Fri 13 April Lincoln Bye bye Bessie

So we have come to the end of our Grape Escape to UK and Europe.

The new owners arrived at 10am, they were very experienced motorhomers having had 8 previous caravans and motorhomes. So it was an easy handover.

So ends the journey of our adventures over here, the end of this chapter with a new chapter to start soon in New Zealand, so much we haven't seen there, especially in the South Island.

So it's a sad farewell but we look forward to making more memories down under.

Blog over and out xox❤

Thurs 12 April 8° Streatham to Lincoln - Our last drive in Bessie

It would have been Mum's birthday today and our last drive in Bessie so doubly sad today.

Grey, wet morning for our last drive. Traffic not too bad but lots of roadworks.

Merky day almost a fog.

Stopped to fill LPG for new owners £10 14.6 ltrs .68p.

Arrived at Pat and Les and reversed in so easy to drive away tomorrow.

Had a look at their new motorhome,  very impressive lots of bells and whistles.

Swept out inside Bessie, carpets and floors, last tidy, left heater on low overnight so it's warm for handover in the morning,

Tony washed the outside so she looked perfect for her new owners.

Into Ruby 3 for pre dinner drinks, very cosy...then indoors for curry dinner. Good catch up.

Wed 11 April 9° Streatham

Grey dry day as we pack our bedding up jn to the giant stripe bag...it's huge...not heavy but very awkward  to carry...what a job, we managed it, the  back again to Bessie which is a 10 to 15 mins  walk depending on how heavy the load we are carrying.

Cleaned bathroom, and cab all ready to go tomorrow, just the carpets and floor when we get to Lincoln ready for handover.

Had lunch then showers ready to go out tonight with Jenna for her birthday to see musical 42nd Street tap dancing 40s show, tickets were £25 in the stalls that Jenna said was a very good price.

Met Jenna after work and walked up to Dury Lane and chose an Italian restaurant, most had 20% off with theatre tickets. Seafood linguine and proseco for Jenna and I Tony had chicken and mushrooms and a wine £73.

Fabulous show, the theatre was not full and saw some people move further up front, so we did the same and into £75 seats. .....cheeky but no one said anything .

Lula was the star...that was a bonus...great 40s costumes and tap dancing,  really enjoyed it.

After we had our guide ....being Jenna..taking us round different streets  telling the history made better by the merky drizzle and dark low lit streets where such history passed over many years. Then to her favourite building the Royal Courts of Justice... like a castle all lit up stunning.

Very nice evening.

Tues 10 April 9° Streatham

Dry day today, fridge off and cleaned...getting close now, last sleep tonight then bedding and final bits round to Jenna & ALex ready for drive up to Lincoln.

Cut Tony's hair and beard trim.

Egg and bacon branch,  repacked bags to make 23kg with 2 bags strapped together to make 1. After all the bending and lifting my back is still pain free yeahhhhh..Long may it last.

Thai turkey and rice for dinner, J & A out tonight so we went to the Mere Scribbler to watch champions league football.

Mon 9 April 8° Streatham

Wet overnight and this morning, pain free sleep again just a few twinges this morning,  but nothing much thank goodness.

Polished all the woodwork,cupboards now empty, took a few more bits and pieces round...amazing how much stuff you get in the space of a motorhome and now it all has to come out.

After lunch walked up to laundromat  £6 wash £2 dryer.......oopppppss shrunk Tony's Mareno jumper....oh well it fits me haha......his loss my gain...but will try to unshrink it.

Prawn stir fry for dinner and Alex baked another banana loaf...oh no deliciously dangerous...we ate it all...eekkkkk haha yum.

Sun 8 April 9° Streatham

As we take another bag round, we passed a Lambeth Council CCTV van with cameras on top. We told him where we were parked for 3 days and was it ok, he said no problem at all, so we felt very relieved.

Jenna and Alex were out for a friend's birthday lunch,  Tony watched the Golf Masters , Patrick Reed won, Tony had a £1 on him so won £10,  I caught up on the blog. My back still pain free!

Sat 7 April 11° Streatham

Woke up after a very good, pain free sleep, my back and hip didn't ache all night and still pain free....fabulous feeling of freedom with no constant pain yeahhhhh.

Grey sky but warm and sunny, drove to Clapham Common to give Bessie a run although batteries all good from recent sunshine.  Traffic busy with Saturday sports and a circus on the common, like Wimbledon very narrow 2 way road, ok for lunch but not for overnight.

