Babs Samways - The Last Post

Both metaphorically and literally this is the Last Post for Babs.  

Some people have been very kind - reading and complimenting the content and appreciating the sentiment of these articles.  Others have wondered what all the fuss is about. Wondered why bother?

Babs started the series back in August 2009.  She wanted to write down her stories to there after she'd gone.  She wanted grandchildren, and their children, and their children, to have first hand accounts of ancestors lives, and to make them easy to find.

Over the last couple of years we've added the odd article - particularly pictures from her albums - all to the same purpose - writing down history as seen by somebody who was there.  Since Babs passed away we've continued the theme and added our own accounts of this particular history as it happened

And now we've reached the end of the story.  Play the Last Post because this is the last post in the series.  Here's a list of, and links to, the individual pages.

Hope you enoy something here.

Steven Reeves

Babs Reunited With Bill

Babs Returns to Her Family and Roots

Babs Samways - a Eulogy

And the other side to Babs told by close family

Babs in the Oxford Mail and Wantage Herald

Babs life in 41 pictures, from 8 to 81

Chris and Maggie's Visit in July 2011

Babs 80th Birthday Party in Video

One of Babs many sewing triumphs in her church in Grove

How Babs Met Bill - told by Babs herself for the BBC Inside Lives programme

Babs and Bill's family and friends all got together for Vicki's christening and are pictured here in the garden at Wilwyn, 4 Garston Close, Wantage.

Evacuated During the War - in Babs own words

Babs Own Tribute to Her Grandfather - Wilfred Stevens Prior

Babs Own Story At The Start of the War

The Prior Family in Photographs

Babs Reunited With Bill At Last

So often I catch myself thinking

About special times spent with you,

Laughter and fun shared, 

Secrets told, 

And promises kept.

Babs loved Bill to bits.  He rescued her from very dark days after she divorced Syd Reeves.  

She'd always wanted her own business - Bill helped her start the shop and make it work.  He did all of the cooking, most of the housework, kept the shop books, and installed curtain track for customers.

She'd always wanted her own house.  Together the bought and built and furnished and decorated a new home.  They called it WilWyn.  It was home for the couple for 25 years, till Bill passed away in 1997.  It was home for Babs, full of memories of Bill for another 14 years.  Number 4 Garston Close was their haven into which they welcomed everybody. Bill made that possible.

She liked to travel.  Bill took her all over the world to exotic places.  For a while they kept a caravan at Llafranc in northern Spain and invited family and close friends to enjoy it with them.  For another while their favourite destination was a hotel in the Dordogne, southern France.  They went on cruises.  We have pictures of the couple in their finery, dining at the Captains Table. They visited the Far East, India, Hong Kong, China, New Zealand, USA, Caribbean, Nordic countries.  They had a ball, and Bill made it all possible.

Babs loved Bill to bits.

When Bill's health was decimated by stroke Babs cared for him.  She was nurse and coach and carer and cook.  Nothing was too much for Bill.

Bill didn't have much time for religion.  When the time came he wanted no part of churches or graveyards.  He wanted to stay forever atop the Berkshire Downs looking north to Wantage and beyond.  This place was on the Locking Estate, Babs home in her earlier years.  It belonged to her as much as the descendants of Lord Wantage.  Babs had no problem with the gates to the private road.

That's where Bill's ashes were scattered.  She figured if it was good enough for Lord Wantage, it would also be suitable for Bill.  This is a spot where nobody would ever walk.  Out of the way and peaceful, but powerful because of the view.

When the time came, Babs wanted to be with Bill.  I was left in no doubt. Her will specified where her ashes should be scattered, and many times she reiterated that to me in conversation.

Unfortunately the decision about where Babs ashes would be laid to rest turned out to be contentious.  Understandable family wishes were confirmed by her priest.  Babs was conflicted it seems.  On the one hand she wanted to rest with Bill on the Downs.  On the other she felt a responsibility to be with her family, in Ardington.  That's what her priest told us, and I'm sure he was right.

We decided to lay her to rest in Ardington.  We couldn't identify the precise spot where Bill was placed. Her priest explained her conflict, and her family had strong views.  In the end it came down to conscience, and it was mine that ended up with the problem.

Only a few days later we discovered a neighbour and close friend knew exactly where Babs put Bill to rest.  Unfortunately too late.  So we decided to do the next best thing - have a commemoration on the spot leaving something of Babs in the same place.  Her ashes might not be there, but at least some of her spirit would.

The B4494 goes from Wantage to Newbury - up Chain Hill, past the Foundry, and up to the Ridgeway and the monument to Lord Wantage  This used to be a Sunday afternoon drive when we were kids, maybe for a picnic if the weather was good. Lord Wantage's family chose this particular spot for his monument.  It's special up here sitting on top of the Downs with a clear view. 

