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Krispy Kreme
Vacation day 26 – We travel 5,000 miles to find Krispy Kreme donuts at Gunwharf
The world is certainly shrinking – but in my opinion there are other donuts that I’d prefer to find in the UK.
I remember being very pleased when, by popular demand, we stopped having Krispy Kreme donuts at church and reverted back to our previous supplier. However, I will commend Krispy Kreme on their branding though. We spotted the kiosk instantly.
Or maybe that says more about my donut withdrawal issues.
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Some Crafting and a Barbecue
Dee, Jan, Ginger, and Lanie do some crafting Vacation Day 25 – I think the correct order was a Barbecue then some crafting
We’ve already met Bob and Ann, Roy and Jan are also life-long friends. Here’s a picture of us all way back in the early nineties. Roy, Bob and I went to college together. We’ve been through some interesting ‘scrapes’, most of which might be better forgotten. Though there was that time – on the day Elvis died – that Roy set fire to his entire backyard; not bad for a fireman. Oh, and I mustn’t forget the indoor snowball fight. As Roy’s parents have now passed on, I can also mention attempting to burn out the clutch on their car towing a Jag in the early hours of the morning. As I said, probably best left in the past.
Roy and Jan’s daughter, Dee and her family also came to visit, Dee is my God Daughter. I would have to admit to slacking on her religious upbringing, but that’s worked out fine, so kudos to me for knowing when to leave things well alone. (Ha!) After lunch, all the ladies retired to do some crafts while I rested my eyelids. I’m pretty sure Roy did so too.
June 29, 2015 | Photograph: Roy Goring
Jan and Ginger do some crafting
Jan, Ginger and Lanie do some crafting -
Eastney Gas Engine House
Gas Engine. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Vacation day 25 – Eastney Gas Engine House and a reminder of the past
I’ve not been in here since my dad volunteered to help maintain these engines – so before 1980. They’ve been closed up for years and I never expected them to re-open so I was very surprised when I realized that we could go and see them. Not only that but they seemed to be in the same condition they were 35 years ago. One of the engines was running too; an added bonus!
I have a newspaper clipping of my dad standing next to one of the gas engines so I thought it would be great to get a picture of myself and produce a composite. I’d not prepared for this and could not remember where in the room the original picture was taken and I ended up taking a (bad) guess. A year later and Photoshop came to the rescue. You can see the resultant picture here.
Gas Engine
Ginger and Lanie in the Gas Engine House
A bad guess at where I should stand…
My Father (second from left) at the Eastney Gas Engine House. Image: Portsmouth Evening News -
Eastney Beam Engine House, Portsmouth
Eastney Beam Engine House Vacation Day 25 – Visit to Eastney Beam Engine House
I’ve no idea how many times I’ve visited this place over the years. It was a regular favorite to bring the boys to when they were younger, and my dad worked here as a volunteer.
What were these magnificent engines for?
… Pumping waste water (sewage).Lack of funding caused the place to be closed before I left Portsmouth in 2008, and I was very glad to hear it was open again. Unfortunately, the intervening years have left their mark, and there’s now a lot of rust and decay. The place used to be so well maintained and once a month one of the engines was brought up to steam. There was talk about that happening again once the boilers have been re-built and safety inspected. The other engine could be driven by an electric motor, just so that people could get an idea of the majesty of these fantastic pieces of engineering without the need to fire up the boilers. They tried to run the electric drive while we were there and I’m sad to say it didn’t work.
Flywheel and various connecting rods
Vacation Day 25 – Eastney Beam Engine House June 29, 2014 | Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved | www.breakfastinamerica.me/tagged/uk-2014/
High and Low Pressure Cylinder heads, Eastney Beam Engine House
High and low pressure cylinders – Eastney Beam Engine House
The ‘Beam’ of one of the engines.
