warming or any sort of weather does not seem to affect them and you can guarantee a good sighting every February.
Our short walk consisted of a round trip to Itchen Stoke and back to Ovington so we set off alongside the Inn towards a bridge over the river Itchen. The river here was broad and shallow so you got a sense of being surrounded by water especially when we walked between the river and the drainage channel running alongside.
Turning away from the river we went up towards Itchen Stoke along a narrow lane with several old houses on either side. The houses were built using flint stones which are common in limestone areas. One house had a small front garden full of a variety of spring flowers. The sweet smell of Daphne at head height was complemented by sweet violets on the ground. Snowdrops, winter Aconites, daffodils and crocus were all in flower together with the purple and pink flowers of one of the Borage family. It would have won first prize at any time of year.
The church in Itchen Stoke was well worth a visit. Although not in use St. Mary’s church had been expertly renovated by the Church preservation society and was an excellent combination of the new and the old. This was typified by the new font inside the church and the old font which was found in pieces around the gravestones. It had been rebuilt and placed just inside the church door. The church’s design was based on that of ‘La Sainte Chapelle’ in Paris. The new and old aspect was reflected in the plants outside. The old represented by the snowdrops and the new by crocus and daffodils. No old church would be complete without an old Yew tree and this was no exception. Further on we came across a carpet of cyclamen that had naturalised on the roadside near an old farm gate.
Walking alongside the road towards Alresford one of our members noticed an animal at the far end of one of the fields which was identified as a deer. Some moments later it was thought to be a donkey as it had big ears. As we all gathered to give our individual opinions it was suggested it might even be a kangaroo. Two passing locals were asked if any strange animals had been seen in the area. When the animal moved it was again thought to be a deer and this was confirmed later when three Roe Deer bounded away across the field. It is easy to be critical of anyone’s identification skills in this age of instant information on the television but in the wild identification is often a matter of several opinions and time to think.
Birds were evident more by their sounds than their sight. Nuthatch, Great tit, and Blackbird were all heard but the most striking were the drumming of the Woodpeckers. One was of a deep bass sound and thought to be a Greater Spotted Woodpecker. Another of a higher pitch was supposed to be a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker although actually seeing the bird was difficult.
Returning back to Ovington alongside a stream we saw great swathes of snowdrops highlighted by the green fronds of Harts tongue ferns and reflected in the clear water of the stream. Spring was definitely on its way.

Blashford Lakes

Waterside Natural History Society visit to Blashford Lakes

The green shoots of recovery or Spring as it used to be called are on their way. Rooks are nesting high in the trees, Song Thrushes are singing on top of the lower trees and catkins are appearing on the hazel bushes. All this was evident as we travelled to Blashford Lakes in search of birdlife.
Blashford Lakes, being a nature reserve, is different to walking in the countryside in that much of the time is spent in the six hides. The hides provide shelter and a good view of the lakes upon which many birds spend the winter but they also provide a meeting point for all the visitors. Some people go singly looking for peace and quiet and some go in groups, such as ourselves, to catch up on the latest news and gossip. In addition some people like to eat their lunch in the hides and some people don’t approve. On the whole it is best to be tolerant of other people and enjoy the sights for what they are.
The information board at the entrance to the hides gave an idea of what birds to expect and their numbers. One board indicated that 800 Wigeon were present on Ibsley Water. Although this may be a calculated estimate there was no indication that it was not the exact figure and a more truthful wording would probably be ‘a large flock’. Whatever the number none of our members were prepared to dispute the figure and there certainly were ‘a lot’.
Besides the Wigeon there were a large number of Goosanders which always tend to congregate around a shingle spit in front of the appropriately named Goosander hide. Tufted Duck were scattered about the lake but always dived under water whenever binoculars were focused on them. There were also several Goldeneye and a single Avocet on the same shingle spit as the Goosanders.
Water fowl were not the only birds present in large numbers. Near the visitor centre bird feeders attracted a seemingly endless parade of Siskin with several Redpolls and the occasional Nuthatch. These birds also visited the feeders in front of the Woodland hide together with Brambling, Chaffinch, Goldfinch and a single Greater Spotted Woodpecker.
On our way to the Ivy North hide we met two of our number who had already been there and they had seen a Bittern from the hide. When we arrived the hide was full of visitors all waiting for a sight of the bird. Such a large number of people in a closed space in wet weather meant that the windows were all steamed up and the air was rather rich. We left the hide and met the two who had seen the bird earlier and they noticed the Bittern from a gap in the fence alongside the hide. It took me several minutes to see the Bittern as it was difficult to spot even when I knew where to look. Bitterns are a master of disguise, in a manner similar to the Snipe, in that they have black, brown, yellow and white stripes but in their case in a vertical plane up their neck and head instead of the horizontal of the Snipe. This enables them to blend with the vertical reeds and they even sway in time with the wind blown reeds. It was not until I saw the bird move forwards against the vertical reeds that I was able to recognise the bird and once seen it seemed incredible that I had not spotted it before. Besides being difficult to see they are also quite rare but increasing at the moment due to intensive work by voluntary organisations. Their number is counted by noting the number of booming Bitterns in the spring although since males may have several mates in the same area their numbers may be underestimated.
We enjoyed our visit to Blashford Lakes. It has a good combination of lots of birds together with the occasional rare specimen. The hides are well established and the reserve appears to be settled. The weather was also in our favour being dry and mild for a winter’s day but the rain resumed in earnest as we left.