My 3rd week - June 10-16

June 10. Week 3.

Today’s Evensong was very special. It was to commemorate the Centenary of the end of World War One. The actual date of 100 years is in November, but it was decided to have this commemoration in Salisbury Cathedral earlier, as there will be so many events later in the years. On the green in front of the Cathedral, tents were up giving visitors an insight into the horrors of the so-called “The war to end all wars” which of course it wasn’t, and so many millions died during it. The worst war ever.  Both my grandfather in WW1 and father in WW2 were involved in those wars. I was very moved by it all and to be able to be at the commemoration.  Earlier that afternoon I went on the green to see the exhibits of the SSAFA - the organization that provides welfare for armed forces and their families, as well as veterans. The history tent was a mine of information , with many photos of the soldiers and locations. It gave me an insight into what my father’s family went through, firstly with my grandparents and then with my father, their only son. It was harrowing. There was also a mock-up of a trench on the battlefield showing how WW1 soldiers lived together, including a grisly medical tent. Children and young people these days simply cannot know what their families went through 100 years ago.

On a happier note was the sight of a 100 year old Bristol Scout airplane. It turned out grandsons of a WW1 pilot found artifacts he had collected and they decided to rebuild the plane their grandfather had used during the war. I was fascinated and one of the group including the grandsons, was happy to tell the story of the rebuild. I have a DVD of the rebuilding of the aircraft if anyone wants to watch it.

Before the service started, there was a march through the town of various organizations, together with a band and flag bearers, ending up at the cathedral being greeted by the Mayor of Salisbury and other dignitaries.

Getting ready to march into the Cathedral for the service.
The service was very moving, playing and singing all the hymns I had known since childhood - Nimrod really did me in. There wasn’t a dry eye throughout, even from the upright soldiers.

Afterwards of course there was a cup of tea for all (actually there was coffee as well) making me feel much better, enough to go to the Mayor and ask if I could take his photo with the regalia. I think by showing him my photos of the Mayor of Canterbury, he could not refuse and was very gracious.

The Lord Mayor of Salisbury

The badge of Salisbury

This is part of an exhibit of hearts made by the community shown in the library.

                                                So ended a very emotional day for Salisbury.

Here is the URL from the Salisbury Journal. Better than I can describe it.

http://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/16282541.WATCH__First_World_War_history_comes_to_life_in_Salisbury/

There is an area on the hills of Wiltshire where designs of badges from regiments all over the Commonwealth have been dug into the chalky earth.

The 100-year-old plane flown by the grandfather during WW1, restored by his grandson who now owns it and flies it at special events. I bought the DVD of how this plane was rebuilt by the grandson and is a fascinating video together with WW1 photos and films.  

June 11.

Another excursion out of Salisbury. This time to the Isle of Wight, across from Southampton. My landlady advised me to go by train as it only takes 29 minutes, - going by bus to Southampton takes longer and is somewhat comparable to the Long Island Expressway with the addition of branching off to narrow-streeted villages. Brits complain about their trains, but shouldn't, they don't realise how fortunate they are to have such excellent public transportation.  One of the things I enjoy when travelling, is meeting other travellers, and I did so on the train, a lovely couple from Melbourne, Australia. We had a good conversation  sharing our travel plans, they were staying on the mainland.  I had never been to the Isle of Wight, but no hassles at all. From the train to the bus to the super fast ferry, no worries. As a child, I had landed from and departed to South Africa from Southampton, but of course, I don't remember the town. We never went into the town from the docks, just got on and off the train from London onto the Union Castle ships (large at that time, small by the huge cruisers that are there now.) It was a gorgeous day, and thrilling to go fast across to the island, probably about 20 minutes or less and landing in the town of Cowes. Yes, that's the town that has the sailing races in August. Anyone who is anyone in the sailing world is there for that event. Other than that, it's a small quiet town with the usual pubs on the waterfront, eateries and upscale shops. I walked around and got information from the tourist office tucked away in a card shop. Since I was there only for the day, I decided to spend most of it at Osborne House, Queen Victoria's personal home. (This year is my Victorian project, not planned, just happened). I got instructions on how to get there, but ignored the one about taking a bus, being it only a 15-minute walk. So I walked, but it was more than 15 mins uphill. It was definitely worth it though. Osborne House was designed by Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert for them as a family house, not as a palace. After Queen Victoria died (her husband died years before, she was a widow for 40 years) none of her children wanted the property, which is somewhat baffling as it was an idyllic place for the children growing up. They even had their own Swiss Cottage for learning how to cook, plant vegetable and flower gardens and have lessons. Her son Edward V11, gave the house to the nation but kept some of the effects. The rest (and it's a lot) is still owned by the Royal Collection and is on loan to the house, so the furnishings are the originals, as when the family lived there.  I can't imagine where they could put anything else in the house, so much Victorian stuff! It's hard to describe. Here's one exquisite chandelier I loved.

