THE BAR

So this bar, as I said is located in Basingstoke. it's called LLoyds bar, and this is us, after just arriving...you'll notice the light streaming through the window? that's because it's early AFTERNOON, like...in the day? The fella just to the right of Mike (he's the one just to the left of Tommy) is called Tommy, lovely chap he is, I think he can drink more than Mike, although that might be a supercision...circumstition?.. a bit of a guess? The three girls facing that guy taking the photograph look quite happy don't they?

the organ player

The Church

The building was indeed impressive, the pipe organ was huge and I mwas lucky enough to walk in as this chap was rehearsing for that evening

Festival Place

Not that far from the train station is this mall called Festival Place, that should have been some sort of a warning but by this time we'd had a quick one so I just stuffed the thought into my back pocket eh?

We did a bit of shopping (Good prices) and while the gang were sitting having more I walked over to the church just across the road

the Railway Station

This is the station where the train arrives to take us to Bassingstoke, the one on the other side has just go thru the station on the other side doing 130 MPH...it was about this time that I started to feel a little apprehensive

Bassingstock

One Friday, Mike said to me, "Allen, tomorrow we're going to this town were we are going to meet two dear friends of ours, a married couple who we've known for years, so try not to embarras us too much alright?" He didn't say "Eh ", 'cause he's not Canadian eh! So just before we left to catch the train to Bassingstoke, I took this picture of the three reprobates standing in the kitchen, they look quite respectable don't they?..wish I'd known then what was in store for us all.

the hedgehog

I had a bit of a wander while we were waiting for "just one more" and saw stuff in there that you wouldn't believe. Antlers, stuffed badgers, otters, river rats, Mike of course, and Steve, and on the way out just above the door was this hedgehog watching all of us leave, a little worse for wear but when you consider that it'd been there since just after WW11, (that's the big one) it wasn't too bad, and I could swear there was still a bit of a glint in it's eye

The Falcon Pub

One luverlee day in spring, Mike and Ann's Daughter Michelle and her husband Steve, came over for a bit of a visit and Steve suggested that we go for a beer at this pub called the Falcon. He suggested that it had "An old world feel to it" So off we went for, "A beer". When we got there it was SO warm that after a beer, we thought we'd have, "just one more"

and a road sign to prove it too

We are REALLY familiar with Pangbourne!

This sign is "just up the hill" from that wellknown place Pangbourne,

In Canadian that means about 4 to 5 miles...but who's counting...

Pangbourne

Pangbourne!!!!

and still more of the Thames

And more of the Thames!!!!!

aqbout another mile or so...

There it was...

more of the Thames

This is more of the Thames, about a mile or two further on, pretty isn't it?

the Thames

This is the Thames river. I know, I know, it's a lot smaller than the pics from the plane, but that's because rivers are always quite large at one end and then they get smaller towards the other end...and this is the other end.
Anyway, we started walking towards Pangbourne, and we followed the river, just like Mike had mentioned

Pangbourne

Mike had told us about this lovely little village "Just down the road from the locks" so after having a bit of a tour around the locks we thought we'd take a brief stroll down to Pangbourne, he had said "Just follow the river" and so that's what we did...

3 hours later, there it was, Pangbourne. By this time, it had started to rain a little, so it was quite restful to find a local, sit down and have a quiet beer.

If we hadn't stopped for a beer, then we wouldn't have missed the last bus back to Purley on Thames. It's funny how the way back from somewhere is ALWAYS uphill...and raining!

But at the top of the hill, there it was, something for Annie to hang onto.

The Locks on the Thames

Just up the road from where Mike and Anne live there are set of locks

Mike and Annie

This is Mike and Annie in the back yard, on a sunny, warm afternoon in May, this was an especially

nice day, as Mike had introduced us to a couple of fine English beers, and a cider or two as well. We couldn't very well refuse now, could we!

more of the family

Mike and Anne also have a son, Mark is his name. the girls tell me that he's a goodlookin sonof a gun, can't see it meself though. this picture was taken in the family's back yard, and a very nice one too it is.

Le Doves

Just so's ya know, you need to go to the bottom to see all of the pics in the order they were added to the blog, K? It's a bit like reading a book, you really should start at the beginning eh!

Mike has doves, white ones, they live in his and Annes back garden, they have their own house and are a loving lot, 'cep' when they decide to visit other doves in other places, then they're gone for awhile, little buggers they are, but pretty...very pretty!

Our hosts and dear friends, Anne and Mike

Just about 2 hours west of Heathrow, about 2 hours, is the town of Reading. We took the bus from the airport to Reading, were we were met by Mike in his Mercedes, and driven to their beoutiful home in a small village called,"Purley on Thames".Their house is located about half a block from the Thames River, just down from the Locks

over the Thames

Although because of the delay we landed at Heathrow over a 1/2 hour late, it did give us an oppurtunity to take some great sgots over london.

That's the Thames River down below, bridges and all!

Next!

Over London!!

we were held over London and had to do circles because of the storm we ran into

The Beginning

So here we go!

This is were it all started, the Bon Voyage party in the Maple Ridge Legion the weekend before we left. (was it really last April?)

In the beginning