Daffodils out very pretty...spring has sprung, after lunch back to Lewin...straight into a diversion eeekkk...but traffic easing off now as morning sports finished.

Back to Lewin found a park opposite where we were previously, a lady parked ,got out of her car and yelled at us that this street is for resident parking not camping. She went straight into her flat,  we didn't see which one she went into  so Tony rang several doors but no one came out, so he wrote a note to put under her wipers, explaining we are here for a funeral visiting family nearby and apologised for the inconvenience, other neighbours not bothered at all, said no problem.

Told Jenna she said just a moaner, she doesn't own the street parking and not to worry.

We packed up our food and fridge contents to take round to Jenna and Alex.

Jenna and Alex out food shopping,  cooking pork roast for dinner. It was delicious, Dan their best man came and brought apple pie and cream for desert.

Lovely evening catching up and chatting. Back to Bessie.....5 more sleeps....

Fri 6 April 9° Streatham

Pat and Les to pick up Ruby 3, exciting for them. Checked emails and incoming photos of Fiona for memorial.

After weighing our bags decided that weight was not a problem it was the capacity as can't get 4 bags that we came with into 3 that we can take back.

Lovely warm sunny day as we walked up the high street to look for large suitcase.......found 2 big enough but £50 each so bought a giant stripy bag from Chinese shop  £3 and will get it shrink wrapped at the airport for extra strength.

We bought lunch at Aldi and back to Bessie to eat it.

Train to Balham, underground Northern line to London Bridge the Jubilee line to North Greenwich and the O2 where we were meeting with Jenna and Alex and Peter, to catch up re crematorium and memorial for Fiona.

We arrive with crowds of people everywhere, found out there was a Sam Smith show on so restaurants all very crowded.  Chose a Mexican outside the arena 1 1/2 hour wait, but then as people left to go to concert, we got in early.

Peter arrived with a walking stick as he was recovering from a hip replacement , we had a good catch up on events leading up to Fiona's going into hospital, a few laughs and a few tears from Peter, still very raw understandably,  but it was good for him as we shared memories and we had a very pleasant evening.

Peter has had a long standing faith in healing and he laid his hands on Tony's knee and prayed for healing......but it was my back that felt almost immediately relieved of pain....

Back to Jenna and Alex for coffee......no back ache or twinges the whole journey back....felt like a huge weight had been lifted off me. It's interesting that you don't know how bad it is until it's gone....great relief.

Thurs 5 April 4° Streatham

Early wake up from  workmen revonvating flats nearby. Gorgeous blue sky and sunshine, fresh spring day.

More packing up today and walked round with another bag, put our washing out on line but the sun didn't have much warmth in it.

Cooked turkey curry for dinner when they got home from work and Alex cooked a very tasty banana loaf for desert. Fun evening chatting and catching up.

Back to Bessie 10.30pm.

Wed 4 April 10° Streatham

Dry day today, we packed and sorted our bags.

Arranged to meet Jenna and Alex for movie at Wandsworth.  Tony walked to Tesco for pizza and glucosamine, bought a pizza but no high strength glucosamine.

Took another bag round to Jenna and Alex, very windy.   Had intended to have an early bite before we left, but we couldn't work the oven or the microwave......must get instructions haha.....so left uncooked pizza in the fridge.

Caught the train  to Clapham Junction....wow it was like a mini airport with lots of different food stalls and coffee bars. So Tony had a roast pork bun and I had a vege quiche.

Went into to super drug and found my glucosamine, met Jenna and Alex and they popped into sainsburys for a quick meal deal to eat in  the cinema.

Caught a bus to the cinema, there was a large mall, Jenna went into Pandora as she had been given a bracelet as a leaving gift, exchanged it for a slightly different one that fit better with charms.

The movie was Player One, a sci-fi virtual reality where people lived and played in the 'game'.....quite different but we enjoyed it.

Back to house for coffee and back to Bessie to sleep.

Tues 3 April 8° Streatham

Some building work nearby so a bit of a noise as the workers arrived, a mother said to her daughter look that's a kiwi, as they walked along past the motorhome,  very cute.

Packed 2 bags took one and a bag of washing round to Jenna and Alex. Grey day but did a load of washing,  a little breeze so put some of the washing on the line and the rest on the airer outside.

