16th September 2016

We woke this morning to the sound of thunder and rain pounding against the balcony window. It was 5:30 am! Since the end of August, we’ve been spoiled with glorious blue skies and soaring temperatures, the sort of days that randomly evoke happy childhood memories of long walks, apple scrumping, and ‘tip-and-run’ cricket in the alley at my childhood friend Chris Yates’ house (I wonder what he’s up to these days).

We ended August with a visit from the Braunstons, and later Charlotte joined us for an afternoon outing to Easton on the Hill to check out the Bluebell Inn, the venue for Sarah and Lee’s wedding breakfast. It’s a charming country establishment in a picturesque village. We met the Italian landlord and listened as plans for the marquee, tables, and food were discussed. It feels quite surreal to think that, in less than a year, my youngest will be ‘officially’ off our hands.

We’ve continued looking after Lucas and Ellis while Charlotte tends to the gardens of Leicestershire and Northamptonshire. We keep them entertained with walks, table tennis, table football, and the pool. They are very much “boys”, full of energy and mischief, and while it’s lovely to have them for a few hours, there’s also a certain joy in waving them off and reclaiming a peaceful house.

The start of September brought a flurry of celebrations. Charlotte’s birthday was on the 2nd, their wedding anniversary on the 3rd, and Suraj’s birthday on the 4th. How convenient to get it all done in just three days! On a whim, they decided to mark the occasion with a trip to Normandy, booking a last-minute ferry crossing from Calais and a house in Auberville. It was an exciting adventure for the boys, who had never been on such a large ship before. They travelled overnight and made it to their accommodation without a hitch, though they were surprised by the cost of the French toll roads!

For the next few days, they embraced the French way of life and were blessed with marvellous weather. Impressed by the experience, they may well return in the future.

On the 3rd, we attended a charity garden party at Lynn and Jeremy’s. What a shame that our typical summer weather decided to make an unwelcome return for the afternoon. We were among the few who braved the rain, doing our best to manfully work through the mountain of food prepared for the large number of invitees who failed to materialise.

The following day, Sue and I drove to The Crown in Hopton Wafers. Sue had arranged for an old family friend from Tenbury Wells to stay with us for a few days. Since we were picking her up, we decided to make a day of it and fit in a walk in the Clee Hills beforehand. The Crown proved to be a delightful retreat after a strenuous day of walking through the hills and woods of Shropshire. The food was excellent, the selection of beers was impressive, and the beds were wonderfully comfortable. The bar even had a brilliant and eclectic selection of board games, which kept us entertained in the evening.

The weather on Clee Hill was rather peculiar. The lower slopes basked in sunshine, but as we climbed towards the summit, mist and a noticeable chill set in, only to vanish again as we descended. Not so unusual, you might think, but oddly enough, the BBC weather map showed the entire country basking in an uncompromising heatwave! The hedgerows in this part of the world are a veritable feast of fruit, and we couldn’t resist helping ourselves to damsons, blackberries, apples, and cobnuts along the way. No surprise, then, that our evening meals became something of a challenge to finish.

Our route took us across the Iron Age fort at Caynham. We thought it would make a lovely spot for a picnic. The site remains largely untouched and seems to be frequented only by a small herd of local cattle, who appeared distinctly unimpressed by our presence. From the fort’s ramparts, there are tremendous views of the surrounding countryside; it’s easy to see why our ancestors chose this spot for their settlement.

While in Worcestershire, we managed to fit in a pleasant wander around Ludlow, stopping for lunch and refreshments at a local hostelry. Our afternoon walk took us through Mortimer Woods, which proved to be more of a challenge than expected. The combination of heat and distance took its toll on Sue, and she was relieved to return to the hotel for a well-earned rest.

After our short break, we drove to Tenbury, picked up our family friend, Sheila, and made our way back to Harborough.

One afternoon, Sue entertained Sheila with a visit to see Sarah. On another occasion, they visited Foxton Locks and the Harborough Canal Basin to see where our old house once stood and afterwards did a spot of shopping in town. On another afternoon, Doreen invited them both to her apartment for coffee and biscuits. During that evening, we took Sheila and the boys to see the Chinese State Circus in Kettering. We had seen them perform before in Beijing and knew they would be good, and they certainly didn’t disappoint.

On Friday afternoon, Sheila took many photos of the family, particularly the boys and that evening she joined the family for the usual family Curry Night. Although I have to admit the curries weren’t the best I’ve ever made, Sheila seemed to appreciate them.

That night, Jamie promised to take Sheila home to Tenbury Wells the following day, and true to his word, he did so. The following morning, he arrived at Willow Bank, and by all accounts, the journey went well. Sheila rewarded him with lunch in Tenbury, and afterwards, he had his hair cut in the town before returning to Harborough.

Sue and I had organised another short break away, and the day after Sheila returned home, we drove to King’s Lynn. After checking in at the Dragonfly Hotel, we set off on a circular walk I had planned, following several water courses (drains). It was another hot day, and the going was made more difficult by the complete lack of signage, which made it clear that few (if any) had passed along these footpaths this year. If it hadn’t been for my GPS, it would have been impossible to find the overgrown paths, stiles, and gateways that constituted our route. Nevertheless, with regular careful study of the LCD screen, we managed to complete the circuit, with only a few diversions to avoid stiles that were overgrown with brambles.

