Summer, Part 2 (it's nearly Autumn - yay!)

14th century De Vere House in Lavenham, Suffolk.
You can now stay here, as it's rented out as luxury accommodation

Hello again, and welcome to Part 2 of 'summer'.

It's been a very eventful past month, and this is a quite lengthy post so I hope you'll stick with me.

Some weeks ago we took advantage of a special deal at one of our favourite vegetarian/vegan restaurants, The Gate in Hammersmith, and as usual it was a truly fabulous meal. Anyone who still subscribes to 20th century idea that plant-based meals are boring and tasteless really needs to visit The Gate and have their eyes opened.

My delicious starter - artichoke terrine with hazelnut and truffle, and a sundried tomato chutney.
A glorious symphony of flavours and textures

Kevin about to tuck in to his mushroom risotto cake

Our indulgence was worked off by trudging around the Tate Modern, for the purpose of seeing the Olafur Eliasson exhibition, In Real Life.  This Icelandic-Danish artist expresses himself in many different mediums and it's no wonder this exhibition is such a hot ticket. His work is very current, with a focus on nature and climate change.

The Tate Modern

The definition of Arctic Scandinavia

A whole wall of lichen, the food of reindeer. Patrons are invited to touch and smell this living wall of art

Lichen detail - the aroma made me long for Norway

Walk towards the light:
the interactive exhibition Your Blind Passenger requires you to walk through a long corridor filled with fog, with varying light levels. It was very disorienting and a tad creepy, but a memorable experience.
In this section I felt I was on the set of Bladerunner 2059

The following weekend we visited our friends Roy and Tracey in Buckingham, and spent a number of hours exploring Bletchley Park, which is only about a 20-minute drive from their house. 

If you've seen either the 2001 Kate Winslet film Enigma or the 2014 Benedict Cumberbatch film The Imitation Game, you'll be familiar with the story of the invention of the 'Enigma' code-breaking machine which helped Britain turn the tide in the Second World War.

Visitors can walk through the recreated huts, including Alan Turing's office. Just incredible to think so many people lived and worked under a veil of secrecy for so long. Can you imagine such a thing being kept quiet these days, in our world of instant information sharing?

The Mansion at Bletchley Park

Alan Turing's office in Hut 8 at Bletchley Park

Block B, which houses the main museum at Bletchley Park

Some weeks after visiting us at Frensham, Lesley was pet-sitting in Suffolk so we took our last opportunity to spend a few days in her company before she travelled back to Canberra. We had skirted the area some years ago en route to Norfolk, but really this county was fairly new to us. 

On the way to Suffolk we stopped for a lightning tour around Anglesey Abbey in Lode, just outside Cambridge, as we had to almost pass it. What a beautiful National Trust property! We raced through the house at warp speed, however we spent long enough there to feel that Anglesey was one of those properties where you could imagine living. It wasn't so very grand as to suspend your imagination of domestic life, despite various royal personages having stayed there. 

Anglesey Abbey viewed from the lawn

One of the staircases at Anglesey Abbey, joining the first floor with The Tapestry Hall 

Alabaster 'Medusa' wall lamp in The Long Gallery at Anglesey Abbey

The kitchens at Anglesey Abbey

A quiet little entrance to Anglesey Abbey, tucked away around the back of the building

And so we drove on to Suffolk, where we spent three days wandering around the towns of Long Melford (where Lesley was staying), Cavendish (where our AirB&B was located), and the market town of Lavenham which is arguably Britain's best preserved mediaeval town. It is incredible, with over 300 grade listed heritage properties. 

Fun fact: Lavenham was used in the Harry Potter films as Godric’s Hollow, where Harry lived as a child with his parents before they were murdered.

We were impressed with the area and hope to return to explore further. It's yet another fascinating place that is only a couple of hours' drive away, and we're grateful to Lesley for the introduction.

Multicoloured mediaeval houses in Lavenham

The Church of the Holy Trinity in Long Melford,
constructed between 1467-1497 in the late Perpendicular Gothic style

Cottage in Long Melford, Suffolk

Just look at that gorgeous summer foliage!
This cottage was in Cavendish, Suffolk

Kevin dwarfing the tiny front door of a cottage in Cavendish, Suffolk

The Guildhall in Lavenham, dating from the 16th century.
It houses an absolutely fascinating museum, as this building has been used for many purposes through the centuries, 
including a gaol and workhouse

Wisteria covered mediaeval building in Lavenham

Just take a look at the lean on this little pink number!
(that colour is a traditional one, known as Suffolk Pink)

We never tire of the vast array of witty dog poo community notices that abound in this nation of dog obsessives.
This one was in Cavendish, where we were staying

Warm ochre tones - this timber framed building is just behind the Guildhall in Lavenham

Kevin picked up this bottle of gin for me at a boutique brewery near Long Melford.
The packaging is emblazoned with one of the images from my favourite building 
in Surrey, the Watts Chapel (under proper licence, of course)

After being thwarted for months by the vagaries of weather and mutually difficult social calendars, we finally managed to 'christen' our patio terrace a few weeks ago, by hosting drinks and dinner one evening. It's tricky to catch these pesky teachers who all flit off in different directions for the summer holidays.

