Chapter Selection Menu: P 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 E Next>>
Mission Visits the UK - England & Wales, May 2013
Chapter 13th - Gareth 5, Elizabeth & Travel
Chapter 13th: Friday's events - A bit about Hay-on-Wye and their Literary Festival; More info on breakfast at Pen Y Parc; Of Merlin and his family and the Patrick Hand Original™ Planter's Hat; Gareth's Garden; How your author failed at wrangling sheep; Speaking of Elizabeth; Driving to Torquay in Devon and arriving at Villa Marina Guest House;
Richard Booth's Book Store in Hay-on-Wye
Having cream tea, which you all must really put on your bucket lists and an evening in Torquay.
Gareth's wife Elizabeth was supposed to arrive this morning so we could spend some time together. We had had such a good time chatting via email that I was looking forward to it. Gareth had earlier suggested we might go into Hay-on-Wye for lunch.
Hay-on-Wye is a small town with something like thirty book shops in it, all thanks to Richard Booth who set up a second-hand book store in an old fire station in the town in the 60s. This put Hay-on-Wye on the literary map. (You didn't even know there was a literary map, did you. It's on the opposite wall from the Mappa Mundi.)
The Hay Literary Festival, which I briefly mentioned on the previous page, was started in 1988 and has become a well known celebration of all things bookish. While going there with Elizabeth would have been an interesting outing, she unfortunately wasn't able to make it to the farm until later in the day. So I was going to miss her.
Although
The Pen Y Parc House, Patio and Barn (Merlin lives in the Barn)
I didn't mention the details of breakfast yesterday, I thought it worth telling because I immediately started making the same thing for myself when I got back home to the States. Gareth had been making us a breakfast of thin-sliced smoked salmon finely chopped and scrambled into fresh-laid eggs. (Since Pen-Y-Parc sells eggs, this only made sense.) The eggs were very, very good. The way they scramble eggs here is different than most places do it in the US. They are creamier and more uniform in texture. I'm not quite sure how they do that, but it results in a delightful egg. This is then piled onto toast and eaten with hot coffee. Yummy indeed.
You may wonder at these frequent discussions of eggs. What can I say? I love eggs. Regular readers will know they get mentioned repeatedly in the Journals. They even have their own scholarly article. (Plus, there's nothing like scrambled eggs and toast after a long night of carousing, something that seems to happen far too often at pirate events.)
Gareth Trying to Put the P. Hand Hat on Merlin
Following breakfast, Gareth took me on a tour of his farm. We first visited Merlin, his beloved little donkey and tried to get the Patrick Hand Original™ hat on him so I could get a photo. Merlin wouldn't stand for it, however. He actually charged me a couple times while I was in his enclosure, which is more alarming than it might sound. There's a lot more heft to a charging Merlin than there is to a stationary Mission! So we left Merlin to his own devices.
Gareth stopped on the way out of the barn to feed the hens, who, based on breakfast, were most deserving of their feed. (I mention this mainly because I got photos and I wanted to use them here.
Since
Evie Resisting the Patrick Hand Hat
(Notice Lorenzo's Expression)
Merlin wasn't being cooperative, we visited his mother and father (Lorenzo and Evie) who were ruminating in an adjacent field. Up until now, I had thought that Merlin was the sole donkey on the premises, but I was clearly wrong.
This made me more curious about Merlin. Elizabeth told me that he was born in July 2008, making him five as of this writing. She also mentioned that his parents were both 11 years old, "assuming the people we bought them off were telling the truth/knew how old they were then."
Photo: The Bagleys
Lob, Having Other Plans
Gareth tried gamely to get the Patrick Hand hat on each of them, but they didn't seem to like it laying on their ears. We finally had to give that plan a miss.
Even if they didn't like that hat, I think they would have been delighted with Lob, had he been here. He doesn't have anything to do with their ears, after all. If he sat on them, it would probably either be on their backs or under their hooves.
