8th July 2010 Plymouth

I awoke this morning to the sound of my neighbors having a domestic! I packed up and again wondered why UK motels don't have laundries? Are we all mean’t to smell. It's not like they don't have facilities on site as I can see that they wash the sheets etc in a room at the end of the block. Fortunately I got my stuff washed at Dad’s though again I could not find a servant and had to do it myself.

By 10:00 I had made my way across to Dads and had breakfast and said goodbye to Gill and Peter. They will be back to Jersey soon, Gemma has been staying at Hilda's while Gill and Peter have been in the spare room. I find her up and ready so we are soon on the road.

We have a nice uneventful drive to Plymouth, but as we start into the town I realize that my memory for directions is not as complete as I thought. Either that or some of the landmarks have been moved around. Which might be the case though rather than being moved they have been hidden and disguised. The car park at Drakes circus has been encased in something so as you come up to it it looks like a very large work of art. One of the roundabouts has been turned into a T junction.

Drakes circus itself has been rebuilt into a large covered shopping arcade. Most if not all the shops that I knew there have gone. The top end is now all pedestrian precinct. I saw a Virgin Broadband stand in the entrance and had a look at their packages they would not talk to me unless I gave them my post code so I gave Dad’s. Almost signed him up for a years Internet which would have come as a surprise for him!

The UK is really getting into charity shops in a big way. They seem to be a growth industry, they are everywhere. The poor end of town is still the poor end of town. Bonus books has gone! Wow is I, the shop that I spent so long in as a student ferreting out the bargains etc has shut. According to the sign in the window I only just missed it as it had closed the previous month. How the memories of my youth are falling. The note said that he had to retire due to I'll health and could not sell the shop as a going concern.

We go looking for the pasty that I used to collect my lunch from and which made pastys different from any other place and whose taste and texture I associate only with student life. I am not sure if it has moved or is in the same place but they have upgraded the product. Oh noooos! Better contents different pastry damn another icon bites the dust. The food is nice but it's just not the same they have even repainted the shop! With the pedestriation of the shops many stores are putting tables outside in the continental fashion which is a change I definitely approve of. We go to Past Times but very little jumps off the shelves at us despite they having a sale on. In the end I buy a book of Eagle comic cutaways. Very interesting.

Then it's time to look at the Polly. Lots of new buildings here, the original buildings that I knew only form a core to the site now. There is an immense brown ugly building where the student car park used to be. However somebody has out some real money into this site it's quite impressive. We wander around, some of the things are the same. The SU is being rebuilt and though in the same place has been changed ( no glass pyramid ) and is no longer the same layout. However it's chaos inside so it's good to see something's never change. I wanted to but a t-shirt but only hoodies were available.

Then off to Saltram house. It's a NT place, quite interesting and this place still has its kitchen. It's 4 pm by now and our springs are running down. Onto the Novotel at the roundabout at the end of the A38. It's much better than the NZ Novatels less poor people and more tourist/business. 68 a night for a very decent room, though service in the restaurant was a bit odd thought as I write this I can't remember why?..

7th July 2010 Dads 92 Birthday in Honiton

I started the day with a real cafe cooked English Breakfast. Just like I remembered it, including the Black Pudding. But first I had to face the receptionist! How had I got in without paying? Who gave me a key! how did this happen bah! I explained to the dragon that I had tried to follow process but it did little good. She looked rather put out that I had been told that she had been fired as she had only had the day off? I suspect somebody got a right shouting at later behind the scenes. It turns out that the young couple next door had also got a key without paying and had gone before she could charge them. However it seems that it was a fairly common event and she knew who they were and would catch them later. Having paid I was allowed to eat!

I went across to Dad’s next and was surprised to find everybody up at 08:30. We had some tea and then showered him with gifts. I had to reuse Gemma's wrapping as I had been unable to get any for mine but Dad did not seem to mind. Gemma gave him a painting of cats and I gave him a book about a country vet and 8 DVD’s and military history that might be interesting to him. He seemed pleased with them all including the truffles.

At about 12:30 we all set out for a short drive to a hotel. (http://www.lakeviewmanor.co.uk/ ) Its in a lovely location along side a small lake set in its own grounds. It was time to feed Dad again. I had a really nice cod and chips (impossible to get in NZ) and Dad had liver and bacon. They come here quite often and hence are known to the staff and know the menu. We of course made sure that it was accompanied with plenty of the local real English beer. The oldies all seemed to enjoy themselves with the normal amount of fussing about which they seem to have to do.

The desert included a cake with a sparkler in the middle of it rigged up by Gemma and Gill. Not 92 candles only 12. Then we went and took pictures on the lawn.

Back home for a rest to try and digest all the food and then it was time to eat again. Just a like meal of cold meats salads etc.

Gemma made the salads. I tried some of Dads wine but found it to be undrinkable. Then we did some more family stuff talking about various family members that were not present. Lauren's photo caused some comment as they all think she is very grown up and very much like Gill.

Then the oldies were tired so it was back to the motel for me.

Gemma and Dad!

6th July 201 0- Back to Honiton

Booked out without breakfast as there are no food facilities with this lodge. Then set out for Stone Henge. On the way we stopped at a Little Chef for our late refuel. It was the first new one that we had seen so far, much better then the tired old ones. I think that I much prefer traveling by A road rather than M road. There is much more to see and the pace is much better, fortunately the TomTom can be set to do this automatically.

It did not take long to get to Stone Henge. What a tourist ripoff Stone Henge is, parking is 3 UKP and its 6 UKP to get in to see a pile of very unimpressive old rocks from a distance. They really rip the tourist off with this one, fortunately our NT membership gave us free entrance but somehow I still feel ripped off. I considered not going in just on principle but Gemma was still keen.

They don’t know when it was built, why it was built or who built it, just that its very old. Well blow me down I could have know that all by myself. What a pile of crap, the profit margin must be 95% on this site. Why is it famous? its like the Mona Lisa, don’t get me started on the Mona Lisa yet!

OK we have soon had enough of that and its off to Salisbury Cathedral which we hope will be worthy of our time because that pile of stones certainly was not.

Hi its another rip off, 6 UKP for parking and 5 UKP to get in as a “donation” . Well I could not do anything about the parking charge but I chose to ignore the donation. The money changers are truly back in the temple. This place must have been incredible in the middle ages, coming from a simple village to this place must have been like going to the moon. It would have blown their minds away. The cloisters are very peaceful and cool. Its possible to stop the rat race and slow down with a cup of tea. Gemma and I do that and its the best part of the day. Right so in my dream home I want cloisters and a walled garden!

So then its a quiet ride back to Honiton, as we are getting towards evening already I allow the navigator to use the motorway. At 9pm we arrive at the Turks Lodge motel.

Reception was open but empty so I had problems getting anybody to take my details and give me my key. In the end somebody appeared gave me my key and told be the reception had been fired and that I should sort it out with who ever was on the front desk in the morning.

Went across to dads where they were out. After a while they turned up as they had been to Sidmouth. Gill and Peter were here now. We went to Tesco for dinner, well supplies really. I bought a bottle of wine to celebrate dads age but he won’t drink it as he thinks I spent to much on it. Perhaps its not enough like vinegar for him.

Back to the Motel at about 10pm. As I walk across the motel car park I realised I am getting a free show as the young couple in the room alongside have not closed the curtains and they are very very keen on one another!