Ann and I arrived at Heathrow on Bank Holiday Saturday evening to be greeted by cold and wet conditions. We caught a shuttle bus to our hire car and as we passed along the perimeter road, there was a wonderful sight on the verge, a plump and fit looking wood pigeon. It was the first 'woody' I had seen for nearly four years as it is not a species known over here, and how I appreciated seeing that one. In the past I have cursed the woodies on race days but I really appreciate them as part of the British scene.
We drove to Reading that evening staying in a hotel on the banks of the lovely Thames. However we were unable to take advantage of the view in the morning because it was pouring with rain and howling a gale - indeed a typical British holiday weekend. I would like to have walked along the banks of the lovely river with its stocks of geese, swans and duck.
The journey down to Devon on Sunday morning was not an easy one owing to the conditions but we were thrilled with the sights of the English countryside, the trees and the hedgerows bursting with colour of the wild flowers. Devonshire was just as beautiful as ever though our enjoyment was blunted by the cold conditions.
During my stay I did some reading and in a novel by Neville Shute came across a couple of lines from Kipling which said, 'Our England is a garden, and such gardens are not made by saying "Oh how beautiful" and sitting in the shade'. Those are profound words as England in June is a wonderful sight and being English and proud of the fact, I am aware of what has been sacrificed to make it so great and wonderful.
It took me until the bank holiday Monday to get into my first pub - the Old Inn at Widdicombe in the Moor following a sunny journey across those beautiful miles of unspoilt Dartmoor. There, I enjoyed my first pint of decent beer since leaving the country and how I appreciated it. I knew I was 'home' when I saw a notice on the wall of the pub which said 'On this very spot in 1777 nothing at all happened'. A nice humorous touch!
Our three weeks in the old country passed very quickly.
We were enthusiastic to see so many friends and relatives as possible and to re-visit places which have provided enjoyment in the past. It was not possible to do everything we would have wished or to see everyone. However, those we were able to meet up with, after a nearly four-year interval, looked pretty well the same and apart from one or two small road improvements, the country looked as we left it. It goes without saying that the poor old west country has been left out of major road improvements such as the A303 from London down, the Kingskerswell bypass which makes Torbay almost impenetrable, and the dreadful noisy concrete surface of the A30 Exeter to Honiton section which the government promised to rectify many years ago.
After the Australian roads, we found the traffic situation horrendous and one day we were simply unable to park anywhere in Exeter so left the city without even taking a look at it. Out here(Australia) the parking is so easy and the driving so relaxed compared with what you in Britain have to contend with. As for the cost of fuel, I was afraid to mentally convert pounds to Australian dollars when buying petrol because your price is just about double what we have to pay. We visited the Argyll Road and Duryard valley parts of Exeter where we had spent 26 happy years living in that most beautiful of areas.