I can even envision a donkey/monkey tug-of-war taking place, Lob being the monkey in the middle, both figuratively and literally in this situation. I know this would have amused and delighted many of my Surgeon's Journal readers out there, but, alas, Lob was still back in the States. (I think Michael Bagley had trouble getting him a passport based on his criminal record. Interpol is still looking for Lob, last I heard. But that story will have to wait for another time.)
 The Pen Y Parc Hens - I forget their breed, although I was told |
 Evie and Lorenzo Regard Your Author Warily (With Good Reason) |
From there
Gareth Gazing at his Garden
we proceeded into another field to view a little copse of trees that Gareth had planted around a natural ground spring that welled up from the ground. He explained to me that the spring flowed year round. There was a pond at the foot of the stream, which had been formed in part when Gareth's father had buried a liner in the ground 30 years ago. Unfortunately the liner had a hole in it now and it only filled part-way. One of the many projects Gareth plans to undertake when he retires is to find the hole and fix it.
He also plans to clean up the area around the spring and put a green wood man in there in honor of the people who probably used the spring millennia ago. He said something about a plan for wooden walkway and a swing or bench on the site as I recall. He noted that this was one of he and Elizabeth's favorite spots on the farm.
He pointed out some Shepherd's Purse in the garden, which I took a photo of because I keep coming across in it in the 17th century medicinal recipes. To show you the lack of depth of my understanding of medicinals, I thought Shepherd's Purse was the yellow flower in the photo, when it is actually the dark purple one behind it. (This according to Wikipedia.) So enjoy the yellow flowers even though I have no flipping clue what they are.
 The Pen Y Parc Spring Source - It's actually to the right of the big tree |
 Photo: Borrowed A Green Man Carving |
 Shepherd's Purse (The purple stuff in the back; I don't know what the yellow flowers are. |
A Pen Y Parc Hedge with Tree... and Inmates - Badger-face, Evie and Lorezo
Gareth then gave me a lesson in hedges, explaining that most of the hedges were not planted that way, but were remnants of the plants that had been cleared out to create fields.
He revealed that you can tell the age of a hedge by how many species it has in a small section. In the place we were standing, he found six species in his hedge, meaning it was at least 300 years old. (This is according to some society that apparently keeps track of such things in the UK.)
Welsh farmers do plant trees in their hedges, presumably to give them variety and a pleasant appearance as well as to help bump cars back onto roadside when they stray too far into the hedges.
We wandered into yet another hedged field where a bunch of sheep were grazing. Gareth was planning to catch a
Gareth Calling His Sheep - Who Came Running Immediately
baby lamb for me to hold and pose with for this Journal. I might even have put the Patrick Hand Original™ Planter's hat on it if the lamb would stand for it. So he called the sheep, who came running at the sound of his voice. He had told me that the sheep regarded him as their shepherd (which he was) so they all ran to the gates when he called.
However, as much as they loved Gareth, the sheep were also very shy about me. They wouldn't even go through the open gate if I was standing near it. I tried to stay behind the hedge, but the second they saw any part of me, they dodged and ran the other way.
Gareth suggested if I stooped down, I could hide and catch one coming through the gate, but that seemed like a dubious proposition to your author. Some of the sheep had loose bowels because of the richness of the pasture they were in and it didn't seem prudent to try to grab one and run the risk of squeezing a diarrheic sheep. (I still had several hours to drive and I couldn't see how being coated in runny sheep dip would make the trip more pleasant. Besides, what would the rental car agency say?)
Sheep Glad to See Him, But Wary of Me
In addition to trying to catch one for me, he was also calling them to move them from one field to another. He did this regularly so that they didn't graze too long on rich fields (for reasons already mentioned) and to keep the fields tidy. Plus the sheep just seemed to get a kick out of it.
