2026 The UK Long March - Wainwright Way

Had a great day. London is such a big city, you can't get to see everything so you just have to pick one or two things a day.

The day started with sunshine but was forecast for rain by mid morning. We did the daily coffee pilgrimage to Pophams. Great coffee but at AUD $10 a pop, not cheap. Met up with Matt and Grace on their way to work. Work is no longer in our vocabulary - we have retired!

Scenes of Islington

Great war memorial in Islington

Nice way to hide railings

Tradies drive Audis here. No need for utes

They must find a better way of waste disposal. The aftermath of foxes or dogs!

A dude called Bolton - looks like Sir Walter Raleigh Era (Lizzy the first)

A pigeon AGM

Pubs everywhere

Pub for men

How did these crutches end up on top of a kiosk? Can't be that immobile! Photo taken from the top deck of the bus.

Aldis everywhere - Jenny Mac would love it here

Free entertainment for the homeless? I think he is actually mocking the homeless dude. To be fair, I haven't seen that manay homeless - not like Seattle or Vancouver

Wanky bookshop full of Pulitzer prize type books that ordinary people won't read - won't see Fifty Shades here

Really skanky tube station - Holloway

Bomb shelters cunningly disguised as bike sheds. They know Iran has ballistic missiles which can reach Britain

Clock tower in Islington

Captured the expression prefectly

Hampstead Heath

We caught a bus to Hampstead Heath. This is a big green park of more than 700 acres. There are a series of ponds/lakes each with its own purpose. I was surprised by the abundant birdlife which made me wish for my big rig camera but I think I did quite well with the little snappy. We walked a long way and still only explored a small bit of Hampstead. Lots of people and their dogs. There is a large Manor house - Kenwood House which was majestic.

Little town centre of Hampstead Heath. Our bus dropped us here

Kenwood house

Hampstead Heath

Great avenue

Rhododendrons are coming out - riot of colour

Don't know what species but they are definitely geese

Mandarin Ducks - these are really cute

My prized photos of the Mandarin Ducks

Modern art for you - get some crazy shapes and you are done! It is the size that is impressive. so size DO matter

Baby coots contemplating their first swim

you can't see him but there is someone swimming. This is the men's swimming pond, there is also a women's swimming pond but where is the transgender or unisex pond!! Bigoted bastards

Found this random tourist all over Hampstead

The ravens are massive. This fellow is sharpening his beak

English magpie - nowhere as vicious as their Aussie cousins

this dog can't resist the water - its hard wired into its DNA

I liked the rich colour of these flowers although they are going over.

Church in the distance

Dog walkers - quite a good gig. 5 pound per dog - 30 pounds for 6 dogs. Run them around a bit and the pooches will never complain.

Swan on the nest

Air traffic control - I am taking off now

Nice rose

We finally emerged from the park and had lunch at the historic Spaniards Inn. This is an old pub from the 1500s. Lots of history (see Addendum). The food was fantastic. I can say that England has come a long way from their stodge. I had the crispy duck watermelon salad which was absolutely delicious. I try not to think of the prices as it is pounds for dollars. I know I have said it before, I really don't know how people cope living in London.

The Spaniards Inn

The Inn

Unique flue over the fireplace or is it a rangehood?

Suitably atmospheric

Crispy duck watermelon salad

We caught a bus back to basecamp for the essential afternoon nanny nap.

We met Matt and Grace for an indian dinner! I have to say that it was one of the best curries and that is saying a lot from an expert. The best was the onion bhaji starter - I am going to try an make that when I get home. The roti was done Tamil style, flaky and suitably greasy!

We'll meet up with them for one last time at the pilgrimage cafe of Pophams before getting on the Eurostar to Amsterdam.

One of the best curries at the Tamil Crown

Addendum

Hampstead Heath

Hampstead Heath is an ancient heath in London, spanning 320 hectares (790 acres).[1] This grassy public space sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the highest points in London, running from Hampstead to Highgate, which rests on a band of London Clay.[2] The heath is rambling and hilly, embracing ponds, recent and ancient woodlands, a lido, playgrounds, and a training track, and it adjoins the former stately home of Kenwood House and its estate. The south-east part of the heath is Parliament Hill, from which the view over London is protected by law.[3]

Running along its eastern perimeter is a chain of ponds – including three open-air public swimming pools – which were originally reservoirs for drinking water from the River Fleet. The heath is a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation,[4] and part of Kenwood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.[5] Lakeside concerts are held there in summer. The heath is managed by the City of London Corporation, and lies mostly within the London Borough of Camden, with the adjoining Hampstead Heath Extension and Golders Hill Park in the London Borough of Barnet.

Archaeological discoveries on Hampstead Heath, including tools from the Mesolithic, pits, postholes, and charred stones, point to the presence of a hunter-gatherer community around 7000 BC.[6]

Documentary evidence of Hampstead Heath dates from 986, when Ethelred the Unready granted five hides of land at "Hemstede" to the Abbot of Westminster. This same land is later recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as held by the monastery of St. Peter's at Westminster Abbey, and by then it is known as the "Manor of Hampstead".[7] Westminster held the land until 1133, when control of part of the manor was released to Richard de Balta; then during Henry II's reign the whole of the manor became privately owned by Alexander de Barentyn, the King's butler.

