Back in Blighty

[Dominic]

Just spent two weeks visiting England. It was funny being there while World Cup Fever swept the nation.

Aside from visiting relatives, we went on some old walks...

We used to live in Frimley, near Ash Ranges, Farnborough and Aldershot.
 
My daughter and I went to a few of our favourite locations...
 

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Weird looking chickens
 

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Sheep
 

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Friendly horses
 

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Black Sheep
 

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More horses
 

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[Dominic]

I liked the way vegetation had taken over this roof.
 

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Lovely woodland.
  

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Nice Pond
  

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Nice Lake
 

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These animals were weird.
 

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A swarm of bees.
 

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[Dominic]

 
Stanley's final resting place (as in "Dr Livingstone, I presume?")
  

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Firing Range
  

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Heathland
  

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It isn't just in Cyprus that I like exploring old abandoned stuff. Just think, perhaps 60 years ago, Hudswell trained on this very range!?!
  

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Basingstoke Canal
  

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One of the locks at Deepcut
  

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[Dominic]

 
Tiny frog...
  

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Canal cottage
  

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After Frimley, we went down to Cornwall. Here are a few snaps from the coast there,
  

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Rock Pools!
  

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I was quite proud of my crab.
  

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Proper tides!
  

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[Dominic]

There are loads more snaps but you get the picture. It was lovely visiting England again, and getting slightly sunburnt. It has a different type of beauty to Cyprus, but both can be equally enjoyed. What I didn't like was the traffic. I much prefer driving in Cyprus. You have room to breath here.

It is nice to be back in sunny Polemi though. Our home.

[aphrodite]

Thank you for these great photos Dominic, I used to live around that area many years ago and my late husband and I enjoyed visiting these places on our weekends off, together with cream teas and pub lunches in lovely villages around Surrey and Sussex. It was a happy trip down memory lane for me. I haven’t been back to the UK in 18 years and I know I would have a problem with traffic, crowds and noise. I used to whizz around the M25 for my job and I now sit and wonder how the hell I did it!

PS Love the baby

[ApusApus]

I agree with you Dominic, I have many great memories of the UK's beauty & I recognise that Cyprus is wonderful as well but in a different way! I am English & will always be but I now look forward to the rest of my life in Cyprus!

And yes Aphrodite I can empathise, I too used to drive a lot for a living, around 40,000 miles a year, & now wonder how I did it & why?


Shane

[Dominic]

The frog was very cute. We found three in total, all on their own. They were making timid tracks from the pool they spawned into the canal.

[Dominic]

I've got loads of photos of the ranges and that area. I will dig some more out if people want more trips down memory lane.

I was joking about Hudswell.

[bromerzz]

I remember being on Ash Ranges in 72 and if I recall correctly LMG (Bren) classification started at 600 yards before advancing. Always fun being on the Butt party and spotting the shots.

[Dominic]

I grew up in the 70s and 80s with the ranges as my playground. Used to love watching the squaddies firing tracers at night. I was amazed at the amount of ricochets when I first saw them though.

I remember making bullet belts too. We would all walk around with a ton of spent ammo around our shoulders and waists.

[Firefly]

Dominic

Beautiful photos, thank you for posting.

Jackie

[bromerzz]

I think the funny chickens you show in the second picture might actually be Muscovy Ducks!

[Dominic]

Yes they are, but they look life funny chickens. We found one of them wandering over Stoney Castle range a few years ago. I hope it wandered back again before the red flags went up...

They also appear occasionally at the pond in Pirbright.