Old Timbers

David and I were invited to a party over the weekend, a Midsummer bash that his aunt and uncle were throwing at their home in Chainhurst, England. So we spent the weekend in England, reconnecting with this family and enjoying the break from the mental strain of trying to understand another language.

Saturday we woke up 4:30, an unpleasant hour one usually only sees when embarking on an early morning trip like this one. We caught the 5:30 metro and were in the Saint Lazare station ten minutes later. We walked all the way to the other end of the station and found the gate to the RER closed for no reason (how French). Merde! So we scrambled back to the metro and took an alternate route, getting to Gare du Nord just in time for check-in.

Gare du Nord is a much more pleasant experience than Charles de Gaulle, except for the irritable British customs officials who made a point of finding something wrong with every single person in line. They told us, "Next time, fill your forms in right or we'll make you go back to the end of the line like you Americans do". What?

The Eurostar is cool, but I can't say I remember much about it because we were both asleep before the train had even left the Paris suburbs. I awoke briefly to hear that we were entering the tunnel under the English channel, and again when the train pulled into Ashford International.

We picked up the rental car, which was bigger than we needed or expected, and immediately walked to the wrong sides of the car. Once we straightened that out and got in, I felt relieved that David is mostly ambidextrous because I don't think I'd be able to shift with my left hand. I said "You have driven in England before, haven't you?"

He grinned and said "Oh no. Not at all!" and we were off.

We were both hungry and groggy, so the first thing we did was drive to Ashford and find a place to eat. We had traditional English breakfasts-eggs, sausages, tomatoes, mushrooms, and beans- and realized that just because we spoke the same language as the waitress, we still didn't speak the same English. In fact, in that situation we would have been more comfortable speaking bad French. For example, if you'd like to drink water: in the states we say just "water", in France "une carafe d'eau" (if you just ask for "water" you get a bottle), and apparently in England the magic word is "tap". Tap water, please.

After breakfast we had most of the day left before the party, so we asked the Tom Tom to take us to a beach. We drove to the coast within half an hour and took a brief walk along the water. We might have stayed for the entire afternoon if it wasn't cold and windy.

On the road I had seen some signs for Dover and begged Dave to take me to see the white cliffs. So we drove out to Dover and decided to visit the Dover Castle. We wandered around the castle, me taking pictures and reading history plaques, David sizing up every nook of the grounds and sunny section of grass for its nap-worthiness. "If I curl up between those two cannons there, no one would see me..."

It started to rain, so we moved onto the "Secret Wartime Tunnels", which were dug into the cliffs during the days of Napolean and used during World War II for strategizing. The wildly successful evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk was orchestrated from there.

After we left the castle I was still hoping for the classic image of the white cliffs of Dover so we drove to a nearby park and found the path along the cliffs. We walked for while, and the scene was beautiful, but the wind and impeding rain kept our visit short.

By then we'd used up our afternoon and decided to head to the bed & breakfast. We were greeted at the White Cottage (all of the houses have names...it's really cute) by a really kind couple who had been anxiously awaiting our arrival since noon. Seems when I had made the reservation I told them that we'd be there at noon...whoops.

Anyway, we were shown to our room, which can only be described as "English", with it's flowered curtains and bedcover, seafoam green carpeting, and view of a lovely garden. We resisted the urge to take naps and instead showered and dressed for the party, then headed out again.
The country roads in England are beautiful, winding between cottages and ornate gardens and forests. But they're also a little frightening, two-way streets being barely wide enough for 1.75 cars, sharp corners and no shoulders. Not to mention the bizarre feeling of driving on the left side of the road.

Peter and Suzie's house Old Timbers is set back on a private road, surrounded by tall trees. As we walked up, I realized that the words "black tie" were quite literal; every man was indeed wearing a tuxedo. David was wearing a smart suit and I was worried about him feeling uncomfortable, but I think he was more concerned with me being embarrassed by him. Well, we both got over it quickly enough.

We quickly found Dave's aunt Sue, kisses all around, who whisked me off to find his aunt Rosemary and Granddad Bob while Dave chatted with his step-cousin. More kisses, handshakes, and I had finally met the infamous Granddad. He was great!

I talked to Rosemary and Granddad for a few minutes but could tell that they were awaiting the attention of David. So I went to fetch him and bring him over to them. I watched as Granddad's eyes looked him over in complete amazement and happiness. He whispered in awe, "It's Roch".

Well it's a bit strange when one's spouse is pegged as a dead ringer for his father, especially since I really don't see that much of a resemblance (aside from an increasingly similar sense of humor and love for fine cars). But Rosemary and Bob were absolutely convinced that they were the same person 30 years removed, and the Basson family was tuttering about it all night.

At dinner David and I were surprised to find ourselves seated at the same table as the hosts. Shouldn't we be sitting at some kind of kids' table? I was seated next to Granddad Bob and tried different conversation starters to see what peaked his interest. Sure enough, football was a winner and I got a recap of the last game. He asked me, "Do you know any footballers?"

I said, "I know David Beckham."

"Everyone knows David Beckham, dear."

"How about Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen?"

Very good, I got bonus points for knowing England's top three players. Whew! I think David would have passed that test more impressively than I had.

Dinner was great, dessert excellent, and Peter gave a nice speech over coffee. Then the band kicked in and the dancing started. Suddenly Dave wanted to take a walk outside, lest his aunt get the idea that he should dance.

So we walked around the garden in the dark, watched people dance and before we knew it it was midnight and we were wiped out. We made a polite exit and Dave escaped dancing.

As we left the party Dave and I talked about his aunts and how much we admired them. Rosemary and Sue are both extremely successful and prestigious, but they are two of the warmest, laid-back women we know. By just talking to them you would never have any idea of the magnitude of accomplishments they have both achieved. I'd consider them role models if they weren't both in a league way beyond my own.

* * *

This morning we had planned to sleep in, but the owners of the b&b had an agenda and we were expected at breakfast by 9:30. We ate with another couple who were staying there and we had absolutely nothing in common with. They told us a terrifying story about taking the Eurostar when the lunch car had run out of sandwiches. Horrors!

Before our train left we accepted an invitation from Suzie to stop by Old Timbers again. The house was full of their kids and their boyfriends, friends, and spouses, all in some state of waking up, eating breakfast, and heading out to the pool and tennis courts. All of this frenzied activity in their beautiful, cozy, timbered house was heartwarming for me and I was delighted to be on the outer fringes of this big, happy family.

Suzie gave us a tour of the garden, which was by far the most amazing yard I have ever seen. Aside from the tennis court and pool, there were beautiful rose arbors, ponds (complete with a rowboat), footbridges, a waterfall, enclosed vegetable gardens, a small greenhouse surrounded by lavender, an apple orchard, and all kinds of thriving plants surrounding bird baths and demure statues. It's no wonder the rest of the family has nicknamed the house "Club Med Kent".

Regrettably, we had to leave after only an hour or so and drove back to Ashford to catch our train. We had no problems on the trip home and were back to the apartment by 16:30. Now David is taking his long-awaited nap and I won't be surprised if Oliver has joined him.

Bisous!