In 1767, the Manor of Hampstead and the estate which went with it came into the possession of the Wilson family following the marriage of General Sir Thomas Spencer Wilson, sixth baronet, to Jane Weller, niece and heir of the Revd. John Maryon. The estate consisted of 416 acres (168 ha), being mainly farmland to the west and north west of the village and including the heath.[8][9]

From 1808 to 1814 Hampstead Heath hosted a station in the shutter telegraph chain which connected the Admiralty in London to its naval ships in the port of Great Yarmouth.[10]

In 1821 Sir Thomas Maryon Wilson, eighth baronet, inherited the estate from his father. The construction of the Finchley Road through Hampstead promised to open up the land for development, but under the terms of his father's will, Sir Thomas could neither sell any of the land nor grant leases on it for periods greater than 21 years, thus making it unsuitable for building.[9][11]

In 1829 Sir Thomas tried to circumvent the will by promoting a bill in Parliament which would have allowed him to grant leases of up to 99 years. This was a straightforward procedure and would normally have been passed without difficulty but because the bill included a provision to build on the heath, it attracted considerable opposition. This came partly from individuals who held certain rights under the ancient system of copyhold, and also from influential figures who valued the heath as a natural asset and a place of recreation. The bill was passed by the House of Lords but was rejected by the House of Commons.[9]

In 1830 Sir Thomas lodged a second bill. This specifically excluded the heath from development, but it did not exclude the 60 acres (24 ha) East Park Estate which lay between the eastern part of the heath and Lord Mansfield's estate at Kenwood and Parliament Hill Fields. This bill also attracted opposition, on the grounds that if building was allowed on the East Park Estate, the East Heath would be surrounded by houses and its natural beauty would be lost. This bill also failed.[12]

Sir Thomas was to spend most of the rest of his life trying to obtain permission to grant leases for building. The matter became a cause célèbre, with the opposition being led by such influential figures as John Gurney Hoare and Lord Mansfield.[9][13]

Although unable to grant leases for building, there was nothing to prevent Sir Thomas from undertaking his own building work. In the mid 1840s, he drew up plans to build 28 villas on the East Park Estate. Work was started on an access road, a wall and a gamekeeper's hut, remnants of which still survive. However, because of landslips and problems of water penetration, attempts to build a viaduct to carry the road failed and the entire project was abandoned.[13][14]

In 1866 the Hampstead Heath Protection Fund Committee was formed, a forerunner of the Heath & Hampstead Society which still campaigns to protect the heath.[15]

In 1869 Sir Thomas died and the estate passed to his brother, Sir John Maryon Wilson. By now there was considerable pressure for public ownership of the heath. This was led by the Commons Preservation Society, which had been formed in 1865 with the specific aim of protecting common land.[16]

In 1870 the Metropolitan Board of Works agreed to buy the heath on behalf of the public at a cost of £45,000 plus £2,000 for legal fees. The board also agreed to compensate the copyholders for the loss of their rights.[17] The Hampstead Heath Act 1871 (34 & 35 Vict. c. lxxvii) was passed, stating that it would be "of great advantage to the inhabitants of the Metropolis if the Heath were always kept unenclosed and unbuilt on, its natural aspect and state being as far as may be preserved."[14][18]

Hampstead Heath Enlargement Act 1886

Pressure then grew to purchase the East Park Estate and the 200 acres (81 ha) Parliament Hill Fields, but no funds were available for this. A public fund-raising campaign was launched, led by the philanthropist Baroness Burdett-Coutts and the campaigner Octavia Hill.[14] This succeeded in raising the required £300,000, and in 1899 the East Park Estate and Parliament Hill Fields were added to the heath by the Hampstead Heath Enlargement Act 1886 (50 Vict. c. xli).[9][19]

Highgate Ponds

Hampstead Heath's Model Boating Pond (Highgate Pond No. 3)
Highgate Ponds are a series of eight former reservoirs, on the heath's east (Highgate) side, and were originally dug in the 17th and 18th centuries.[41] They include two single-sex swimming pools (the men's and ladies' bathing ponds), a model boating pond, and two ponds which serve as wildlife reserves: the Stock Pond and the Bird Sanctuary Pond. Fishing is allowed in some of the ponds, although this is threatened by proposals to modify the dams.

The ponds are the result of the 1777 damming of Hampstead Brook (one of the Fleet River's sources), by the Hampstead Water Company, which was formed in 1692 to meet London's growing water demands.[2]

"Boudicca's Mound", near the present men's bathing pond, is a tumulus where, according to local legend, Queen Boudicca (Boadicea) was buried after she and 10,000 Iceni warriors were defeated at Battle Bridge.[42] However, historical drawings and paintings of the area show no mound other than a 17th-century windmill.

Hampstead Ponds

Hampstead Pond No. 1
The Hampstead Ponds are three ponds in the heath's south-west corner, towards South End Green. Hampstead Pond No. 3 is the mixed bathing pond, where both sexes may swim.

Kenwood

Main article: Kenwood House
The area to the north of the heath is the Kenwood Estate and House – a total area of 50 hectares (120 acres) which is maintained by English Heritage. This became part of the heath when it was bequeathed to the nation by Lord Iveagh on his death in 1927, and opened to the public in 1928. The original house dates from the early 17th century. The orangery was added in about 1700.

Kenwood House (also known as the Iveagh Bequest) is a stately home in Hampstead, London, on the northern boundary of Hampstead Heath. The present house, built in the late 17th century, was remodelled in the 18th century for William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield by Scottish architect Robert Adam, serving as a residence for the Earls of Mansfield until the 20th century.