We stopped briefly for a picnic in a field. Thinking we were alone, we were soon joined by a large herd of heifers, who stood in a line about 20 metres away, observing us with open mouths as we devoured our sandwiches. It was a bit tense for a while, but I suppose walkers are so unusual to them. They remained rooted to the spot in apparent awe until we stood to leave, at which point, they quickly bolted.

Late in the afternoon, we ventured into King’s Lynn to discover it was Heritage Weekend, but disappointingly, it was due to finish at 4 pm. However, we did manage to catch some medieval displays outside St Nicholas’ Church (a very impressive building). We also visited True’s Yard Fisherfolk Museum and caught the last of some sea shanties being sung by a small choir and band. We finished the afternoon with a thorough exploration of the cobbled streets and alleyways of the town. It’s a lovely place, well worth a much longer visit.

In the market square, there was a large collection of vintage cars.

Exhausted, we returned to the hotel and treated ourselves to an excellent meal before watching TV in the room until sleep took over.

After breakfast the following morning, we drove along the coast road to Surfleet, arriving at our next accommodation, the Ship Inn, around midday. Unfortunately, we learned that we couldn’t check in until 5 pm, as the Inn was hosting a wake and was fully booked until then. Undeterred, we set off on another circular walk that I had plotted into my GPS. Once again, there was a frustrating lack of signage (we’re so spoilt in Leicestershire), and as a result, many sections of our route were overgrown. Do people not walk on the East Coast, or are they simply reluctant to report poorly maintained stiles, etc.?

Sue really struggled on this walk, as it was very hot, and, like the previous one, we couldn’t risk taking shortcuts because of the crisscrossing drains and lack of pathway furniture. However, she managed to complete it, and we checked in upon our return. First impression was: what a lovely place to stay.

We had another excellent meal and spent the rest of the evening resting and watching TV in our room.

After breakfast, we set off to investigate Spalding. After a gentle stroll around this pleasant Fenland town, we attempted to visit the Romany Museum, run by Gordon Boswell. However, upon arrival, we came across a large crowd of gypsies/travellers all dressed in their Sunday best. Nearing the entrance, we spotted a cardboard sign stating, “Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Museum is closed.” Later, while reading the local paper at the Ship, we discovered that Gordon had sadly died of a heart attack. We returned to the Ship Inn, stopping briefly to buy some swimming pool equipment at Rose Cottage Museum.

Late in the afternoon, we drove to Boston. This turned out to be quite an eye-opener. After parking the car and venturing into the centre, we couldn’t help but notice that we seemed to be the only ones speaking English. Though the town was very busy,  we only came across two other folks speaking English. The place appears to be populated predominantly by people of Eastern European origin, possibly Polish (good practice for our upcoming trip to Poland in November). Other than around the market square, most establishments and shops seemed to be of unfamiliar continental chains.

We first visited the impressive Boston Cathedral, or ‘Stump’. It is possible to climb the tower, though luckily for us, because of renovation, it wasn’t an option that day. Still, we had a good wander around the town, reading the information boards describing its history and perusing the estate agents’ windows to gauge house prices (very cheap).

Earlier, on our arrival, we had bought tickets for a film, so by 6 pm we made our way to the cinema and, along with six other people, watched Sausage Party. A very irreverent film, though it didn’t quite live up to the reviews, it could have been so much better. Afterwards, we returned to the hotel, had a drink in the bar, and retired for the evening.

Our journey back to Harborough the following day was made under clear blue skies, with the air-con on full blast all the way. On arrival, Sue set the washing machine going at full power while I tackled the weeds in the garden, picking tomatoes and cucumbers. The next day was spent in much the same way, though I turned my attention to the allotment and harvested sweetcorn.

Yesterday (15th), Sue completed a six-mile walk with the U3A while I travelled to Rothwell to remove a willow tree for Charlotte, who wants the space for a chicken run. On my way home, I called in to see Roger Woolnough, and we had a good moan about politics, England football, and the Leicester Tigers.

Today, I had the brakes replaced on my Fiesta in readiness for its MOT on Monday.

Other News:
Charlotte has been through the mill recently. She has developed an allergy to something and has been covered in a very itchy and sore rash for over a week. She’s been taking anti-inflammatories and steroid tablets, but they don’t seem to be helping. She had a blood test yesterday.

Ellis fell over at school and ended up in hospital with a strange lump at the back of his knee that the doctors had never seen before. He is due to see a specialist.

 

Lucas had his annual hearing test and passed with flying colours. He no longer needs to have annual check-ups.

Jamie has booked a trip to Fuerteventura in November with his friends, and next week, we’re off on a road trip to Canada.

On Sunday, Sarah, Lee, and Mia attended the Lubenham Scarecrow Festival, and at the end of August, they managed two trips: Derbyshire and Holy Island in the North East.

Sarah has changed her hair colour.

The Rothwells are off to Kuala Lumpur and Bali in November.