Turtle Afloat

Sigh.

2008-09-29T03:15:00.000-07:00

My day with Kathryn was delightful. We went to an internet cafe, where I booked seats for Robin and me on today's flight and printed our boarding passes. Then we went to Kathryn's flat for lunch, a good talk, and a browse through family photos.

Kathryn had an errand to run, so we combined business with pleasure by going first to - oh, dear - Stowe-on-Wold (sp?) to pick up a piece of furniture, then off to the Slaughters, about which I had just been listening to a radio show. The Slaughters were very pretty, and I enjoyed rummaging in the Saxon-Norman church in Upper Slaughter. We left there and drove through the beautiful Cotswolds. Kathryn was telling me a story when we drove through Upper and Lower Swell. I commented that Swell was, in fact, swell, and she offered to turn around to get a better look. I decided, though, to save Swell for next year. We passed Blenheim and considered a detour to Churchill's burial site, but time was speeding by, so we headed back to Oxford, where we had a cup of coffee and went to the railway station. I was a little nervous about missing my train. It was going to be dark when I got to Reading, and I was none to confident about being able to find my way from the station to the boat in the dark. So Anyway, we made a quick pit stop at W.H. Smith in the station, and then we said good-bye. I am just so pleased that I finally got to meet Kathryn.
On my arrival in Reading, I visited its much larger W.H. Smith, bought a John Irving novel for my flight home, then found the queue for taxis and made some poor driver take me the four blocks or so to where our boat was moored.

This morning, we caught the bus to Heathrow. Robin is gazing out at planes landing and taking off, while I wander around the airport. We are scheduled to fly out at 1:05 this afternoon - not too long, now.

After we get home, I'll have to read through Robin's log, to reconnect with some of the places we visited. It all becomes a blur after a while.

Special day

2008-09-28T05:28:00.000-07:00

I've left Robin in Reading, taken the train to Oxford, and I'm sitting in an internet cafe with Kathryn, who picked me up at the station and is about to show me the Cotswolds. Home tomorrow.

Down the Rabbit Hole Again

2008-09-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

"Again", because I spent 45 minutes at an internet cafe in Oxford yesterday. I typed up a splendid entry for this blog, then got cut off quite suddenly and lost the whole thing. I complained to the proprietor that there had been no warning, and he told me there had. Odd, since I was watching for it. Anyway, I made an indelicate remark and left, figuring he wasn't going to get another pound from me. That was actually my only unpleasant encounter in Oxford. In general, I found the city quite enchanting. Robin didn't agree.

I should back up, though, to fill in the few days preceding our visit to Oxford.

We had rented the narrowboat for the 19th (was that Friday?) in Reading, and we had to return our rental car to Bournemouth that same day - so we drove from "our" holiday caravan to Bournemouth - a three-hour drive - just in time for the noon drop-off. Brother David was waiting there for us, ready to drive back home, pick up Sheila, and all go to Reading. We had decided, though, that four people and all the baggage for four people would make for a very cramped ride. David drove to the railway station in Bournemouth and dropped me off. I had just time to eat lunch and buy a copy of A Thousand Splendid Suns before my train came. Then I had a quiet, happy journey to Reading, all on my own, watching for familiar stations along the way, diving happily into the book I'd been wanting to read.

I arrived in Reading at about 3 o'clock, went on board the Lord of Caversham, got my bearings, and waited for the arrival of my traveling companions. When we were all finally aboard, we set off in the direction of Oxford. We spent one night along the way, and had dinner at the local pub. Talking to people coming downstream, we discovered that the Thames had in fact just been opened to traffic after being shut down for a couple of weeks on account of flooding.

On arrival in Oxford on Sunday, David and I went hunting for the supermarket. We found Sainsbury's in the Westgate Shopping Centre, and along the way I stopped to ask about Evensong at Christ Church College. It was to be at 6 o'clock, and it would be choral. Perfect. Sheila's ankle was bothering her, so she stayed aboard to cook dinner. The men went to the pub just across the river (called The Head of the River), and I kept going to the chapel. After my Liturgical Music Fix, I joined the men for what has become my signature drink here - a half-pint of lemonade with just a splash of bitter to cut the sweetness. Then we went back to the boat, where Sheila had prepared us a lovely meal.

