While all this is going on cousin Lynda took some stunning photos of Portsmouth in the snow. Magic. Some of her photos were published. Amy is pleased to be in the warm but she starts her trek back on Tuesday.
After lunch we had a wander down through the country lanes of Bosham. The shoreline is tidal with enormous white swans- the whole place just begged to have its photo taken from every angle.
I posted a couple of postcards in the hole in the wall letterbox and was amazed at the high stepping front gates- built to stop the high tide advancing onto people’s properties- I have no idea how they will cope if the sea level rises??
The thatched cottages down the lane to the church were lovely and again just waited to be photographed- note the concreted front gate.
The very old Holy Trinity Church has been a place of worship for 1600 years for Christians but longer for the Romans before that. The tower may have been a place of safe haven from Danish raiders in the past and there is a Saxon window high in the tower.
The churchyard is surrounded by very old headstones, many having lost their epitaphs over the ages. As you enter the church doors you can see small crosses etched into the door-frame by men returning from the Crusades. The door is said to be original from those times.
Bosham Church played a part in the Bayeux Tapestry made soon after the Norman Conquest in 1066. This part shows King Herald entering Bosham Church.
The crypt dates from 673 so is incredibly old- older than New Zealand.
King Canute’s daughter was buried there in 1035 and she has a small memorial plaque inside the church.
As we walked back to the car I admired the stone fences and gates bordering the cottages- they were a work of art in themselves.
I had Tanglefoot pie on a bed of mashed potato for lunch which was very nice.
Unfortunately the weather was a bit glum and you couldn’t see much of the Isle of Wight but it had a charm all the same. That is the Isle of Wight you can't see in the distance.
After lunch we drove over to Maggie and Stuart’s house to meet the family. It was so good to talk with Aunty Betty about the old photos I had copied onto my computer. I even recorded some of the conversation for editing later. 
We started out today with leisurely wake up call. The day was as cold as it has been while I have been here. We went to George Inn on Portsdown Hill for lunch. The George Inn is a real English pub how I imagine them to be. Dogs were welcome and a family came in when we were there and their labrador just sat quietly by the table until it was time to go. Dave had to work in the morning so joined us for a late lunch after work. I had scampi and chips, a first for me.
After lunch we all went home and Lynda and I had a catch up session on our blogs while Dave prepared another English feast- gammon steak, cauliflower cheese and mushy peas. The gammon steak was very nice and the mushy peas were a novelty. Dave, like Ruth’s Paul makes the cheese sauce for the cauliflower from actual ingredients- magic.
Way at the top there are three viewing decks with a see through glass platform thing that gives you the eeby geebies as you walk on it.
This photo shows the view into the dockyards where we were heading next. You can see some of the British naval fleet at dock with a small aircraft carrier that jump jets take off from. You can also see the HMS Warrior and if you look carefully in the middle you can see Nelson’s ship- Victory.
We commandeered a passerby to take our photo overlooking the dockyards.
As we entered the historic dockyards I was impressed by the weaponry used by the armed guards at the gate and asked the handsome policeman if he could do me a favour. He asked me if I wanted him to kill someone. The thought crossed my mind but I decided not to follow up on his suggestion and asked for a photo instead.
I was very impressed with the Victory. At first I thought it was a replica but it was the very real thing. This ship was the flag ship in the Battle of Trafalgar between England and the French where Admiral Nelson was mortally wounded. I was astounded to learn that the ship carried over 800 sailors and boys in dreadful conditions. The tour guide showed us all over the ship from Nelson’s luxurious cabin right down to the bilge of the ship where they stored the gunpowder in leather bound powder kegs on a base of shingle to stop the barrels moving and igniting a spark.
You weren’t allowed to take photos on the tour but I still managed to get this one. You can see all the cannons ready to fire their shot. It was real deadly fighting machine. 
On the way back to town I liked this bronze statue looking out to the naval fleet.
You can see what a glorious still day it was by the reflections in the water.
We finished off the day with a drink down on Gunwharf Quay and another photo opportunity to try and capture the colours of the Spinnaker Tower all lit up for the evening.
Then we went to see Daniel Craig in Quantum of Solace- a spot of eye candy for the ladies. A good way to finish the night.
Here am I in Gosport. It was quite good to stand back a bit so you could see the tower in all its glory- quite an icon.
You don't get too many of these old letter boxes about so I thought I had better have another photo opp with this British icon.
This photo has all three icons at once- the old Customhouse Building, the red telephone box and a ship's masthead.
This is the Warrior- one of the last sail powered warships-very impressive against the late afternoon sky.
This is Spice Island where the traders from the Far East would trade their stuff. It didn't look far off from how it would have looked all those years ago.
What better way to finish off an evening than to watch a bit of Coro. Poor old Vera has gone from the look of it but most of the regulars are still there- whining and moaning. "By heck as like!"
The train trip went really fast and there was only me and one other person on the carriage so I had a choice of seats. I enjoyed seeing at the rolling English countryside with the odd village and country house.
Lynda was there to meet my at Portsmouth Harbour while Dave was home cooking up a welcoming feast. They have a lovely house which was toasty warm as in the morning I noticed the bird bath water outside had frozen solid! We took some group photos after tea to celebrate the momentous occasion and then off to bed.