It will come as no surprise to any of my regular readers that naturally TMC* was in full force for this auspicious event.
* The Maree Curse

Yes, despite several weeks of very enjoyable, mild weather in the low/mid 20s, the day in question was the hottest day on record, coming in at a hideous 38.7ºC, with high humidity. I had suffered through a whole day at work in those conditions (36ºC interior temperature) and it's fair to say that by the time I got home, I was not exactly in 'party mood.' Nonetheless, with the worst of the heat starting to recede by early evening, I rallied and a good time was had by all.

Recovery was aided by one of my current favourite cocktails - Strawberry Vodka and Tonic. Muddle a couple of strawberries in the bottom of a glass, add ice, a shot of Absolut Strawberry Vodka, and top up with tonic water. Extraordinarily refreshing on a warm afternoon! One of these under my belt by the time our guests had started arriving, and the world was looking a little rosier.

This summer's favourite cocktail - Absolut Strawberry Vodka & Tonic

Summer evening in our backyard

Thankfully this past couple of weeks has seen a return to the more traditional temperatures of an English summer, and we spent last weekend in Bath - a trip at fairly short notice, with our friends Roy and Tracey. The reason for the trip was to celebrate Roy's 50th birthday.

I've visited this beautiful Georgian city many times (in fact, my last trip was only about six months ago), but it has a lot to offer. If you have any interest in history, architecture or Jane Austen, Bath is the place for you.

Underwood Bar & Kitchen on Bath's Pulteney Bridge

The Royal Crescent

Pulteney Bridge and Weir at night

It was a fabulous weekend, briefly marred by a diabolically bad dinner experience at a restaurant associated with a very famous chef. After two underwhelming courses and a truly perplexing experience with inept staff, we fled Koffmann & Mr White's in high dudgeon. (We asked them to remove the discretionary service charge from the bill. Service? There was none)

We were all very disappointed that Roy's special birthday celebration was not what we had hoped.

However, I am happy to say the evening was redeemed by the friendly, experienced and knowledgeable staff at nearby hotel Browns, whither we had dejectedly trudged after leaving Koffmann & Mr White's. 

What a difference good staff makes to an evening. We left Browns feeling our night had been a success after all, having consumed delicious desserts and cocktails. Rave reviews from all four of us now may be found on TripAdvisor, with particular mention of our server Yee Lin who was an absolute delight.

Birthday boy Roy, and wife Tracey, enjoying afternoon tea in The Pump Room, Bath

Every time I visit Bath, one of my favourite things to do is have a sticky-beak at the fabulous basement gardens.
This was a particularly large one, belonging to the corner townhouse at one end of The Royal Crescent

I loved the gorgeous blue door and curved stone entrance of this house on Sydney Place

Who'd have thought visiting The Roman Baths could be improved?!
Indeed, they have been - now you may wander around with a glass of bubbly in your hand!

As I mentioned in Summer, Part 1, on 4 August it was exactly five years since we once again uprooted and returned to the UK. That anniversary signals the approaching expiry of my second 2.5-year spouse visa. It's crunch time for me - in a few weeks I'll be making my application for permanent residency which involves not only the usual gigantic wads of paperwork and an eye-watering fee, but also a written exam on 'life in the UK'.

*sigh*

I confess to more than a little trepidation about the whole process, because I've truly come to feel that Britain is home - bloody infuriating Brexit and all. And on that note, we await with trepidation the antics of our new PM, Buffoon Boris (as I like to call him). As I write, No-deal Brexit dangles overhead like Damocles' sword, with fears of a plunge into instant recession.

But I digress.

To expand on the Life in the UK test...

For several weeks I used the handbook pictured below, and two different apps on my phone, to study and undertake mock tests. Every day I spent hours inventing clever rhymes and puns to help me remember scintillating facts like:

• the year the Romans successfully invaded Britain, after their previous failure - 'In AD 53, the Romans came to this coun-try'

• when the English Civil War commenced - 'The Civil War was quite a coup, it began in 1642'

• when the Saxon invasions were considered to be successfully completed - 'Six hundred Saxons! Six hundred Saxons!' - ie AD600)

• and the year the Scottish Parliament was elected - 'And those Scots are gonna party like it's 1999!' (with grateful thanks to Prince).

Happily, I can report that I absolutely blitzed the exam - completing it in what is surely some kind of record. After practically strip-searching you for hidden microphones, notes, devices and even tissues (!) you are admitted into the exam room. They allow you 45 minutes, but I was finished in - seriously - 4 minutes! They don't give you a mark, just a Pass or Fail (and the pass mark is 75 per cent). I know for a fact that I answered all but one question perfectly - and with only a modicum of doubt, I'm pretty sure I got that one right, too.

