Lewes

After a delightful visit to Sissinghurst Castle Gardens we travelled on to Rye for further celebration of Jane’s birthday. Like Sissinghurst, we had visited Rye before but not for many years and so it felt like a new discovery to me. Also, as at Sissinghurst, we were blessed with great weather throughout our stay.

We got ourselves unloaded into a room in the new, neat complex of rooms making up the bulk of accommodation in The George In Rye. This is an impressive-looking Georgian coaching inn cum hotel on the High Street. It was renovated and re-opened in 2006 after falling into disrepair but was badly damaged by fire a few years ago. It is now once again a very comfortable place to stay with some eclectic room decorations (including local pottery and wallpaper), a lovely bright courtyard for al fresco refreshments, and a timber framed bar area. It was a nice retreat after our wanders around the town.

*^{Rye Street Views (Including ‘Rye Water House’ – An Old Cistern, Top Right)}*

Jane had chosen a visit to Rye for her birthday treat mainly so she could visit her favourite textile and clothes pattern shop: Merchant & Mills. She duly paid a couple of visits to the shop and made a few purchases while I perused the local sights. Jane’s Christmas present from me this year is already organised and is a residential course at Merchant & Mills early next year – this present choosing and giving lark is getting easier and easier under Jane’s direction!

Rye is an interesting town with a long history. Perhaps the most notable thing about its history and geography is that it was once a thriving fishing village and then a Cinque Port – part of a confederation of ports on the south coast of England working together for defence and trade purposes. The sea has now retreated so now the harbour is a much-diminished facility on the River Rother that is a mile or two from the actual coast.

^{Rye Boatyards A Little Upstream From The Original Rye Harbour (Now Largely Silted Up)}

We fitted in a bit of fresh air walking along that coast and sauntered for a while along Camber Sands. We both always enjoy walking near the sea. The tide was out and, apart from a large group doing outdoor yoga, the beach was almost empty, and it was a very relaxing place to be.

Nearby was a farm shop with several electric vehicle chargers; being able to charge up while looking at a sound plant selection and then drinking a coffee added to our chilled out feeling.

Because of its importance as a key defensive hub in the Middle Ages, Rye has town walls and a castle set on top of the hill overlooking the surrounding flatlands and river valleys. There are many picturesque, cobbled streets of half-timbered houses surrounding the St Mary’s Church.

The church offered a trickily narrow, very steep and low-ceilinged stairway up past the church bells to a roof view of the town. I only bumped my head on the way up once and the end result views were worth it.

^{Views Of Rye From The Church Tower: Lichen-Coloured Tiles and The River Rother Making Its Way To The Coast}

In and around the High Street there are some interesting old buildings, shops and galleries. We again took advantage of our National Trust membership to explore Lamb House. This early Georgian house and garden has been home to a number of authors over the last century or so including Henry James. We spent a pleasant hour there – the sort of visit that we might not have bothered with had we not had National Trust Membership but which turned out to be a very peaceful interlude.

^{Lamb House and Garden}

Whilst in the sunshine there was plenty to enjoy and Jane had also done useful research on where to eat. We had very good dinners at The George and The Union but the standout meal was lunch at The Fig. I could have chosen anything on the menu – it all looked so inviting. The items we actually selected were really tasty. We found out afterwards that the chef was a finalist on ‘MasterChef’ and I wasn’t surprised given the high quality.

The weather was cloudier and cooler as we left Rye early next morning but Jane’s birthday treat wasn’t quite over since we decided to visit one of her favourite shops on the way back home: Freight in Lewes. We had made a trip to Lewes about 18 months ago, again primarily to visit Freight. As expected, Jane was able to find something she liked and, since it was only a day after her birthday, she came out with some new earrings. Even I can see it is a lovely shop.

While Jane did a circuit of some of the other shops, I wandered around the outer precincts of Lewes Castle.

^{Lewes Castle And The Quaint ‘Round House, Nearby}

Then we girded our loins for the lengthy drive home to complete a very fulfilling trip away from home. In weeks when the sun is shining, the temperature is pleasant and the countryside is lush following a wet Spring, the UK is an absolute treat.

