St Marys Church in Redbourn

Wednesday 22nd June - 2022

Hello loyal followers,

The other day I mentioned to a few of you that I would be attending Church with my landlady, it came as quite a surprise to many of you & deep down I can understand why.

Some of you even mentioned that I must have ulterior motives. Never...

I could not pass up the opportunity to attend St Mary’s Church, this ancient Middle-Age Church right here in Redbourn, only a couple of kms down the road from my AirB&B.

St Mary’s Church dates from around 1110 AD & is thought to be built on the site of an earlier Saxon Church that pre-dates this time. The building you see today is a Grade 1 listed Church & the oldest parts are the aisle pillars on the North side of the building & the tower. It continues to be a place of worship & prayer.

When my English landlady asked me if I would like to accompany her to the Church service last Sunday I declined her offer at first (I thought that the ceiling may cave in) then after serious consideration I changed my mind & agreed to tag along with her.

(Photo above) Toward the completion of the service you can see my landlady Kate in the yellow jacket, taking her communion.

Where else on earth was the “Squire from the Shire” ever going to have this opportunity to attend such an auspicious occasion to attend a service in a Church that is only 912-years young.

As any good ‘Trolly-Dolly’ worth his salt would do, I offered my expert experience to help with the tea & coffee service afterwards. Little did they know that I have served tea & coffee all over the world at 37,000 ft in a piece aluminum tubing.

Sunday’s weather turned out to be absolutely magnificent, what I did not know was that on such beautiful days they conduct the service out doors in the meticulously maintained grounds of the Church.

(Photo above) In this photo you can see the table already set up before the congregation arrives.

For over 900-years people have come to this place to pray, to seek peace, to sense God’s presence, to sit, to think, to christen their children, to marry their spouse or lay a loved one to rest.

I must say that I was truly humbled by this sacred space as a stopping point on my journey in life on “Warbo’s Magical Mystery Tour” this year. And just in case you were wondering, yes, I did make a donation at the contactless donation point at the main door.

That my friends is all she wrote this time around. Stay tuned for the next “adventure before dementia”.

Stay safe & look after each other.

Cheers

Warbo

The Hollybush in Redbourn

Monday 20th June - 2022

Hello everyone from ancient Redbourn, in Hertfordshire, my home base for 3-months.

Have l got a story for you this afternoon. How often do you go out on a Sunday afternoon for a pint of larger & a roast lamb meal with veggies in a traditional 16th Century Country Pub that has been around since the early 1400s? That’s right... if you can believe it.

This afternoon I called into the local pub, ‘The Hollybush’ (photo below) when l walked into this lovely old pub l knew that l was walking back in history & here is my reason why.

Before I’ll ordered my baked dinner & a pint of Carlsberg lager, I needed to go to the little boys room to make room for more, if you know what I mean. 

As l attempted to enter the WC I took one look at the door & said to myself if l don’t duck down here l am going to belt my head on the door jam & that means blood, the height was no taller than 5ft high. (photo below) & read the notice above the door jam.

The height of the human race hundreds of years ago was so much smaller than todays race, that is why the door heights were built so much smaller.

I immediately went out to the bar & asked the bar man how old this pub is. He told me that ‘The Hollybush’ pub was built in the 1400s. Get your head around that if you can.

That pub has been serving customers more than 350-years before Captain Cook discovered Australia in 1770, l find it hard to believe for a “Trolly-Dolly” from the insular peninsular that had a protected child hood.

Once I recovered from that shock, l decided to order my Sunday Roast Lamb with the full Monty, Yorkshire pudding, chipolata sausage, Sage & onion stuffing, a minimum of three freshly cooked vegetables plus roasted parsnip and lashings of gravy… are you hungry yet? All washed down with a couple of pints of Carlsberg.

Needless to say I actually rolled out of that 650-year old pub as l am sure many other patrons have done so over many hundreds of years.

You may think that a pub meal in good old Sydney is expensive, well l am here to tell you it ain’t.

* Roast Lamb with all the trimmings. 15 pounds = AUD $26.50
* Dessert. 8 pounds = AUD $14.00
* 1 pint of Carlsberg beer. 7 pounds = AUD $12.50

Total in AUDs $53.00

Thank heavens that I am doing this trip on the cheap, can you imagine if l was traveling with a handbrake & a couple of nippers.

l couldn’t help myself & decided that yes, l am on holidays so l also decided to order a dessert. Homemade Apple Crumble, served with cream, ice cream & custard. (photo below). 

