Day 8–10 June, Sunday a day of rest.

We all decided to take it easy today, so not much happened except for our fish and chip meal at one of the local pubs. Which pup to go to was easy, one didn’t serve meals on Sunday night.

Let's talk about Seasalt cottage, located on the corner of the main street and two-minute walk to the end of the wharf and the Falmouth ferry. The main street has a couple of shops and a pub, two 18-inch footpaths, and just wide enough for two cars to pass if they have their wing mirrors retracted. All day and most of the night cars are parked along on side, making it one way, if you are a careful driver.

Seasalt is a long narrow two-story terrace cottage at the end of a block. On the ground floor going from one end to the other is a bathroom/laundry, a galley kitchen, dining room, entrance porch and stairs to the upper floor, and lastly a small bedroom. Upstairs is a lounge, the master bedroom and bathroom. The cottage is bright, decorated in a nautical theme, and is full of modern appliances. An ideal place to stay.

The entrance porch.

Look from the entrance through the dining room and kitchen to the bathroom/laundry

Looking in the opposite direction to the bedroom.

The downstairs bedroom.

The wharf with the local fish restaurant, and Falmouth just across water.

Day 7 – 9 June, off to Flushing Cornwall

Yesterday we arrived at the old coaching inn at Sherborne. Jane and Gary’s room on the second floor was ready, but mine on the first floor wasn’t. The landlady said to leave my bags at the desk and she would take them up. I went into bar for a pint of the local ale and was given it free because of  inconvenience. Gary came down later and had to pay for his.

The Half Moon Inn, Sherborne.

By the time Gary came down I had finished my pint.

The next morning before breakfast, I went for a walk around the area and took a few photos. Then after breakfast Jane and I walked over the road to the local church and abbey.

We left the hotel and headed towards the Beer sandstone caves, a place they have been mining sandstone since Roman times. We were on narrow , very narrow roads--one car wide. Up hills and steep twisting declines until eventual were arrived at the caves. Extremely interesting with a good guide, but unfortunately I had to turn back because I felt unstable on the uneven wet floor.

From here we drove across to Cotehele an old manor house that featured in a murder mystery by Carola Dunne. A marvellous authentic building, rooms covered in tapestries to keep the heat in and draughts out. Massive fireplaces in each room, and lots of creaky stairs.

 

In the story one of the suspects is locked in a room. He didn’t try to escape instead he opened the door to the wine store and got drunk instead. Also the heroine listened to conversation in the big haul through a spy hole in the wall. The small black dot high on the left in the second photo, and the other side of it in the fourth photo. The first photo tapestry draped room while the third is the wine cupboard.

 

From here it was straight to Flushing with one stop at Sainsbury in Turo for groceries.

Seasalt cottage in Flushing.

Flushing just over the Fal river from Falmouth.

Day 6–8 June, we head for Sherborne

Nine in the morning Gary and Jane picked me up from the hotel and we started the first part of the journey to the Cornwall cottage.

After couple-of-hours driving on a multi-lane motorway we turned onto a narrower two lane road and were soon at a Naval air station that housed the Fleet Air Arm Museum. We covered half the museum before lunch and the rest after. Finally drove to Sherborne and stayed the night in an old coaching inn.

An early aircraft carrier.

Wood and paper to a Concorde

One of the few examples left of a roundel paint in gas sensitive

paint to show the piolet when he was flying through poisonous gas.

Gary in a Vampire’s cockpit.

Of course a visit to a Fleet Air Arm museum wouldn’t be complete without a Walrus.

Day 5– 7 June, A day in Staines

Now in England and so much further north, when I first awoke at 5 AM the sun was shining through the curtains. I tried to go back to sleep, but with symptoms of a developing cold, I didn’t have much success.  After a shower, I was down for breakfast a bit after 6:30 AM. A full English breakfast with an egg on fried bread, sausages, mushrooms, bacon, and baked beans something the Poms can do exceeding well.

After filling in time reading until 9 AM, I wandered downtown, less than a kilometre from the hotel. First I went to Debenhams them Marks and Spencers looking for a windproof jacket. Eventually, after a bit of too-and-froing, I bought a jacket and shirt from M&S. While there I couldn’t resist going into their food section to buy a 6-pack of miniature Melton Mowbray pork pies, another thing the Poms can do well.

Back to the hotel bar for a pint of local beer and fish and chips. That was lunch sorted. By now my cold had developed, and I spent the rest of the day resting.

Looking up the Thames and the hotel's garden bar.

The other end of the hotel looking down the Thames.

I thought, possibly half of John Buchan’s 39 Steps.

Day 4, 6 June Flying to Heathrow

An early departure from hotel to Changi Airport to catch my 9 AM flight to Heathrow.

