Our first week in the UK

Thursday 21st March to Wednesday 27th March 2019

Great to be back in The Uk 🇬🇧 after 3 years. The flight with Thai Airways was pleasant but of course long, but you soon forget about that once out of the airport. Our good friends Mike & Liz kindly arranged a car to pick us up and we were only about 45mins drive to their home in Harpenden. We had a lovely driver who as we approached Harpenden asked if we didn’t mind stopping on the way to pick up some meals from a friend, we of course said no problem, but couldn’t believe it when he pulled up by a bus shelter and said the meals were behind it!! I said I would get out and get them as the road was busy. There they were! 3 curries in takeaway containers in a plastic bag. Seemed so funny, felt that we were part of a drug pick up! Great to see Mike and Liz again - we are very lucky to have wonderful friends and family in The Uk who make our visits so much easier. Liz has taken it upon herself to train us up for our big walk. So most days she has been taking us on some lovely walks slowly extending the length. We both feel very unfit and overweight at the moment so these walks are very welcome. The weather coming into spring has been sunny but cold around 10-14°C. We have started to put out feelers for a cheap car to get us around. We have booked flights to France in July with Mike and Liz who are going for 3 weeks and we will be with them for 1 week as a break in between our Welsh walk. Whatever you do DON’T MENTION BREXIT HERE!!! It’s certainly dividing the nation. 

Walked up the town - Harpenden 

Walked across Harpenden Common 

Great chat with the family back in Oz



Hardwood Forest with Mike & Liz



Size of those onions. Sandridgebury. Had the best sausage roll I’ve ever eaten. Walked back via East and West Common past very impressive homes.

Had to get some -amazing 

Spring is in the air 

Mike & Liz’s new Bespoke greenhouse 

A walk to Redbournbury Mill

Eccles cakes and flapjacks







Magnificent magnolia in Mike and Liz’s back garden 

This sign we found outside a school on the laneway !!!

Our first English pub lunch at The Hollybush in Redbourn 

Our dear friend Ali. She spared us 2 hours of her time as she was on a deadline with her new job. Writing and translating into German and French a 50 page travel brochure for cruise ships to encourage tourism in the South. 

Mike and Liz’s landscape design for their garden. We should see it finished.

Old Verger’s House built c1450 oldest surviving domestic house in Hertford 



Outside the castle in Hertford

Walked along the River Lee from Hertford to Ware





Glaxo - David’s last brickwork job before we emigrated to Oz

David had an apartment to the right of this photo. He lived here when I meet him

Visiting Mike And Liz’s daughter Emma at her new house in Leighton Buzzard. David could not resist lending a helping hand with some new flooring. We then visited Liz’s sister and her 2 gorgeous children.

A garden centre for a jacket potato and helping to choose new pavers for the landscaping.

A glorious walk from Lemsford to Harpenden 10kms



In the grounds of Brocket Hall











Old Wheathampstead railway station 

Having a chat with George Bernard Shaw







A magical walk back into Harpenden 

An exciting delivery today - it’s getting real 👣👣🏕