Down Memory Lane in Oxted

Monday, October 26 - Oxted Surrey

Harriet drove me to Oxted where we’d met and went to School.  My parents, Lindsay and I lived in Oxted for a year in 1965/6 and again in 9172/3 when Harriet and I met in Lower Fourth.  Gorgeous, sunny autumn day - beautiful!!

St. Michael’s is now broken up into 21 luxury flats.  Saw the exterior and drove around Oxted.  

 Had tea and coffee at Robertson’s on Station Road West in Old Oxted, which was lovely. I wanted to go into some of the shops but Harriet wasn’t interested so off we drove back to New Malden for lunch - hadn't even spent 4 hours in Oxted!

 She kept winging about the cars having their lights on during the day!  And asking me “WHY do they have their lights on?  It’s daylight!!  I hate the drivers behind me with them on”  I explained – whilst being constantly interrupted and dismissed while she went onto another topic – that in North America, running lights are on during the day for safety.  She thought that was nonsense and that they should be off.  No openness to progressive ideas.  Oh well, part of my journey is about discovering others' perspectives!  :)

Went in to see Peter Avenue – 16 Peter Avenue, Holmbury where Lindsay and I lived with Mummy and Daddy in 1972-3.  Beautiful autumn day so nice to see.  Drove up Limpsfield High Street too and around the lanes - so glad that today was such a gorgeous autumn day.Oxted is a pretty, lovely town with  beautiful, lovely homes.  If I could, I’d love to live there.  Maybe …….

Came back to New Malden and I went for a walk to Waitrose to pick up soy milk, apples, almond butter and contribute to tea biscuits etc.   When I got back from that, Nicholas told me there’d been a dreadful accident in Tofino!  Where a whale watching boat capsized and 5 people were killed and a 6^th missing.  All British tourists.  Jamie’s Whaling Station!  I thought of Tofino and the people there and I started to tear up.  It was even covered on the British News.  What a horrid tragedy.

Then I went for another walk because I really need the fresh air.  They keep the house HOT and I had to buy a light cotton Tshirt as I was so hot all the time – only £7 so that’s good. One of the things I've really appreciated is that I am SO grateful to my parents for the way that they raised Lindsay and me - with manners.  They made sure to feed us a variety of food and insisted on fresh veggies - not always a hit when I was a child, but I'm so glad today that they did insist!!  We had fresh, balanced meals of meat, fish, veg - but we rarely had "pudding" or dessert.  Never thought I'd be grateful for that but I really AM!

Interestingly, I notice that I’M the one with the accent!!   And I’m self conscious about it!  And I want people to know I’m Canadian and not American.  When the cell phone clerk asked about what I thought of our new Prime Minister, I was chuffed! 

Had a late dinner and then watched “Doc Martin” which we get in Vancouver.  I’d never seen it before and it was entertaining.