slingsbybrowning

Cranleigh and the West

And so we said farewell to Whitstable and headed off on the A2, M2, M20 and several other roads, toward the village of Cranleigh in the county of Surrey, where we would stay the night with our niece and nephew. Cranleigh claims to be the largest village in England, with its population of about 11,000.Continue reading “Cranleigh and the West”

Sketches around Whitstable

Final day in Whitstable We are now into our last couple of days at Whitstable, the weather is still perfect, and one half of our party has gone to Canterbury to collect the hire car for the next leg. It is amazing how time has got away from us, as we consider we still haveContinue reading “Sketches around Whitstable”

Sketches of Whitstable 2

The winding main street of Whitstable is not very wide at best, and very narrow indeed in some parts. The footpaths are similarly of varying widths, and with the throngs of mostly tourists, people ‘down from London’, a few local residents moving around, and too many cars for comfort, walking around was necessarily slow. ThisContinue reading “Sketches of Whitstable 2”

Sketches of Whitstable

So here we are in Whitstable, which, for those who are not familiar with this part of England, is on the north coast of Kent, at the extremity of the Thames estuary. It is readily accessible from London by rail, which passes through the Medway towns of Chatham and Rochester, well known to theContinue reading “Sketches of Whitstable”

Back in Blighty 2019

Well, here we are, back in England! At one stage we thought that we might actually miss the flight when we were trapped on our way to the airport by a B-Double that had jack-knifed trying to make a u-turn in a road that was far too small for it! The last time weContinue reading “Back in Blighty 2019”

Sketches of Cobram

Cobram is a fair resting-place, in right of its nearness to the river, and the little paddle boat that comes and goes upon it: which make up a pleasant and refreshing scene, after the dusty roads. But, unless you would like to dwell on an enormous plain, with jagged rows of irregular gumtrees on it,Continue reading “Sketches of Cobram”

Sketches of Mansfield (Two)

I know it has been a long time since the last blog was posted, but I am determined to complete the Mansfield series this time. Actually, as I write this, I am sitting on the balcony of the apartment at Merimbula which has featured in earlier blogs, and to which we have returned withContinue reading “Sketches of Mansfield (Two)”

Sketches of Mansfield

Mansfield is a small town in North Eastern Victoria, about 180 km from Melbourne, and 30 or so km from the popular ski resort of Mt Buller. It has a resident population of the order of 4,400, but during the summer holiday period, and during the winter ski season, the population increases markedly. Originally importantContinue reading “Sketches of Mansfield”

Sketches of Lorne

Sketches of Lorne, Two June 27, 2017 Our walk to the main centre of Lorne starts as we join a walking track that passes the Lorne Pier. Where the path actually starts, I have no idea, but it is somewhere off to the west, maybe even as far west as Portland. But we join itContinue reading “Sketches of Lorne”

Sketches of Lorne

We had talked about, and had thought about, going to Port Douglas in far north Queensland for a couple of weeks in late June and early July to escape the Melbourne winter weather. But we talked too much, and thought too long, and as the last week of June approached, we realizedContinue reading “Sketches of Lorne”