Ken’s “Magical Mystery Tour” continues tomorrow.

I am going to visit St. Mary’s church here in Redbourn, that was built in 1110, so you will have to wait until l put pen to paper to find out all about that little number.

That’s all she wrote for the time being.

Stay safe. Cheers from the ‘Squire from the Shire’.

Warbo

Royal Ascot Event

Wednesday 15th June - 2022

These four photographs should put a smile on everyone's face from the Royal Ascot Event at the Ascot Racecourse on June 14th. 

Royal Ascot is the seasonal Event that is steeped in tradition of the finest horse racing, spectacular fashion, elegant atmosphere and a major splash of royalty.

Last week I was rubbing shoulders with HRH the Queen & her corgis at Buckingham Palace, yesterday I was in the VIP area of the Queen Anne Enclosure at Royal Ascot watching the Royal Procession pass by me at arm's length range. 

Not too “shabby” for a motor mechanic and a former sandshoes wearing ex-Garbo from the insular Peninsula. So what do you think of the ‘Squire from the Shire’ dressed up in his Top Hat & Tails at Royal Ascot yesterday? 

I always told you that I can mix it with the “Toff’s” & no one would believe me. Well here is the truth that nobody can deny.

The following is the strict Gentlemen's Dress Code for the Queen Anne Enclosure: Gentlemen are required to wear a full-length suit with a collared shirt and tie, and kindly asked to take note of the following: Jackets and trousers should be of matching colour and pattern. A tie should be worn at all times. Bow ties and cravats are not permitted. Socks must be worn and should cover the ankle. Jeans, chinos and trainers are not permitted.

I was within spitting distance of our future King, Prince Andrew & Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwell, that's her in the green hat in carriage sitting next to Charlie as they passed only metres from me. (photo above). 

What an exciting day I enjoyed yesterday, beautiful weather as you can see in the photos (25°C) mixing it with Royalty & ceremony. The Poms really know how to put on a show, only in England does this happen & I am so privileged to be here to experience such occasions.

What’s more I backed the winner in the third race. I placed ten Quid each way on Australian raider Nature Strip (trained by none other than Chris Waller) that ran out an emphatic winner of the King’s Stand Stakes. I was so excited watching the race I think I actually wet myself. In the end Nature Strip won by 4 1/2 lengths, shit it in.

You know I have been here in the ‘Old Dart’ for three weeks tomorrow, I really have not had a moment to scratch myself, I feel like I need a holiday already!

The weather has been superb, no rain to speak of. Beautiful blue skies without a cloud in the sky & the sun shining bright most days, how good is that. Please spread the word that every thing is going to plan so far with my time here in Britain.

Next “Adventure before Dementia” is to see multi Grammy and American Music Award winners and Rock N' Roll Hall of Famers;  Glady’s Knight & the Pips at the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington. (you're all too young, you wouldn’t remember them, Ha! Ha!)

Well folks that is about all at the moment, today I need to return my rental Top Hat & Tails to the rental store in Watford.

Warbo

The Isle of Man TT & Lotus Tour

Wednesday 8th June - 2022

Just finished a great 5-day stay on the Isle of Man for the 2022 Isle of Man TT Races. The Isle of Man is situated in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland.

Another iconic photograph (below) of John & myself boarding the famous Manx Electric Railway at Derby Castle. They use all original Victorian and Edwardian rolling stock for our ride to the top of the mountain to watch more TT Races. 

At 17-miles long, it's the longest narrow gauge vintage electric railway system in the British Isles and gives commanding views of the Manx countryside's stunning glens, picturesque villages and commanding views out to sea.

In the photo (above) I'm wearing my beautiful woolen jumper which is the most traveled jumper in the world, knitted by my girlfriend (at the time) Pam as a going away present, before I immigrated to Vancouver, BC, Canada in October of 1969 .

When I became a Flight Attendant with Qantas in June of 1974, I carried this jumper with me in my suitcase on every trip for 34-years when I was an International ‘Trolly-Dolly’. If you are interested you can read the story (Click here) about my jumper in one of my earlier blog stories.

This year's 2022 TT event was marred once again by five riders meeting their untimely deaths. Three Sidecar riders (54yo father & 21yo son) killed instantly at Ago’s leap & another sidecar rider killed with his swinger in critical condition in hospital in the same area of the track. The other two deaths were solo TT riders, they all know what the dangers are. 

