Riverside Stroll, Hever Castle, and a Saxon Lament

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Well hello. I'm sitting in a cafe mirror in Shevorn and everyone's come here because it's cool. There are very few places where you can sit down and have a coffee that's got air conditioning and so it's really busy and there's a nice little vibe and the there's a lovely man who works here. I absolutely adore him. He means a lot to me because a few days after my mum died, he was really kind and sort of asked after me, and he said to me today, I'm really worried about some of our elderly customers, and so you know he really fusses over them and yeah, isn't isn't that lovely? I'm sitting in a corner and I've got the financial times and I'm about to do the crossword with a pot of tea and sparkling water, and I'm feeling content, so I'm gonna sit and do that, and then I might go to the Abbey. I've made a really good discovery, which is there are a few authors, um, important authors, um um and experts at Shelley Ball Abbey who wrote um great books, and I thought that they were all in copyright, but Wildman, one of them feminine is Wildman, he is out of copyright and he's got one of his books, and so I've got this wonderful idea that after all these months of talking about it and taking me there, I'm finally going to make him an expert on all the details of Shabby while visiting it, maybe even reading it when I'm there. I mean, it's quite a big book I only spotted out today, but it's a bit heavy. And everyone's I mean no one can quite believe the temperature. I think it's about 36, so it really is for for our little country a very, very warm day. And I hope you're all well wherever you are, and um I will leave you while I read my Financial Times lots of love to me for the moment. And for Latin, of course. Hello, hello, very good evening. It's Wednesday evening. What are you barking at? Oh Scout's got a very funny mark, it's bark, it's like a it's it's a slightly embarrassing bark, it's a kind of woof, but it's not very manly, it's not very sort of grown up. Uh and I think she's barking because she thinks there's an animal in the water and it's just wrong, it's alright. Scout, it's alright, it's just rocks, just rocks coming out like it's like a crocodile or something. So, yeah, we're by the river. It's the first time today I've been able to come out. It's 9 30 because it's been 35 degrees and scout, scout, it's okay. Oh silly dog. I wonder what she's getting nearer and nearer it. Can you hear that? And I wonder how you are and what you're up to, and whether you're hating the heat, whether you're loving the heat. I don't mind it. It's it's I mean, at least it's not just uh cloudy rain that we often have in England in in June, and it's a really full-on week, it was always going to be because let's go this way, come on, go this way. Because it's the last week of school ever for my son, and there are all the kind of end of school events going on, and I'm driving tomorrow. I'm gonna take you with me, we're gonna go to Heaver Castle. And you remember we went before, and annoyingly, I won't actually be able to have much time to go round. I'm determined to try to do a little bit of it, maybe on uh a Friday morning, but yeah, Heaver Castle, and the reason why I'm staying there is because my son's sailing nearby, and I want to go and watch him do a bit of racing. And I'm staying at Heaver Castle because it's only sort of five five miles away. So if you've got to stay somewhere, why not stay somewhere? Stay somewhere, you know, attractive, interesting. Let's put you near to the river so you can hear the lovely sounds of Wessex stream. Well, it's not a stream, I mean it's a it is a river, but it's a little bit stream-like at this point. Come on, and the moon is waxing. I don't know if you want to look up and notice the moon. In fact, it's a waxing gibbous, it's just gone over the halfway point, and it looks absolutely stunning. And there's lots of lovely things going on in our family because I've got a third grandchild, and it's a step-grandchild, but I love it as much as if it were my own grandchild by you know by blood, because it's we're a very close family. My stepchildren are absolutely wonderful, really lovely human beings, and they've married really lovely people too, so we're all very close, which is great because now I've sort of lost my siblings. It's nice to feel that I'm part of a loving, close family, and that's the doggos jumping in and out of the stream. And I'm going to say goodbye to you in a minute so I can concentrate on throwing sticks with them and and having a little bit of a walk around. I think a lot worse, quite a few people out. I think everyone's you taking the opportunity, and I've just seen a kite flying up there, which is lovely. I tell you what, I'm really missing Cornwall actually. We um scal this way! We we were going to be going to Bruges later on in the summer, but I'll talk to the rest of the family because why go to Bruges when you can go to Cornwall? The only thing is, if I keep going to Cornwall, I'm going to end up never discovering new places. You know, I've not been to Bruges before. There are so many places I've not been to in Europe, and there are so many churches to see and cathedrals to visit and people to meet and you know cultures to enjoy and experience. So uh I am conscious of that, but that kind of urge that that itch to get to Cornwall scalp come on is uh very strong and let's go this way, Lolly, and it satisfies something in my my soul that perhaps you you feel too about an area where you live. I think there's something about if you've gone to a part of the world where there's or part of your country where there's the sea and you went there a lot as a child, then there's as you grow up, I I think it sort of pulls you back, and especially as you get older, there's there's certainly a sense of peace and happiness that I get from being there that that I I don't know that I feel in any any other place apart from my own garden, I suppose. Right, so there are lots of people about, so I'm gonna interact with them and make sure my dog doesn't get into any trouble. Scout this way. And uh I'll catch up with you soon. Lots of love for the moment. Hello, hello, I'm at Fleet Services. Now, if you're English, you will know about Fleet Services. It's not a place any of us love, I don't think, unless you're you know a slight nerdy person who likes services, but it's part of life, and you can hear me collecting things together because I'm it's it's 36 degrees according to the car, so it's just so hot, but I don't seem to be minding it. I don't know why, but you know, we've been to countries like Greece and stuff like that, and I haven't really minded the weather, minded the weather, so I guess just some people can't stand it physically, and other people can cope with it much better. And I was gonna go watch my son sailing this afternoon, but they've stopped. I think it's just been too it's too hot now. Um so as I'm staying the night in Heber Castle, I'm gonna go and enjoy looking around that, and I'm hoping to be able to take some really good pictures because the sun's so bright that I'm hoping I'll get a really great opportunity to take um pictures of it all. So here I am, I'm gonna go and get something cold to drink, like maybe a milkshake, and I shall catch up with you later. So I'm in the Welcome Break fleet services, and I've gone into Pret à Melchet. Now, wherever you go in the world, Pret à Moncher serves good quality food, freshly prepared, and although it just comes across as like a like a place that is a kind of cheap and cheerful, it actually produces really good food, and also the star floor is really nice. And there's a lady with a bad quantity. So, why did I get free coffee? Well, I think everything is overpriced, and you didn't give overnight to me. But uncle.

