Back in Harpenden and the garden was blooming. We harvested and froze some veggies and David cut the lawn twice.
We got out our other tent and aired it for Jess.
Did lots of yummy cooking. This was a Colin Fassnidge dish chicken bread-devine.
Went to Milton Keynes to visit Katie in her new salon. It was amazing and she has done very well.
Simon and Kate.
Went into Luton to visit June & David and the grandchildren- Jess and
Jake
Later we drove to Barton-le-Clay to see David and Kara’s new house and all the work that he is doing to it. Great spot and it’s going to be lovely.
Icelandic poppies from the garden in Harpenden.
Did some more veggie freezing.
Hot day!!
Extra water needed for the garden.
What a great evening we had. Val drove up from Hampshire and Jude and Ali came too and I cooked dinner. We chatted until 3 in the morning! 🍷
We spent a day in Hitchin catching up with Jane - a friend of David’s from Boston USA who he hadn’t seen for 38 years! We FaceTimed with David’s family in Australia so they could see her too.
Ali came over again and another 3am morning as we had to finish the puzzle!
Went over to Ali’s in Whitwell to do a simple plumbing job that turned into a mission! But he got there in the end when Ali got some new parts the next day. Ellie making David look like a princess.
Homemade veggie soup.
Slow cooked beef and morning gathered French beans.
Walked to the train station and went into London for the day.
The food in Borough Markets was amazing.
Above all the fish stalls were bags of water hanging- these are to keep the flies away. Apparently they don’t like the reflection.
We wanted to go in here - West Minister Abbey but the 2 for 1 offer wasn’t on as it was school holidays so we will go back later in the year.
Wow! Cannot believe it was my first visit to Buckingham Palace.
Clarence House
Had a choice of 31 beers in a pub in Soho!
This actor was in The Lyric pub in Soho- Struan
Trafalgar Square
We were going to leave Harpenden but the weather was bad so decided to stay a bit longer.
Had this made for Mike and Liz for everything they have done for us.
Ali came over again for a game of Mexican Train.
Walked over to Sandridgebury for a sausage Bap. About time we got some exercise.
We packed up and left Harpenden and drive to our first air bnb in Oxford. This is Hertford College and The Bridge of Sighs.
The Bodleain library
We met up with Marcus who works and lectures at Oxford and got the full behind the scenes tour.
We even had a drink in the common room.
Dinner hall.
Walking over The Bridge of Sighs.
All Souls College. This is the elite of the elites college.
Merton
Christchurch College
Peppa Pig even made an appearance in The Great Hall
The Great Hall.
The Buttery.
Punting on The Cherwell. We learnt that which end of the boat you stand on signifies whether you are Oxford or Cambridge.
Back at Marcus and Emma’s place we had a great meal and evening.
The next day we headed for The Peak District.
We found a campsite near Biggin called Banksy Barn.
We drove into the very picturesque village of Bakewell.
The Bakewell puddings were better than the tarts.
Back at the campsite.
The next day we went for a walk with a lovely couple we met - Elaine and Mal. They come most weekends from Manchester to their caravan.
The village of Hartington.
Me and Elaine.
Later we drove to Arbor Low.
We had 2 nights at the campsite then drove to the Historic village of Eyam.
The Plague arrived here from a flea invested cloth that had been ordered by a tailorfrom london. It ended up killing 270 over a third of the village.
We drove higher into the Peak District to Hayfield. Con and Roger live here and we know them from coming to our apartment block in Australia every year for 3 months. It was so good to see them and they made us so very welcome. They own a beautiful property- an old Co-Op building. Con is a potter and she is so very talented.
The apartment upstairs is amazing. All designed and built by them.
This is their property.
They showed us all around the town and told us many stories of them courting and growing up in the area. They also showed us lots of different places they lived in town.
That night we drove into Marple and had a delicious curry. David is 59 today! Happy Birthday 🥳
Con’s work is absolutely incredible and I just wish we could bring a piece home.
We had the art studio all to ourselves.
On their doorstep are some amazing walks. We have been so very lucky with the weather and we had a brilliant walk along Kinder Dam.
20 trees. And if you zoom in you will see Con and Rogers house. The biggest one in the village.
After another great day we walked back to their place and had luxurious showers and a gourmet meal with lots of wine and laughter. Our Jess has landed in the Uk today so we are very excited about meeting her in Chester tomorrow.