In the morning, we walked to the railway station and sent David and Sheila on their way home. We saw a tour bus parked in the car park outside the station, and we hopped aboard. We bought 24-hour tickets. We did the one-hour tour, then had the driver drop us off near The Head of the River. Later, while Robin rested and nursed his cold, I went back out, hopped another tour bus, and took part of the tour again (stopping midway to do my abortive blogging effort). I visited St. Mary the Virgin church, where the Oxford Movement was born, and where both the Wesley brothers preached. When I got back on (another) bus, I found that the young man doing the commentary was fascinating to listen to, and I nearly forgot to get off the bus - well, I did stay on longer than I had intended, just so I could hear the end of whatever story he was telling, so I had a bit of a walk to get back to the boat. Never mind. I stopped at Sainsbury's again and got our supper, and by the time I got aboard, Robin was just beginning to wonder what had happened to me.

This morning, we sailed to Abingdon, where we had a mechanical breakdown just above the Abingdon Lock. The throttle cable broke, so we could not manouever. That was interesting. The lock keeper helped us get through the lock and tie up, and we waited for the mechanic to arrive from the Reading boatyard. He fixed us up, sent us on our way, and we pulled in at the public mooring in Abingdon, where I tried to sink us (not really, but I nearly did it anyway). We are now settled in for the night. Our plan is to get back to Reading, then go up the Kennet & Avon Canal for a couple of days - because we both like the canal Much Better.

2008-09-17T05:05:00.000-07:00

When I last wrote, we were in Totnes. Instead of boarding the steam train to go back to Buckfastleigh, we took the diesel train and got off at Staverton - the only stop along the way - to look around. Robin got to have a pint of something called Croak and Stagger - a very strong, traditional ale. I had a sip and decided that was enough for me. When we boarded the steam train for the rest of our trip, we found that we were going back to Totnes before heading home - so we got a little extra ride for our money. Beside the track at one point, there is a hillside covered with little garden gnomes. Apparently one of the volunteers takes the gnomes in every winter, repaints them, and sets them back out for the entertainment of the train's passengers.

I don't think they planned this bit of entertainment, though - on a hillside there were some cows. One of them was lying down. As we passed by, she stood up and began licking the calf to which she had obviously just given birth.

Since that day, we have been busy scurrying around the West Country. On Sunday we came to Plymouth and took a harbour tour that featured a look at the fourteen naval ships currently docked here. We walked up onto the Hoe and sat watching people bowling on the green. That is where Sir Francis Drake is supposed to have been bowling when the Spanish Armada sailed past. I don't know whether the current green is in the same place, but probably so, as it provides a lovely view of the harbour.

On Monday we drove all the way to the north coast, to Lynton, where we rode the water railroad down the cliff to Lynmouth and wandered around the village.

Yesterday we went to Dawlish. There are so many places we've visited here, and I remember most of them fondly. I took one look at Dawlish Warren, just beyond Dawlish itself, and decided I never wanted to see it again. I found myself quoting Bette Davis ("What.a.dump."") It was tacky and tawdry and noisy and generally unpleasant. The fact that the town had seen fit to install "traffic calmers" all down the street leading there didn't help. I had a headache from bouncing around.

Fortunately, there was life after Dawlish Warren. Having got through the carnival, we walked along the dunes and down the beach, all the way to the mouth of the river Exe. The town of Exmouth was right across the river. We were out walking, resting from time to time, chatting with passersby, for over 2 1/2 hours.

Today is another day in Plymouth. While the menfolk take another cruise, I'm here to catch up. Now I'm told to go away. Bye for now.

Totnes

2008-09-13T06:23:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday, 13 September, and we are in the town of Totnes, not far from where we're staying - (still in the caravan). We caught the steam train from Buckfastleigh to Totnes - a very nostalgic little trip. The sound of a steam train is unique - as is its gentle rocking motion. We've found that walking the High Street in Totnes is a positively alpine experience. We're pretty well at the top now, and I plan to just roll back down the hill!

I've tried to keep track of our travels over the last few days, but things do get muddled after a while. The last time I wrote, we were in Exeter - but I forgot to mention that we had also been at Slapton Ley. Pam will remember that place. Walking along the shore, I could picture her sitting there among the pebbles, getting splashed.

Since then, we've gone to Killerton Gardens, a National Trust site - I think that was Tuesday. The gardens weren't as impressive as Stourhead, but they were still beautiful, and the house was very interesting.

