Christchurch to Horris Hill Prep to Windsor

At Paul and Debbie Dashwoods home in Christchurch with Pauls latest project, a new deck and a clearing of the brush to create a new garden.

A Ford of course. Model A with a soft top. Beautifully restored. At a car rally at Beaulieu Automotive Museum.

A Ford again. This time an immaculate Model T.

McLaren F1.

Ferrari F1.

Jim Clarkes Lotus with the first and highly successful Ford DFV motor.

I don't want one, but a magnificent piece of workmanship and technology.

Okay! It is another Ford. This time an early 1950's Consul. A rare convertible.

How is this for something rare. A Cord. What a magnificent automobile for 1938. My uncle Oscar had one. His was blue of course. Magnificent car to drive in.

Shelby Ford Cobra. Can I have one please? Will have to drive one again when back in Cape Town.

Not great lighting for Donald Cambell's speed record breaking Bluebird. The fastest car with wheels driven through a gearbox and differential. Over 400 mph.

So here we go again with a favourite Ford. Cosworth RS Sierra. A beautiful example of this magic street racer.

Fords 1956 Anglia with the reverse rear window for headroom. This one is immaculate.

Beaulieu House, still occupied by the Montegues.

The long walk from the museum to the mansion.

HUGE onions in the mansion gardens. In the background are pumpkins, artichokes, squash and last beans and peas.

With the 'Top Gear' boys outside their exhibit of a number of the abused vehicles that they used including one of the 'reasonably priced' cars!

For Ross McDonald. A reasonably priced MGB for 5500 pounds. Only 14 000 on the clock. Not restored, just 'cleaned up'.

The climbing wall in the erstwhile Supermarine hanger where the Supermarine Schneider Trophy winning 6B was assembled and which was also used for Sunderland Flying Boats and Spitfires in WW2.

The velodrome also in the Sunderland Hanger. The climbing wall is behind me in this shot.

Entrance into the hanger now.

Rendition of some of the planes that inhabited this enormous and cavernous hanger.

Supermarine 6B the precursor to the massively successful Supermarine Spitfire of WW2.

At the Bournemouth Air Show. An exhibit of raptors. Here a Bald Eagle. Magnificent.

The beach front at Bournemouth for the 7th Air Show. This went on for miles both ways so easily about 800 000 to 1 million people.

A shot of the massive and magnificent Vulcan bomber. The only one left. This pilot did things this plane was never really built to do, but it does, like stand on its tail and do a pivot down and away again and not so high up either as the clouds were around 1500 feet!

Paul and the kids with headphones for the Vulcan and Typhoon jet fighter and later the Red Arrows.

What a magic four days I spent with Paul and his family. They were so generous and Paul drove me all over to see museums and the various sights of Christchurch and Bournemouth as well as Southhampton. Mgaic time together.

A friend of Paul's took us all here for an amazing breakfast. It was self-service buffet style with everything a man would need with glorious back bacon to boot. Oh but it was good.

At the Spitfire Museum in Southhampton. This is a WW1 fighter showing the innerds of the fuselage made of timber and doped cloth.

The Schneidr Trophy speed winner Supermarine 6B of 1935. A magnificent plane with floats that broke the world speed record of 405mph a few years before WW2. It is the plane from which the Spitfire emerged.

This is a giant Flying Boat which was used all around the world mainly in Australia from the mainland to the islands where runways were evenitually built which sent this plane to the Caribbean and eventually back to Britain.

Another view of the Supermarine 6B.

Wooden model of the Spitfire.

WW2 Spitfire.

Spitfire model 43 with the much more powerful engine thus the 5 bladed prop from the end of the war. Such a magnificent plane. Seeing one of them fly at Bournemouth and to hear that magnificent Rolls Royce Merlin 12 cylinder aero engine was magic for a petrolhead.

Inside the giant flying boat in the cockpit.

Sitting in the pilots seat. We were privileged to be allowed into this very valuable exhibit.

The magnificent Rolls Royce Merlin engine in perfect condition.

Another view of this magnificent 12 cylinder beast.

The Supermarine 6b again in all its glory.

Some engine and bits and pieces from WW2 that were salvaged from rivers and estuaries and the Channel.

Jarryd Hughes and I in a camera selfie in Christchurch. He came up from Bournemouth for breakfast with me before I went back to London. So very good to see him after the last time in 2007.

Sambrooks Brewerry and the Old Boys gathering in Battersea. Terry Hyde, William Lewis, Sean Knight, the Brewer and David Casswell who was here all the weay from Arkansas. So good to be with them all again. Such a privilege.

Another shot with Matt Holden and Alan Horsfield in the middle from on top of a tank.

Richard Midgely Sean, David, Michael Truter and moi up the tank! Michael has been at all three of the gatherings with me. Yeah Michael. David is aiming for inclusion in the USA Eagles Rugby side next year. Good for you my boy.

Off to Horris Hill Preparatory School in Newbury after spending the night with Richard Marsh after the OB visit to the brewery where Wnadle Beer is the favourite for sure. Find it!

History classroom at Horris Hill.

Chris Thomas (SACS GAP student) on the way to the Music Block. What a magnificent facility.

Some of the main building with some dorms at the top!

A vista down the grounds where they have sports fields, an Astro for tennis/hockey, swimming pool and a massive woodland, known as 'Spain' for the boys to play, camp and do research in.

Another of these magnificent buildings at Horris Hill.

Back to London and Paddington Station.

Dawn and daughter Gwen with whom I am staying in Windsor. River Thames behind.

Just an interesting part of the outer wall at Windsor Castle showing the stone used in the construction a number of centiries ago after the Normans arrived in 1066.

Finally, after a ramble through the town of Windsor with the Town Crier Chris (tall guy 5th from the right) standing in front of the 'Crooked House' in the High Street. Gwen's daughter, Daniella extreme left. Just an afternoon of rugby left at Twickenham on Saturday with OB William Lewis. The journey continues to Germany on Sunday.