Month: May 2018

The South Coast – Hurst Castle & a Walk from Milford on Sea

A warm [at last] two kilometre seaside hike on a shingle peninsula from Milford on Sea to Hurst Castle.  As you can see from the photos below Hurst Castle is not the prettiest and quite utilitarian in appearance.  It was established by Henry VIII on the Hurst Spit in Hampshire between 1541 and 1544. It was at the time one of the most powerful forts on the coast to protect England from the French.
We took a small ferry ride back to Key Haven.  In keeping with our critter theme, there’s a photo of a fetching sailor dog piloting our ferry.
From Key Haven we took a meandering meadowland walk to our bus connection at Milford on Sea.
We were only three quarters of a mile from the Isle of Wight, another day day out we have planned within a couple of weeks.
A summery day with the Isle of Wight in the background

 

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The Ombudsman & UK Immigration

This is the body of our most recent letter to the Ombudsman:

As per our previous correspondence we had on three occasions requested a response from UKVI to our letter of review request submitted to them on September 15, 2017.  We now have a copy of their letter dated October 16, 2017 that was the subject of those requests.

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Our Extended Neighbourhood – Roadtrip with Friends

We had an enjoyable visit with our dear friends James and Angela, who visited while on their way to Scotland.

We had a great time showing them around Bournemouth, Salisbury, Stonehenge, Corfe, and Swanage.

A highlight was the 25 minute ride on a historic steam train through the Purbeck Hills past the Corfe Castle.  The observation train car we were in has a colourful history.

The car was used to transfer injured service men during the Second World War.  Then, for thirty years it resided in San Francisco as a dining car in a restaurant before being returned to Swanage and restored to the revered tourist train of today.

 James and Angela are now off to Edinburgh, Inverness and Stornoway.   We wish them a great journey!

 

Tea time
These guys are regulars where we had tea. Unlike Canada most restaurants welcome well behaved dogs, adding to the charm of lunch or dinner.

 

Train at Swanage

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Clothing

Generally, clothes are more expensive in the UK than in Canada, so I have tempered my purchases here.

What is appealing is the selection here.  There are some beautiful lines available only in Britain. I could not resist the jacket below that cost me about $110 CAD.

My favorite clothing store in the UK is Primark.  Colourful, stylish garments and linens for the best prices you will find anywhere.  See the t-shirts in the second photo, chosen to go with my new jacket, for $3.60 CAD each!

It was colder here than expected, and a $20 dollar CAD Primark sweater gave me the extra layer I needed to get through the winter.

In the third photo, another fashion splurge. This is my Mulvern hat, purchased In Ireland for about $65 CAD.