In the photo (above) John & myself sitting on the hedgerow just down from Creg-Ny-Baa watching these daredevils fly past you only meters away at breakneck speeds of 170mph or 273km/h. Makes the hairs that are left on my head stand upright. 

All I can say is that it must be one hell of a high if you are fortunate enough to live unscathed from racing in this most dangerous motor racing event in the world, bar none. Since they started racing here at the I.O.M. in 1904 there have been well over 260 riders killed, scary eh!

Back on the British mainland, last week I caught the train to Norwich that is situated on the east coast of the UK to catch up with my Model A Ford friends. On Sunday I was invited to a local car show that was held at the famous Beccles Airfield also know locally as Ellough Aerodrome, approx 12 miles or 20km/h from Lowestoft where my friends live. 

The story is during the second World War the Americans built this facility in the hope that their damaged heavy bombers returning on raids over Europe could land there safely because this was the closest runway to the coast.

In the photograph (above) I am standing beside John’s 1929 Model A Ford Tourer, here in Australia we call that Model A Ford a Phaeton. Check out my TT braces holding up my jeans that I purchased on the I.O.M. very trendy don’t you think? 

Check out the Morrie in the background, you can own this fully restored Morris Minor for £15,000 English Pounds or in real money $26,000 AUDs, at that price, he definitely was not giving it away that’s for sure.

I almost forgot to tell you that when John’s son Andrew picked me up from Norwich railway station, I had previously made reservations to visit the Lotus factory in Hethel. Hethel is situated out in the sticks approx 45mins. south of Norwich. Duration of the factory tour is 3-hours. Great tour, however they did not convince me that I need to purchase their latest Lotus.

The Lotus factory at Hethel, UK

Definitely No Photography Allowed on the tour, that is why I do not have any photos of the Lotus factory or any of their latest vehicles. They employ 953 employees, produce 17 finished vehicle per day, hoping to build and sell 5,000 units per year. Definitely no Tesla production line.

That just about brings me up to date with my travels, I hope that you are enjoying my travels so far. Until I place pen to paper once again stay safe.

Warbo

Greetings from The Isle of Man

Tuesday, 2nd June - 2022

Hello from The Isle of Man,

I arrived onto The Isle of Man last night after my short flight from Gatwick Airport after a wonderful day spent on 'The Mall' outside Buckingham Palace to celebrate HRH's 70th Platinum Jubilee celebrations. 

What an experience to share with another 750,000 punters, this magnitude of Royal event will never happen again in our lifetimes. Thank heavens the weather was simply dynamic, blue skies, sun shining 20°C. Does not come any better than this in London.

Checked into our B&B which is only a stones throw from the circuit here in Douglas. This morning John & myself hit the road early as there was plenty to do before the racing started at 13:30.

At the Monster tent on the Isle of Man with
two future Mrs Warburtons

While walking around the TT pit enclosure today, I met the future Mrs Warbo, the only condition was that I had to take the two of these glamours, what do you think?

Tomorrow is another day track side, John suggested that we view the racing from the top of the mountain which l agreed with.

These daredevils are definitely off the planet, l have no idea how they do it (big balls) is all I can say, one mistake & they are mince  meat. There has already been one of the riders killed in practice a couple of days ago.

I caught the London Tube to Green Park station which is the closest underground station to Mayfair. 

Before walking through Green Park on my way to The Mall to see HRH, I decided to take a walk down memory lane to check out the Mayfair Hotel where as a Qantas “Trolly Dolly” all those years ago was our crew Hotel.

Me outside the Mayfair Hotel which was once the
Qantas crew hotel accommodation many years ago.

Only a couple of blocks away from the Mayfair Hotel is the famous London Ritz Hotel (check out the red Telephone booth) of which the British have not done away with.

Check out the crowd of people walking along Pall Mall (below). I took this photograph at approx. 08:00, proceedings did not start until 11:00, & as you can see the many thousands of people on their way to the Mall.

I am sure that you all have witnessed the TV images by now. Only the Poms can do this pomp & pageantry.

That’s about it for now, I am led to believe that the weather in Sydney is cooler than here on this island which is in the middle of the Irish Sea - that's a surprise.

Cheers for now from the ‘Squire from the Shire’.

Warbo