4 June 2014 (cloudy, cool morning, mild, sunny afternoon)

Rain overnight…… don’t mind that at all. The forecast for today was showers with occasional sunny spells.  As I write this blog it is 3pm and it’s been a very nice day, without the showers.

Must say the predictions by the Met office here cover all bases in the course of a day.  At least that way they can’t be wrong.  Our days begin by trying to obtain internet access at one of the many quaint pubs dotted around, so that we may chat or email the kids.

Ended up at the Crab and Lobster Inn, a nice affair overlooking the sea. No surf here, although they do advertise it on this coast……..three inches and barrelling……..!  Nice décor and a decent cup of coffee.  On the whole, we’ve been impressed with the quality of the coffee now it’s just the temperature which needs increasing a little, of the coffee and the climate.

After a short drive we came upon a place selling mobile homes, so with time to kill, thought we’d check them out. Looked at half a dozen from two to five berth. All used, 2002 – 2007  low mileage, all in good nick and in comparison with N.Z. prices, very sweet. Very helpful guy in there too. 

Passed a pub with an archaic sign advertising the attractiveness of their staff!  We didn’t bother going in to see if we agreed with their assessment of their staff’s physical attributes.

Lunch saw us dining in a café down on the front overlooking Portsmouth (The Captains Table) across the Solent (the stretch of water separating the Isle of Wight from England).  The waters surrounding the island are such a busy thoroughfare for all forms of shipping, from small pleasure craft to container ships, to naval vessels to cruise ships.

A drive into Ryde for a shuffty round the shops (she’s got a ticket to Ry-ide, she’s gotta ticket to Ry-i-ide).  Passed an imaginatively named fish and chip shop called “the Cod Father” with the great tagline, “we’ll batter anything” on our way to the supermarket.  We had just been shopping for bread, milk etc and as we wandered back toward the car a woman with a dog accosted me in the street.  She approaches me and says “Have you got my shopping in your bag?”

“What’s that?” says I.

“Have you stolen my shopping?” she says trying to grab my shopping bag.

“Piss off will ya” I yell, trying to get her to release the bag.

The woman is obviously drunk, drugged or both.

“I’ll call the cops” she says.

“Go for your life” I reply. 

Meanwhile Dools had spied a female cop walking up the street and as I walked toward her the woman releases the bag and turns away.  The policewoman comes over and can see that the woman is “off her tree” and motions to me to just carry on.

Now I must say I always imagined that at some stage I may well be accosted in the street by a woman (not necessarily with a dog)  but I had always pictured it being by a svelte Swedish model looking to run her hands over my pecs whilst murmuring something like “mmm, Meccona hevt mere mmm”.

Oh well Sweden is yet to come!

The town centre of Ryde was much like many other English towns.  Pound shops thrive as do second hand clothing stores.  They must have had about ten different ones on the main street.  Definite signs of recession here.  And then you come across a magnificent church right on the street.

Back to the site for a coffee (not Meccona, just Nescafe), and snack before preparing to go out for a curry……. The great British pastime. 

The curry was nice but not a patch on India Today, I have to say.  I checked the surf forecast while we were there and they forecast perfect conditions……at 10pm tonight.  Honestly it went from 0 metres all week to 1.7 metres at 10pm through to 1am, then back to 0 metres at 4am.  It would have been nice to get a body surf at least while we were by the sea.  Oh well, probably for the best seeing as we’ve no wetsuits and it ain’t exactly tropical here.
Just a footnote here…….. How is it in New Zealand, land of many cows…….that we pay so much for milk ?       Over here we are buying a 2.2 litre bottle for£1. Slightly less than $2.

Me thinks someone is taking the piss……..!