And now I’m off to vote in the UK General Election…. 🙏

Last month we went to a funeral for a very popular, lovely, family man almost 10 years younger than me. He had died suddenly leaving his family and friends shocked and bereft. It was an absolutely packed and emotional church service – he was a terrific guy who was enormously popular – followed by an equally packed reception. The whole occasion was very moving and I have thought about it a lot since.

Of course, the overriding feeling during the service and afterwards was sadness that it represented a life cut short, especially as he was so full of life, he had looked so well and was so obviously a vital part of his family, the organisation he worked for and his local community. However, the speeches and readings at the funeral were largely an uplifting celebration of his life. There were many amusing anecdotes and also a lovely poem by David Harkins that provided a positive slant on death that gave a little boost even in such a sad situation.

You can shed tears that he is gone
Or you can smile because he has lived

You can close your eyes and pray that he will come back
Or you can open your eyes and see all that he has left

Your heart can be empty because you can’t see him
Or you can be full of the love that you shared

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday
Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday

You can remember him and only that he is gone
Or you can cherish his memory and let it live on

You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back
Or you can do what he would want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

Into this mix of shock, sadness and a celebration of a life well lived, was a feeling of being the recipient of good fortune in that I am still here and reasonably healthy. I have seen three sons settle with three delightful partners and seen Eldest Son produce a wonderful child with his wife. And, this year, I’ve seen all three sons purchase homes with their partners that are each very different but which seem very well suited to each pair; a flat in Edinburgh, a terrace house in Bristol and a semi-detached house in Belfast.

Old age may bring aches, pains and worse but it is a privilege to have had longevity to be able to see our sons grow and establish themselves in the world, to be happy and to establish a platform into which they could introduce new life. As I stood in the crowded church at the funeral, I thought: lucky me.

*^{Late Afternoon Walk With Middle Son And His Partner Near Their New Home In Bristol}*

Even as Christmas approaches and we look forward to hosting our sons and their partners at various times over the Christmas period, Long-Suffering Wife (LSW) and I are starting to think about making the most of our time with a few trips next year. First, we want to get to Belfast to see Youngest Son’s new house but we will be trying to visit Edinburgh too and, I hope, spending smaller but more numerous fragments of time in nearby Bristol. Plus, after a few years of abstinence, we want to travel abroad again.

Meanwhile, I continue to potter through my local routine of walking, shopping, cooking, and working a bit for the local Climate Action Network and Food Bank. In recent cold, clear weather, the local walks have been a real treat.

Plus, of course, I have been watching a lot of football at the World Cup. Qatar may have been a crazy choice for a number of reasons but the overall quality of the football has been great. For all the concern about the Qatari views on LGBTQ rights and workers rights, it has been a pleasant change to see the joyous, ebullient crowds in the stadia in contrast to the thuggery and tears at Wembley at the Euros a couple of years ago.

My normal routine was also interrupted but enhanced by a trip to Lewes in Sussex. I tagged along with LSW who wanted to visit a specific shop called Freight there. It was a long way to travel for a shop but it was very much LSWs thing and Lewes is a very attractive town.

*^{Harvey’s Brewery And St Michael’s Church, Lewes}*

Harvey’s brewery is based in the town and the smell of hops was delightful as we walked down the high street. It is a smell that reminds me of my home town of Reading which was the home of Courage breweries in my youth. I love it.

After a very good value and pleasant lunch at Bill’s, LSW and I split up for a bit. While LSW surveyed the shops, I wandered around the town’s castle and gardens. The gardens are a bit bleak at this time of year but the weather was fine and the views from the visitor-friendly castle were pretty impressive in all directions.

*^{Views Of And Views From Lewes Castle}*

Since getting back home, the weather has been very cold and then surprisingly snowy. We had about seven inches of snow and it stuck around for almost a week. My Yaktrax Ice Grips allowed me to continue my normal round of walks to and from the local towns and the frost and snow made the local countryside en route even prettier than usual. A week of such weather is, though, enough in my book; I am looking forward to temperatures rising a little bit before Christmas.

*^{Frosty Weather In Nearby Ruskin Mill Valley}*

And so on to Christmas! Hopefully our sons and their partners will be able to avoid the issues caused by strikes and weather to make it down to us from their various new abodes. Then we can feel so lucky all over again…..

My Retirement Journey

I've Retired! What Next?

Birthday Rye

Three Property Purchases and a Funeral