Month: September 2019

Whenever you travel by plane it’s an all day write off and our day leaving the UK for Spain was no different.

Wake up to our once again delicious full English at The Grange Guesthouse in Ealing, final packing or rather squashing in so that our bags fit the regulation two carry on bags. Drive to the car hire drop off, take shuttle to Heathrow airport, take bus to Gatwick airport, flight delayed, take flight to Alicante, go to hire car, blah blah blah with them, check out car in the dark, photograph all scratches, dents etc, take back to car hire office, then drive to hotel on the European side of the road, check in, get food, crash out.

First full day we drive to Benidorm to the cheapest, not complete dump hotel and are pleasantly surprised at how nice it actually is, both hotel and Benidorm.

We are a fair walk down to the seafront etc, but we had a good long explore and were surprised by a few things we hadn’t seen before like tandem mobility scooters!

There were heaps of shoe shops, restaurants, sunshine, people, umbrellas for as far as you could sea and a pretty relaxed vibe.

Back at the hotel we opted for staying there for dinner and had a decent meal. Met a lovely couple from the UK, whom we then ran into a few times at breakfast and hopefully we’ll catch up with them next year in the UK.

We were going to spend only one night there but as the pricing was great we opted for another night and drove off to El Castell de Guadalest. What a lovely drive to the mountains and stunning vistas from the lovely town.

Really enjoyed it.

This was a great trip for James to get comfortable with driving as not busy and he also had to navigate the incredible amount of roundabouts. I’m really impressed.

That evening we walked into the old town and had a lovely dinner over looking the length of the beach from the terrace of the restaurant. A lovely stroll along the waterfront then back to our hotel.

We’re already acclimatising to the Spanish lifestyle as we always do and not having to check out till noon helps tremendously with not having dinner till at least 9 pm at night and we have never minded an afternoon siesta.

After two nights staying in Benidorm we booked a hotel not far away in Albir. But before heading there we took a drive to Denia. The town and beach didn’t really float our boat but we had a nice lunch then drove to our cheap but again comfortable and clean hotel.

This one turned out to be a closer walk to the waterfront and we were really impressed. Lovely boardwalk, bars and restaurants, so stopped for a couple of pre dinner drinks and people watching before finding a lovely Italian restaurant for a delicious meal and with a glass of wine that was the largest glass of wine I’ve ever been served and very drinkable for €1.50!!

A really lovely evening.

What a delightful surprise breakfast was. Fresh, fresh, fresh, bread, pastries, fruits, eggs, bacon etc and also including the little yoghurt drinks and a decent coffee machine.

There was a nice pool area which we made use of later in the day after we took a trip to Calp another lovely seaside holiday spot with a fantastic waterfront and after a good walk we were able to enjoy a very tasty and affordable lunch overlooking the esplanade and beach.

On the way home we had a quick look at the beach closest to us Aleta, but the wind had come up and it was a pebble beach so decided to head back to the comfort of a sun lounger in the shade pool side where of course you can also order a beer.

Once again we walked into the heart of the town for dinner and enjoying our meal the night before and the generous drinks- opted to go straight to the restaurant just after 9 pm, the night before we had arrived at 10 pm. See what I mean about living the Spanish lifestyle.

Both nights we had met lovely people to chat with either while having a drink at the bar or sitting next to us at dinner.

Sunday September 1st saw us pack up the car and head towards Villajoyosa a lovely colourful beach town that we had visited on our 2015 tour of Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

After a stroll along the promenade we hopped in our car for our last leg to arrive at Cabo Roig to our friend Paula’s home where we are going to stay till late October. This was a wonderful offer by Paula last year on the cruise where we met and we quickly took it up as an opportunity to immerse ourselves into the expat life on the Costa Blanca.

A very warm welcome from Paula and her little friend Dolly the cute dog she was sitting.

After looking at all the houses on A place on the sun tv show we were not expected to arrive at such a generous sized home and grounds. Not only that but it’s very close to the large town centre with lots of shops and services. A great location for the European expat community. Not only that but she has her own swimming pool and there’s also a communal one too.

Paula had dinner organised for that evening and also on Monday night.

Monday saw us go on a Paula tour of the local area and the chance to get a SIM card for our phone sorted.

Wednesday we caught up with Pat, a lovely coffee out and lunch back at Paula’s and will be seeing her and Derek again on Friday when the whole gang get together for lunch.

It was a day of visits with little Dolly being picked up by her mum and later Eileen popping in. The evening was a lovely Chinese restaurant meal where Paula’s gang meet every Wednesday night and have done so for years.

We got a very warm welcome and what a bargain meal. €9 each which included a tip got us a drink( beer, wine,water,soft drink) a starter, main, desert and a liquor to finish!