The house and part of the grounds were bought from the 6th Earl of Mansfield in 1925 by Edward Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh, and donated to the nation in 1927. The entire estate came under ownership of the London County Council and was open to the public by the end of the 1920s. It remains a popular local tourist attraction.

The original house on the property was presumed to have been built around 1616 by the King's Printer, John Bill, and was known as Caen Wood House.[1][2] It was acquired in 1694 by the Surveyor-General of the Ordnance, William Bridges, who demolished the house and rebuilt it; the original brick structure remains intact under the facade added in the 18th century.[1] The orangery was added in about 1700.[3] Bridges sold the house in 1704, and it went under several owners until 1754, when it was bought by the future Earl of Mansfield, William Murray, who was the Lord Chief Justice.[1]

Music concerts, originally classical but later predominantly pop concerts, were held by the lake on Saturday evenings every summer from 1951 until 2006, attracting many people to picnic and enjoy the music, scenery and fireworks. In February 2007, English Heritage decided to abandon these concerts owing to restrictions placed on them after protests from some local residents. On 19 March 2008, it was announced that the concerts would return to a new location on the Pasture Ground within the Kenwood Estate, with the number of concerts limited to eight per season

The Spaniards Inn

The Spaniards Inn is a historic pub on Spaniards Road between Hampstead and Highgate in London, England. It lies on the edge of Hampstead Heath near Kenwood House. It is a Grade II listed building, dating back to the 16th century

The pub is believed to have been built in 1585 on the Finchley boundary, with the tavern forming the entrance to the Bishop of London's estate; an original boundary stone from 1755 can still be seen in the front garden. Opposite it, there is a toll house built in around 1710. Today, the pub is in Barnet and the tollhouse is in Camden: both are now listed buildings, and traffic is reduced to one lane between the two. A suggestion in 1966 to demolish the tollhouse was successfully resisted, partly on the grounds that it would lead to more and faster traffic.[2]

Dick Turpin is thought to have been a regular at the Inn, as his father had been its landlord.[3] What is certain is that highwaymen frequented this area and likely used the Inn to watch the road; at that time the Inn was around two hours from London by coach[citation needed] and the area had its fair share of wealthy travellers. Records from the Old Bailey show that on 16 October 1751 Samuel Bacon was indicted for robbery on the King's Highway, and was caught 200 yards from the Spaniards.

In 1780, rioters involved in the Gordon Riots, opposed to the relaxation of laws in England that restricted Catholicism, marched on Hampstead, intent on attacking Kenwood House, the home of William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield. The landlord of the Spaniards at the time is reported to have given them free drinks, keeping the rioters occupied until the local militia arrived, thus saving the house.[4] In 1822, John Constable produced a landscape painting called Road to the Spaniards, Hampstead.

The pub is mentioned in Dickens's The Pickwick Papers and Bram Stoker's Dracula,[5] and was frequented by the artist Joshua Reynolds and the poets Byron and Keats. According to the pub, Keats wrote his Ode to a Nightingale in the gardens,[6] and Stoker borrowed one of their resident ghost stories to furnish the plot of Dracula.[dubious – discuss]

The Inn features in The Man of Property, the first of The Forsyte Saga novels by John Galsworthy. Soames Forsyte take the architect Philip Bosinny to dine at the Spaniards Inn to discuss the building of his house at Robin Hill. [7]

In 2007, The Spaniards Inn was listed in 4th place by The Guardian in an article detailing the "Top 10 UK pub roasts".[8] It was also listed by The Guardian as one of Britain's Best Pubs in 2009.[9]

Living in the city can be really lonely. I was standing outside our Air BnB taking in some fresh air. No one would look at me let alone say hello. So much different from Cumbria and Yorkshire. We have reverted to the default position of distrust. Sad. Everyone moves about in their own little bubble and will only interact with people they know. It is sure lonely in the city!

Our apartment is great except it is above a pub and some nearby night club was doof doof doofing all night all. Ahh the sweet sounds of city life - doof doof punctuated by sirens. How is it that I didn't know what I was missing!

Its Sunday and we arranged to meet Matt and Grace at Pophams - their favourite bakery cafe. Very popular place - full of Aussies. Actually, Islington is full of Aussies - it is the new Earls Court. Going to the Cafe is the new religion. I reckon if the churches have cafes with good coffees, they would increase attendances greatly.

We spent the day hanging out with Matt and Grace. They are busy nesting. Getting all sort of stuff to kit out a home. It is amazing how much shit you think you need. I think they are fitting out entirely on line! The benefits of modern tech.

Scenes of Islington

The line at the cafe

One of many green spaces - they are re-wilding which means returning back to bush.

This house has its own gnomesville - must be copying Dardanup

Skanky houseboats

Basically a caravan park for houseboats

Matt and Grace's local pub - conveniently just around the corner

English magpie - beautiful bird with a long tail and blue wings.

Managed to catch if taking off - not bad for a little snappy camera

Bridge over the canal

Nice plants

It can be confusing walking around Islington - a lot of the houses look exactly the same

The main streets in Islington are quite wide but the side streets are like this - narrow

Welcome to the country of the CCTV - could have been living in China

St James - Church charity - have seen better days

Happy days

The shops have great names - very original. This is a taxidermist shop with stuffed animals

Another great shop name - Sourdough Sophie

This kid is trying to kill his sister

You have to book a childcare spot before baby's arrival. It is all very snooty and feels like they are checking you out if you are the type of people they want. Jesus, talk about a back to front situation.