SPEAKER_01 9:31

I call it me and you want one shot.

SPEAKER_00 9:40

I do a podcast all about like in mice looking for the mice things in the lumps. Okay, it was so lovely that I just thought I'd just include her on tonight's episode. What's your name, Donna? Harley. Harley. That's a great thing. But don't you think like comments whenever you're gonna be stuff or always really nice and friendly.

SPEAKER_01 9:58

I think that's definitely the main difference between lessons and the star on tool. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:02

But why is it you don't have a tick box or something? I'd love to be able to give a tick. It's such a shame. Yeah. And what's the worst thing about working in some place like this? Horrible customers. I mean, the customers can either be really nice and make the day all the complete opposite. Yeah. So it tends to be one or the other, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_01 10:26

Just a ton of people are really nice.

SPEAKER_00 10:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:27

Just a ton of people sometimes have an abandoned day and they've got me to take it out.

SPEAKER_00 10:30

Are you allowed to be really?

SPEAKER_01 10:33

We wouldn't be anyway. Even if we were a little thing, we can use it.

SPEAKER_00 10:36

Yeah, it's a good way to practice Zen, isn't it? Um well, thank you so much for being nice to me and Kate and Harley. Thank you for the time. Lots of love. Thanks. Lovely Kate and Harley. I now want them to get together because they look like they could be a match. Cheerful, friendly, kind people. And yeah, that's the way the world goes round all the all the more nicely. Now I need to go and pick up a Lucas Aid and Financial Times and then on my journey to Heaver Castle. Um, I'm quite excited actually because I don't now need to go meet my son, which is a terrible thing to say, because he's not allowed to go out tonight. I've just spoken to the guy running it, which means I can go straight to Heaver Castle and do Gretelling, as I call it. So he'll be disappointed because he wanted to go out and have a few beers, but you know, life's life he'll soon have an opportunity. Tomorrow night he's at a party, and then Saturday night he's got a ball, so sometimes you have to wait for these things, and also if you're listening, young man, you you've got a sale tomorrow at 8 45. So off I go to Heaver Castle to look round for the second time in a couple of years and really enjoy my night there. Now the question is: do I want to have a little go on this on the car? It's just can you hear it? Vrum rum. So that's gone vroom as I've gone past it. No, I don't want to go back out in a 36-degree heat, find my car and excitedly go off to see a castle. I mean, what lady who's 54 years of age doesn't want to give up parenthood for the night and go and see a castle? Hmm. That's the question. The heat feels like the feeling when you fly to somewhere like Greece and then you get out of the aeroplane. I mean, that's how it feels. It's it's extraordinary. I mean it feels quite nice, I have to be honest. But it's obviously bad we're getting such high temperatures in our in our country. Can you do two things at once? Can you enjoy it whilst disapproving of it? Ooh, it's difficult. So, my fair friend, I'm now finally at Heaver Castle. I'm two hours late, the traffic is horrendous, and my back is hurting so much that I'm going to jump out, do some stretches. But it's beautiful, it's so beautiful driving into here through the lovely fields of Kent. Not the north part of Kent where I grew up, which is a monstrosity, but this part of Kent where it's all woody glades, and I look forward to taking you around. So let's go. So I've just come into my room and it's the most exquisite room you could imagine. In fact, I think I'm going to turn the fan off just while I talk to you. It's I've got a little double bed, the cutest, and I'm glad I'm not sharing it because it's very small. It's wood panelled and it's got a little fireplace, a TV which I won't use. I mean, who wants to come to a place like this and watch TV? The windows are lead-lined and mullion, of course. Thick curtains. Oh, it's just my idea of heaven. I just want to live here forever. I think if I won the lottery, I would just, I don't know, I'd just come and live here. Oh, it's so beautiful, and but the sun is shining, and so rather than waste any opportunity, I'm just gonna drop my bags, put my bits and bobs in the fridge that I've got. Maybe take a few pit well, no, I can do pictures here later. I'll go straight out and take pictures, and I think I'll do a few videos. You've seen how rubbish my YouTube account is. If any of you want to take that on and help me make it more professional, feel free to offer because well that would be fun. Well, no, actually, some of you have already said stop trying to make things or hinting that you might eventually make things professional, so I won't. There's an umbrella here, which that's very cute, but I don't think it's gonna rain. Let's just make sure. Is that a fridge? Let's hope that's a fridge. It's not a fridge, oh, but it's got a little kettle and a teapot, so I'm happy. No fridge. That's fine, it just means I have to eat my salad earlier than than I'd planned to, but oh, so lovely being here. Although I have to say, I'm missing the animals already, and I need to send a message to my daughter to make sure she remembers to feed the hedgehogs. And I've now come out of my room and I'm beginning just to have a little walk around the estate, and it's funny being here because like I'm walking past the shop at the moment and the ice cream parlour and everything else that would normally be open, and it's funny that I'm just here wandering around. It's a shame that the I'm not gonna get access to any of it. And I'm deliberately not using the well, I'm worried now because I'm deliberately not using the microphone, but I'm worried