On Wednesday we went to Falmouth, in Cornwall, to see the Tall Ships Festival - but found there was no room for us. There wasn't a single parking space in town, so we kept going to Perranporth, a delightful coastal village, where we sat and watched the waves and ate Cornish ice cream.

Yesterday, we toured Buckland Abbey near Yelverton. That was my favourite trip to date. The property started out in the 12th Century as a Cistercian monastery. Henry VIII's soldiers destroyed most of it, and a lot of the stones went into the building of houses in the neighbourhood, but part of the monastery remained. Then a home was built alongside the remains of the monastery. Eventually Sir Francis Drake, who was born on a nearby farm, bought the house. He lived there with his first wife (between voyages), and after her death he remarried and lived there with his second wife. There's a very interesting museum, a place to have pasties and tea for lunch, and a studio where I did a brass rubbing.

Every evening, we stop in at the Packhorse, South Brent's local pub, where everybody knows our names - really. Over our nightly pint, we update all the locals on our travels. Great fun.

It's time to head back to the station now.

Another Rainy Day in England

2008-09-09T06:31:00.001-07:00

This is Day 5. We are comfortably settled in at the holiday caravan in Devon, watching the weather reports carefully in order to plan our outings. We went to Plymouth yesterday, on a quest to have my cell phone unlocked. That didn't work out very well. We finally found the appropriate kiosk, and I asked the young man there to unlock my phone. He looked it over and said that unfortunately, mine was one of very few that he couldn't actually unlock. We went back to the Car Phone Warehouse, where we bought a cheap cell phone. It costs 20p per minute to talk to someone here in England, but only 4 cents per minute to call Canada. Anyway, we do now have an English phone number, which I've forwarded to family on both sides of the pond. Even at 20p, I think it's still cheaper than using my regular phone.

We are eating far too much sausage and bacon, and I've had two pasties already, not to mention the Melton Mowbray pie. We are walking a lot, so I'm hoping the greasefest won't have too much of an impact.

Last night was the last night of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, and all of Britain (except me) was cheering Andy Murray on. Poor British haven't had a champion since the thirties, iirc, and they had high hopes for Murray - but Roger Federer came through, to my delight. We have a television at the caravan, but it only brings in four channels - none of which was carrying the tennis match - so we listened to it on the radio. That turned out to be a great treat. We had the gas fire burning in the living room, and we sat all snuggled under blankets, staring at the light on the front of the radio. I think we should do that sort of thing more often.

Today's trip to Exeter is for the purpose of blogging and catching up on e-mail - and finding the little shop where Robin bought his bamboo walking stick for €1 a couple of years ago. He's lost it in Canada somewhere, so he wants to put out the big bucks to replace it.

So there we are, wandering the countryside - between rainstorms - in our little Nissan Micra - having fun.

2008 trip begins

2008-09-04T10:12:00.000-07:00

We fly out this afternoon. We'll be landing at Heathrow's Terminal 5, which has a terrible reputation. If I'm never heard from again, I'm probably lost in the terminal.

The weather in England has been terrible all summer, apparently, and tomorrow's forecast is More of the Same. As the official Bringer of Sunshine to England, I have my work cut out for me.

I forgot to write.

2007-12-25T19:56:00.000-08:00

The holiday was wonderful. Robin and I arrived at Heathrow's Terminal 1 a bit early, so we walked to Terminal 3, where Pam was due in half an hour or so. As it turned out, her plane was late. Brother David met us and we all waited (and waited) for Pam to arrive. Finally, there she was - one foot in a soft cast, walking stick in hand. We went to Newbury to pick up our rental car, then Pam went in David's car and we followed to his house. The trip was punctuated by photo stops. Pam wanted a picture of every cow, sheep, horse, and tree in Hampshire and Dorset. (to be continued)

Such excitement!

2007-08-26T20:53:00.001-07:00

We are counting the days now, getting ready for another trip to England, another narrowboat adventure. My younger sister Pam is going to meet us at Heathrow on September 7 and spend the three weeks with us. We will be in Devon for the first week, then on the narrowboat for two weeks after that. Pam has never seen England, so I look forward to showing her Everything - especially Stourhead. I've put a link to my Flickr account over there in the Links list, and with any luck I'll find a way to post some photos while we're away. If not, I'll do it as soon as we come home.