London's method of rubbish collection - by the morning, some of the bags with food will have been ripped open by foxes and dogs. There must be a better way

Unusual building - just the door but no windows. I bet it is dark in there!

The uninviting local library. It actually looks derelict. not much call for books around here

I think this is a Canadian Snow Geese - I want to see its ETAS!


Everything is repurposed in London. What a great idea. Doesn't take long!

Anti-pigeon razor wire. No pigeon is gonna rest its arse on that. It would ruffle a few feathers around its clacker

Then we went to lunch at a local quirky pub. Everything around here is quirky. I had the traditional sunday roast. Delicious with a large yorkshire pudding. The pub is on the canal front. The canal is lined with skanky houseboats. They are basically caravans on the water. No shore power - all running off solar and batteries. I have see much more salubrious houseboats which are actually houses on the water. They are more my style.

I think we are off to Hampstead tomorrow. We'll start with that and make it up as we go along.

Addendum

Islington

Islington (/ˈɪzlɪŋtən/ IZ-ling-tən) is an inner-city area of north London, England, within the wider London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields and Regent's Canal, encompassing the area around the busy High Street, Upper Street, Essex Road, and Southgate Road to the east.

The manor of Islington was named by the Saxons Giseldone (1005), then Gislandune (1062). The name means "Gīsla's hill" from the Old English personal name Gīsla and dun ("hill", "down"). The name later mutated to Isledon, which remained in use well into the 17th century when the modern form arose.[2][3] The manor, which was served by the ancient parish of Islington, later sub-divided, with new estates such as Neweton Berewe, Bernersbury, Hey-bury and Canonesbury – names first recorded in the 13th and 14th centuries) co-existing with the rump of the manor of Islington. The ancient parish of Islington continued to serve the rump manor of Islington and also the various manors that had broken away from it.

Some roads on the edge of the area, including Essex Road, were known as streets by the medieval period, possibly indicating a Roman origin, but little physical evidence remains. What is known is that the Great North Road from Aldersgate came into use in the 14th century, connecting with a new turnpike (toll road) up Highgate Hill. This was along the line of modern Upper Street, with a toll gate at The Angel defining the extent of the village. The Back Road, the modern Liverpool Road, was primarily a drovers' road where cattle would be rested before the final leg of their journey to Smithfield. Pens and sheds were erected along this road to accommodate the animals.[4]

The first recorded church, St Mary's, was erected in the twelfth century and was replaced in the fifteenth century.[5] Islington lay on the estates of the Bishop of London and the Dean and Chapter of St Pauls. There were substantial medieval moated manor houses in the area, principally at Canonbury and Highbury. In 1548, there were 440 communicants listed and the rural atmosphere, with access to the City and Westminster, made it a popular residence for the rich and eminent.[2] The local inns harboured many fugitives and sheltered recusants.

The Royal Agricultural Hall was built in 1862 on the Liverpool Road site of William Dixon's Cattle Layers. The hall was 75 ft high and the arched glass roof spanned 125 ft. It was built for the annual Smithfield Show in December of that year but was popular for other purposes, including recitals and the Royal Tournament. It was the primary exhibition site for London until the 20th century and the largest building of its kind, holding up to 50,000 people.[9] It was requisitioned for use by the Mount Pleasant sorting office during World War II and never re-opened. The main hall has now been incorporated into the Business Design Centre.

At the beginning of World War I the enthusiastic response to Lord Kitchener's call to arms, 'Your King and Country Need You', overwhelmed the ability of the Army to absorb the volunteers. Soon local committees were recruiting complete units, often from men from particular localities or backgrounds who wished to serve together: these were known as 'Pals battalions'. In February 1915 Kitchener approached the 28 Metropolitan Borough Councils in the County of London, and the 'Great Metropolitan Recruiting Campaign' went ahead in April, with each mayor asked to raise a unit of local men.[10] The Mayor and Borough of Islington agreed and on 18 May they were authorised to raise the 21st (Service) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment (Islington). The 'Islington Pals' served on the Western Front from 1916 to 1918 as part of 40th Division, seeing action against the Hindenburg Line and at Bourlon Wood. After the huge casualties it suffered during the German spring offensive of March–April 1918, the battalion went back to England to be reconstituted from men of lower medical category, and never returned to the Western Front. It was disbanded soon after the Armistice with Germany.

From the 1960s, the remaining Georgian terraces were rediscovered by middle-class families. Many of the houses were rehabilitated, and the area became newly fashionable. This displacement of the poor by the aspirational has become known as gentrification. Among the new residents were a number of figures who became central in the New Labour movement, including Tony Blair before his victory in the 1997 general election. According to The Guardian in 2006, "Islington is widely regarded as the spiritual home of Britain's left-wing intelligentsia."[14] The Granita Pact between Gordon Brown and Tony Blair is said to have been made at a now defunct restaurant on Upper Street.[15]

The African National Congress's headquarters in exile was based on Penton Street. It was the target of a bomb attack in 1982.

Islington is the most densely populated borough in the UK according to the 2011 census, with a population density of 138.7 people per hectare, compared to an average of 52.0 for London.

