Essex is my home county and where I spent the first 30 years of my life, apart from the first 2 which were in London. We will be based here for the next couple of months and I will be writing about some of the small towns and villages that make up this county.
Battlesbridge
This little villages straddles the River Crouch and is home to several antique centres. Over 80 dealers are located here. We visited one sunny day a couple of weeks ago and stopped at The Barge Inn for a quick drink. There’s nothing like a countryside pub in England for cosiness!
The Barge Inn
River Crouch
“My Antique”
I was lucky enough to catch the setting sun over the river and this oast house.
Southend Pier
Southend is a fairly large town in Essex and boasts the longest pier in the World! It extends 2.16 kilometres into the Thames Estuary. Even though I lived in Essex for 30 years I have only ever been to then end once. So on a bitterly cold day two weeks ago we ventured out to Southend with the purpose of walking to the end. My friend had mentioned that she had seen a school of seals frolicking earlier that week so I wanted to see these as well. We almost changed our mind when we arrived because of the cold but saw it was fairly busy with a number of walkers promenading along, so not to be fainthearted, we paid our £1 each and off we went.
Not even half way along I looked enviously at the train as it trundled by with all the people well wrapped up inside. We had to stop at a shelter so I could arrange my scarf and hat to get the most from their warmth. We had the intention of walking back as well but my energy levels were completely depleted so we paid the extra to take the train. I definitely made my 10,000 steps that day!
BeforeAfterColourful Beach Huts
The sun was finally making an appearance but clearly not sending any warmth!
The train we rode back in
Beautiful pink sky“Pull up a Seat!”Images through the train window of the seafront Lastly the lone seal, making a surprise appearance before we boarded the train
Thanks for coming on this journey with us, look out for more mosts about Essex in the coming weeks.
Our trip today into London was going to take us “across the water” to Borough Markets. It was a beautiful bright sunny day, perfect weather for pounding the pavements of London. From the station we walked down Fenchurch Street and across Philpot Lane onto King William Street and over London Bridge. Our first destination was Borough Markets.
Bloom Paradise by Jun T. Lai
These two very colourful sculptures are sitting just outside Fenchurch Street Station. These ornamental works of art are part of Sculptures in the City and were commissioned to bring colour and life to the City. A wonderful contrast to the glass and steel monotone high rises that now line the streets of London.
The Walkie Talkie – Fenchurch Building
I’ve always wanted to go the top of this building to visit The Sky Garden. It’s a fairly difficult process though as I discovered. Although it’s free you have to book a time slot online and you also have to show a vaccination certificate. Although we’ve both been double jabbed and boostered, I couldn’t commit to a timeframe and I was also worried I would have no battery left on my phone to show our certificates. Something for another day then!
Tower Bridge
This building is where I had my first office job at 16. I thought I was the bee’s knees on £25 per week.
The glittering Shard in all its glory
It took us around half an hour to walk to Borough Markets. There were lots of different food stalls offering all kinds of cuisine. Seating was mainly outside only though and food was served in disposable boxes with wooden cutlery, plus it was very chilly. In the end we found a wonderful Spanish restaurant and had tapas.
Delicious delectables
I wanted to explore around for a while before my dear husband wanted to cross back over the water to head for the shops! He will be now be know as Mr. Shopper.
The top photo is a replica of the Golden Hinde, the galleon captained by Francis Drake in his circumnavigation of the world between 1577 and 1580. Not open on a Monday so just a look for us.
All that is left of Winchester Cathedral Gruesome skeleton hanging outside Clink Prison
Colourful William!
A mural painted by an Australian painter, Jimmy C in 2016 to commemorate 400 years of Shakespeare.
We decided to cross the river at the Millennium Bridge as this was a pedestrian bridge.
In the background you can see Cannon Street Railway Bridge, London Bridge and in the far distance Tower Bridge.
Southwark Bridge opened in 1921. A beautiful arch bridge crossing over to Walbrook Wharf.
Millennium Bridge
A very elegant Millennium Bridge in the distance held up by giant steel supports, opened in June 2000. Behind this bridge is Blackfriars Bridge.
Shakespeare’s Globe PubGlobe Theatre
Above are Cardinal Cap Alley and The Deanery. The Dean of Southwark Cathedral’s private residence and dates back to 1712. Cardinal Cap Alley is an alley in Bankside. It used to lead to a brothel called The Cardinal’s Cap named because it had been owned by Henry Cardinal Beaufort, the Bishop of Winchester, who had paraded here wearing his red hat, after being appointed a cardinal by the Pope. Source: Wikipedia
Walking over Millennium Bridge towards St. Paul’s Cathedral and with The Shard behind us
I was intrigued by this “river furniture” as they are described and did some research. They are the old red pillars that supported the original Blackfriars Bridge in 1864. I think they are rather beautiful and add a touch of colour to the grey river.
From here we walked towards the Strand and up to Southampton Street where the Shopper had some shopping to do. A few streets more and we were in Covent Garden. Deciding enough was enough I suggested a pit stop for a quick pick me up. We had a coffee and a beer in a very grand place called Caffe Concerto. Adorned with crystal chandeliers and small elegant tables we sat and rested before moving on.