Queen Victoria's desk

I added a lot of steps going around for a few hours, even forgetting to have lunch. Eventually, I went outside and caught the minibus to the children's Swiss Cottage. It would have been a nice walk through meadows and beyond to the beach, but the bus looked better. On the way out I stopped and had a sandwich, and walked to the bus stop. There were two sisters waiting for the bus, who had also been visiting Osborne House, and we chattered about our experiences of the visit. When the bus arrived and took us down the hill! we decided to walk around the town and have a drink in a pub on the waterfront, where my ferry was. The sisters were staying on the island and had to take another bus to Newport in the middle of the island. My first shandy (beer and lemonade UK/Sprite US).
Then back on the Superfast ferry (there are slower ferries that take cars).

The super-speedy ferry

Less than an hour to get back to my cabin. It had been a great day, and although I walked a lot, 17,000 steps, I was quite comfortable but glad to relax on the bed.

The next 3 days I stayed in Salisbury, mainly practising and working on the blog. It's a slow process some of the time, especially with the photos. There's always plenty of places to go walking.
On Thursday, Alison the flute player picked me up for rehearsal with the Millstream Orchestra. We have a good program for Saturday's performance, with a lot of variety so it's fun to play.
On the 15th, since I hadn't been walking much I found in the Salisbury guidebook a walk that I had not done. It started near my cabin at the bottom of the Close going the Harnham Gate (Harnham was originally a village, but now is part of Salisbury). Walking past the St.Nicholas Hospital circa 1215, now a group of almshouses, I continued over the bridge of the Avon River. Passing the Rose and Crown pub, 14th century, is a row of thatched houses, built with "cob" (a building material of a mixture of subsoil, straw, and sometimes lime).

The Rose and Crown

Going along a busy road for a short while led me into a recreation ground, all grass. By the river, John Constable painted many of his views of the Cathedral. It's not so easy nowadays to see the Cathedral as the tree growth has obscured some of these views. Continuing on by the river, I turned a corner and knew exactly where I was, one of my favorite walks from when I was there in 2014/5, but coming from the town. The Old Mill is on a site that had mills from the 12th c. From the Mill, the path meanders through the Harnham Water Meadows and into the Queen Elizabeth Park.

The Old Mill

I want this cottage 

After that good walk, I was ready for the second rehearsal with the symphony. I am glad to learn this mass by Rossini and look forward to the rehearsal with the choir on Saturday. We're getting a lot of publicity!

June 16

Meryl and I had a lunch date in Fordingbridge where the Millstream orchestra was performing later in the afternoon. Great excitement for us both as Nia was playing her songs on the radio and we could see it live. The poor waitresses were trying hard to get our orders, but we were stuck close to our phones. We did eventually have a good lunch. Here is the URL of the full hour.

 https://www.facebook.com/visualradioarts/videos/2050885778457280/

On to the next musical event in our family with me playing in the orchestra at St. Mary's the local church which was hosting a  Festival of Music and Arts. It was beautifully decorated with flower arrangements, exhibits of photographs, paintings, lace making and many more.

Our Irish conductor, great to work with.