Phew! A few moments to rest after the exertions of the last few weeks and a brief pause before upcoming excitements.
Ben & Brex-Anna came and went. As I wrote last time, they were “in town” for a couple of days prior to a wedding in Ireland. We had a great time even though it was very brief – we picked them up at Heathrow on Saturday and delivered them to Birmingham Airport on Monday morning. Good morning, good afternoon, good night!
While I took them to Birmingham, Penny was simultaneously employed delivering her sister to Banbury Station for her train journey down to Gatwick and subsequently back to Toronto. Not the smoothest of journeys I’ve since learnt but, in the end, she managed to find her overnight hotel accommodation and got her flight on Tuesday morning.
As always, it was terrific to see Ben & Brex-Anna, even briefly, and Judi is a very welcome houseguest at any time. Miss you all.
You needn’t worry, though. After delivering them all to their relevant departure points, we welcomed another set of visitors! You just can’t get too much of a good thing. The visitors this time were my niece Karin and her two adorable children. They were only here overnight and then on Tuesday I took them to Warwick Castle which the kids enjoyed (I think). We climbed the towers and ramparts and then watched a jousting demonstration which was a potted history of the War of the Roses. It was good fun and I was able to tell the kids how they are related to most of the characters in this “play” – Richard III, the Princes in the Tower, Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, etc..
After we exhausted the castle (but not necessarily the kids) I drove home via Banbury Station so that they could get a train back to London. Another whirlwind visit – it’s always lovely to see Karin and her kids and we’re delighted that they would want to make the trek to see us in their limited time in the UK. Thanks for coming.
A bit of peace and quiet now until our next batch of visitors arrive. Tomorrow. We’re looking forward to seeing some friends for lunch whom we’ve not seen in far too long a time. And, I imagine, Penny will be preparing a feast – I’ll let you know.
It’s likely that there will be some radio silence next week – we’re planning to take off in Chlamydia the Campervan for a few days. Not quite sure where yet – Wales or Yorkshire seem the two likeliest destinations. And, the weather looks as if it could be very nice – fingers crossed.
And finally, there’s been a fair bit of discussion in recent weeks concerning how brilliantly Brexit is going, five years on. Surprisingly, there aren’t many (if any) former Leave proponents willing to stand up and proclaim what a great success Brexit has been.
And finally, finally, a photo illustrating the well-known saying, “Mad dogs and Englishmen . . .”
And, that’s it for this week!
Meanwhile, keep breathing, keep happy, keep smiling, keep exercising, be good, be careful, and keep safe. And be gentle to wasps and bees – we need all the pollinators we can get.
Lots of love to you all,
Greg