After he had gotten them all into the new field and closed off the old one, some of them were frisking about, literally jumping up and down like white fuzzy dolphins leaping. (OK, that's an odd simile, but it did look like that.) I asked him
Gareth and Elizabeth, Key West 2012
This is the Photo I Sent Trudi to Make the
Bears Clothing From.
why the sheep was doing that. "They're just happy to be in a new field." I guess you take pleasure in the small things if you're a sheep and your world view consists of fields, food and diarrhea.
Gareth had to work that day, but he said I was welcome to stay as long as I liked. Before he left, I gave him a thank you gift of a pair of bears dressed in the British military outfits he and Elizabeth wore in Key West last year.
Like the Twins Bears, these were made by Trudi Dufrense and were wonderfully detailed and well-crafted. He was delighted, calling them "Brilliant!" and said they would try to bring them to Key West next time they come. That way he could show them off to people so that they could see how neat they were. This might also send some business to Trudi who does such a good job on these bears for me. Gareth then left for work - I was sorry to see him go.
 Gareth and His Bear |
 The Trudi Bears in Their New Home at Pen Y Parc |
 Gareth and Elizabeth Bears |
Now I have talked quite a bit about Gareth in both this and the 2012 Fort Taylor Pyrate Invasion Journal, but I've not said much about Elizabeth. This is mostly because, having never really talked to her face-to-face, I don't have as many good stories about Elizabeth. However, I picked up a few things in my travels with Gareth, both from him and other people I met who knew her. From Gareth, I learned that Elizabeth majored in Anglo-Saxon at Cambridge
Photo: Poppa Ratsey
Elizabeth in Key West in 2012 Wearing
The British Uniform She Made
University and knows seven languages. This had something to do with her work in London, although I'm not certain what it is she does. I have the impression it is important.
I also happen to know that she made both she and Gareth's outfits which they wear in Key West. And I suspect she is something of an introvert (as I am, although you may or may not believe that), which I deduce from not being able to find many photos of her from Key West to put here.
Everyone agreed that Elizabeth has (as Gareth might put it) a cracking good sense of humor. (I know she likes these Journals, so have proof of this.) Debbie, owner of the Olde Tavern in Kington told me she was very quick-witted and frequently made wonderful dry humorous comments, one of which she shared with me and that I've (naturally) forgotten. (It's my MO.)
\Gareth told me that the Viceroy was a huge fan of Elizabeth's in part because of her sense of humor. When they first met in Key West, the Viceroy shot a Monty Python quote at her which she picked up and ran with. I guess they've traded Monty Python gags for quite some time since then. (Something you never see in these Journals.)
"Aunt Bethan... does your cat, by any chance, eat Jello?"
Also telling are some of Gareth and Elizabeth's delightfully silly traditions, which speak highly of the pair of them IMHO. One such tradition came from Christmas Vacation. Whenever they come to Key West, they make sure to bring packages of lime-green Jello back with them so they can have it at their Christmas Dinner. (Although Gareth didn't say they didn't, I'm going to assume they don't put cat food in it. Or maybe they do that for Merlin's portion.) When they serve it, they toast America, which I think is just neat. Gareth explained that they have to get the Jello while they're in the States because they don't sell lime green Jello in the UK. (I've had lime-green Jello and I personally think this speaks highly of their good taste in the UK. Then again, without, how could anyone have the Christmas Vacation-inspired toast? You know?)
I heard several other good stories about Elizabeth that I sorely wish I had written down, but with missing my evening computer entry time on Wednesday, I failed in that regard. I was even more sorry not to have seen her because I was looking forward to sharing more about Elizabeth with you all. I'm probably not even going to get to see her in Key West this year because she and Gareth will likely miss the Fort Taylor Pyrate Invasion so they can walk the battlefields in the Falkland Islands this year. Gareth fought there during the battle and the window in which they can do this is quite small. Gareth was most unhappy to have to make such a decision.
The Dining Room Table With Cannon Legs
I kicked around the house for a while, trying to catch up on the Journal notes so that I wouldn't forget everything that happened.