Lanie at the Beam Engine House June 29, 2014 | Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved | www.breakfastinamerica.me/tagged/uk-2014/
Lanie at the Beam Engine House, Eastney, Porstmouth
Eastney Beam Engine HouseDespite my disappointment with the run-down condition of the beam engines, I was most surprised to find out that the Gas Engine house was open. I’ve not seen those in 25-35 years.
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Lanie at the Eastney Lifeboat Station
Lanie at Eastney Lifeboat Station. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Vacation Day 25 – Waiting for the Beam Engine House to Open
We had a lot to cram in today. Move digs from our friend Liv’s to my sister’s house, go to church, visit the Eastney Beam Engine House and a barbeque with Roy and Jan.
I’d like to say we had another warm welcome at my old parish church of St. Margaret’s, Eastney. But truth be told we were totally ignored. Which is quite a feat with a congregation of a dozen or so. I was very disappointed and the church got an anonymous mention in the diocesan magazine. I used them as an example of how not to treat visitors, along with zero marks for having no online presence. Because they had no online presence We had no way of checking what the service times were, in the end we resorted to a drive-by on Saturday night to check.
The Beam Engine House didn’t open until 1pm, so we had time to kick our heels and watch the boats go by at Eastney Point before they opened, which is where this picture was taken. On a point of Historical interest the concrete ‘lump’ seen in the distance behind the catamaran, is a left behind Mulberry harbour from D-Day.
St. Margaret’s Eastney (Pictures from June 2011)
St. Margaret’s Church, Eastney, Portsmouth. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
St. Margaret’s Church, Eastney, Portsmouth. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Fishbourne Roman Palace
Vacation Day 24 – Fishbourne Roman Palace Vacation Day 24 – Our final stop for the day
From Bosham we went to Fishbourne Roman Palace – which was very interesting. I thought Lanie would find it boring but she was fascinated to see things she’d previously read about in school.
I didn’t take many pictures as I thought the official website would have some. Apparently not. An image search on Google turned up some nice ones though.
Shards of melted and broken Roman Glass at Fishbourne Roman Palace 
Roman Glass at Fishbourne Roman Palace -
Holy Trinity Church, Bosham
Holy Trinity Church, Bosham Vacation Day 24 – Visit to Bosham
Holy Trinity Church was well worth a visit. It has a wooden shingle roof, which is quite unusual in the UK. You can read all about the church here.
Our friend, the photographically elusive, Liv manages to make a guest appearance in one of these pictures – but only just.
Holy Trinity Church, Bosham -
Lanie and Ginger – Bosham
Lanie and Ginger – Bosham, West Sussex Vacation Day 24 – Visit to Bosham.
We traveled from Cornwall back to Portsmouth on Thursday, where we stayed with our friend Liv. Friday was spent shopping before meeting up with friends for a drink in the evening. Come Saturday we went off for some sightseeing. And the first stop was Bosham.
Lanie – Bosham, West Sussex -
Lanie crossing the river
Lanie crossing the river. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Lanie couldn’t turn down the challenge to cross the river on a log.
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Pouty Girls
I have no idea…
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Our Cornish hosts, Ann and Bob plus Lanie & Ginger
I have known Bob since I was sixteen,
when he, and another life-long friend, Roy and I were on the same course at college. I’ve known Ann since I was in my early twenties. For over twenty years, we all made a point of getting our families together at least once a year on New Year’s Eve. It was a tradition that I am afraid I broke when I moved to the US.
Here’s a picture of us all back in the 1990s
It was nice to spend a couple of days with them, and a shame it couldn’t have been longer – but we have a night out in Portsmouth with friends Liv, Nigel and Nic organized, so tomorrow we must move on.
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Cairn – St. Nectan’s Glen, Cornwall
Cairn – St. Nectan’s Glen, Cornwall. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. The River Trevillet and particularly the area near the falls is chock-a-block with dozens of little stone cairns, just like this one.