Nearly 200 pages of stuff that most Britons wouldn't have a clue about!

Hopefully by the time I next blog, I will be a card-carrying Permanent Resident of the UK, and the next step is citizenship, for which I understand I may apply once I've been a PR for 12 months. 

I hasten to add that if they don't let me stay, this is likely to be the final post on Tunnels of Green, as I will have been booted out of the country!

It's now almost exactly a year since we moved back on-site to Frensham Heights, and I can say unreservedly that each day here has been an absolute delight. Even the bad days are more bearable living in this gorgeous environment - the memories of which I carried in my heart for nine years, longing to be back after we left in 2009.

As an illustration of the delights of this area, please enjoy the sounds of Farnham on a summer Sunday,  complete with chap on a bicycle, with cute dog trotting alongside:

To quote Lady Catherine de Bourgh, if I am ejected from the UK I shall be 'most seriously displeased.'

For starters, I'm sure our resident family of pheasants would miss us.

Those of you who were readers of my Hello from Surrey! newsletters back in 2008-09 will remember we had an almost tame pheasant as a regular visitor, whom we named 'Mr P.' He was often accompanied by his lady wife, 'Mrs P.'

I'm happy to say that ten years later we have a new Mr & Mrs P...

Our new Mr P....

PLUS BABY P's !!!  ♥️♥️♥️

After a short absence of some weeks, we were delighted when Mrs P reappeared with not one, not two, but three babies in tow. 

Apologies for the poor quality of the photo.
 You'll have to take my word for it that those blobs are indeed baby pheasants

Some weeks  later and it would appear one of the babies is no more :-(

Mr P is now brave enough to come and tap on the window, when there is not a good enough supply of seed / fat balls on the ground

I am also pleased to share with you the exciting news that at long last, after many years of wishing, hoping and waiting, we finally have badgers in the garden - two dear, stripey-headed creatures, as you see in the (very poor quality) photos below. Colour us both *thrilled*

In fact one of these lovely Brocks (that's the older, Celtic name for badgers) has visited us every night for the past two weeks, sometimes joined by the younger cub - double the excitement. I guess the fact that each night Kevin lays out peanuts and a crumbled fat ball (such as we buy for the birds) has probably helped with the return visits.

One of our regular visitors - at long last, a badger in the garden!
*squeeeeeee*

Look at that dear, stripey head!

In contrast to the enjoyment our current home affords us, it really has been a fairly sobering time recently.

A young friend in New York came close to death following surgery which should have been routine, but which resulted in serious complications due to surgeon error. It was touch-and-go for many weeks. She was in ICU for over a month, and though she's on the mend now, she has been in hospital for nearly three months in total, and it will take many more months of physiotherapy before she can return home and start living life again.

Another very close friend has in the past month been diagnosed with a serious illness, and we're anxiously awaiting confirmation about treatment and what can be expected in the longer term. 

Some recent events in Australia have also made me feel the geographical distance from family, with the passing of my dear Uncle Spiro after a long illness - sadly just a couple of weeks before my Aunty Jan was to celebrate her 80th birthday. 

I fervently wished I could be in Australia to share in the celebration of my uncle's long life, and my aunt's milestone birthday. Aunty Jan and Uncle Spiro, and my cousins Marina, Kristina and Julia, were a huge part of my life growing up and well into adulthood. Every birthday, Christmas, Easter and significant family event was spent together, our two families marking life's passage with celebrations. 

With both my parents gone, and now Uncle Spiro, it brings home what a fleeting moment we have in this life.

Just take a look at this suave chap from Corfu.
Is it any wonder my Aunty Jan fell head-over-heels in love with Spiro?

'Spiro' - the weeping Cotoneaster we planted in our garden on 14 July, in  memory of my uncle

Indeed, all of these ups and downs reinforce the fact that life is short, and full of uncertainties. Kevin and I are determined to reach some kind of balance between work, family and community obligations, and finding happiness and contentment. These elements don't always coincide, and our distance from Australia is a reality that does cause us anxiety from time to time. 

Meanwhile, we thank our lucky stars that we live in an age when we can easily connect with loved ones far away, via social media, Skype and so on. I remember what an occasion it was each Christmas and on 13 January (my grandmother's birthday), when Dad would book an international phone call to Norway days in advance, so we could speak with my grandmother for a precious few minutes.

An espresso in one of the Russian coffee cups I inherited from my Norwegian grandmother.
I often sit on our terrace, enjoying the amazing view, and thinking of family and friends far away in Australia.

We're heading to Norway next week, our first summer visit in six years because we usually go at Christmas time. So stay tuned for what I expect will be, as usual, beautiful images of that glorious country, and the opportunity to once again connect with the Norwegian side of the family.

Until next time (if indeed there is a next time - pending residency status),
- Maree  xo