Travel Through The United Kingdom on a Harley-Davidson
By Peter & Kay Forwood
The United Kingdom on a Harley (12/1/10 - 14/1/10)
Distance 129 km (553150 km to 553279 km)
This is part of the sixteenth section of our
around the world trip.
Complete Trip Overview &
Map
Coming from Norway
or read our previous visit to the United
Kingdom
12/1/10 Two hours later, a train, and boat, plus a
short walk and we were back at Grant and Susan's place.
13/1/10 It snowed overnight and continued all morning, and yet again
Gatwick Airport closed and remained closed all day. The motorcycle sat
outside in England's coldest winter in 30 years according to the
weather
bureau's report. We rested inside, watched the second of Grant and
Susan's two DVD set "On The Road" (Part of the
Achievable Dream series of DVD's) enjoying it as much as the first.
We have been travelling inside a window of opportunity, a 14 year
window, a time when our parents have been healthy and active and our
three children have been young adults finding their way independently,
but that window seems to be slowly closing. Both Kay's and my mothers
are still looking after themselves, but both are now quite "mature",
plus our first grandchild was recently born, and there are prospects of
our other two children marrying
in the not too distant
future with
possibilities of more grandchildren, so being away from Australia for
10 months of each year is becoming more selfish. Bonnie, a professional
editor, normally working on documentaries, has assisted Grant and Susan
put together the "On The Road" DVD set, and has somewhat
voyeuristically got to know most of the participants of the video. The
second of the two DVD's finishes with an excerpt of an interview where
I state our trip will likely finish with either the death of the
motorcycle or my death, with me naturally preferring the death of the
motorcycle. Bonnie was therefore surprised when we announced, in the
future we would
only be travelling for six months of the year, starting now. Feigning
concern that the DVD would already be outdated, her comments raised Kay
to wittingly retort that, "As the motorcycle's original engine recently
died, the
motorcycle is now half dead, so we are going to travel just half
of the
time". Bonnie is currently working on the next two DVD series, "Gear
Up", so I hope our change of plans hasn't changed her view towards our
trip, editors have enormous powers to "cut".
14/1/10 We had planned to leave for France yesterday but our moving
from travelling for a lifestyle back to travelling in trips kept us in
London. Being in Australia for six months of the year clearly exceeds
our family's obligation or tolerance for our staying with them, so
while we were recently in Australia we looked at alternatives, and one
was the purchase of a rural block of land, within a reasonable distance
of Brisbane, where our children live. 65 Hectares (160 acres) of a
steep sided valley dropping to a seasonal creek with 4x4 access, no
electricity, no structures, heavily timbered with no improvements
caught our eye and with the the economic downturn happening, our
ridiculously low offer was recently accepted. Buying land half way
around the world is no easy matter so while we had the use of phone,
scanner, printer and internet, we attempted to accomplish as much as we
could. The land project, like our travels,
is designed as a
continuous
work in progress, never to be completed. Perhaps a caravan, then a
shed, and should we live long enough, a house might appear on the
block, but then they might not. We chose the location for remote
solitude close to facilities, and everyone is welcome to visit,
particularly those strong young ones, as there could be much to do, or
perhaps we will just sit out front of the caravan listening to the
bell birds, watching the kangaroos and koala that live in the area. At
least now, while we are travelling the world, or whatever we do within
reason, we will be sequesting carbon, as seven hectares of timbered
land is considered to equal the average Australian's carbon footprint,
so, counting ourselves, three children and one grandchild we should be
carbon negative, plus we have carbon surplus for another three
grandchildren.
15/1/10 The snow of two days ago had melted and was washed away by
yesterdays rain and with as much done on our property purchase we no
longer had an excuse to continue to accept the hospitality of Grant and
Susan so at 9.30am in near freezing
temperatures, fully kitted up for
the weather, we rode to Dover and caught the midday ferry to Boulogne,
France, and started heading towards Morocco.
Move with us to France
or go to our next visit to the United Kingdom