General Chat

Congratulations on your Golden wedding anniversary Ann and OH - have a fab time in London

Love Mary xx

Happy Golden Wedding Anniversary Ann. Enjoy your time in London.



Val.

Ann

Happy Golden Wedding,

I hope that you have a very good time in London and that the weather stays fine for you.

Of course this could mean that you have another subject to write about.....
I look forward to reading all about it

It will have to wait a few days Bridget as we do to London for the long weekend our children gave us for our Golden wedding tomorrow.

Ann it is great to see you back, looking forward to your piece now.....you do gad around so you will have lots to write and describe to us all>>>>>>

Iam going to write about Frinton tomorrow.

Night night

Bridget

A wanderer returns. Sorry, I keep forgetting to check this thread. I have enjoyed reading back a few posts. Mary yours on Oliva has me wanting to visit. We so enjoyed Nerja this year. However we already have two visits to Tenerife planned for next year plus a week in Dorset and a week in the Lake District and a possible fortnight in lanzarote so not sure where we could fit it in.
Trying to think where I can write about that would be interesting.

By the time I first got to see Handsworth Park Spring had come.
This meant it was a bit warmer, we had more hours of daylight, there were leaves budding on the trees and the spring flowers were out.

Everything looked a lot brighter and lighter, and people generally were more cheerful.

The Park had mant undulating lawns, and although we looked, we couldn't find any signs saying "Keep off the grass"
. It was all for us, a walk on, or sit on or gambol on or roll around on. Really marvellous.

There was a childrens playground, with swings, so a small for age twelve year old I was able to play on the swings, going really high!
Alongside the childrens playground was a little pond, (which according to Wikapedia, is fed by the Farcroft and Grove Brooks).
Close to the Playground was the band stand.
A railway ran through th park, most of it hidden behind banks. A humpbacked bridge took us to the "other-half" of the park.
Here we found the boating pool, with a boat house. Boats could be hired in the summer months. You could chose either a rowing boat or a double canoe ( which are much more stable than the rowing boats)
A shallow section of the boating pool was partitioned off. Here you could fish for tiddlers, with little nets and jam jars. Or you could walk all around the pool.
The pool had a small island in the middle. Very useful for the nesting birds, ducks, swans etc.
You had to go clockwise around the island, woe bitide you if you didn't!

The man in charge of the boats had a loud hailer, I think that evetone who used the park at that time will have memories of him calling "Come in number 12, your time is up!"

Beside the pool and just outside the park is St Mary's Church abd graveyard (Handsworth Parish Church). This has a lot of old gravestones, many covered in Ivy, and often leaning over.
Amoung those buried here are the fathers of The Industrial Revolution, James Watt, Matthew Bolton and William Murdoch.
I believe that the first church on this site was build c1200.

In another corner of the park was the old Handsworth Swimming Baths. I spent many a happy hour here, especially as I had got a free pass!

As well as a bath for swimming, the "Baths" had also got actull baths for people to wash in. Many of the houses nerby were built without bathrooms, and/or were in multi-occupation (I hope that that is the correct word).
So these baths were very well used.

The park has many flower beds, mature trees and shrubs, tennis courts, a cafe, a water fountain as well as a vriety of wildlife. There was also a sunken garden (we called it the secret garden) with a statue on a plinth of a child with a lamb.

All free, and almost on my door step.
I spent a lot of time there while I was a teenager, and still go there now.

Yes mary, I remember The Flower Show well, more about that another time.

Tess

O glories of Glories we seem to be back on line as we were when this thread first started.Thank you everyone for keeping the spirit alive. I am learning so much about different places in the world that I soooooo wish I could see. Unfortunatley not having sufficient funds to educate, bring up and now again provide a small treat for our six children and travel I am now gaining insite to so many aspects of where eveyone lives.
Now please stay with me for a mmoment.Hmm six children I can hear some say.
Mariage nos one, 24 years 4 childre including one set of identical boys...very sad divorce..........tears tears and more
tears,

Then met someone I had always known, and 2 years younger than me whose wife had left him and his two boys..

Married him a few months later and now we are a big happy family an all children were/are encouraged to see, and enjoy their other parent,...so important I believe,

Now I have many cyber friends and am learing so much about culture in place across the world It is wonderful

I think I shall write about Frinton On Sea next

Bridget

Good morning All

Looking forward to reading about Handsworth Park Tess - many years ago my grandad used to take me to the Birmingham Show at this park. He used to breed rabbits with long ears and used to put them in the show. Although I do not remember him winning anything. The highlight for me was to sit in the grandstand and watch horse jumping - still like watching this sport even today.

I will write about Birmingham later today - I was bought up for the first 9 years of my life in Yardley village - the cottage was opposite Yardley old church. Happy days !!!

Take care
Love Mary xx

Goodmorning,

Thanks Mary I found your writing about Oliva interesting. As I have not travelled out of South Africa at all I enjoy reading about other places and definitely do not find the entries boring.

Our supermarkets already have Christmas displays out and Christmas music playing, I think they start earlier each year with so much emphasis on the commercial side forgetting what it is really about. We, as a family, don't set much store by the cost or size of a gift but more on the thought and the spirit in which it is given. My daughter always bakes tradiitional "Soetkoekies" (a direct translation is Sweet Biscuits) a recipe she got from my Mother every year, which she gives to her friends and they simply love them.

My sister-in-law has just had her third TIA (a tiny clot which blocks a blood vessel in the brain - Bridget you will know about this) in 6 months. According to my brother the doctor is going to do tests to see if he can find out what precipitates the attacks - I didn't know they could do this.