We had lunch, did our books and just pottered for the afternoon, photos from Prue of Fiona for the memorial so wrote a couple emails, brought washing in, locked up and went back to Bessie for dinner. Jenna and Alex late in tonight so will see them tomorrow.

Egg, bacon, mushrooms and tomatoes for dinner.

Mon 2 April 5° Wickham - Streatham

Keeping to the left side of the road we drove on a very grey, moist day through pretty villages and past green pastures.

We went via Cobham Services the Shell station had coach and RV dump point £5 tokens from service station.....a not very happy or helpful attendant said it had been broken for a year...who told us to come with here...not working....

Drove via Wimbledon to see the Wombles and to check out the wild camping site in case we need to move...very nice in the Common with lots of dog walkers but very narrow parking strip along the edge of the Common footpath.

On to Streatham...came to a diversion and the sat nav couldn't work out were to go, followed the diversion signs and just took us round in a big loop....so followed the sign to Streatham,  but it brought us in down the High Street and down Jenna and Alex road which we can't turn out of into Lewin so had to turn round doing go back up their road left and left into Lewin.

It was chocker full only one space left.....just for us......so may not be able to stay for whole week so another wild camp at Clapham Common a bit closer than Wimbledon so can go for a drive in a day or so and check it out.

Had a coffee, packed a few bits to take round to Jenna and Alex at 4.30 for dinner and the evening.

We arrived at their house but they weren't home yet, so went over to pub opposite for a beer while we waited. Portuguese type surprise behind us as they arrived haha, finished our drinks and went home.

Alex cooked a delicious chilli and rice for dinner and we had bubbles to accompany the meal. Made a few plans including a movie on Wed and dinner at the O2 with Peter on Friday.

Lovely catch up then went back to Bessie  for the night.

Sun 1 April 5° Wickham, Roebuck Inn

10am knock on the door, they had to check out and brought their 'breakfast' with them. A paper bag, with 2 muffins, 2 muesli bars, 2 dairy mouse cartons, 2 cartons of juice.....at £95 for bed and breakfast we all thought was a bit steep to say the least, even if it was Easter.

We had booked Sunday lunch and went in  at 12.30 Ian had Lamb, Tony had Pork, Heather and I ordered beef.....it was rare, stringy and we could hardly cut it. They apologised said it was a new batch of beef and replaced both meals. The veg and potatoes were yummy and the 2nd beef was perfect. Easter cornflake, rocky road desert for Heather, Ian and Tony had the berry cheesecake...seems to be the fashion to serve it is  a glass...quite tasty.

More laughs and chats back in Bessie with last cuppas before they left to go home about 3.30....very sad, but it was really good to see them and we left it saying we would see them at home!

Rain overnight with the plop, drip off the branches of nearby trees.

After all our time away we had no trouble from hoods,  yobs or anything...last lads out of the pub thought it was a huge joke to bang and thump on our motorhome. 

Sat 31 March 4° Wickham, Roebuck Inn

Cold wake up outside 4° . Midday the arrival of Heather and Ian yeah..great to see them, had a cuppa in Bessie, then into the village for lunch....very busy, motorbike and scooter rally must have been 35 scooters, we drove round and round, finally someone left and we grabbed their park. Lots of places full then found a quaint little upstairs cafe. We ordered panini, thank goodness Heather and I ordered half as they were massive. Very tasty. Walked around the little village, lovely architecture of the buildings.

Back to Bessie, they checked in at 4pm we chatted till 6pm then in for dinner. Lots of laughs and good old chin wag. After dinner back to Bessie to try to get some news on the Parker vs Joshua boxing match.

Ian and Heather into the pub to their attic room for the night. Great to see them.

Fri 30 March 5° Bay of Biscay - Portsmouth - Wickham

Woke to a smooth, calm sea after a bumpy night, but we survived.

Upstairs again to deck cafe for cooked breakfast  €4 each, as we got closer to land the rain started.

Arrived in Portsmouth to heavy rain, through passport control, got passports stamped and drove in to Port Solent, the car park was full so plan B drove to the Roebuck Inn at Wickham half an hour further inland to the pub stop where we are meeting Heather and Ian tomorrow.

Tony went in an booked dinner for 6.30, she said they were very busy so booked for the rest of us for tommorow.

We enjoyed our meals but have been spoilt by prices in Spain, thought they were a bit pricey average £15 but very tasty and £4 for a pint.

Ian and Heather had already booked a table for tomorrow so cancelled ours.