July 23 & 24 -- Crowcombe Heathfield

“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”  Of course, there were no motor cars in the 17^th century, or William Congreve may have reworded that statement to include VW campers as well as women.

It hasn’t been easy, but I think I’ve patched things up with Nora Too!  Vehicles get cold easily, but once you turn them on, they warm up fast.  Nora Too! is no exception.  Why, she even let Janet sit in the driver’s seat.

Nora Too! with a rose from her secret admirer

Later, as Janet and I drove our rental car from somewhere near Barnstaple to Crowcombe Heathfield, we passed a flower shop.  You know what happened next.  Like females everywhere, vehicles always respond well to flowers and intrigue, so I sent Nora Too! a rose without revealing my identity.  But she knew. 

Indeed, she responded with the following verse:

To my secret admirer

My wheel hubs are shining;

My VW badge is too;

My bodywork is blushing;

And all because of you!

A rose is given with love

And love is returned

My eyes have been opened

and my heart has been churned!

And my eyes would be weeping,

If only I had two!

Your everlasting

bashful Nora Too!

Whew!!  It was a close call, so I’ll have to be more careful in the future.

In Crowcombe Heathfield, Janet and I are staying two nights at Hartwood House.  You may remember it from last year as a beautiful manor  with 8 acres of gardens, run by David, Rosemary, and their rescue lab, Sadie.

Alan and me on the engine

Crowcombe Heathfield is on the edge of the Quantock Hills, and if the weather holds, Janet and I will hike there tomorrow.  But today, we took the West Somerset Railway steam train to nearby Minehead.  The railway line was closed in 1971 as a result of the Beeching Report which declared some 4,000 railway miles as uneconomic.  It was reopened in 1976 as a 20-mile private heritage line, featuring a meticulously restored steam engine as the prime tourist attraction.  Alan, the engineer asked me to join him on engine as he was shoveling coal into the furnace. 

The most beautiful steam engine in the world

The steam engine is the most beautiful engine I’ve ever seen.  It pulls the cars smoothly, with that wonderful puffing that only a steam engine can achieve.  Its whistle is that high-pitched resonance characteristic of a former time.  Combined with the ever increasing tempo of the chug…chug… chug as the engine pulls away from the station until it reaches the tempo of a panting dog, the sensation is reminiscent of Ravel’s Bolero.   

The engine conferred a sensual overload I will never forget.  I could feel the heat from the fire, smell the steam from the boiler, and feel the vibrations in the floor.  Coal dust was everywhere, but the highly polished controls emphasized the dignity and power of the engine.  I think I’m in love.

(c) 2012 Ken Klug