The weather in England has been horrid this summer, but I understand that the flooding has abated now. All digits crossed.

Photo post

2007-03-02T09:29:00.000-08:00

We are spending the winter in Mexico, posting to The Amazing Voyages of the Turtle. R has talked to quite a few people about our narrowboating adventures, and I have referred them to this blog. Somehow I thought I had uploaded my photos from our last trip on the Kennet-Avon Canal, but I see that I've only put one picture in here. That won't do. Here are some more:

This first picture features R and our Canadian flag. You will note that it is rather large. That was an accident. I bought it without paying much attention to the size, and when we unfolded it (in England, on the boat) we were both a bit shocked. It turned out to be a happy accident for the most part, though. It was a great conversation piece, and it made the boat easy to spot from a distance - most useful when we had wandered off to a pub for dinner and were coming home in the evening gloom. The only time it caused problems was when we had to go through a tunnel or under a bridge. We lost it overboard a couple of times, but it floated nicely, so we always got it back.

Picture #2 is the bridge at the approach to Bath. Bath is a beautiful city. I would love to visit it again. We didn't go to the Roman baths this time, and I've been kicking myself ever since. All along the canal there are bridges. Some are large and imposing, like this one, and we cruised right under them. Others are swing bridges that I operated by leaning mightily against the balance beam. Still others were electrically operated. Those were really fun. I would climb out of the boat, close the gates so nobody would be tempted to drive a car onto the bridge, use my British Waterways key to open the control box, and push the green button to make the bridge open, which it would do slowly, ponderously, accompanied by a very important-sounding hum. After the boat(s) had gone through, I would perform the whole operation in reverse.

The most wonderful thing about narrowboating is the view of England that it affords. It's quite different from any of the other ways you might see the country. This picture of the Vale of Pewsey is an example of that unsurpassed view. If Rick Steves were with us, he would call it "England Through the Back Door". I like to think of it as "England in Slow Motion". Moving at three miles an hour gives me a much greater appreciation of the countryside than I can feel riding at the breakneck speeds expected on English roads.

And here is the part of narrowboating that first thrilled me - waking up in the morning, looking out the galley window, and seeing one of these fellows. Their personalities aren't nearly as pretty as their plumage, but I still love seeing them.

Turtle Aloft

2006-09-27T08:47:00.000-07:00

Here we are, waiting for our plane at Heathrow. Robin just discovered this bank of computers - WOOHOO. I wish they would let us post from the security queue.

The plane leaves in about 40 minutes, I think.

I'll have to look at Robin's calendar to piece together the happenings of the last few days. When we got back to Hungerford, the library was closed, so I didn't get to go online there again - but I was able to turn in the last book I had borrowed. It was called The Jane Austen Book Club. It was funny. Yesterday at the Oxfam bookstore in Reading I bought a copy of The Time Traveller's Wife. I'd never heard of it, but it's turned out to be very intriguing, and somebody here at the airport has already asked me how I like it, so I figure I'm probably the only one who's never heard of it.

Last night we were moored at Woolhampton. A boat came up the canal, being sailed solo by a lady in her mid-70s. She apparently lives on the narrowboat full time. She started out from Reading on this trip, having said she absolutely would not do the Kennet without crew. She started out with a crew - another woman - but her crew promptly came down with a killer cold and had to go home - so this lady is sailing up the canal, throwing herself on the mercy of other boaters when necessary, and doing very nicely. She is an inspiration to us all.

We actually arrived in Woolhampton the day before yesterday, and left the boat there yesterday while we took the train to Robin's old regiment's museum. It was a great day.

Oops - gotta fly - about to run out of coins.

Home at Last

2006-09-22T06:16:00.000-07:00

Well, sort of. We're in Hungerford, just for the afternoon. Hungerford is the canal town that has come to feel like home to me. I know my way to Somerfield's (supermarket), Boots (pharmacy), the library (I have a card), the laundromat, and several other important places. Our boat is still in Great Bedwyn - three hours away by canal, five minutes by train. We came in by train today to do some shopping and get to the library, which was just as well, because it's positively pouring outside, and just sitting on the boat would have been a little dreary. Tomorrow we'll sail in and take our place at the municipal moorage. Most of our weather has been fine, but we've had the odd interruption like this.