“Taxi”
Apple Market, Covent Garden
Murals and artwork around Covent Garden
Chinatown was not too far away so we walked over towards that area and thought “Chinese for Dinner”.
Deciding on a restaurant that looked good we walked to the door only to be told that the restaurant was next door. Anthony asked the security guard why he was standing there in an empty doorway and he said there was a cocktail bar on the top floor, five flights up called Opium! Well not one to turn away a cocktail before dinner we found ourselves heading up the dark and gloomy staircase. At the very top we opened a very ordinary looking door to a small dark lounge and three men waiting to take us to a table. We ended up sitting at the bar chatting with the bar staff and the owner!
A dry martini for 007 and a “Trip to Malaysia” for me
Thanks for coming on this journey with us and hope you are not as exhausted as I was at the end of the day. I think we walked approximately 20,000 steps in all.
A drab and dreary day faced us on waking up but we still decided to go ahead with our plan. We took a train from Basildon to Limehouse Station and as it was lunchtime the first thing we did was look for a restaurant. We found a very good one called La Figa, a traditional Italian. After a wonderful lunch we stepped outside and the rain was just as heavy, but my dear husband said we should stick to our plan as we needed to walk off our lunch.
I am fascinated by the canals throughout London and the walks along them. I love all the barges and often wonder who lives in these. Some are in shipshape condition while others look damp and dilapidated.
The Limehouse Cut is a straight long canal and the oldest canal in London, opening in 1770. It is relatively short but you can walk to Three Mile Island from here (our original plan).
Either side of the canal there are some very fancy apartments. A two bedroomed apartment would set you back a mere £570,000.
“Name a Dream”
Would you rather live on a canal boat or in an apartment?
We wended our way along the canal walk for about half an hour, when dear husband turned and said it was enough! I must admit the weather was getting worse and to take any decent photos I had to turn my whole body as my hood was obscuring my view. One thing is for certain you wouldn’t find anyone swimming in these waters, except the ducks.
Walking to the next road we decided to catch the next bus, wherever it went? What a coincidence that it went to Westfield Shopping Centre in Stratford, husband’s dream come true.
Well until another find day when we can explore more of London’s canals and waterways.
On a freezing cold day we travelled up to London by train for the first time in two years. From Basildon to Fenchurch Street Station takes around 30 minutes. From here we walked around to Tower Hill and instead of hopping on the tube we caught a taxi to Brick Lane! We could have walked really. Our first stop was my dear hubby’s favourite clothes shop Son of a Stag where he buys his jeans. While he was shopping I had a quick walk around to see if there was anything interesting to see.
Can you spot me in the corner?
From here we walked to Liverpool Street to catch a bus to New Bond Street, but first we stopped for lunch. We decided on The Ivy City Garden. A truly magnificent restaurant, exactly like a garden inside. Our lunch was sublime.
Roasted Scallops topped with crispy prosciutto on pureed potato in a red wine sauceSalmon and smoked haddock fish cake on a pea and herb sauce and poached egg on top
Outside this restaurant was a building I had never seen before, in all the years I had worked in London! It was just amazing.
This building first opened in 1895 to cater for the growing demand for luxury Turkish bath houses. This is now a private cocktail bar and you need an appointment to look around. The turquoise tiles are still beautiful to look at.
We then caught a bus to our next destination, enjoying the ride through the streets of London. As it was “the eleventh day of Christmas” the lights were still up.
St. Paul’s Cathedral
I was quite happy to wear a mask as it was getting colder by the minute, but at least the sun was shining. Masks are compulsory in the UK now but I don’t see any enforcement of this going on.
After walking down New Bond Street and South Molton Street it was time to head back. What a long walk we had before we could find the correct bus stop, then we found the road was closed and had to revise our plan. It was wonderful to walk though as I could stop frequently and take photos.
New Bond StreetSouth Molton StreetOxford Street
We had planned on having dinner at a favourite tapas restaurant near Fenchurch Street, but sadly this was not open. I had also made us get off the bus far too soon and we ended up having to walk another 20 minutes to our last stop! We walked around in a complete circle at one point due to the signal dropping out from Google maps. Dear hubby kept saying “you must know these streets, you worked here long enough”. Everywhere is so different now and there were certainly no high rise buildings when I worked there 30 years ago!
We had a brilliant day though and will be planning another day trip very soon.
We finally took the plunge and left Australia behind for a while. It’s been two years since we visited the UK, so on 29th December we departed Perth. What a rigamarole it was though, from booking the flights and having tests and completing forms. I knew of course we would have to have a pre-Covid test before but didn’t realise it had to be pre-booked and pre-paid. So that was the first hurdle.
Next was pre-booking and paying for Covid tests in the UK, writing down reference numbers and filling out the Passenger Locator Application for the UK. Before all this though we had our booster shots and had to download a Covid International Passport. Trying to scan all the QR codes was impossible and we had to wait until we got to the airport.
