Points North

Another long journey today: this time from Exeter in Devon to Selby in Yorkshire. Transport is very expensive in the UK: for example. a return trip between Topsham and Exeter, which would be about the same distance as, say, Applecross to Perth or Hillcrest to Adelaide or Ashfield to Sydney, cost me nearly £4 (about $AUS10.00). Trains are terribly dear - anyone who can afford the fares could probably afford a private helicopter! But coaches are at least doable, if hardly cheap when compared to prices for similar trips in Oz. Today's fare (one way) was just over £26 (about $AUS70) for about 400 miles. It was a reasonably fast trip, too, taken in easy stages with several short breaks. The slowest part was getting from York to Selby by car, a distance of about 20 miles, which took over an hour in the peak hour traffic!

The long bus ride reminded me what a beautiful country this is. Spring has arrived early, even up here in the colder north. Yellow flowers - daffodils, celandines and gorse especially - abound. When gorse is in flower, they say, love is in season, for gorse can be found in flower somewhere almost all the time! Right now it is excelling itself in its profusion, so love must be in the air, big time:-)

There are crocuses, too, in purple and white as well as yellow, and the early prunus are in full swing. Trees are not showing much green yet, but they have a pensive air as if waiting for something - just a slight rise in temperature and they will wake up and start dancing.

The trip north took me through Birmingham. Although it is a bigger city than I would ever want to live in, I liked what I saw of it from the coach and the wait at the super-modern bus station. For one thing, it is multi-cultural, which reminded me of Perth and other Aussie cities. Chinese and Indian restaurants jostle with businesses with names like "Smith and Patel, Barristers" and "Jean-Paul, Coiffeur". (I made those up, but you get the drift!). It is a city of contrasts, with ancient buildings fronting the same streets as an incredible department store that looks like a giant hour glass crossed with a pearly king's costume. No kidding!

Then it was a cross-country leg to Nottingham under a chiaroscuro sky with sculpted 3D clouds interlaced with jet trails. I have never seen so many jet trails at once before. There must have been a dozen or more. The skies above Old Blighty are mighty busy.

This sceptered isle is indeed a beautiful place, replete with history and lovely scenery. It has, however, a major problem. There are far too many people here.

England, I've been told, is as densely populated as China. It's probably time they took a leaf out of that country's book and instituted a one-child policy. To one who has grown up in Australia the over-population is very apparent, but I guess it has kind of snuck up on the locals so they don't even realise its existence.

Sally and John have made me very welcome. Tomorrow Sally and I, who share in interest in family history, will visit a few cemetaries, weather permitting. OK, OK, quirky, quirky. Only a family historian would understand:-)