Since I last posted, we've been everywhere. We did rent a car and drive to Cornwall, where we watched nephew Steve compete in the championship speedway race (He didn't win, but he didn't expect to, his competitors being the cream of the crop. He did very well, but appears to have broken his foot in the process.) David and Sheila then came on board for a couple of days, then left at Devizes. We hooked up with another boat to go down the Caen Hill Locks. We were very fortunate in that the people on our buddy boat were old hands at canal boating and had done the Caen Hill flight many times. Accordingly we whizzed through there very efficiently. Near Bath we were joined by our friend Alan, who had come all the way from Scotland. He stayed with us for about four days and helped get us back up the Caen Hill flight.

When we got to Bath, I made my way to the library and asked to use the computer. I was given fifteen minutes, of which I spent five just getting into the v-e-r-y s-l-o-w system, which then wouldn't let me in here. Hence the long space between posts.

I think I've finally got the hang of doing videos with the new camcorder, but now we've run out of space on our mini-dvd and can't get a replacement until at least Devizes (Monday, I think). Next trip, I think we'll have to bring twice as many.

We've had a couple of pub meals, the most notable at a place called The French Horn in the village of Pewsey (tuna steak). However, the friendliest pub we've found was at Wilton, where we stayed last night and the night before. The Swan is about a 20 minute walk from the canal. It's one of those traditional pubs full of dogs and old soldiers. Last night we won one of the prizes in the Thursday night meat draw - a tray containing four Cumberland sausages, four rashers of bacon, two eggs, two tomatoes, and about 30 mushrooms. This morning's breakfast was superb.

The day before yesterday, we took the path from the canal to the pub alongside a duck pond, through the village - but we discovered that there was another route home, along the Roman road, so we went that way - Roman roads are very straight, but they take no notice of hills, so the walk was a pretty good cardio workout. Yesterday morning we took the same road back to the village and detoured up to a huge windmill. I'm definitely getting my walking in - and Robin isn't doing too badly himself, in spite of the cold he caught from me and couldn't get rid of. He finally went to a doctor in Devizes and got some antibiotics, so he's on the mend now, just as my back starts to give out from all this winding and pushing (I'm sleeping sitting up now - practice for the plane ride home) :>(

Sunday, we're expecting a visit from David again, this time bringing his daughter and granddaughter for the day. We'll be giving him back his phone then (and speaking of phones, I've been out of range most of the trip. Tomorrow, when I'm back here again, I'll try making a couple of calls to friends in England.

There and Back Again

2006-09-09T03:40:00.000-07:00

We went all the way back to Newbury this morning, rented a car, and came back to Hungerford - all before lunchtime. It's amazing how fast you can travel by train and car.

Aboard the train, the conductor wore a box on a belt. When I had paid our fare, she punched some buttons on the box, and out slid our tickets, neatly and silently. It reminded me of that scene in the new Stepford Wives where the husband asks his wife for $100. She opens her mouth and out come the bills. There I was, giggling on the train.

Our car is a little blue Fiesta, which I have sworn not to drive. Driving in England. Ptui.

We have the rest of today to relax and enjoy the sights of Hungerford, or maybe take a drive around the region. I've picked up a handful of tourist leaflets here at the library.

Speaking of the library, I got a temporary card yesterday, because I saw two books I couldn't resist. The first was called The Used Women's Book Club. I figured that the title alone merited a look. Unfortunately, the author can't construct a sentence to save his life - but I still think that's a great title. The other book is called MERDE Actually, and it's very funny, actually. I'll take it with me and return it when we come back from Bristol. I may also take one that I came across while I was waiting for my turn at the computer just now. It's a Sophie Kinsella book called The Undomestic Goddess. At this rate, I may never get around to finishing the books I carried all the way across the ocean.

I almost forgot to mention the hedgehog- the stunned one from yesterday afternoon. When I was returning to the boat last night, I saw him again. He'd made it all the way from the churchyard to the school, several doors down, and was plodding along the road. Three people were watching him, concerned that he might wander into the road and be run down. We all decided to form an honour guard, just in case, but the hedgehog apparently had no interest in crossing the road. He ignored us all and just kept plodding. By now, he's probably on the high street somewhere.

