I left Edinburgh at 22 30 on the evening of 13th September using a coach (in the photo above). Of the options available to me such as using a train or plane, the bus option was one that I could afford. I was supposed to leave with the 22 00 coach but because of not checking the instructions on the monitors well I missed the bus. After consulting the bus station staff, I was told that if I got the 22 30 coach, I could still manage to get a connecting bus from Glasgow. The bus ride from Edinburgh to Glasgow was smooth and took almost an hour. I enjoyed viewing the countryside and buildings on the way. In Glasgow, one of the major cities in Scotland, I quickly disembarked the coach (see photo below) and rushed to get the connecting bus to Birmingham. Glasgow is 47 miles (75.3km) from Edinburgh.
I left Glasgow at 23 45 and arrived in Birmingham the following day at around 06 30 the following day. The distance from Glasgow to Birmingham is 290 miles (467km). The coach I used was comfortable and had enough leg room to allow one to stretch their legs and sleep well. I mixed times of some reading with sleeping and checking out new towns on their way. I did this by checking the distances to the next city and estimated arrival time and the set an alarm. I saw Manchester (home to Manchester United, the football time that I support). As it was at night I did not see much, but the part I saw looked good. Manchester is in the North-West region of the UK. I also saw Preston. One interesting incident as we travelled to Birmingham is when we stopped for a 10 minute break. The bus crew emphasized that we keep time as passengers. They told us that should anyone come late, the bus would start off without them. The man making the announcements further quipped “It’s a long way to walk from Preston to Birmingham”. That is how seriously time keeping is taken in the UK!
We arrived in Birmingham at 06 30. The first thing that amazed was the impressive buildings that I saw as we entered the city. Birmingham is a major city in England’s West Midlands region, with multiple Industrial Revolution-era landmarks that speak to its 18th-century history as a manufacturing powerhouse.
After alighting from the bus, I looked for a place where I could stand and contact Oliver Singogo who was to pick me up from Birmingham. I decided against waiting in the streets as I saw some suspicious looking man. I looked for a safe place to wait for Oliver. I found Holiday Inn hotel down the road. I ordered some coffee and then called Oliver to let know that I had arrived in Birmingham. He was able to locate me using the postcode that I sent to him. It was a joy to meet Oliver after some years. Last time we met was when he came to Zambia a few years ago. We had some good old English breakfast at the hotel and then started the trip down to Cornwall to visit Ronald and Carol Eathorne.
It was such a joy to catch up with Oliver as we drove to Cornwall. Oliver and I come from a long way. We went to the same school, Kafue Secondary School in the 80s. We became Christians while still at school and attended Scripture Union meetings regularly. After school we stayed in touch and at some point we stayed in the same residential area. We were involved in running Scripture Union camps and serving in the Lusaka Scripture Union Area Committee.
I enjoyed seeing the beautiful scenery of the lush green countryside as we made our way to Camborne in Cornwall. There was quite a lot of traffic on the way as a number of holiday makers were heading to the beach at the Southern coast of England to enjoy the warmth of summer. We stopped at a service station called services to stretch ourselves and get some snacks. The services were well stocked and the bathrooms very clean.
We arrived in Cornwall around 15 00 after covering 259 miles (417 km) from Birmingham and a total of 596 miles (959 km) from Edinburgh. What a joy it was for me to see Ronald Eathorne after 30 years. Ron Eathorne and his wife Carol were our teachers and Scripture Union Senior Friends at Kafue Secondary School. I had last seen Mr & Mrs Eathorne in 1989 at Marondera in Zimbabwe where they had been posted as teachers at Waddilove School after their service at Kafue Secondary School. Their son Justine whom I also met during this trip was 10 then!
After been shown our respective rooms where we would spend our night we sat outside and continued chatting with Mr Eathorne. After some time Oliver went for a stroll while I took a nap. The previous night travel had taken a toll on me. After I woke up, Mrs. Eathorne who was having a nap when we arrived earlier was now awake. Oliver too hour hosts made a booking for dinner at a restaurant in a nearby hotel.
Before going for dinner, the Eathorne's took us to see the beach briefly. It was such a joy for me to see the beach though briefly. I love water and just being amazed at God's creation of various water bodies such as rivers, lakes, seas, waterfalls and oceans. The dinner was very good and better so that it was in the company of such dear brethren: Ron, Carol and Oliver. After the dinner, we went back to the Eathorne's home and continued to chat and reflect on memories at Kafue Boys and on how the Lord had led us in our lives for the past 30 years.
The following day being a Sunday, we woke up in good time to prepare to attend a church service. Ron was preaching at a different church and so Carol, Oliver and I went to Centenary Wesleyan Church the church which Ronald and Carol Eathorne attend. They have attended this church ever since they were young Christians. It was a delight for both Oliver and I to attend the church from which our former teachers and Senior Friends had been sent to serve as missionaries in Zambia. During the service, Carol Eathorne introduced Oliver and I to the church, mentioning how she had taught us many years ago (35 years ago) when we were just teens and now both of us were grown tall men! It's encouraging for a teacher to see their students grow into responsible adults but more encouraging for an older Christian to see those whom they discipled as young Christians continuing to walk in the ways of the Lord. I enjoyed the songs sang during the service with the one by Graham Kendrick standing out.
After the service, Oliver and I chatted with a few of the church members. I also took time to look at some of the plaques on the walls of the church which had some useful information about some of the church members that had served in the church and some who had died in military service. Carol took Oliver and I for a brief tour of the church premises and showed us the church hall and the church cemetery. We then headed back to the Eathorne's home. It was time to say bye. It was not easy saying bye. Parting is such sweet sorrow. We parted after a prayer was made. Oliver and I were also given some gifts by the Eathornes which included some Christian books (which interestingly they bought when they were in Zambia!). Oliver advised that we needed to leave without having lunch if we were to avoid being caught up in traffic of the holiday makers who were returning to their homes from the coast.
Before we headed out to Tetbury, Oliver took me to see Gyllngvase Beach in Cornwall (See photo below). It was a beautiful scene and packed with tourists as can be seen from the photo's below. With such creation that God has made it is amazing that some still doubt that there is a God who made all things out of nothing. The Bible declares that "since the creation off the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse (Romans 1:20).
We spent most of the drive to Oliver's home chatting and me taking in some of the lovely sights. Oliver pointed out to me the road leading to Torquay, where the famous comedy of 'Fawlty Towers' got its' inspiration from. We stopped at one of the services for some quick lunch. After that we pressed on to Tetbury in Gloucester which is 205 miles (331 km). We arrived at Oliver's home slightly after 19 00. It had been a long but safe drive.
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'The Eathornes', as we fondly called them, have left a mark on some of us such that we cannot talk about our secondary school experience without mentioning them. May God continue to shower His blessings on them.