Sunday 29 April 2012

Back in England Again

I arrived back in the UK on 18 April this year after a fantastic flight from Melbourne via Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei and Dubai on Royal Brunei Airways.

this is a link to their website http://www.bruneiair.com/australia/

I arrived in England to a cold and wet welcome.  The weather, apart from a couple of days has remained so with daytime temperatures usually ranging from 7 to 12 degrees C.  The rental car I picked up is a Vauxhall Meriva which is OK except for the fact that it has an electronic handbreak which disengages as you pull away.  It has taken some getting used to!!  http://www.vauxhall.co.uk/vehicles/vauxhall-range/cars/new-meriva/overview.html

After picking up Mum from My Cousin Alan's place in South Godstone we headed West.  Our first stop was Petworth House in West Sussex



Two Views of Petworth House
Daffodils in the Park at Petworth
Two Garden Features in the Park

We then stayed overnight at Amesbury (near Stonehenge) and the next morning we drove to the Village of Avebury in Wiltshire not far away.  Avebury is the site of many prehistoric sites as well as a very nice manor house

Mum in the main street
 Avebury Church
 Two views of Avebury Manor
The stone circles



The start of the stone avenue leading away from Avebury to the Sanctuary and the West Kennet Long Barrow
 The site of the Sanctuaru
Silbury Hill - apparentlythe biggest man made hill in Europe
 Two views of the West Kennet Long Barrow

 The Entrance

Inside the Long Barrow

We left at about Midday for Saltash, but stopped for Lunch at Devizes in Wiltshire beside the Caen Hill locks on the Kennet and Avon Canal which runs from Bristol to the Thames.  Whilst eating lunch, I found that there wer far more locks than the three I first noticed


Looking Downhill - A ladder of locks

Looking Uphill
Some nesting Swans aggresively defending their nest

Sunday 8 April 2012

Bob at home......

My recent travels around Victoria came about because my house was renovated and I had to move out whilst that was occuring.  So here are some photos of the house and the area in which I live - the small town of Millgrove in the Upper Yarra region of Victoria.
 The new driveway (completed midwinter 2011)
The house
 Two views of the new kitchen
The new bathroom (big shower, no bath!)
 Two views of the new Library
 The lounge
The Study
 Some views around the centre of Millgrove

The sunday market held on the 5th Sunday of the month.
This Market is co-ordinated bythe Millgrove Rsident's Action Group - the Shire of Yarra Ranges Community Group of the Year for 2012
MILLGROVE - A PLACE WE ARE PROUD TO CALL HOME
The Dee Road Bridge over the Yarra River
 Interesting Buildings nearWesburn - another small township near Millgrove (not sure what they were buit for but they look like Oast Houses)
Another bridge over the Yarra near Wesburn
 Two views of the Yarra Valley from the O'Shannasy Walking track the runs behind Millgrove
 The main street in Warburton - the larger town next to Millgrove
The War Memorial in Warburton
The Brisbane Bridge spanning the Yarra River in Warburton
 Two views of the Upper Yarra Dam near Warburton (and part of Melbournes Water Catchment)

 Myrlte Beach Trees and Tree Ferns on a road between Mt Donna Buang to Healesville.
Mount Donna Buang is situated behind Warburton and Millgrove and is the neartest Ski resort to Melbourne and caters for cross Country Skiing and toboganning
 
A view of Mount Riddell near Healesville further along that same road
 On the Warburton Railtrail - The Woori Yallock Creek near Woori Yallock
This railtrail follows the old railway line from Lilydale to Warburton
Killara Station (between Woori Yallock and Seville)