There are over 60 sports and other types of physical activity on offer to the public in Islington, at more than approximately one hundred clubs, leisure centres, parks, community centres, and other venues.[27] The Islington Boxing Club, on Hazellville Road, was founded in January 1974 and was originally based in the community hall of York Way Court, close to King's Cross Station.[28]

The borough is home to top-flight professional football club Arsenal, whose sixty-thousand capacity stadium is in Holloway.

Had nightmares all night after watching the Eurovision song contest. Some of the artists and performances are really disturbing. The vocal contortions is enough to wake the dead. They have banned Russia for invading Ukraine and they wanted to ban Israel for bombing Gaza. Where is the moral clarity! If memory serves me correctly, it was the Gazans who jumped the fence and killed 1200 people in the most horrific way and kidnapped 250. There is no law which says that when you start something and gets beaten up for it, you get to play the victim.

Scenes of Old Basing

The Church is having a fete - very small affair really

Old Basing church filled with people waiting for the childrens choir to perform. This is the first time I have seen people in the church.

The ancestral home - for some unknown reason, there are 2 stone dogs on the roof of the portico

St Mary's church

Just in case you didn't noticed that it is a church

This nice african christian tried to convert me. Question: "Do you love Jesus" Answer: What's his tinder profile and he'll have to ask me out first.

Thatched roof common in the south. Didn't see them in the north. Thatching is a disappearing trade

The famous Bakery

Deb waiting in line at the bakery. Must feel at home being in a queue. Also beat the bastard in lycra!

The brickie must have been drunk laying them bricks

Lots of lovely and very expensive houses in Old Basing

the Lawn mower with a road licence

Curious dove in Phil's backyard

Narrow village streets

Bridge for the train - tunnel only fits one car at a time

These iconic red telephone booths have been converted to book exchanges - saves the cost of removing them

The other church

Beautifully green

Red kite

Stop! Can we more traffic lights please!

The crown - one of 2 pubs in the village

The bolton? the other pub

We were glued to the TV watching competing protest marches - Unite the Country and Up the Palestinians. Looks like a whole lot of people which is shitty as we have to travel to and through London this afternoon. Just an impression, it seems like a whole lot more George crosses than the Palestinian flags.

Phil took me on a drive through the village. It was very kind of him but I have been through the village a few times. Not much has changed. More cars. The best thing is the Village Bakery which is a great cafe - great coffee and food. Busy as hell! I think it is the number 1 tourist attraction inthe village - much like the Farmer's market in Bunbury before the Willy Wonka highway cut them out.

Deb and Dad

Phil doesn't like his photo being taken

Video call with Jenny

not bad for a nearly ninety year old rooster

I was quite honoured to be invited to Phil's shed/garage - doesn't matter what age, every man needs a shed

Phil drove us and the bags to the Coach terminal. My tetris skills came to the fore once again. Managed to get the cases in but the car was chock full. I was amazed that it made it out of the drive as the suspension would have taken a beating. After all, the car looks like a lawn mower with a cabin.

Caught the coach at 1500 hrs. The traffic in London, as expected, was terrible. We didn't see the marches which must have been over as we saw supporters wandering the streets. The marches can't have been organised by unions as no union would organise a rally on a Saturday! We arrived at Victoria station at about 1700 hrs. Got a taxi outside immediately! What are the chances. The taxi driver, John, was watching the marches on his phone and naturally the conversation was about the issues. I get the distinct impression that he would have flow a george cross flag from his cab and voted Reform... Unfortunately, the politicians don't see it, but I think that there are a lot more people like John the Cabbie than they think. It will be the same in Australia especially after the horrendous budget laid out by Grim Jim and Alboliar.

Dumped the bags in the Air BnB and walked the short distance to Matt and Grace's new abode. It was great seeing them. Both looked very well and Grace was radiant as pregnant women tend to be. All is well. Just as well she is not an egg or we'll have to turn her twice a day under a heat lamp! All very exciting. Their new apartment is much bigger than before - bright and airy. Great spot. They will be very comfortable there. Shops and restaurants - most importantly, their favourite cafe - is nearby.

We went for dinner at a little Italian place, Saponara, just around the corner. 4 different pizzas finished with desserts. Very good.

Islington

Walked past these on the way to Matt's new place - hoped that their place is not like that. Looks like a setting for a british crime series

Checking it out - Bed and no breakfast London style.

Nope, not interested

Watching the marches - waiting for the biffo

Happy days

Tiny Italian Restaurant - very atmospheric. Very good service too

Expectant mum looks really well

that is a cheat panacotta - you can't judge its wobble when it is in a glass - dirty dirty bastards

Basically a fruit salad in a glass with a scoop of Mango sorbet - delicious

Happy with it

Back at the Air BnB watching the Eurovision. Its like a horror movie - just can't tear your eyes away. More PTSD and counselling required.

Not much to blog about. Managed to do a big load of laundry and restock on bits and pieces - toothpaste etc. Very unexciting.

Got my replacement camera. No learning curve as it is the same model. Attached much stronger straps so no more accidents.. We returned the car and bought a bit of food for dinner from Tescos - I am not eating just cheese and potatoes.

We went to the village bakery for a pastry and coffee. Things have come a long way. Great coffee and pastry. Wasn't cheap but better than the previous crap. Had a walk around the church - St Mary's - claim to fame was that Oliver Cromwell stabled his horses in the church during the English Civil war.

Deb at her family church

Scenes of the cemetary

Ye old ancestral home

Deb checking out old friends

The war memorial

Cheeky blackbird in the backyard. Brilliant hunter - multiple worms

Watching the truly terribly Eurovision last night

Deb is playing scrabble with her dad. She is getting spanked but I do wonder about cheating.