This is the time of the year when our friends from London usually visit, but sadly they are not coming out this because of financial constraints. We are going to miss them. My daughter is also feeling the pinch she says people don't have money to spend on computers and you would be surprised at how many people expect her to work for free.

Bye for now.


Val.

I read your entry with interest Mary, definetly not boring
If I can't visit all these places in the real world, at least now I can visit via the info on here.

Have started getting some info together about Handsworth Park (my park). Hope to be back tomorrow, with at least some of the info.

Tess

Mary, we must have been writing at the same time!!!
your entry is definetly NOT boring

Bridget

Sorry it was me who deleted hit submit button too heavy !!!!

Mary xx

Maryinspain.
looking forward to your next story about Birmingham. Not one on here for a few days. I am covering night duties at the moment and generally to tired then to write anything but I have made a list of places and or people to write about towards the ned of next week. i do hope others keep this going for us for a week or so,

Yes I am proud of my son for serving his country, he really enjoys army life.

Bye for now

Bridget

Have I put you all to sleep with my boring reply ????????????

Mary xx

Morning all

At last I will add a little about the town I live in
Oliva


Oliva Information

Oliva is located 1 km from the N-332 between Benissa and Gata de Gorgos. Its port of Moraira is situated 6 km from the town centre. There is a stop here on the Alicante-Dénia railway. Located 75 km from Alicante and 31 km from Benidorm.

Oliva was a village populated by 52 old Christian families and dedicated to growing Muscatel grapes and raisins. The villagers built a beautiful late-Gothic church in honour of the patron saint, St Catalina.Prehistoric man, the Iberians and especially the Moors (Benimeit, Benimarco and Alcasar are rural sections of Oliva) all left remains in this coastal area. Oliva became a walled village that was located slightly away from the coast for fear of Berber pirate attacks. As the village was near the coast, it was also a fishing village. Today both agriculture and fishing have given way to the tourism industry.

Let us look at the original section of Oliva town, a picturesque village located approximately 6km inland. Wander in the shade of olive trees, where vineyards lie alongside plantations of oranges and almonds, and the heady aroma of pine sap emanates from the abundant pine trees typical of this idyllic region, and you could quickly lose yourself in the beauty of the surroundings.

Whenever you go walking around Oliva, you will always pass by the Riu-Raus. These are arched constructions where the locally picked raisins are laid out to dry. The dried fruit is used, amongst other things, to make the sweet local drink Moscatel. If you were to suddenly see a donkey and cart accompanied by a farmer with a straw hat pass by a Riu-Rau, you would feel sure that you had stepped back in time.


Oliva Places of Interest

Oliva and its surroundings offer a huge variety of things to do and places to visit. The main magnets for foreign visitors are sun and golf but there's much more to this area which is rich in history and culture and on the doorstep of some of Spain's biggest tourist attractions.

Explore the town's back streets and learn about its rich Roman and Moorish past through the museums, churches and monuments which proliferate in the old Christian and Arab quarters. In Calle Santisimo in the town centre you can see the remains of a Roman kiln from the first century AD. It was once part of a pottery which produced ceramics and building material.

The archaeological museum, a 16th century former manorial home of historic and architectural interest in itself, houses exhibits from prehistory to the 16th century charting the region's domination by the Iberians, Romans and Moors.

At the junction of Calle La Abadia and Calle Las Torres you'll find the 16th century tower which formed part of the old defence wall which once surrounded the town. And dominating the town from the summit of the Santa Ana mountain is the old castle (an impressive sight when lit up at night).

Within easy reach of Oliva there are some wonderful day trips and excursions to enjoy. Valencia is only an hour's drive north with its excellent shops, restaurants, beautiful palm-fringed squares and stylish architecture. The Principe Felipe Arts and Science Centre has become one of Spain's most visited attractions since it opened in December 2001 - with its emphasis on inter-active exhibits, this makes a great day out for children and adults alike.



Oliva town, situated eighty kilometres south of the city of Valencia amid orange groves, offers visitors a taste of Spain’s historical past with its narrow cobbled streets, Moorish castle remains, the blue domed churches of San Roque constructed on the site of a mosque, and the neoclassic 16th century church of Santa Maria la Mayor.

From our roof terrace we can see the church of San Roque and Santa Maria - this means we also hear both church clocks chiming - but not at the same time.


Bridget you must be so proud of your son - congratulations

Will add something about Birmingham next week

Take care all

Love Mary xx

Hello Bridget, Tess and Ken,

Awesome Bridget! I can imagine how proud you are feeling and congratulations to your son. How is little baby Z doing?

Bridget, a Kudu is a large antelope , the male has long curly horns. Kudu biltong is absolutely the best. In case you haven't heard of biltong it is meat marinaded in vinegar and spices and dried. Kudu billtong is the only biltong which I eat. I don't eat a lot of meat and for no particular reason.

Look forward to hearing about "your" park Tess, are you feeling better?

We did not get much rain after all about 18mm although some parts of the Eastern Cape had as much as 77mm over a couple of days. To-day the sun is shining and I think it is going to be a lovely day.

We are off to the nursery this morning to se if we can get a few aloes, we have decided to slowly replace our plants with things that don't need a lot of water.

Take care.


Val.

You must be beaming ear to ear Bridget.

And Hello to you too Ken, how are you?

Well done Bridget's son, on your promotion.

Earlier today I was looking at some of my late father's old photos taken during WW11, most of them in India.
He looks so young, at the time he was a corpral, but looks as if he should still be at school (except that he was tall).
Some of the photos were taken in Deolali (Called Doolally) which was mentioned in one of the "Who do you think you are" progs.`

Will be back (sometime soon) to tell you what I have found out about it.

Before that I will tell you about "my" park.

Tess

Hello

Nudge