the wind will be too loud, so I think I'll have to stop when I talk. I'm now just gonna give you a little bit of the sound of Heaver Castle in Kent, all the birds, and I think the planes are obviously uh chewing and froing from the gateway. And I'll do a little bit of a bird test in the moment to see what birds we've got around us. And there are two doves nestle together on a bridge. They just wonder whether they need to leave because they've just seen me, so I'm just gonna step back and let them do whatever they would ah, that's what they were doing. They just don't stop that breed of birds, do they? So there are there are two white doves. A smaller one and a larger one. And I don't know, but I think perhaps the larger one's a female, because it tends to be the wrong way around, doesn't it? The birds. If you know what I mean by the wrong way around. Do you hear that? Or are they just white pigeons, you know, you're picking it? No, they're doves. And behind them is Heaver Castle. And I think that people do say that Heaver Castle exaggerates how much time Amberlyn spent here as a child. She certainly spent some time, but I don't believe that this was her childhood home. I'm not really an expert, but it's beautiful. It's from where I'm standing, it's I can see a huge fireplace. I can see the kind of battlements everything's covered in well, a lot of it's covered in ivy. From here it looks rectangular shaped. That's because I'm decided on. And there are two sides to the bridge, and but one's got the two courting doves, and the other one that's got I think another male white dove standing watching, pruning himself. Pruning pruning pruning himself, pruning himself. That's so funny. And and they're they're all under a willow tree. And I reckon the other one's a male saying, Look, you don't want to mate with that one, then I'm here. Yeah, so both of the males are pruning, and it looks like the female hasn't made her mind up. But listen, I haven't come all this way to look at the doves. So let me walk across, and I fear that they'll all fly off the moment I step out of my hidden point. So I'm about to walk under the willow tree, protecting the phone as best I can from the wind. One male doves now jumped onto the floor towards the female. He doesn't want to lose his spot. They're not flying anyway yet. They must be used to people, I guess. Maybe they're pretty tame. I gotta try and get a photo. So how about that? I managed to get a photograph with the castle behind. And if I can, I'll remember I'll post it on social media this evening. Can you hear them? Edging forward. Okay, so there goes the solo male. Actually, he's not solo, he's got a female there waiting for him. Cheeky monkey. Are you flirting with another female? There they go, making their beautiful noise. Do you hear? And I've now across the moat and I look over. And the moat's covered in lily pads and little yellow lilies all folded up for the night. And as I walk towards Heva Castle, I'm the only one here. I think the good thing about the time I've come this evening is that everyone will be down the pub. There's an amazing pub. If you ever come here, well there are two amazing things to do near here. First of all, there's the pub, but second of all, there's the Berlin church, which is I went to last time, and I'm gonna nip into tomorrow before I go and see my son. Shush, don't tell him. He's already messaged me saying, I want to see you. So I'm going earlier than I than I hoped tomorrow so that I can see him. Poor thing. I've come all this way to see him, and I'm I'm spending my time here. And the castle's now in front of me, and the sun's I'm obviously. On the west side because the sun's facing the windows. I'm just going to stop and enjoy the sun shining into the stained glass windows. The accommodation is amazing because it was actually built in the early 20th century by the Asta family who owned it. It now belongs to the Guthrie family or the Guthrie family. And when I was in the intelligence corps, I worked for a brigadier Guthrie. Three geese have now just gone by. And one of the things I love so much about Tudor buildings is their chimney pots, high chimney pots with their crisscross design. So pretty and attractive. I can hear people talking, so let me quickly get a photo before they appear. There's a wedding going on, I think, tomorrow, so guests have been arriving. And most of the time you don't want to stay in a hotel, do you, when there's a wedding going on? But that's because often they can be noisy, but I don't think they will be because this I can't imagine this sort of place. And you know how in the Tudor period, obviously, it was beyond the time when they needed to put battlements and things on their houses, but they did it anyway to make it look attractive, and and why not? And you never know, I suppose. And so there are slit windows in the shape of well, there's some just slit shape, and then there are some in the shape of a in the shape of a cross, and they're running down the corners of the castle, which look very attractive, and obviously it gives it gives it a slight um Christian look. The stone itself is a pretty pale stone with honey tones. I'm not sure where they get the stone from. Looks like there's a mix of two main stones, a sort of grey, not particularly attractive stone, and then one that's honey coloured. It might just be that it's a mix of the same sort, and that's what it's like. And I'm now gonna go around to the front of the castle. I'm now standing right in front of the castle, and the portcullis is in front of me and the drawbridge. And I'm gonna walk right towards it, and I think I can walk over the drawbridge. There's a couple here, which is a shame, but not a shame for them, so I have to be nice. You know what it's like when you meet people and you'd rather them not be there. You have to remember that they would rather you not be there too. And so I am ready for my good evening.