Tomorrow we are on the bus to London to catch up with Matt and Grace. Grace is showing her bump. Life as they know it will never be the same!

Addendum

Old Basing

Old Basing is a village in the civil parish of Old Basing and Lychpit, in the Basingstoke and Deane district, in Hampshire, England, just east of Basingstoke. It was called Basengum in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and Basinges in the Domesday Book.

The name Basing comes from two Old English components: Basa, the name of an Anglo-Saxon tribal leader, and the suffix -ingas, meaning "people of". This origin is shared with Basingstoke, which came from adding the additional component stoc, meaning "secondary farm/settlement", reflecting that Basing was originally the larger settlement.[1][2] The adjective Old was added officially in the latter half of the 20th century (between 1968 and 1986 according to OS maps); a 1911 local history referred to the village as Basing, with Old Basing listed as an alternative name

Old Basing was first settled in the sixth century by a proto-Anglo-Saxon tribe known as the Basingas. In the ninth century it was a royal estate and it was the site of the Battle of Basing on or about 22 January 871 AD, when a Viking army defeated King Æthelred of Wessex and his brother, the future King Alfred the Great.[4] It is also mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 AD.

The centre of the village, The Street, contains many old houses, and St Mary's Church. The River Loddon, whose source is in Worting to the west of Basingstoke, flows through the village. Old Basing is perhaps best known for the ruins of Basing House which was built between 1532 and 1561 on the site of a Norman castle. It was the home of the Marquesses of Winchester for several generations before being destroyed after a 24-week siege during the English Civil War. Many names in modern Old Basing allude to the war, such as Cavalier Road and Musket Copse, as well as several sites named after Oliver Cromwell including Oliver's Battery and Cromwell Cottage. Oliver's, a fish and chip takeaway and restaurant is named after Les Oliver who opened the restaurant in 1974.

The route of the former Basingstoke Canal also ran around Basing House and then through and around parts of Old Basing.

In the 1980s, the Lychpit estate was developed to the north of the village, within the boundaries of the civil parish. In 2006, the name of the civil parish was changed to "Old Basing and Lychpit".

Old Basing provides both an infant school and a junior school. The junior school, named St Mary's, is aided by the Church of England. A new primary school has recently opened in nearby Lychpit. There are a variety of secondary schools in the Basingstoke area.

Basingstoke

Basingstoke (/ˈbeɪzɪŋstoʊk/ BAY-zing-stohk) is a town in Hampshire, situated in south-central England across a valley at the source of the River Loddon on the western edge of the North Downs. It is the largest settlement in Hampshire without city status. It is located 30 miles (48 km) north-east of Southampton, 48 miles (77 km) south-west of London, 27 miles (43 km) west of Guildford, 22 miles (35 km) south of Reading and 20 miles (32 km) north-east of the county town and former capital Winchester. According to the 2021 population estimate, the town had a population of 107,642.[a] It is part of the borough of Basingstoke and Deane and part of the parliamentary constituency of Basingstoke.

Basingstoke is an old market town and was mentioned in Domesday Book. At the start of the Second World War, the population was little more than 13,000, and it remained a small market town until the early 1960s. It still has a regular market, but is now larger than Hampshire County Council's definition of a market town.[2]

Basingstoke became an important economic centre during the second world war. It expanded further in the mid-1960s as a result of an agreement between London County Council and Hampshire County Council. It was developed rapidly along with various other towns in the United Kingdom, in order to accommodate part of the London 'overspill' as perceived under the Greater London Plan in 1944.[3]

It now houses the UK headquarters of Motorola, The Automobile Association, De La Rue, Sun Life Financial, ST Ericsson, Barracuda Networks, Eli Lilly and Company, FCB Halesway part of FCB, BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions (the leasing arm of BNP Paribas in the UK) and Sony Professional Solutions. It is also the location of the European headquarters of the TaylorMade Golf Company. Other industries include IT, telecommunications, insurance and electronics.

The name Basingstoke (A.D 990; Embasinga stocæ,[4] Domesday; Basingestoches) is believed to have been derived from the town's position as the outlying, western settlement of Basa's people.[5][b] Basing, now Old Basing, a village 2 miles (3 km) to the east, is thought to have the same etymology, and was the original Anglo-Saxon settlement of the people – Basingas – led by a tribal chief called Basa. Basing remained the main settlement until changes in the local church moved the religious base from St Marys Church, Basing, to the church in Basingstoke.

Early settlements

A Neolithic campsite of around 3000 BC beside a spring on the west of the town is the earliest known human settlement here, but the Willis Museum has flint implements and axes from nearby fields that date back to Palæolithic times. The hillfort at Winklebury (2 miles (3 km) west of the town centre), known locally as Winklebury Camp or Winklebury Ring[8] dates from the Iron Age and there are remains of several other earthworks around Basingstoke, including a long barrow near Down Grange. The site of Winklebury camp was home to Fort Hill Community School (now closed).[9] Nearby, to the west, Roman Road marks the course of a Roman road that ran from Winchester to Silchester. Further to the east, another Roman road ran from Chichester through the outlying villages of Upton Grey and Mapledurwell. The Harrow Way is an Iron-age ancient route that runs to the south of the town. The first recorded historical event in the area was the defeat of King Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred the Great at Old Basing by the Danes in 871.