I also took some pick-up photos of things to share with you all; everything in Gareth and Elizabeth's house seemed to have a story attached to it. For example, the dining room table was custom made a few years ago and had the legs designed after cannon barrels. There were literally dozens of things like this in the house. Unfortunately, if I explained everything like that, this Journal would have to be a couple of chapters longer, so I have to pick and choose.
With that in mind,
Unrecognizability Rating: 53%
I wanted to mention the coracles and the cannonball. The coracles (one of which is seen below left) are little boats that Elizabeth and Gareth
made. As she explained, "They're astonishingly stable once you're sitting in them, and very easy to manoeuvre. Also completely silent (of course) so you tend to find the wildlife just comes right up to you. You need a calm day though - they get blown everywhere if there's a breeze." She suggested that it was a pity they didn't get me in one, which I took to be a joke.
The cannonball, seen below right, was something that had been turned into Gareth's father when he was a policeman. Gareth had inherited it. Based on the field it was found in, It was probably used in the Battle of Wooster in 1651, shot, no doubt, by one of Reginald Jeeve's relatives..
 A Coracle Boat Upstairs in the Barn |
 The Battle of Wooster Cannonball |
Mission Successfully Driving Wales' Backroads Solo
I had enjoyed my stay in Pen Y Parc, but I was also excited to move on to the next phase of the trip. So I plunged onto the back roads of Wales for my first solo flight. I am proud to say that I was able to seamlessly navigate the roads without Gareth. This only goes to prove that you can get used to anything.
The drive from Pen Y Parc to Torquay was mostly uneventful, although the last 6 miles took forever due to construction. I must confess that I was forced to revise my opinion of roundabouts slightly after this trip.
In very odd fashion they had decided to put roundabouts in the middle of the freeway (or motorway as they call it here.) When I got to these mid-motorway roundabouts, I frequently found myself in the wrong lane for where I wanted to go. However, the natural confusion generated by said roundabouts allowed me to get in the right lane without having to drive like a complete idiot tourist.
Then again, if they hadn't put the roundabouts in the middle of the freeway, I wouldn't have had this problem, now, would I? Still, I grudgingly admit roundabouts can be useful sometimes.
The Villa Marina Guest House - A Welcome Sight
As a result of all those last 6 miles, I arrived a bit frazzled. I was greeted by Villa Marina Guest House co-owner Pete Fisher. Pete checked me in and showed me to my room. He then asked if I'd like a tea. "I would love a tea." And I meant it. "Cream tea?" he asked. I told him I didn't know what this was, but I'd like to try it. When in Devon...
It turns out that cream tea was something of an area specialty. It included a scone, clotted cream, jam and, of course, tea. "There you are. You can either put the cream on first or the jam, different people prefer it different ways." Pete said this with a laugh.
Later I discovered that the 'cream versus jam' first debate had occupied thousands, perhaps millions of pub-centered discussions in the UK. I tried it both ways and couldn't see the difference (other than the fact that the jam first method made the heavier clotted cream a bit harder to spread.) Either way, it was yummy and just the balm required for the last 6 miles of driving.
I spent
Photo: Wiki User Tuxraider
Cream Tea - Although Not Nearly as Nice as I Had at Villa Marina
a leisurely evening wandering around the tourist market area, buying Simon Pegg's Autobiography (Nerd Do Well) and having Fish and Chips in a local pub. I had this mostly so I could try mushy peas. I've never had mushy peas. (You know what? They are exactly like what you’re probably thinking they are like.)
While I was in the pub, a little guy standing at the bar heard me ordering and struck up a conversation. He asked me about my home town and then told me about his. He used to be a tailor, but now he said he was making devices "for splitting water into hydrogen and oxy-gen" so that the cars were more efficient.
We chatted a bit more about this and that, he wished me a good rest of my trip and left. Now, being a slightly cynical American, I had thought this chap was angling for me to buy him a drink. When I later reported this series of events Ed Fox, he said if I had bought this guy a drink, he'd have responded by buying the next round. There is really so much to like about an English pub..