Category: Friendship

Eternal Flame

Today is officially the last day of our holiday and it’s definitely going to be the most memorable thanks to the terrible horrible very bad news we received from home.

My husband’s grandmother, the matriarch of a large extended family I feel privileged to be a part of, passed away earlier today on the other side of the world from where we are right now.

Nana was the most wonderfully loving and generous person who loved nothing more than sharing memories of her life and the achievements of her clan. She joked that every year she lived beyond 60 was a miracle yet despite the myriad of health issues it was still a shock that she so suddenly passed away so close to her next milestone birthday.

Thinking of her brings tears to my eyes, because she fully accepted myself and my children as part of her extended family from the first day we met, without judgment or assumption. Too many other people I have met on my journey have not been so unconditional with their love and the light that shone so brightly from the top of the family tree will forever be a reminder to me to do the same.

Not a Boys Club

Today it is Mother’s Day in Europe and to celebrate Marias father ordered a roasted pig from the local cafe, where
while we were helping Marias mother with the weekly shop yesterday, her father took the boys.

This morning the four of us headed to the cafe to collect the pig and despite assurances to the contrary it was obviously a boys club. Along with coffee there was beer on tap and chilled port, with the chickens on a traditional Portuguese-style rotisserie in the back room filling the cafe with a delicious aroma.

A steady stream of male customers arrived to collect the freshly roasted chickens while we were there, stopping for a nip or two of their beverage of choice of course. As it turned out our pig was prepared off site and we had to wait for it to be delivered, so we were happy to bide our time with a nip or two ourselves.

Yesterday when we returned from shopping with chickens for lunch, Marias father groaned and sighed but the boys refused to reveal what they had consumed apart from coffee so were forced to help polish off the meal prepared by her mother.

Based on the friendliness and familiarity of the customers with the boys this morning they enjoyed quite a few ports and chicken fresh from the rotisserie at the local cafe and would be happy to join them for ‘coffee’ there every day.

A very pleasant detour

When planning how to spend our time in the UK after the end of the cruise, our only definite was the need to be at Gatwick airport by Sunday. Hiring a car to move ourselves and our luggage around seemed logical, and allowing time to stop and admire the scenery my personal priority.

Little did we know that a random conversation with a couple at the next table one night on the cruise would result in a memorable night on the Isle of Wight?

Ian Sherfield, retired magistrate, his wife Angela and adult son Edward joined our circle of friends on board Arcadia and insisted we accept their invitation to travel to and explore their home.

Home for the Sherfields is Buckbury Farm, a ten acre property in Newport on the Isle of Wight they share with their three adult children, five dogs and two cats. A pleasant ferry ride from Southampton, the Isle of Wight is famous for hosting one of Jimi Hendricks most memorable outdoor performances and for our party of four a very pleasant detour.

After a ploughmans lunch Ian took us on an insiders tour of the sights including Fort Victoria, named after the Queen and the Cowes Royal Yacht Squadron where all the major sailing events are based. Unfortunately our viewing of the scenery was hindered by the mist rolling in from the sea, but our host more than compensated with his commentary.

Back to Buckbury Farm for afternoon tea before we headed to the accommodation recommended by our hosts, The Waverley Inn. Quaint and Cosy but definitely not quiet thanks to it being karaoke night in the bar below our rooms, we were happy to head out for dinner to The Wight Mouse with our hosts an hour after checking in.

After a delicious dinner and placing second in the pub quiz, we returned to Buckbury Farm for coffee and cake before Ian took us back to our accommodation to settle in for the night.

Breakfast in the front bar then back to the Red Funnel for the return ferry to the mainland, where our tentative plan is to be in Bath by the end of the day.
How that pans out remains to be seen, but as they say it’s the journey not the destination that counts.