The Ridgeway is famous in these parts, and further afield to some.  This was built by the Romans, all the way from London to Bath.  Where it crosses the B4494 there's a small car park, from where it's just a few hundred yards walk to the Monument.  From the same car park there's a private road going down to Ginge, and Lockinge, and Ardington.  There's a locked gate to keep strangers out, but from the Ridgeway its easy to cross the ditch on foot into the triangle of land between the road and the Ridgeway.  Sixty or so yards from the gate and in the middle of the triangle is where Babs scattered Bill's ashes and where we paid our tribute to Babs, and to Bill for the happy couple they were.  

We burned the pictures you see in the gallery, and scattered the ashes.  We buried the small plate you see here.  Of all Babs possessions we came across, this plate was the most poignant.  They'd obviously bought it in Grenanda and cherished it ever since. 

The words on the plate explain what it meant to them, and to us when deciding what to leave there.  And that's why they're quoted at the top of the page.

Of course it's only symbolic.  So would the ashes have been.

Of course its sentimental.  So what's so wrong about that?

Are Babs and Bill together again.  We like to think so.

And in the end, that's what counts.

Steven Reeves

Babs Returns to Her Family

This album of pictures shows the church from the outside, the inside and the rear graveyard.

Babs returned to her roots and her family on September 8th 2011 when her ashes were interred in the graveyard of the church in Ardington.

Walk around the church and stand with your back to the Millenium window, facing the field.  Straight ahead and half way to the bottom of the graveyard you'll find the grave of two of Babs favourite people, grandfather Wilfred and grandmother Annie, pictured here is the scolled headstone.

Now turn slightly left toward the far left hand corner. At the bottom of the field, right by the fence, you'll find two graves, pictured here.

In the grave closest to the fence, and shown here without a headstone or floral tribute lie Babs sister Anne, and Anne's father Horace Lanfear - Babs stepfather.


The grave on the church side is for Babs mother, Winifred Alice Prior, married as Lewis and subsequently as Lanfear, and Babs granddaughter Vikki Reeves, and now Babs herself.

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Babs Defined Sewing

Babs never shirked a challenge in her life, and certainly never said no to a difficult sewing problem.

Her ability to take on and deliver any seamstress task was reinforced last weekend.
We went to a memorial service for dear departed at Babs church in Grove. After the service  several parishioners asked if we knew about the curtains she'd made for the church hall.

The picture shows the hall window which takes up the whole wall, virtually from floor to eaves.

Apparently a local engineer designed the drapes. Babs sourced the fabric, hired special machines, and with a couple of willing helpers made the curtains over a weekend.
She had to sit on the floor next to the machines because the floor was the only surface big enough to lay out the fabric.

The parishioners remember Babs every time they use the hall.

Looking at this sewing feat its easy to understand why.

Babs Samways in Pictures

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The Madleys in Wales Pictures from Way Back When

See the full gallery on Posterous

At St Davids Cathedral Pembrokeshire

Anne, Christopher and Steven

This must have been the first holiday we ever had - a wet week in a caravan on Hayling Island.  At a guess this would have been 1956 or 1957.  That's the sort of question we always used to be able to ask Babs, but can't now of course.

These kids seem to be having a good time, despite the weather and the caravan, which if I remember correctly was very small.

Anne, Bab's half sister, Christopher in the middle and Steven on the right obviously had something to laugh about.

Steven

Golf in the Sunshine at Royal Dornoch

It doesn't get any better than this.

Carnegie Shield at Royal Dornoch

Next weekend sees the start of the Carnegie Shield at Royal Dornoch Golf Club.  The club offers a number of open competitions, for other clubs in the area and for holidaying golfers, but the Carnegie Shield is the biggest of the lot.

Qualifying takes place on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in 36 holes of stroke play.  The lowest score for the two rounds is recognised with the award of the Silver Medal.  Higher handicap players qualify on Sunday and Monday, with the more accomplished golfers competing on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The main competition is a scratch matchplay tournament.
On Thursday morning 32 players with the lowest scratch scores in qualifying compete in 16 matches for the right to progress to the next rounds.  Friday morning the 16 is reduced to 8 and in the afternoon that 8 goes down to 4.  Saturday morning sees two matches, with the winners competing in the final match in the afternoon.

This series of videos records the competition in 2010 and  shows the opening day, the first hole of the final match, and the prize giving.



For the first time in quite a while, this years final was played out between two local heroes – Christopher “Chippy” Mailey and Alexander Macdonald. Mailey was the defending champion, and Macdonald had triumphed over 3 time winner Biggadike in their semi-final.