Market town

Basingstoke is recorded as a weekly market site in the Domesday Book, in 1086, and has held a regular Wednesday market since 1214.[10] During the Civil War, and the siege of Basing House between 1643 and 1645, the town played host to large numbers of Parliamentarians. During this time, St. Michael's Church was damaged whilst being used as an explosive store[11] and lead was stripped from the roof of the Chapel of the Holy Ghost, Basingstoke[12] leading to its eventual ruin. It had been incorporated in 1524, but was effectively out of use after the Civil War. The 17th century saw serious damage to much of the town and its churches, because of the great fires of 1601 and 1656. Oliver Cromwell is thought to have stayed here towards the end of the siege of Basing House, and wrote a letter to the Speaker of the House of Commons addressed from Basingstoke.[13]

The cloth industry appears to have been important in the development of the town until the 17th century, along with malting.[14] Brewing became important during the 18th and 19th centuries, and the oldest and most successful brewery was May's Brewery, established by Thomas and William May in 1750 in Brook Street

Victorian history

A Wallis & Steevens Simplicity steam roller

The London and South Western Railway arrived in 1839 from London and, within a year, it was extended to Winchester and Southampton. In 1848, a rival company, sponsored by the Great Western Railway built a branch from Reading. In 1854, a line was built to Salisbury by the London and South Western.[17] In the 19th century, Basingstoke began to move into industrial manufacture; Wallis and Haslam (later Wallis & Steevens) began producing agricultural equipment including threshing machines in the 1850s, moving into the production of stationary steam engines in the 1860s and then traction engines in the 1870s.[18]

Two traders who opened their first shops within a year of each other in the town, went on to become household names nationally: Thomas Burberry in 1856 and Alfred Milward in 1857.[19] Burberry became famous after he invented Gabardine and Milward founded the Milwards chain of shoe shops, which could be found on almost every high street until the 1980s.[20]

John May, a member of the brewery family, was several times mayor of the town. A benefactor to the town, he paid for the building of a drill hall in Sarum Hill for the use of the Hampshire Volunteers (later used as a cinema and then a furniture shop) and a wing for the Cottage Hospital in Hackwood Road. The drill hall was opened in 1885 and also used for concerts and exhibitions. He also bought a piece of open space that was about to be sold for housing and let it at a low rent to the Basingstoke Cricket Club. This cricket ground is still in use and is called May's Bounty.[21]

Ordinary citizens were said to be shocked[22] by the emotive, evangelical tactics of the Salvation Army when they arrived in the town in 1880, but the reaction from those employed by the breweries or within the licensed trade quickly grew more openly hostile. Violent clashes became a regular occurrence.[c] On Sunday 27 March 1881, troops were called upon to break up the conflict after the Mayor had read the Riot Act. The riot and its causes led to questions in Parliament and a period of notoriety for the town.[24] The town was described as "Barbarous Basingstoke" by one London newspaper in 1882 but, by March 1882, the disturbances were dying down.[25][26]

A 1902 Thornycroft steam lorry, in the Milestones Museum
In 1898, John Isaac Thornycroft began production of steam-powered lorries in the town and Thornycroft's quickly grew to become the town's largest employer

Recent history

Festival Place shopping centre in August 2007
Basingstoke suffered very little bomb damage during the Second World War. A stick of German bombs did fall in the Church Square area on 16 August 1940. On the same day, bombs destroyed part of a row of houses in Burgess Road; six people were killed in the raid.[28] Overall, 13 civilians died from enemy action during the war in the town.[29] After the war, the town had a population of 25,000.[30]

As part of the London Overspill plan, along with places such as Ashford and Swindon, Basingstoke was rapidly developed in the late 1960s as an expanded town, in similar fashion to Milton Keynes. As the population increased, the town produced more figures of national importance, such as the art critic Waldemar Januszczak and the actress Elizabeth Hurley. Many office blocks and large estates were built, as well as a ring road.[30] The shopping centre was built in phases. The first phase was completed by the 1970s and was later covered in the 1980s, and was known as The Walks. The second phase was completed by the early 1980s, and became The Malls. The third phase was abandoned and the site was later used to build the Anvil concert hall.[31] The central part of the shopping centre was rebuilt in 2002 and reopened as Festival Place. This has brought a dramatic improvement to shoppers' opinions of the town centre.Basingstoke Canal
The Basingstoke Canal started at a canal basin, roughly where the cinema in Festival Place is located. From there the canal ran alongside the River Loddon following the line of Eastrop Way. The old canal route passes under the perimeter ring road and then follows a long loop partly on an embankment to pass over small streams and water meadows towards Old Basing, where the route goes around the ruins of Basing House and then through and around the eastern edge of Old Basing. It followed another loop to go over small streams near the Hatch public house (a lot of this section was built over when constructing the M3) and headed across fields on an embankment towards Mapledurwell. The section of the canal from Up Nately to the western entrance of the Greywell Tunnel still exists and is a nature reserve; there is water in the canal and the canal towpath can be walked. A permissive footpath at the western entrance to the tunnel allows walkers to access public footpaths to get to the eastern entrance of the tunnel. The limit of navigation is about 500m east of the Greywell Tunnel. The renovated sections of the canal can then be navigated east towards West Byfleet where it joins the Wey Navigation, which itself can be navigated to the River Thames at Weybridge.

