Little Kingshill to London April 24 to 29

April 24 Little Kingshill

Some sun this morning but also a lot of cloud. I spent the early part of the morning doing some work on the computer and then drove to Bourne End. The traffic chaos occasioned by the work on the gas main was in full swing with lot of traffic lights and one of the roads completely blocked.

Mixed weather at Little Kingshill	Chaos at Bourne End
Chaos at Bourne End	Even roadworks on the railway

It seemed to be open season for transport engineering as even the railway line showed signs of work in progress.

I completed some business, took a photo of the cherry tree outside my house, which looked splendid in its spring plumage, and walked through the village.

Ravenshoe Close, Bourne End	The end of a good business

Quite a number of the shops were closed - one of them since I last visited a fortnight ago. This seems to be happening throughout the country with pubs, in particular, being hard hit. The builders who I visited said that they were rushed off their feet, so the news wasn't all gloomy.

After buying a roll at the usual bakery, I walked down to the marina to eat it. There, I found lots of entertainment as a boat was being picked up by a crane, spun through the air and deposited on the water. The ducks were splashing around and sunning themselves on the bank. I sat on a bench, ate my roll and decided that Bourne End was a rather nice place.

	Back in its normal environment
Flying boat	Upper Thames Sailing Club
	After finishing my lunch I walked along the river for a few minutes, through the grounds of the sailing club, and found a footpath that I didn't know existed. It passed through some think undergrowth, crossed the railway and joined the track which leads on to Coldmoorholme Lane.   Left: Local gang

I walked up the lane, past the pub, the trees, the wild flowers and some old cottages, and returned along the main road to Bourne End.

I retrieved the car from the car park and drove it back to the wilds of the Cressex Industrial Estate. I then remembered that I had forgotten to fill the petrol tank so had to retrace my steps, find a garage & buy some petrol before returning the car to its owners.

Cressex Industrial Estate, High Wycombe	Desborough Road, High Wycombe

Formalities completed, I set off on foot, through the Industrial Estate and onto Desborough Rd, which descends fairly steeply into High Wycombe.

Near the bottom is the Chair Making Museum, a place that I had long intended to visit. It is, in reality, just the opportunity to walk round the only bespoke chair makers left in the town. One of the management staff showed me round, stopping briefly to examine each part of the manufacturing process.

High Wycombe Chair Making Museum

Their prices were very high - £1500 for a chair - but the quality was amazing. Some of the wood used in the tables, mainly oak, was quite beautiful. It was gratifying to learn that they are still doing reasonable business. A number of people appear to have decided that as they are earning almost no interest on their savings accounts, they might as well spend their cash on some decent furniture, instead.

The market was still functioning so I took a photo of some very pink rhubarb, quite a different colour from what I normally see in New Zealand.

English rhubarb	High Wycombe station

Last time I saw the Station, it was still recovering from a major fire. It now appears to have been re-built but it isn't a building of great aesthetic interest.

I staggered back across town to The Bell, a nice old pub, where I collapsed on a bright read leather sofa and waited for Malcolm to collect me.

The Bell, High Wycombe