Both have been amongst the best players in the club for the last 10 years, or more so this contest was expected to be a real showdown, with the scratch players trading birdies.

In the event Mailey’s game deserted him and Macdonald ran out comfortably winning at 6 up with 5 to play.

The video shows how they played the first hole in glorious sunshine and followed by an expectant crowd.

Mailey pushed his drive to the right while Macdonald smoothed an iron into perfect position in the center of the fairway.

First with the approach, Macdonald eased a wedge into the heart of the green, about 12 feet short of the hole.

Mailey’s shot was much more difficult, coming out of thick rough, across an approach foreshortened by the large bunker and over the smaller trap guarding the green. His pitch landed nicely in the middle of the green, but ran on, slipping off the side. The next approach with the putter was close enough to ensure a 4.

But Macdonald made that putt un-necessary, stroking in his birdie. And he must have continued in the same vein.




Both weather and golf course were in the finest of conditions but the golfing gods deserted defending champion Mailey and Macdonald ran out the comfortable winner.

In his valedictory speech Macdonald graciously, in the true spirit of golf, acknowledged the misfortune suffered by Mailey and the generosity of 3 time winner Biggadike who he’d conquered on the last hole in the semi final earlier in the day.

Walk on Dornoch Beach in the Highlands

Walk on Dornoch Beach in the Highlands:

"A walk on the beach in the morning is a great start to any day, especially when the beach is at Dornoch in the Highlands, and especially when the weather is as kind as it was this morning.


By the kids playground there were 4 RVs – caravans with a driver on the front. They’d obviously parked there (illegally) overnight and were in the process of getting the day started. Two were from Germany, one from France and the other from England. They’d all come a long way.

From there the beach is less than 50 yards away so a wander and paddle is the natural thing to do. Build up the appetite for Scottish breakfast

The video shows a visiting family having the entire beach to themselves – miles of glorious soft sand and rock pools when the tide’s out. With the hills in the background and that huge sky this place has to be as close to Paradise as we can get."

John o' Groats named Scotland's ugliest - UPI.com

EDINBURGH, Scotland, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- John o' Groats, on northern mainland Britain, is to receive the Carbuncle Prize as the ugliest village in Scotland, Urban Realm magazine announced.
The village of about 300 people will be honored with the award, also known as "Plook on the Plinth," The Scotsman reported. It finished ahead of a number of other beauty spots, including Inverness, Lochgelly and East Kilbride.

"Home to Britain's most northerly derelict building, this windswept outpost was marked down by our judges for its reliance upon tourist tat and its over-commercialization, evidenced most prominently by the famous John o' Groats signpost," Urban Realm said in its announcement Thursday.
The sign should point to New York, the North Pole and other notable places. But the magazine said tourists who want to get a picture must pay more than $25 to get the directional signs put in place.
Local residents said they hope that a scheme to renovate the remains of the John o' Groats Hotel into a visitors' center and tourist apartments will add to the village's attractiveness.

via upi.com

Dolphin watching worth £4m to Scotland - Scotsman.com News

By Frank Urquhart

THE Moray Firth's world famous population of bottlenose dolphins are worth £4 million a year to Scotland's tourism economy, a new report has revealed.

The firth is home to the world's most northerly dolphin population - an estimated 130 bottlenose dolphins known locally as "loupers" or "tumblers".

And a report, commissioned by the Moray Firth Partnership, has shown that their presence in the firth is worth at least £4m to the local economy and supports more than 200 jobs in the sector through the overnight trips undertaken by tourists to see the dolphins.
Dolphin watching was a significant reason for 52,200 overnight visitors travelling to the East coast of Scotland, and 17,100 of these visitors considered seeing dolphins to be the main reason for their trip.
The findings were welcomed by Marion Macmillan, the chair of the partnership. She said: "We always knew that the dolphins were a great tourist attraction, but I don't think we realised just how important they were for a lot of tourists and that people often come specially to the area to see the dolphins and bring their spending money with them."
Ms Macmillan said it was important for the future of the tourism industry on the East coast of Scotland that the potential of dolphin watching in the Moray Firth was developed still further.
But she stressed: "At the same time is has to be sustainable. We must not put the dolphins under pressure.
"It is not a case of saying let's go for it - let's have as many boats out there as possible chasing dolphins. We absolutely can't do that. The dolphin operators are very responsible and they wouldn't want to do that but we have to find a way of developing this kind of tourism without putting these beautiful animals under pressure."
Ms Macmillan said the best way forward would be to develop land-based facilities for dolphin watching.
"I think we are unique in Europe in having such a fantastic way of seeing the dolphins without having to go out to sea," she said. "And I know that Highland Council, for example, are anxious to take that forward."
Richard Lochhead, the Moray MSP and Scotland's Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, also welcomed the findings.
He said: "Dolphins are much loved inhabitants of Scotland's eastern waters and it is little wonder that many thousands of people plan especially to see them. But beyond their charm, they are also a very visible symbol of a healthy and sustainable marine environment."
Mr Lochhead added: "The Marine Scotland Act has been created to protect our wild species - like dolphins - while we also ensure that Scotland continues to benefit from the riches contained within our waters.MPUMinCharsCutOff:210 PageLength:2566
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via news.scotsman.com