2006-09-08T09:17:00.000-07:00

This comes to you from Hungerford, a lovely town in West Berkshire. I've walked from the canal, through the churchyard, down the narrow lane and out onto the high street. Robin is back on the boat, checking out the television, probably, if he can stop watching the moorhens and ducks that are hanging out a few yards away. We both walked downtown earlier this afternoon, again through the churchyard, where we met a (normally nocturnal) hedgehog who was obviously confused about the time.

I haven't yet found a place where I can upload my Word document to a computer, so I'm going to have to wing it -

Day 1 - September 6.

Our journey started with a bit of fun. We flew Baxter Air from Nanaimo to Vancouver. Neither of us had ever been on a float plane before, so we were a little apprehensive. As it turned out, it was the best part of the trip. No. That's damning with faint praise. It was better than that. In the company of the pilot and two other passengers, we flew at 500 feet over the strait, and it felt like 50. We were doing 110 miles per hour, but seemed to be crawling. We saw ducks under the water (well, Robin did.), lots of fish breaking the surface, and generally great scenery. It felt to me like riding in an old jalopy, but up in the air. I'd do it again in a second.

We lost a day somewhere over the Atlantic, and frankly I hope we don't find it again. It was pretty awful, although British Airways did provide toothbrushes, tiny tubes of toothpaste, and warm socks - and the food wasn't bad. The bad thing was the overcrowding. They really, seriously need to remove at least a third of the seats. Then there was the unremitting thirst.

Well, anyway.....

We landed at Heathrow after circling for an extra twenty minutes, and brother David was waiting for us. He drove us to Aldermaston by way of a supermarket, so this time we started our canal trip with food and drink aboard - definitely the thing to do.

David came with us as far as Thatcham, learning the ropes and giving me some much-needed help with the grunt work. Then he hopped off, caught the train back to Aldermaston, and drove home. We kept going almost to Newbury, then had to stop because we were too exhausted to continue. It was about then that I remembered - the last time we did this, the time that was so wonderful - we were not sick with colds and suffering from jet lag.

Day 2 - September 7. We sailed just into Newbury, did a little shopping, ate brunch, watched the locals feeding the dozens of swans and their ducky hangers-on, then sailed on to Kintbury, where we spent last night.

Day 3 - September 8. That's today, isn't it? We left Kintbury in the company of a privately owned narrowboat, the Amber Moon, whose operators have spent the last four months on the canals. With their expert help, we made it to Hungerford in only a couple of hours, and there (here) we'll stay until Monday, or at least our boat will. We will take the train back to Newbury tomorrow to pick up a rental car, and on Sunday we'll meet David and Sheila at Padstow in Cornwall for their son Steve's motorcycle race (and now for something completely different!).

This last part of the trip has been the most scenic so far - partly because it is scenic, and partly (mostly, I suspect) because we're beginning to work our way back into the land of the living. At some point this afternoon I realized that I wasn't dizzy, wasn't retiring to my bed between locks, didn't feel as if death were lurking behind my eyes somewhere. In short, my jet lag is abating. Hallelujah! I'm starting to enjoy this!

Tomorrow is the day

2006-09-04T16:53:00.000-07:00

Much as I love our Turtle, and although I would drive it to England if I could, that's just not possible - so we're flying over, then spending our three-week holiday on a floating version of the Turtle. I've started this blog to tell you about our adventure.

We will be flying out of Nanaimo tomorrow at 2 pm by float plane, then from Vancouver to London Heathrow at 6:10 pm on whatever British Airways is using. Robin bought a camcorder yesterday, so we should be able to make some movies, to which I shall try to post a link. At the very least, there will be stills.

We have rented the Bedwyn Lock, a 53 foot narrowboat, from Reading Marine. Our plan is to sail up the Kennet-Avon Canal from Aldermaston to Bristol and back. We will take one day away to drive to Cornwall for a motorcycle grass track race, but other than that, we will be on the water for the entire three weeks. Various family members and friends will come to visit us on board, where they will learn the fine art of opening and closing locks (and provide me with some welcome help).

As it appears I may now carry my laptop along, I'll journal every night and post whenever I get the chance.

p.s. - a special note to anybody who uses Mozilla Firefox to navigate: If you want to look at the Reading Marine site, it's best to use Internet Explorer instead of Firefox. That way you can see the links within the link, including pictures of the Bedwyn Lock. I'll try to remember to mention the problem to the proprietors when I'm in Aldermaston. Maybe they can do something to make their site more compatible with systems like mine.