Our decision to go to Miami Boat Show was definitely
the right thing to have done, but it has compressed the time available to us
before we head through the Panama Canal. As a
result we felt that we could only spare ten days back in England, which meant a very busy
schedule. By lunchtime on the day of our arrival we had driven to Southampton, gone shopping and then dog-walking with one
of our sons; met friends for coffee and I had spent an hour at the
dentist’s. That pace seemed to continue for much of the trip.
By all accounts the Spring sunshine was virtually the
first of the year, with December
having been record-breaking in its harshness and the grey skies of the
beginning of the year casting a general gloom. We were able to enjoy frosty
walks early in the day and to watch Winter break in to Spring, with daffodils
and primroses blooming, willows sheathed in bright green and hedgerows bursting
with promise. I had forgotten just how vociferous, yet beautiful, the
dawn-chorus of song-birds is at this time of the year.
John especially had a great deal to cover in the
office and I wanted to spend as much time as possible with friends and family,
so the best option was to go our separate ways for some of the days. Both my
brother and sister have new jobs, a friend has become a vicar and our military
son has a new placement, so not only did we spend time in Southampton area and
at my parents home in Chew Magna, but also Exeter, Plymouth and Eton. It was
wonderful to be immersed in history again. Just outside the vicarage of East
Budleigh is a statue of Sir Walter Raleigh: he grew up in this Devon
village. I can imagine that local shipwrights travelled with him on his
voyages, as an American Indian and images of exotic fruits are depicted on the
pew ends in the church there. The Manor House at Chew Magna has long been
abandoned and it about to be renovated. Part of it dates back to the 1500s and
I had childhood memories of panelled rooms, intricate carvings and ornate
fireplaces, so it was great to have the opportunity to look round it and see
that much is still there as I remembered. Eton, having been founded as a
school by Henry VI in 1440, is of course steeped in history, in both its ethos
and fabric; whilst the Citadel in Plymouth
is still a military barracks, as it was when built during the Dutch Wars of Independence in the 1660s. Whilst
staying with my parents we took the opportunity to tour the SS Great Britain:
built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1843, it was the first screw propelled
steamer. It was the largest ship of its time and set a record of 14 days to
cross the Atlantic.
Back in Fort Lauderdale
we are making preparations to leave the USA
and head to Cuba
and beyond. We have got used to the comfort and ease of living here and I feel
both a little apprehensive and excited about moving on to different countries
and sailing long passages again.
