C was feeling much more 'up and at 'em' today and by 11am he was getting a bit stir crazy and wanted to 'do' something - by which he meant go somewhere. For some reason the thought of Ventnor Down popped into my head and I suggested we pack up the tea making kit, buy some baguettes and go over there for a picnic lunch. Now this is not like me at all - the bit about going to Ventnor I mean - as my lovely friend Mr Cane will tell you; I spent the vast majority of my time when we shared an office taking the mickey out of him for living in Ventnor. I can't explain what it is I find so strange about it! I've been there several times with choir, one of the basses is the landlord of a very nice pub, the sea front is lovely - it's just somewhere that I've always thought of as a bit, well, 'odd'. No offence intended, it's not the only place I think is 'odd' (Wroxall, there's another one...) but as a caulkhead born and bred in the centre and north of the Island I suppose it could be because it's so far south....
Anyhow, we decided to nip down to the local service station as they have a nice bakery, and buy some lunch provisions - we had not, however, reckoned with the impact of this damn scooter weekend, and when we got there the place was HEAVING with scooters; I promptly panicked and we drove past it, ending up at Morrison's in Lake which, although also heaving with scooters, is bigger and so the effect is diluted somewhat.
Having a Land Rover gives you a distinct advantage when going places where the road is very 'countryfied', by which I mean the surface is pitted with potholes, very uneven and ensures an extremely bumpy ride; Monty did us proud up on Ventnor Down and we got to the very end car park with no trouble at all. The views from there are amazing - I always thought that Culver Down was big, but Ventnor Down looks, well, down!, on Culver and dwarfs it.
So we parked up and C sparked up the little camping stove to boil the kettle - I know, we do it in style you know, no flask here...
It was very snug in there, especially when the rain lashed down horizontally straight at the window!!!!
We went for a little stroll once the rain had stopped - the views really are amazing, and when the sun shone it was beautiful up there. Didn't go far though - C does tend to get tired easily now; his cough has returned with a vengeance too so moving about too much is not a practical idea at the moment. Just a wander down for a photo opportunity....
I drove back via the back roads - I really am getting into this Land Rover driving stunt, it's very empowering manoeuvering this huge metal beast along narrow country lanes; things do tend to get out of my way...not sure if that's because of the size of Monty or the image of a manic blonde driving him!!!
And so home for peace - my dad didn't come over today (he does most Sundays) so C watched the football and I read my book. I've discovered a trio of books by this ex-midwife called Jennifer Worth who worked in the East End of London in the 1950s - it's fascinating stuff. I've just poured a large Bombay Sapphire and tonic, and C is on the Ipad - a peaceful evening ahead; No 3 is out tonight at Cinema Under the Stars with my sister and her three kids. I just hope the rain holds off....Robin Hill in extreme weather is not a good place to be!!!
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