trip to hythe
Last Saturday was my first trip to Kent. I went to pick up my pictures from James, who lives on the southeastern coast in Hythe. The trains down there are Southeastern trains and they leave from St Pancras, whose domestic terminal is new and clean like the Eurostar terminal but is in my opinion very well hidden and hard to find, as it is north of the Eurostar terminal.
Kent is known as the garden of England, and there are lots of orchards (including even mango groves). Its historical development separates it from other parts of England because Nordic influence (and even Norman influence for a time) was not as great and the Jutes (the Kentishmen) had driven the Celts out long before. In a way, people kind of forgot about Kent, or if they didn't forget, they just couldn't be bothered to visit. That was true for me for a long time, and it seemed true for a lot of other people as well because the train was practically empty. It was a newish high speed train, and that seems a shame, but as I don't like crowds, overall I was fine with it. As much as the rest of us might have forgotten about Kent, infrastructure developers clearly have not, as utilisation of a high speed service on a purely domestic route terminating at Canterbury is crazy but much appreciated. Next do Bath, please.
I had difficulty navigating the train station at Ashford, where I had to change, but that had more to do with my lack of knowledge of Kent geography than anything else. One learning experience for me during the day was that a train can come into the station and then split, so you have to get on the right numbered car in order to go to the place you want to go. Clearly I don't travel enough.
When I made it to Sandling James was there to pick me up and take me to his house. He has a very nice house with a big yard overlooking the ocean. He made tea and he, his partner Avril and I sat at the kitchen table and talked about his latest project, which was a triptych mural of sheep in honour of Romney Marsh sheep to go on a building in New Romney. He then took me to his studio in the top of his house to show me the prints, and he also gave me a signed copy of his book.
We then took a walk along the coast and into town, where James showed me the high street. It was a typical high street, but I saw a golden retriever. We had lunch in town and then when back at the house James and Avril drove me to the train station.
I need to get the pictures framed, and since I am coming home in a week, that might take me a while to do. I still need to send Lil Krissy the painting I got for her from James for Christmas last year. I was going to do that in July. No great rush on these things. Stay ever vigilant-- /B/
Kent is known as the garden of England, and there are lots of orchards (including even mango groves). Its historical development separates it from other parts of England because Nordic influence (and even Norman influence for a time) was not as great and the Jutes (the Kentishmen) had driven the Celts out long before. In a way, people kind of forgot about Kent, or if they didn't forget, they just couldn't be bothered to visit. That was true for me for a long time, and it seemed true for a lot of other people as well because the train was practically empty. It was a newish high speed train, and that seems a shame, but as I don't like crowds, overall I was fine with it. As much as the rest of us might have forgotten about Kent, infrastructure developers clearly have not, as utilisation of a high speed service on a purely domestic route terminating at Canterbury is crazy but much appreciated. Next do Bath, please.
I had difficulty navigating the train station at Ashford, where I had to change, but that had more to do with my lack of knowledge of Kent geography than anything else. One learning experience for me during the day was that a train can come into the station and then split, so you have to get on the right numbered car in order to go to the place you want to go. Clearly I don't travel enough.
When I made it to Sandling James was there to pick me up and take me to his house. He has a very nice house with a big yard overlooking the ocean. He made tea and he, his partner Avril and I sat at the kitchen table and talked about his latest project, which was a triptych mural of sheep in honour of Romney Marsh sheep to go on a building in New Romney. He then took me to his studio in the top of his house to show me the prints, and he also gave me a signed copy of his book.
We then took a walk along the coast and into town, where James showed me the high street. It was a typical high street, but I saw a golden retriever. We had lunch in town and then when back at the house James and Avril drove me to the train station.
I need to get the pictures framed, and since I am coming home in a week, that might take me a while to do. I still need to send Lil Krissy the painting I got for her from James for Christmas last year. I was going to do that in July. No great rush on these things. Stay ever vigilant-- /B/