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Charms at St. Nectan’s Glen
Charms hanging on a bush at St. Nectan’s Glen, an example of the things left by visitors to St. Nectan’s Keive. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Lanie and St. Nectan’s Kieve, St. Nectan’s Glen, Cornwall
Lanie in front of the 60ft waterfall at St. Nectan’s Klieve – St. Nectan’s Glen, Cornwall UK. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Vacation Day 21 – After a chance to dry out and warm up we visited St. Nectan’s Glen
The key attraction at St. Nectan’s Glen is St. Nectan’s Kieve Which is another name for a basin or plunge pool, that is hidden behind a hole in a rock wall. The waterfall behind Lanie is around sixty feet high.
This is supposed to be a thin space, full of mystical powers. Unfortunately, it didn’t do it for me. The talismans, notes, cairns, and charms left by visitors were touching but didn’t add to a feeling of mysticism.
Charms hanging on a bush at St. Nectan’s Glen, an example of the things left by visitors to St. Nectan’s Keive. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
Cairn – St. Nectan’s Glen, Cornwall. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
Lanie and some of the charms left by previous visitors. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Widemouth Bay Geology
Rock strata at Widemouth Bay, Cornwall. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I took Geology at school. That’s probably why I couldn’t resist taking this picture of the rock strata on the beach at Widemouth Bay. My geology teacher was also my form teacher in my last year at school. I have a picture of him (along with the rest of my form) here.
For more information about the geology try this site. Widemouth Bay is part of an area of Special Scientific Interest. To quote the SSI Document:
This site is comprised of extensive coastal exposures, where the typically developed basinal Namurian of south-west England is clearly exposed. The entire Namurian represented by the Crackington formation is visible within the site, and the presence of rare goniatites has been vital in unravelling the complicated local stratigraphy. The section provides an excellent display of the sedimentary features associated with shallow water turbidites, and is of considerable interest for its spectacular structural features. An outstanding site for studies of palaeogeography, sedimentation and tectonics.
You can read more about the SSI status in this SSI PDF file.
The site was also nominated to be on the ‘100 Great Geosites‘ list of the Geological Society.
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Lanie Goes Bodyboarding
Lanie and her (borrowed) board at Widemouth Bay Cornwall. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Vacation Day 21 – Not put off by the dreary weather and a complete lack of surf,
Lanie managed to persuade Ann to not only lend her a wet suit top and body board but, also to take her bodyboarding.
Not enthused by the weather – which was slightly drizzling, we followed along later to see how they were getting on. Despite the lack of surf, Lanie seemed to enjoy herself. Though it must have been really cold.
Nice board, shame about the lack of surf… Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
Nice board, shame about the lack of surf… Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
Nice board, shame about the lack of surf… Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
Nice board, shame about the lack of surf… Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
Lanie goes Bodyboarding Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
Lanie goes Bodyboarding Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
Lanie goes Bodyboarding Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Aberystwyth
View along the seafront at Aberystwyth, Wales. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Vacation Day 20 – Aberystwyth, Bristol, and then Cornwall
It would have been nice to spend a few hours looking around Aberystwyth. However, we had an appointment to get to in Bristol, and our plan was to be in Cornwall by the end of the day. We do like to give ourselves travelling challenges.
Belle Vue Royal Hotel, Aberystwyth, Wales. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I thought a seaside & student town like Aberystwyth would be teaming with hotels. No. Well, not that we could find anyway. After checking out a couple of below-par bed and breakfasts, I popped into the Belle Vue Royal Hotel and got a deal on two rooms as they didn’t have any family rooms available. Result. And the food was good too.
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Lanie and the sunset
Lanie and the sunset at Widemouth Bay, Cornwall. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. A last look at the sunset before we head back.
Lanie in the twilight. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Twilight Swimmers
Twilight Swimmers at Widemouth Bay, Cornwall. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Vacation Day 20 – Widemouth Bay, Cornwall
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Twilight Swimmers #2
Twightlight Swimmers #2, Widemouth Bay, Cornwall. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
