Scutt Pics

Always wanted to visit South Africa & finally got around to it with our friends Dave & Alison. We stayed in a great appartment across Table Bay at Milnerton with fantastic views back over the City & Table Mountain behind. By co-incidence, our friend Sam & her partner were staying in CT too. A city of great contrasts, rich & poor, black & white (still), good weather & bad, but above all its a place that does nothing by half. This is a full on land; great food, stunning scenery, history, very friendly people & magnificent wildlife - and at the time we visited; fantastic value for money.

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-scotneycastlegarden A loverly sunny autumn Sunday, nothing to do & Trix off playing with her horse, so what better than a trip off into the countryside. Since joining the National Trust, I've taken to visiting local sites in thier collection together with those of English Heritage. Scotney Castle, at Lamberhust, near Tunbridge Wells has a very romantic semi ruined 14th Century castle set in very beautiful gardens. Not many tourists this time of year, the 'new' is kind of interesting but the real interest is the gardens. Click on link if you want to find out more.

Early one morning, killing time with a coffee walking through Soho, I came upon St.Anne’s Churchyard. I stopped to watch a group of people taking a Tai Chi routine, reminding me of those I’d seen in San Francisco’s Chinatown Park. But what really interested me was the very large gravestone & strange shed like memorial to William Hazlitt. Born in Maidstone in 1778, Hazlitt was a philosopher, critic and essayist, little read or remembered today, but much quoted by my Father.

Good luck in NY JarHead; great choice of soundtrack Beth !

The end of May & it was back to the west coast again for a long break from the grind back home. There was still work to be done to finish off the cabin & a punch list (snagging list as we'd say in the UK) to focus our contractors mind on. We set up a WiFi network, hung a couple more pictures, completed some painting, pruned a few trees, cleared some scrub, fixed a kitchen unit, built & fitted some steps for the deck ... & then collapsed ! Not all work though; we did get a chance to explore some of the local attractions - the peaceful lakes up in the Paulina Mountains, the falls along the Deschutes river & the remarkable volcanic lava formations. (go check out the Snowgoose web site if you really want to know) Unusually for central Oregon at this time of the year, the weather had not been that good, with lots of cloud & cool temperatures. So it was off to Vegas once more for a bit of guaranteed sunshine.

Canon W H Elliott died in 1957 after a distinguished life dedicated to the Church. In his time, he had been a regular preacher in Canterbury Cathedral, a radio broadcaster during the 1930's, Canon Emeritus of Coventry Cathedral and Chaplain, not only to Kings George V & VI but to our present Queen Elizabeth from 1952 until his death. Earlier in his life, he had been vicar at Holy Trinity in Folkestone. In April, I went with my mum (Irene) to visit that church where they have applied a memorial inscription on the entrance doors. And of what relevance is this Rev gentleman to the Scutts ? Why did we visit & why do we remember him ? Well, as I'm fed up with publishing this blog with never a response, so I'll leave it to my mum, or maybe my brother to post a comment & explain all ... over to you, family !