We flew Scoot to Singapore and then Singapore Airlines to London. Our flight was 9.15 pm and we arrived around 7pm. The flight was less than half full, but we still had to queue for 30 minutes and then stand at the counter for another 30 minutes while all our documents were scanned through. Fortunately our luggage was able to go directly to London. I was told on this flight that I couldn’t wear my cloth mask and had to wear a paper one.
Arriving in Singapore at 2.15 am we had to make our way to another terminal. As the Skytrain was not operating we had at least a 30 minute walk from the plane to the next gate. Good job for travellators! We had a 7 hour layover in Singapore but were able to use the lounge as we were flying business class to London. This was a lifesaver and we both were able to lay down on a settee and had a few hours sleep. One of the ground staff also brought us pillows and duvets.
The next leg of our journey was wonderful with such “first class” attention from the staff. Our section of the cabin was empty apart from us and I think the cabin crew were bored. We could have walked off the plane sideways from the amount of times we were offered drinks.
I passed the time by reading a great book I had just downloaded and of course sleeping.
Once we disembarked I thought we would have a very long wait at immigration, but from landing and going through the exit was just 30 minutes! Maybe because I had all the correct documents.
We only need to isolate for two days and today sent back our “do it yourself” Covid tests and once we get the results back we are free to roam the outdoors.
Empty cabin
A couple of the dishes that were on the menu
From the window
I’m looking forward to seeing relatives and catching up with old friends over the next few weeks and posting new photos.
This week’s Lens-Artists’ Challenge is from Ann Christine who has invited us to post one image for each story.
“Please wait your turn”
On our trip to Hyderabad a few years ago with my son and his girlfriend, we did a few day trips. We were quite surprised on a number of these outings that we were the only Western people at each location. As you can see from the photos we were quite the attraction, well mostly Maddy!
Golkonda Fort
One of the palaces we visited, the girl on the left is getting ready for her phone to be used.
Ramoji Film Studio. We were all stopped several times here, but Maddy had a queue of mostly young men. I did have to say no more after a while as we would never have seen anything. Everyone was so friendly in each location and we had to retell our story many times as to why we were visiting. Hyderabad doesn’t seem that popular but we had an amazing week there.
One afternoon during our stay in Dunsborough, Anthony and I set out for a short drive to Castle Rock Beach. I had seen it on the map and had never been before and wanted to see what was there.
We found a beautiful calm cove with perfect swimming waters. It was surrounded by large craggy red rocks. We walked along the footpath along to the rock that I suppose looks like a castle!
Castle Rock Beach
“This Cairn marks the site of the Castle Rock Co. Whaling Station, which commenced operations in 1843 and continued for many years”
“Be a Little Boulder”
We were lucky to see so many wildflowers still in bloom. They seem to thrive in the hot sandy climate, especially the flowers growing from the rock.
I love finding places I’ve never been before, I get very excited as if I’m the first! How about you?
It was a very early start to the day, as both babes had been up since 5.30 am! So we were all out before 9 am for our drive to the farm. Dear husband had declined to come but would meet us later for lunch.
Sunflowers Farm is home to 350 animals and there are many you are able to pat, cuddle and feed. It seemed quite expensive to me but a lot of these animals are rescues and need medical treatment. The buckets of food are extra on top of the entrance fee. Our little Lachie was a bit nervous about patting any animals and was happy to just look.
Elena was in her element as she loves all kinds of animals.
This little guy was the tamest and so cuddly
Where’s my treats
Happy as pigs in mud!
As we walked past this King of the Walk, he suddenly put on a show for us and displayed all his fine jewels.
I’m not sure who were the greediest, the kangaroos or the goats
Laurence was the only one brave enough to feed this big bird!
Lachie in his happy place
There were lots of groans as I kept making everyone pose in different spots.
We spent around two hours here, but you could easily spend longer taking your own picnic and taking your time walking around. There is no cafe so bring your own drinks. Also no gift shop which made a nice change!
If you are ever down in this region of WA I would definitely recommend a visit especially if you have young children.
Dunsborough in South West WA is the perfect place for a family holiday. I have just returned from a five day break with the whole family, dear husband, our two children and partners and two grandchildren.
I searched very hard for the best house, it wasn’t easy, as it had to accommodate six adults and two children, be close to the beach and not too far from town! I finally found a four bedroom house just 30 seconds from the beach and a short drive into town. It was called Quindalup Boat House.
We took three cars and many bags and suitcases with us.
The view from the house
Walking to the beach
Inside the house
Happy hour on the verandah
My Iron Chef
Lachie found a very good use for the wine rack
Quindalup Beach
The coast goes on for miles here and is very sheltered making it the ideal place for small children. Lachie and Rosie loved every minute on the beach. It’s great for running and walking.
Searching for treasures
The Old Man and the Sea
From bed to beach
Oops forgot to put bathers on
Over the next few days we visited farms, playgrounds, breweries, pubs and of course the beach everyday. We didn’t always do everything together and gave each other enough space to enjoy our own individual outings.
I think it’s been the one good thing about Covid that Laurence and Maddy were able to join us, having arrived from Melbourne before the borders closed.
Everyone agreed that it was one of the best holidays we’ve ever taken! Over the next few posts I will be writing about some of the places we visited.
