August 2024 - Magazine - Page 22
GREETINGS FROM SUNNY QUEENSLAND
W
e have some good friends living in Matfield and in
Brenchley, and keep in touch regularly, sharing news
of life and activities, or in recent covid times nonactivities.
We were delighted recently to receive an online copy of your excellent and
quintessentially English ‘Roundabout’ magazine. What a lovely slice of village life
from the Garden of England!
It brought back many happy memories, as we lived for some time just over
the county border in East Grinstead before we moved to Australia many years
ago. We also lived for a couple of years in a small village in Cornwall, and there,
as a very young couple with two young children, we got to know a little of the
village community and the activities that sustained it. Clearly the lucky residents
of Matfield and Brenchley enjoy a great deal of that supportive community spirit,
which is so important in these difficult days.
Over the years we have made many pleasant return visits to the UK, but have
to say that when we read your magazine, or see TV programmes about rural
England we always feel just a little envious, even though we have never regretted
for one second our move to ‘the lucky country’.
It never fails to amaze us that there is still so much lovely, unspoiled
countryside left in so many parts of England. We have plenty of countryside
in Australia too, of course, but such a vast landscape cannot all really be called
attractive (though much is, especially around our 36,000 kilometre coastline). But
it is what it is, the oldest continent, and we love it. We are fortunate enough to
have seen a great deal of Australia, especially on our post retirement motorcycle
travels (one motorbike each!) but there is still more to see when current covid
restrictions allow us out of the State. Nowadays, as oldies we still enjoy walks
along golden sands with our dog, but out of respect for others we no longer don
our bathers!
One of us is still motorcycling at age 80 years, while a little gentle gardening is
about as much as we undertake outdoors at home, so long as it’s not too hot. Of
course, it’s not all sun, sand, and surf, and there are some things so commonplace
about England that we sort of miss: bluebells in the woods in spring; snow (in
moderation!); Marks & Spencer; decent pork sausages; an authentic English
country pub; daylight saving; the four
seasons of the year; tree foliage changing
colour in autumn. But we guess that we
cannot have it all!
Warmest regards to everyone in Matfield
and Brenchley.
Lawrence and Brenda Watson - Brisbane
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