Up at 5 AM, showered and packed and checked out by 6:15 AM. A taxi ready to take me to the airport and by 7:10 AM I was through immigration and in the shops and cafes in the departure area. This was different, no security checks after migration. Maybe they do it differently in Singapore. So I took the small liquids out of the transparent container then grabbed something to eat. After reading for awhile in walked down to gate A5, and guess what there was the security check, so out with the liquids and back into the transparent bag. Through security and I got caught with my braces again.

While waiting I took a photo of the two-decker A380-800 aircraft in which I was going to fly to London. The plane was huge and had economy, premium economy, business, and suites classes with three separate entrances. The Premium Economy (PE) seats had reasonable spacing and were configured 2-4-2 across the plane. The seats were not as comfortable as those in the AirNewZealand’s 787 and there did not seem to as much room. I was lucky to have no one sitting beside me so I could spread-out a bit. I was to find out the service was also different. On AirNewZealnd we had dedicated cabin staff while on Air Singapore we shared the cabin staff with the Economy passengers and got the same meals and everything served at once , from a trolley, and in plastic plates.  On AirNewZealnd the meal was special to PE, presented on china plates, with the entrée, cheese, and desert served first first. Hand delivered, not dished up from a trolley. Then the used plates removed before the hot main course was hand delivered.  Maybe the difference was due the price of the ticket, Air Singapore was cheaper.

The A380-800 was a better aircraft to fly in. A smooth take-off, no push back into  your seat, no bumping along the runway, and a gently lift off into the air even though the plane was climbing at steep angle. The flight was extremely smooth, and though we seemed to have the same number of seat-belt warnings for turbulence, the shaking of the plane was much smoother and not near as sharp as on the 787.

The flight was good and the landing as smooth as the take-off. Once through immigration and customs my Minicabit driver was waiting for me, holding a large sign with Webster on it. Off we went for Staines and the Mecure hotel. An older hotel sitting on the backs of the upper Thames. Here I checked in and found my room had disability features which I found quite useful.

Day 3, 5 June, all day in Singapore

Up about 6AM and it was still dark. The light didn’t come for another half hour. Went down for breakfast about 8.30 PM, I am on holiday after all.

About noon took a taxi down to the Lucky Plaza and strolled around there for an hour or so. It hasn’t change much, except the jewellery shop were Maureen spent so much time isn’t there anymore. I circulated around each floor and then rode the escalator up to the next. Repeating the process all the way down again. While there I brought a better shoulder bag.

After stepping outside into the heat I took another taxi back to the hotel where after checking out all the facilities there I rested.

Day 2, 4 June Arrive in Singapore

Early in the morning, just after sunrise, we flew past Singapore to the east, did a left U-turn, slowly losing altitude and landed at Changi airport at 6:30 AM. The weather was fine, hot, and humid--we were in the tropics.

Once the seatbelt sign turned-off I tried to stand and was thankful that my legs were working. I'd been worried that I would have to slowly exercise my legs and wait until most others had got off the plane before I was mobile. I believe the well-designed seat had a lot to do with my legs working. Thanks in New Zealand.

I was glad to find a luggage trolley inside the terminal as this made my walk to immigration much easier. The queues at immigration were not too long, but sod’s law was in full swing. My queue was slowest, and it took ages before I was at the desk and handed over my passport. Here the man was pleasant, efficient, and I was through very quickly. I had no idea why this particular queue had been so slow.

Once through the first luggage carousel was our flights. I waited for three complete rotations, and my bag wasn't there. I saw an official and a pile of suitcases at the far end of the carousel, so I went over to report my lost bag only to discover that all premium economy bags had been taken off and neatly stacked for us. My bag was there.

Now out to the arrivals concourse, I headed the Singapore Airlines desk to pick up my hotel vouchers. Then outside and grabbed a taxi to take me to the Concord hotel in Orchard Road. Here I had to queue again, but this time progress was fast, and the queue was inside, so I only had a short walk in the heat to the taxi. Pleasant ride in an air-conditioned car and by 9:15 AM I was laying down on my bed and room 710. Not much happened for the rest of the morning except for a little unpacking, some reading, and several bouts of sleeping.



Blair, you are right this hotel was the one we stayed in, and you drove Geoff's radio controlled car along the balconies overlooking the atrium. This time there are no orchids hanging down from the balconies.

About 1 o'clock I went down to the main restaurant and partook of their Asian smorgasbord. Many of the dishes I tried I couldn't pronounce the names, but most were enjoyable although, I didn't try the chicken feet.

After lunch walked down Orchard Road a little popping into a few shopping malls, didn’t buy anything.  Feeling tired from the flight and suffering in the heat I headed back to the hotel, and did some reading and resting in my cool room. About 6 PM I ordered room service, dined in and had a early night.