Our B&B last night was on a farm where they breed a rare pig from New Zealand called Kune Kune. Apparently they have a lovely nature. That would be some compensation for their appearance. We made pigs of ourselves as well, when we lunched at a very stylish pub called The Bell. We were amused by an ad on the wall for a musical event described as 'Surfs Up' - obviously someone knows about the surf at Bells Beach.
We've visited Dover and seen the cliffs and sea wall at Samphire Hoe and driven down beautiful Kent roads over the downs and Sussex roads through hedged fields on rolling hills. The trees have yet to come in to leaf, apparently spring is late this year, but we thought it all looked stunning.
And we've been out to see where Phil's ancestor, Joseph Carter, operated his flour mill, the Rowner Mill, at Billingshurst. We had to access the spot via an ancient public bridal path over private property. The mill is no longer the there, but the mill pond is. And tomorrow morning we're going to see one of the grinding stones from the mill in a garden nearby. Joseph Carter, his wife Ann and a number of children migrated to Victoria in the 1850s.
If only everyone knew how to blog the way you do, Lorraine. What a beautiful job. The photos look extremely elegant, and the text is just enough each time. Clever you, as usual.
ReplyDeleteThose looked liked crocuses to me, in your shot of one of the parks. Lovely! Isn't everything (including the people) tidy? In fact if I had to choose one word to describe England and the English, I would opt for "tidiness".
I'm off to Ballarat for the SEANA campout this weekend, which should be great. The weather here has been very warm, sunny and still, and there's been enough rain for things to be pretty green.
Go on having fun!
Dear Lorraine
ReplyDeleteIt appears Phil and I are distant relations. We have fairly complete records for the family that remained in England, (going back to about the 1200's, and up to the present day), but on the Australian side it drops off when Joseph Carter goes to Australia. There are still Carters farming near Rowner, and if you visit the following site, you can get a bit more of the story of Joseph's contemporaries (first cousins):
http://www.oldengine.org/members/blkstone/History8.htm
You were only about a mile from the site where the family photo on this website was taken, and from the industrial estate the Carter Brothers built.
I assume Phil has a more complete knowledge of the Australian side!
I would be interested to get in touch. Drop me a line on wdcarter2@hotmail.co.uk if you are too.
Best
David