A couple of weeks ago Tone wrote to Ariva, Great Western and South Eastern Trains to ask them if they would sponsor our train trips from Barry to Cardiff, Cardiff to London and London to Ramsgate! He actually asked if they would let us pay the same as Grandpa would have done!
Great Western have done even better and said they will let us travel free. Clever Tone.
Of course they will get some publicity but if is great news.
I have started to write lists and then will make lists of lists I am sure.
I have spoken to my best friend Bridget who is a great traveller for advice on packing and what to take.
She has given me several pieces of advice, the most concerning is to take a skirt in case I break my leg. She had no comment to make about what Tone would take in case he breaks his leg but he is not taking his kilt. It weighs too much!
I spent yesterday copying the stuff I am sending to Mike Ford who is lending us a video camera. As always I got sidetracked into looking at photos, letters and newspaper cuttings so it took quite a long time. It is all packed up now to send off to him later today.
Wednesday 23 January 2013
Monday 21 January 2013
A great weekend
A great weekend. Met a chap who is interested in helping us to record our epic trip. I am copying lots of the archive I have collected for him and he has the video taken from Grandpas cine film which he will transfer onto a new CD in the hope that it will be clearer. The one I have has been copied from a copy and may be able to be improved on.
Mike has also offered to lend us a professional video camera to take with us so we will have to go back down to Devon soon to learn how to use it.
Next week Visas for Belarus, Russia and China. All getting really exciting now
We are still looking for the hotel Grandpa might have stayed in on the night he spent in London. No luck yet but will keep trying.
Tone is hoping that the train companies now operating the trains between Barry, London and Ramsgate will allow us to travel at the same price as Grandpa would have paid. Will keep you posted on this
Mike has also offered to lend us a professional video camera to take with us so we will have to go back down to Devon soon to learn how to use it.
Next week Visas for Belarus, Russia and China. All getting really exciting now
We are still looking for the hotel Grandpa might have stayed in on the night he spent in London. No luck yet but will keep trying.
Tone is hoping that the train companies now operating the trains between Barry, London and Ramsgate will allow us to travel at the same price as Grandpa would have paid. Will keep you posted on this
Friday 4 January 2013
Finding out about Shanghai
Once we had the trip fixed as far as is possible we started to think about how much we could find out about Grandpa and Granny's time in Shanghai.
I thought they lived at Columbia Road and googled it.
It is now called Panyu Road
I found reference to Columbia Road on a blog site written by Robert Bickers. He was interested in JG Ballard, author of Empire of the Sun and had researched JGs story. JG lived in Amehurst Avenue in Shanghai which has a junction with Columbia Road so I got very excited imagining our families knowing each other and I got quite carried away with the prospect.
Robert Bickers went to Shanghai and met up with a chap called Andy Best who showed him round. It makes interesting reading and if you google JG Ballard in Shanghai you will find the story.
JGs house is now a restaurant and has its entrance on Columbia Road. This should make finding Grandpas house less difficult if indeed it still exists.
I have emailed Any Best who still lives in Shanghai and he has promised to send me some pics of what he thinks is the house where Grandpa lived
Tony and I have a friend who keeps his boat in the same marina as we keep Concordant. Steve works regularly in Shanghai so he too has been doing some research for us. He went with some Chinese(I think) colleagues on a recent visit to search for the house. He said his colleagues were more interested in finding the house than in finishing the work they were doing for him!
I have also been in touch with the Royal Asiatic Society who have given me some details of other addresses where Grandpa lived.
All in all I think we should be able to pin down where the house is or was so our visit should be exciting.
Of course other places where Grandpa and Granny went are possibly still there.
From Grandpas diary of his trip we see that he went to the races on the day he arrived. Although the racecourse is not still there I think you can identify where it is.
Andy Best also mentions a Country Club and a riding school. I have a pic of Granny dressed for riding and she mentions it in her letters of 1926 so I winder if it is the same one.
I thought they lived at Columbia Road and googled it.
It is now called Panyu Road
I found reference to Columbia Road on a blog site written by Robert Bickers. He was interested in JG Ballard, author of Empire of the Sun and had researched JGs story. JG lived in Amehurst Avenue in Shanghai which has a junction with Columbia Road so I got very excited imagining our families knowing each other and I got quite carried away with the prospect.
Robert Bickers went to Shanghai and met up with a chap called Andy Best who showed him round. It makes interesting reading and if you google JG Ballard in Shanghai you will find the story.
JGs house is now a restaurant and has its entrance on Columbia Road. This should make finding Grandpas house less difficult if indeed it still exists.
I have emailed Any Best who still lives in Shanghai and he has promised to send me some pics of what he thinks is the house where Grandpa lived
Tony and I have a friend who keeps his boat in the same marina as we keep Concordant. Steve works regularly in Shanghai so he too has been doing some research for us. He went with some Chinese(I think) colleagues on a recent visit to search for the house. He said his colleagues were more interested in finding the house than in finishing the work they were doing for him!
I have also been in touch with the Royal Asiatic Society who have given me some details of other addresses where Grandpa lived.
All in all I think we should be able to pin down where the house is or was so our visit should be exciting.
Of course other places where Grandpa and Granny went are possibly still there.
From Grandpas diary of his trip we see that he went to the races on the day he arrived. Although the racecourse is not still there I think you can identify where it is.
Andy Best also mentions a Country Club and a riding school. I have a pic of Granny dressed for riding and she mentions it in her letters of 1926 so I winder if it is the same one.
A very exciting day
Great excitement today as I have had an email from Peter Hibbard of the Royal Asiatic Society who has invited me to speak at an informal gathering of the RAS when we are in Shanghai.
He wants me to show the film we have of Grandpas time there and to compare our trip with Grandpas and to read from some of Granny's letters.
Peter has also done a lot of research for me us and is going to take us to the places there Granny and Grandpa lived over the time they were there.
Peter also sent me some more newspaper cuttings with details of Grannys exploits. She was the treasurer and secretary of the Ladies Paper Hunt Club! This was clearly a paper chase on horseback.
Granny seemed to write using the pen name Elizabeth Pepys and is also mentioned quite extensively in reference to a pamphlet she wrote about gradening in Shanghai.
There is also a reference to her "Pretty Wedding" I wonder if she wrote the report.
Now I am looking for the hotel where they had their wedding reception and wondering if we might stay there instead of the one we are proposing.
A very exciting developement
He wants me to show the film we have of Grandpas time there and to compare our trip with Grandpas and to read from some of Granny's letters.
Peter has also done a lot of research for me us and is going to take us to the places there Granny and Grandpa lived over the time they were there.
Peter also sent me some more newspaper cuttings with details of Grannys exploits. She was the treasurer and secretary of the Ladies Paper Hunt Club! This was clearly a paper chase on horseback.
Granny seemed to write using the pen name Elizabeth Pepys and is also mentioned quite extensively in reference to a pamphlet she wrote about gradening in Shanghai.
There is also a reference to her "Pretty Wedding" I wonder if she wrote the report.
Now I am looking for the hotel where they had their wedding reception and wondering if we might stay there instead of the one we are proposing.
A very exciting developement
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