Life is Always Sunny in Southend-on-Sea
In Essex County of Merry Old England lies the seaside resort town of Southend-on-Sea. This quaint coastal community is really quite remarkable. It boasts seven miles of beaches, great shopping, a seaside amusement park, and the world’s longest leisure pier in the world. Knowing all this, this was one place that Big John wanted to experience first hand.
It appears boating is still very popular along this particular section of coastline.
Southend-on-Sea began its humble beginnings as a place for poor fishermen’s huts and farms at the southern end of the village called Prittlewell. In the 1790s, the first buildings around what was to become the High Street of Southend were completed. Southend continued to stay pretty much off the radar until the 19th century when Princess Caroline of Brunswick just happened to pay a visit to the small seaside community. Well, the princess quickly fell in love with the place and a seaside resort sprang up not long after, giving the community some much needed fanfare. (more…)
Posted in Adventurous Places, Europe, Great Dining and tagged England, Essex County, merry old england, southend, Southend-on-sea by Big John with no comments yet.
In My Rover Near the Cliffs of Dover- A Love Story
She was brilliant. She was beautiful. She was my most faithful of companions and her name was Rover. Now as I peered out through the fogged-up glass, it seemed I was losing her for good. I remember that fateful day I first brought her home with me. Everything about her seemed so pure, clean and new. I loved the way she looked… the way she smelled… that certain style that only she possessed.
They say you can’t buy love, but the 500 quid I paid for her never felt so right, nor so good. At first, I planned on only using her for awhile. You know, merely as a cheap means to get around. But then things got much more serious. I became attached and I didn’t want to lose her. I seriously considered even bringing her back to the States with me; and I probably would’ve if everything hadn’t just sort of fallen apart.
She had been mine for only a month when I first began noticing her condition starting to deteriorate. It all happened as we were returning from a romantic drive from the White Cliffs of Dover. to my home in Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire. First it was merely a hiccup or sputter and but nothing to really warrant too much concern.
White Cliffs of Dover
When she started getting worse I took her to get checked out. Surprisingly they said she was still in good condition for her age. Her prognosis was really quite favorable and they expected her to last several more years. Oh, they couldn’t have been more wrong! It wasn’t but two weeks later that she really took a turn for the worse. She began overheating, discharging milky fluids, and then… (more…)
Posted in Adventurous Places, Europe and tagged cliffs of dover, England, Rover 45 by Big John with 1 comment.