unknown 25:00

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 25:03

Okay, that's I'm now on the drawbridge, walking right up to the Port Palace. And I look up and there goes a there goes a p I think that is no I think they're probably all doves, aren't they? Because there's a probably a dove cut here. And I'm right by the part now. I'm gonna be I'm legs astride now. Right leg on the part of the drawbridge they could lift up, left leg on the other part. And there's a dove guarding the guarding the castle. That's funny. Are you protecting it? You don't want me to go in. How cute. And it's ivy coloured and uh well I mean what an amazing place to be. I'm walking right up oh I'm walking right up to the port cullis now. Oh you did a good job of defending it. I'm not gonna go in, it's okay. Oh you hear all that. Now my hands are now on the old wooden port cullis. There we go, hands on it. And the doves are definitely not happy about sharing it with me. And you're not happy. And as I look in through the portcullis, I can see the cobbled stone beyond and the beautiful wooden door beyond. So it's a perfect place to get some photographs. There's graffiti here by the portcullis. Let's see if I can read any of the graffiti. Okay, there's an E and an N. There's an I and an A. V R T. There are some rust marks where obviously something was kept here that was metal for a long time. There's a lot of graffiti actually. I'm now going to be quiet just for a moment as I let you enjoy the sounds. Actually, I won't because there's people talking. I don't think you want to hear that. I like the way the doves are so protective. And it's absolutely oh, you can see the parts by the drawbridge where swords have been sharpened. I always love that. You can just see where the people are waiting to come in. You can just imagine getting out those swords. Okay, so someone's put DW, December the 21st, 1979. Someone's put RAB. We had a politician once called Rab Butler. I wonder if that was him. What other graffiti can I see? I like the graffiti. And I think everyone likes graffiti, don't they? I like the December, the 21st one, 1979. They'd have had to stand here for a long time. It makes you wonder if it was the kind of people who like me are staying overnight. Can you hear the beautiful sound of the the birds? These two are now caughting, nodding their heads and turning round and turning around and round and round. That's so funny. What a lovely evening I'm having after a really busy week, and the next two days are gonna be really busy too. But it's isn't it nice when you've got a really really busy itinerary just to have a little hello? I bet they're going to do something on my head, they're above me. Just to have a moment where you can have a moment to yourself. And actually, from here, I've never noticed that before when I came here before. From here, I'm I'm literally leaning against the pork cullis, and I can see the spire. Well, I'm leaning against the the surround, the stone surrounds just before the pork cullis, and I can see the spire of the Berlin church. I don't suppose that's a complete coincidence, is it? You would have wanted to see the church spire to which you'd go to every Sunday as you left. This must be a view that, well, certainly all the Boleyns knew well, but Anne would have known very well. Some people are really obsessed with her. I'm not one of them. I think she had many good qualities, but many bad qualities too. Um she had a real mean streak, but of course she's a huge character. She's almost become as huge as Henry VIII, hasn't she? It seems to me, in recent decades. So many books have come out about her. It's the whole femme fetale thing. It's it's you know, history seems to love the the the virgin martyr types and then the really strong femme fetales. Having disturbed the pigeons and the doves and the people, I'm now gonna walk on some gravel and disturb geese. But they're not gonna worry about me, are they? I'm gonna keep as far away as I can. See how many they are. There's fifteen, I