Aims to reconnect the town with the surviving sections of the Basingstoke Canal have been beset with difficulties,[85] and actual restoration of a canal link is impossible. The Basingstoke Canal Society aspire to re-establish the route of the lost section of the canal as closely as possible with a footpath and cycleway.[86]

Cultural associations

Basingstoke is referred to in Shakespeare's play Henry IV, Part 2 in Act 2, Scene 1, as the place where the king had slept overnight.[95] In Gilbert and Sullivan's 1887 comic opera Ruddigore, "Basingstoke" is a code word, used by the "bad baronet" after he reforms, to remind his bride "Mad Margaret" of their plan to live lives of boring respectability.[96] In 1895, Thomas Hardy referred to Basingstoke as "Stoke Barehills" in Jude the Obscure.

Basingstoke's North Hampshire Hospital was one of two hospitals used for the filming of Channel 4's hit comedy Green Wing.[97] George Formby's film, He Snoops to Conquer was partly shot in the town in 1944 and in 1974 the National Film Board of Canada produced a documentary here called Basingstoke – Runcorn: British New Towns. The former Park Prewett Mental Hospital was the setting for the novel Poison in the Shade (1953), by Eric Benfield, a local author and sculptor who worked as an art therapist at that hospital. Parts of the upcoming MCU film Spider-Man: Brand New Day is being filmed in Basingstoke, with filming expected to continue through early October.[98]

Patrick Wilde's 1993 play, What's Wrong with Angry?, is set in Basingstoke. It was later adapted into the 1998 film, Get Real, which was filmed at various locations around Basingstoke.[

I am now in Deb's ancestral home in Old Basing watching the Eurovision Song Contest. Fuck me! More on that later. Not much to blog about as it is a travel day.

Official this is the last cooked breakfast on the walk. We had thought about catching the train to London and then bus it to Basingstoke. Bad idea. Firstly it would have been a complete nightmare with the cases and secondly it was silly expensive. Instead, Deb arranged a taxi to take us to Scarborough where we picked up a hire car and drove south. I must really mention this, Leonie's suitcase is just ridiculous. It can double up as a motorhome. It doesn't fit in these little cars very well and you can bust your hernia just looking at it! Luckily I am champion at Tetris and managed to fit all the cases into the Mazda CX5. I thought it strange at first when they gave us the car empty but it is a cunning ploy - you return it empty but it will never be empty. That way, they gain a few litres of fuel. Dirty dirty bastards! We put in 30 pounds of E5 at 1.88 per litre - that is double what we used to pay. No wonder they have toy cars and walk everywhere.

Leonie sat in the front so she could navigate for Deb. Not one cross word. It would have been a battlefield if it was me navigating. I could be as great an explorer as Captain Cook and we would still have fucking words. It took us over an hour to get to the motorway. We also stopped at a Garden Centre for an early lunch. Bloody strange place. It sells some plants but also sell a lot of other shit like clothes! Go figure. It had an average casfe. Paid $40AUD for a sausage roll with salad and a shit coffee. Very dissastified.

KFC at Stevenage. Unfortunately, the KFC is not as good as in Australia.

First asian for weeks - even if it is Japanese

Emotional goodbye with Leonie

The traffic on the M25 - no worse than the Mitchell or Kwinana

Soon enough we were on the M1. We dropped Leonie off at Stevenage Train station. They have really cleaned up the town. They have built the Stevenage Leisure Centre next to the train station. I know that we are finally in civilization as we say a Maccas. Those twin arches signify civilization wherever you are in the world. Lugged Leonie's giant case up 3 flights of stairs and then found out they have lifts! Fuck me. It was an emotional goodbye with Leonie but I'll see her back in Bunbury in 4 weeks. We bought some takeaway from Wagamama as there is likely to be only cheese and potatoes in Old Basing.

Then we were off to join the largest car park in the world - the M25. To be fair, we had a pretty good run with only 3 short stretches of congestion. Before too long, we were pulling into Deb's home. I was great to see Phil (Deb's Dad) looking well at nearly 90.

Now I am watching the incredibly shitty Eurovision. Every song sounds the same. They always start slow in order to build up the tension before exploding into a raucous shrieking chorus. It is just like doof doof and rap where you can't one song from another.

The place hasn't changed. Phil has done a great job looking after it all by himself

Happy Days

The old apple tree was blown over in a storm and they have saved it. It is being propped up by car ramps

Phil hasn't really changed

The fucking Eurovision. How is Australia competing! After consulting Cook's chart, I worked out that we are actually on the other side of the world.

For those of you who have been following the UK leadership farce - Starmer is dead man walking. The Health minister has just resigned which is always a prelude to a challenge. Burham in Manchester has been allowed to stand for Labor leadership after winning the by election created by the standing down of one of the Government MP. Now that is a major gamble - firstly Labor has assumed that the people in Makefield will always vote for them and secondly, Reform won't win. That is a big call after the elections last Saturday where Labor was gutted and Reform won big. If I was Starmer, I would call a snap election which will decimate the Labor party costing many of the MPs their seats which is exactly what they deserve. Back stabbing dirty dirty bastards! Makes for great blood sport.

Also been following the lying Labor bastards back home., They couldn't have come up with a better budget to fuck over the economy. I think Albo and Grim Jim might have gone one step too far with the people. Here's hoping. The frightening thought is that there is another 2 years and 2 budgets for them to come after your kidneys. I have to find the book - how to retire in Thailand and live like a king on the pension.