Finally on the plane!
Time: 1: 10pm.
We scored the perfect seats -window seats. Wonderful. The plane is very lightly loaded. Barbara is already writing in her journal, and as you can see, so am I.
Papeete
We've gone back in time -to yesterday! So it's now the 24 April 08. The temperature is 28C. Two half liter bottles of water and one 34g of M&Ms cost US$9! Ouch!
Our flight leaves at 11.30pm local time with a 10.30pm check in.
• More about Papeete, the capital city of Tahiti: http://www.papeete.com/about.html
LA
Well, the ordeal continues! Shoes off! Unload pockets; take out Notebook; both mobile phones; wallet, tickets ...
but, it's all fun.
▲ LAX Airport. Image from a live cam: http://www.iflylax.com/#
4.21pm LAX time.Found Gate 28, Terminal 2. So, now we wait -another hour so. My eyes are quite sore and all I want to do is sleep.
We met a pleasant fellow from Croatia. A young man called 'Shaska'. We spent about three hours chatting and talking about the Lord. At 44 years of age he declares himself desperate for a wife, but the right one! We prayed with him for the Lord to help. As I write this he is snoozing opposite us.
10.45am 25 April UK time
We're approx. one and a quarter hours out of Heathrow. We're looking out at a blue sky with fluffy clouds. Looks good.
Greenland▼
The exciting thing is that we flew over the southern tip of Greenland! The view was spectacular. Dozens of ice bound frozen
tips of mountains poking through the thick cloud base. Sadly, the one brief glimpse vanished in seconds and before we could bring the camera out. If you look at the map of Greenland on the right, up from the bottom and on the West coast you will see Nuuk. Our flight took us over this town. We then flew south of the capital of Iceland, Reykjavik. If you look at the East coast and just out from the coast you will see the word ‘Iceland’ with an > beside it; Iceland is east of Greenland.• For more on Greenland, the world’s largest island: BBC site http://tinyurl.com/6lscgt, and blogger 'regulargen’s' Flikr site at: http://tinyurl.com/6hr8ca to see some of her great images from the air 25 April 2008, which, coincidentally, is near enough the exact same day and time as when we ourselves flew over Greenland! You might also like to visit this interesting site to read more about Greenland: www.greenland.com.
For official info on the fascinating tiny island nation, the Republic of Iceland (comprising the main island of Iceland and its outlying islets in the North Atlantic Ocean, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iceland.
Again, the white-out that started over Greenland continued over Iceland.
We will shortly fly over Northern Ireland south of Belfast. Brilliant. We did
get some pics of Ireland -just.▲Ireland is just visible under the wing. Those clouds you see here; genuine Irish clouds!
Sitting next to me is a young Welshman, Matt Earl. Matt is a full-time professional athlete in track-and-field. His specialty is hurdles and he hopes to be at Beijing.
More Ireland ►
What you see here is a shot of the interactive, live, in-flight view of our flight path on the small LCD screen TV. Iceland is off screen and top left. ▼
London: For details of our London experience, refer emails
▲Mum, looking very tiny outside the imposing entrance to The Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Rd, London.
▲Dad, Hyde Park.
▼NZ Memorial, Green Park
28 April 10.12am
This has to be read to be believed! I write this ‘hand-on-heart’. It really happened. It was written down as the events unfolded and starting after event number three.
A Hyde Park Cowslip: Mum became very emotional over the cowslips!►
Victoria Street Station: Bought tickets for West Malling and given the directions, "Go to platforms 1 to 8". We found platforms 1 to 7, but no 8. So, asked the uniformed attendant for the train to West Malling. He listened to the loudspeaker for a while and then advised us to get on "This train". We duly did, and in an effort to confirm (other passengers were equally uncertain) we were advised by another uniformed attendant to get off this train and run for another leaving in 3 minutes. We did and in due course wound up at the end of the line; a place called, Orpington. Here the uniformed attendant told us we had been on the wrong train and told us to, “get back on the same train and return to Bromley South”. We did, and at Bromley South, when we checked with the uniformed attendant were put on, "The next train from platform 4 due at 10.30am", this spoken very authoritatively and with no further instructions.