think. Thereabouts. Hello, geese. I'm not gonna disturb you, don't worry. Oh isn't that the same? That's not no, they're not swift, they're Martins. I know now because Martins are so much lower. I just have a little hiss. Yeah, good view, you defend your territory, a little hiss there, and I've now come round to the east side, and there's much sign here that other things have been done around it. The when you actually look at what Asta or Waldorf, it wasn't the same family, when I see what they've done now, because they pretty much attach the building to Heaver Castle. I mean it's fair enough he owned it, but it wouldn't be allowed now. But it is it's done to the north side, but it's very extensive and I mean really large, and I mean it's it is done in keeping and really beautifully so. So I think it's okay, but I'll take a picture, let me know what you think if you get to see it. There we are, I've just done the bird app and it's their House Martins. And there's a topiary chess set here, and it says the topiary chess set is formed from golden yew and is based on a style of chess pieces used in the time of King Henry VIII. It was planted in 1905 by William Waldorf Astor. Standing in front of the chess set is an armillary sphere sundial dating from 1710. This astronomical instrument was used to measure the altitude of the sun, moon, and stars, from which it was possible to estimate the time and latitude. And if you can l l hear, you can hear House Martins above me. I wouldn't say hundreds, but maybe a hundred. In a distance I can just see a plane as well. He would have liked them. I think he would have, in a trompesque way, would have wanted to own them all. I'm gonna finish this quirky old episode with the old English poem or peop a piece of writing, the wife's complaint. I have wrought these words together out of a wired existence, the heart's tally, telling of the griefs I have undergone from girlhood upwards, old and new, and now more than ever, for I have never not had some new sorrow, some fresh affliction to fight against. The first was my lord's weaving, leaving his people here, crossed chests, to what country I knew not, wondered where, awoke unhappy. I left, fared any road, friendless and outcast, sought any service to staunch the lack of him. Then his kinsmen ganged, began to think thoughts they did not speak, of splitting the wedlock, so estranged, alienated, we lived each alone, a long way apart, how I longed for him. In his harshness he had me brought here, and in these parts there were few friendly minded, worth trusting. Trouble in the heart now I saw the bitterness, the bound mind of my matched man, mourning browed, murk in his mood, murder in his thoughts. Our lips had smiled to swear hourly that nothing should split us save dying, nothing else. All that has changed. It is now as if it had never been our friendship. I feel in the wind that the man dearest to me detests me. I was banished to this knoll, knotted by woods, to live in a den dug beneath an oak. Old is this earthen room, it eats my heart. I see the thorns thrive up there in thick coverts on the banks that balk these black hollows, not a gay dwelling. Here the grief spread by Lord Lack prays on me. Some lovers in this world live dear to each other, lie warm together at days beginning. I go by myself about these earth caves under the oak tree. Here I must sit the summer day through, here weep out the woes of exile, the hardships heaped upon me. My heart shall never suddenly sail into slack water, all the longings of a lifetime answered. May grief and bitterness blast the mind of that young man. May his mind ache behind his smiling face, may a flock of sorrows choke his chest. He would change his tune if he lived alone in a land of exile, far from his folk, where my friend is stranded, frost crusts the cracked cliff face, grey waves grind the shingle. The mind cannot bear in such a bleak place very much grief. He remembers too often less grim surroundings. Sorrow follows this too long wait for one who is estranged.