A Bournemouth Sojourn

Dot, Max, Rebecca and I have 10 days in the UK and these are nearly over. Things are so hectic that I've barely had time to open this BLOG. The first three nights were spent in Poole, the next four in Plymouth, and the current three days in London. After our long journey, the first day in the Bournemouth area was quiet and relaxed. In the morning we met up with my long-time friend and his wife, Jean at Phil's apartment in Poole. Their daughter, Helen, then appeared with 10 month old son Jenson. This was particularly good for Max as he had someone to entertain and play with - and judging by Jenson's expression and Max's enthusiasm the chemistry worked.

Late morning we headed off to nearby Christchurch for lunch with Cousin Eric, his wife, Sue and daughter Laura. Alas for Max, no children of his age appeared, and his was rather restrained by the surroundings in which we nattered fast and furious about the past, present and future. Beck paired up with Laura, and I found much in common with Eric especially. He is into film-making and is much better at it than I am. After a lovely lunch, most of us headed off for a quick tour of Christchurch, somewhere I'd never previously visited, It's very historical and one place we visited was recorded in the Doomesday Book. Max became much more interested in seeing the castle and its surrounds - he's becoming quite an expert on keeps and that sort of thing.

Then history gave way to an hour on the beach, though not under best conditions. The beach had a mixture of pebbles and sand, to which recent storms had added a layer of seaweed debris. The weather was also cool, a feature continued in Plymouth.

Then it was off to a Poole restuarant for an evening meal and an early night! After a fast early morning (6.30am) walk from Canford Cliffs (Poole) to Bournemouth Pier (about 7km return), we had to book Dot on a bus to Exeter, and do a bit of banking and shopping (in Poole) before heading off to the great attraction of the day, Corfe Castle near Swanage. Max loved this as it was much larger and better preserved than the castle at Christchurch. He was able to run around, climb walls, and take part in a historical quiz about the castle and its grounds. The return journey took us via Studland Bay to the chain ferry across to Sandbanks at the entrance to Poole harbour - another feature of interest to Max. Better still, the ferry was delayed by the sailing of a car ferry (Cotentin) to Brittany in France and it sailed close by.

The next morning saw us depart for Plymouth by car, with Dot on the bus to Exeter because of excess luggage and persons that the car could not accommodate, but this is for another post.
AS