◄This NZ Memorial Standard shows a beautiful Fantail.
◄This IS Ireland –over part of Belfast.I should advise you, dear reader, that each change of trains and request for help always entailed lugging our suitcases and weary selves out of the train, along the endless platforms, up two flights of stairs, along the inevitable over bridge, back down two more flights of stairs followed by a hunt for a usually, invisible uniformed attendant, who would show up from some obscure doorway walking busily upon some mysterious errand upon which, uniformed attendant’s, it appears, are always engaged.
At Swanley we were advised by the resident uniformed attendant, please recall the previous description of what this simple sentence glosses over; to, return back across the over bridge over which we had just struggled to make our, by now, routine enquiry, and catch the 11.26am to Otford, due in about
six minutes. That’s the Thames under our wing!►
At Otford, we varied the routine by asking two very pleasant British Bobbies, if they had any advice. The pointed us to where they thought the uniformed attendant might be hiding –over the over-bridge of course! This time, providence intervened, and my own wits which were beginning to tune in to the local system
more effectively and I spotted, and understood with my growing knowledge of this particular part of rural England, what held the answer. Our train to West Malling was due in ten minutes. We sat in the pleasant sunshine, enjoying the fate that had brought us to this very beautiful part of the world, and waited for the train –which always runs on time, I might add. In fact, I have discovered them to be, and I humbly submit that I have the necessary credentials to describe myself as an expert; they are almost frightening in their precision.
▲Check this: That’s the London Eye down there –the big wheel thing! Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament are just off to the right and out of the picture.If a British train is declared to be going to arrive at 26 minutes past, it will arrive at precisely 26 minutes past. Believe it.
This train delivered us safely and reliably to a beautiful little station called West Malling and a quick phone call to Jonathan and Linda saw them arrive in about five minutes and it was all over. We had arrived.
▲Now you can see Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament and middle of the picture and on the LHS is Buckingham Palace –the area between the walls and the circular ring with the pointy statue (a reddish pavement colour) is where the crowds gather to see the changing of the guard. Just behind the Houses of Parliament is Westminster Abbey. All of these photos were taken with Mother’s camera out of the window of the plane.Update for Section One: Around the World and Arrival
Jonathan & Linda made us wonderfully welcome. 2 Pump Close, Leybourne, West Malling is a great little (actually, not too little, it just looks it from the outside). J & L have bought it as a do-up and a first rate example of ‘what to buy and where to buy it’, it certainly is. Pump Close already has some very attractive and very tidy homes in it. By the time J & Ls and the four others in their immediate neighborhood are finished –and they are all focused on doing an exceptional job by the look of it, the entire Close will be exceptionally attractive. Photos will follow in Section 2. We have been given the use of a large room big enough to have a dining room table, Q size bed, TV, small fridge and Microwave and still leave heaps of space over for moving around. We are well looked after.
Almost immediately after arrival J & L were keen to drive us round to see Mary’s house, which we did. It was in very tidy condition. Well kept and neat. Immaculate actually. The double garage is an addition from our time –which, of course, is a long time ago now, though both Dawn and James probably saw it. I was unprepared for the flood of emotion that hit me. It was quite a moment to return to the little house from which we had said goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa Thomas all those years ago. But, it was amazing how the memories flooded back. The photos had not done it at all, but walking round the back opened the floodgates. Very strange. The fact that it is detached confirmed my memories of it as I had been unsure until we were there. I almost expected Grandma and Grandpa and Mary to come to the door to greet us.
We will meet David and Rosemary there on Saturday to start work. I am pretty certain the house will have to be sold to pay the death duties which, Jonathan tells me, are horrendous and may well take a quarter of whatever it’s sold for. This is because Aunt Mary was single, basically. I’ll know more later.
Tuesday 29 April 2008
We spent the whole day at the Maidstone Hospital. For the details refer the email records.