BBC News - Scots 'tend to blame Labour' for cuts

By Brian Taylor Political editor, BBC Scotland

Nearly three-quarters of people surveyed preferred spending cuts to raising taxes

Scots tend to blame the former UK Labour government for forthcoming spending cuts, according to a survey for BBC Scotland.

Nearly 75% of the 1,000 respondents favoured cutting spending rather than increasing taxes to plug the deficit.

But the poll also suggests they would like the programme of cuts to proceed more slowly, a policy which has been advanced by Labour and the SNP.
The poll comes as the chancellor prepares to reveal his spending plans.
After the details are announced next week, Scotland's Finance Secretary John Swinney will calculate the impact upon Holyrood spending and announce his detailed proposals. 

For the poll, Ipsos MORI interviewed 1,000 people in Scotland from 17-22 September. As with all such polls, there is a margin of error of +/- 3%.
On the issue of responsibility, the poll deliberately focused upon potential political consequences - excluding, for example, the option of blaming the banks.
Asked who was most responsible for upcoming cuts, 42% chose the former UK Labour government while 39% named the present UK coalition government.
A further 13% pinned the blame on the SNP Scottish government.

Continue reading the main story

Those proportions, of course, might change once the cuts are actually announced and, more importantly, start to bite.

In general, 74% favoured a focus upon cutting spending rather than increasing taxes.
But it would seem that there is caution too. It appears from the survey that a big majority would prefer to cut spending more slowly.
Respondents were presented with two broad options. One was to "cut spending quickly even if it means immediate job losses because it will be better for the economy in the long-run". That latter point has been repeatedly emphasised by Chancellor George Osborne.
The second option was to "cut spending more slowly, to reduce the impact on public services and the economy". That is, broadly, the case advanced by Labour and the SNP.
Asked to choose, 81% plumped for slower cuts while 19% thought it was important to cut spending quickly.

The chancellor remains adamant that it is vital to maintain the pace on public spending cuts in order to reassure international markets.
But this finding, if replicated in other polls, may underline the wider debate about the timing, scope and presentation of the cuts.
People gave a range of responses to the question of whether the Scottish government should use Holyrood's tax-raising powers to minimise the impact of spending cuts in Scotland.
Most tended to agree - but those with strong opinions either way were in the minority. No major party at Holyrood is currently offering to use the parliament's tax-varying powers.

via bbc.co.uk

Is Scotland the next big adventure travel destination? | Gadling.com

by Kraig Becker (RSS feed) on Oct 25th 2010 at 8:30AM

It's no secret that the adventure travel market is booming. It is estimated that that segment of the travel industry generated $89 billion in revenue in 2009 alone, and 2010 is expected to be another banner year. One destination that is helping to contribute to that massive revenue is Scotland, a country that already garners more than $1.4 billion in adventure travel per year, and yet analysts are forecasting an increase in the number of visitors to the country of more than 70% over the next three years.

More than 3.2 million adventure trips were booked to Scotland in 2008 and with the predicted increase for the years ahead, travel companies are already ramping up to help meet the demand. New options for hiking, cycling, and paddling in Scotland are in the works, offering plenty of active adventures for travelers looking to explore the country's varied landscapes.
The most popular draw for adventure travelers is undoubtedly a multi-day hike through the famed Scottish Highlands. Those treks can consist of a few days of short day hikes while staying in luxurious accommodations or up to ten full days of walking during which travelers stay in simple inns each night. The trails pass through low lying mountains covered in mist and heather that are surprisingly rugged, and breathtakingly beautiful.
Many of those same mountain trails are also accessible by mountain bike, which make them a lure for an entirely different crowd. Road cyclists will find plenty to enjoy as well, albeit on the quaint roads that wind through the Scottish countryside. Kayaking and canoeing are also popular ways to explore the Highlands and the country's famous Lochs, while the beautiful rocky coastlines offer some of the best sea kayaking found anywhere on the planet. Mix in a rich history and culture, and you have all the best ingredients for your next adventure trip.

via gadling.com