Wednesday, 30 April, 2008
We were dropped off by J & L in Maidstone at the Checkers Shopping Mall around 10.15am. We spent the day exploring the City and poking around Charity Shops. In Kiwiese these are, of course, referred to as ‘Yop’ shops! There are many of them; almost on every street. Mum spent around UK£30 on lots of little things to bring home and enjoyed herself heaps. I called in on the Law Courts in hopes of obtaining a copy of Mary’s will. However, I needed her DOB, and, of course, that I don’t have. I know she was born about 1918, but I simply don’t know for sure, and neither do I know what exact day. So, we had to abandon that. However, not before I’d made a complete ass of myself by going round to the Archbishop’s Palace, the grand home of the NZ equivalent of ‘Births, Deaths and Marriages’, to look for her Birth Certificate. Only to realise, belatedly, that she was, of course, born in NZ! So, the whole exercise was frustrated. Never mind, we shall know everything in a few days anyway.
By 4.30pm we were exhausted and made our way to the Bus terminal. Here, another amusing (?) saga developed. We went to the Information Office to ask which bus, and, after providing them with J & Ls full address with the nearest road, Castle Way, London Rd end, we were told to wait for the No 72 bus to Snodland. There are, it seems, three No 72 buses, one to Leybourne Lakes, one to Kings Hill, and one to Snodland. The very pleasant ladies were emphatic; it must be the Snodland bus. So, we waited and caught the 72 to Snodland and asked the driver to wave when we got to the nearest stop to Castle Way. He was very pleasant and agreed gladly to do that.
After about 5 minutes he stopped and waved. I knew immediately this could not be right, as Leybourne is a long way from Maidstone. So, I checked by saying, “Is this Castle Way”. He looked confused and said it was “Castle Rd.”. Where upon a lady behind us spoke up and said, “Do you want Castle Way in Leybourne?” I said, “Yes, that’s it”. “Well”, she said, “You’re on the wrong bus!” You should be on the Kings Hill bus. She then began to think quickly and advised a plan to get us from a suitable stop further along on this bus we were now on; one that would get us to within a half hours walk of Pump Close. We agreed, the bus driver agreed, I offered to pay extra, he refused, and we were off again.
I got talking with this lady, who was about 65 years of age I would guess, and she began reflecting again and came up with another suggestion involving a slightly shorter walk for us. We agreed, and in due course she advised us to get out at the appropriate stop. Disaster! The bus driver shocked every one on board by turning unexpectedly left instead of right. The outcry was immediate. It turned out the driver had been making a detour because of road works, but as they were now finished he should have been back on the usual route. This meant we were in a slightly different spot from that which our friendly guide had given us directions from which to walk home. To cap it all, the heavens opened and down came a very heavy rain storm. When the bus moved off we found ourselves in the middle of nowhere. No houses, lots of motorway with heaps of fast moving traffic, fields, trees and more motorway. I was now quite unsure of where to go. Left, right, back, forward, there were heaps of options. I looked within myself, prayed, and tried to get a sense of north and south. Mum was equally unsure. We were lost. I had a feeling that north was in a certain direction which I surmised required us to cross over the motorway, somehow, and head off to what I thought was the west. We did that, and were soon faced with another choice as the footpath ran out. So, still moving in hopefully a westerly direction, we crossed again. Fortunately, England provides excellent crossing facilities on motorways. I can think of only a few equivalents in similar NZ situations. After about a ten minute walk this placed us in the middle of the most confusing spaghetti junction of motorways you could ever imagine, going in all directions possible. Now, I felt really confused. The rain was pelting down and visibility was not good. However, still clutching to my vague notion of west we threaded our way across one motorway after another and finally spotted a sign saying, ‘Leybourne West’, or something, I’m not too clear in my memory now. But the important clue for me was the word ‘Castle something. Not, Castle Way, which would have been wonderful. But, we guessed the conjunction of words, ‘Leybourne’ and ‘Castle’, must be hopeful. So, we went in that direction. We discovered there was a castle, and a church, and an expensive Inn, all with ‘Castle’ involved. We also found ourselves on ‘Castle Way’, as now seems very logical. So, we just had to walk until it resolved itself with time. It did, and in due course, after about a half hour of more, we spotted Pump Close, which meant we were home. Praise the Lord! We were hot, weary and sore. But, we had learnt a good bit and seen another fair chunk of the county of Kent.
To be continued…
▲Another view approaching London from under the wing. This one is earlier than the others.The CBD of the City of London▼
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