Great company and an invite to join them again.

Friday saw the gang from CMV 2018 have a catch up lunch at The Castle.

What a stunning day it was, undercover the temperature was perfect for outdoor dining and laughing and chatting away, making plans for more dates while most of us are in town.

Unfortunately Paula will miss out but I’m sure she will be enjoying her time in the USA with her very dear friends.

I didn’t feel so great, not sure what it was ( not had any alcohol so can’t blame that) but I headed to bed after getting home and basically sleeping the night away waking up completely recovered.

Saturday morning was time to take Paula to the airport and wave her off for her six weeks away.

On the Sunday We decided to take a walk to the beach and ended up taking a fabulous coastal walk to La Zenia beach where we had brunch at the cafe/bar on the beach.its one of several at the different beaches offering the same menu.

We had a swim and walked back home.

That night we drove back to the airport to pick up daughter Allison who flew in from Milan to spend almost two weeks with us.

Monday we took a quicker walk to La Zenia with her then the coastal walk back home. We were all glad to be able to dive in the pool on our return as we had left a little later and it was very warm.

Tuesday we only made it down to Cabo Roig beach and swam and had brunch there before returning home in time for allison to get ready to take the bus to Alicante and catch up with a work mate from her time in London. She ended up going back to Benidorm with her mate and staying the night.

We just relaxed at home as we sometimes do.

With warnings of bad storms about to descend our way we were glad to make an early getaway on Thursday morning for a few days in Granada. We had been before but Allison hadn’t seen The Alhambra Palace and we wanted to take her on a road trip there and spend a couple of nights in Granada.

We had a lovely lunch stop at Velez-Rubio with its lovely old streets and church in the square.

Our Airbnb in Granada was down a narrow lane and it was with trepidation that we not only made it there but with guidance from our host got the car parked in the underground car park. Really a motorbike would have been more suitable.

Our apartment couldn’t have been more fab, newly decorated with style and comfortable beds. Each bedroom, kitchen and lounge had a little Juliette balcony onto the street. We were all thrilled with our choice and once the car was garaged there was no need to get it out again till we left.

Just a great location for exploring the city centre. We quickly got ready to make the most of the afternoon and headed off exploring. Some places were familiar from our previous visit in 2015 and we managed to cover a fair amount of area resting for a cold drink just directly opposite The Alhambra as James and I had done with tour friends in 2015. Of course the prices were ridiculous but you have to do it for the view just once at least.

We headed home for a siesta although it was a 7 pm one and left for a stroll for dinner around 8:45pm. After our meal we walked back to see the Alhambra at night then made it home before it was already the next day.

A slow start the next day but with our tickets already purchased online we headed out for our 20 minute walk all uphill to start our day at The Palace. As with our last visit we were in awe of the majesty and magical scenery and buildings that make up this must see Palace.

A lovely stop for lunch at The American hotel in the grounds turned out to be both tasty and inexpensive. The courtyard setting was delightful as well.

The storms that had hit the coast looked to be descending quickly our way and we made our way back to our apartment all happy with our outing.

Fortunately they passed over quickly and the afternoon spent resting at home before dinner out was dry allowing us to open all our balcony doors letting in the fresh air and sounds of the world making their own way through the day.

After our obligatory siesta we headed out later and decided to take the tourist train around and then have dinner. Best idea as we got to see so much more than we knew existed in Granada. Then a lovely little alley way for dinner and walk home.

Granada was everything we hoped for and more.

Our trip home we decided to go towards the coast and look at the beaches on the way up from Motril, well apart from Calahonda we wouldn’t spend a half day at any.

If the beaches weren’t unappealing the acres upon acres of plastic greenhouses right from the mountain ranges to the sea line definitely were. Also we had watched a documentary by Simon Reeves who spoke not only about the appalling conditions of the poor African immigrants working in these ridiculous hot conditions with no basic human rights but also how as the plastic rips and is useless for their needs they are just buried in the sand near the waterways where when a storm comes along they are taken out to sea polluting our oceans and seas.

On return to Paula’s it was to find her property had sustained very little effects from the wild and ferocious storms that had passed over the area, killing at least three people and leaving huge devastation behind.

A good sweep and clean down of the back yard, a backwash of the pool,vacuum and skim had everything back to rights.

Sunday late afternoon we headed down to visit our friends Melissa, Tom and their two daughters Tara and Ciara who planned a stop for the night so we could catch up. Fantastic to see them and catch up on all the news over drinks by the pool then dinner out.

Monday they were heading to Seville and we were off to Malaga for four nights.

We arrived at our three bed,two bath Airbnb in Malaga by 4:30 pm and after a rest we decided to walk into the old town for a look and dinner.

Malaga old town is sensational looking at night as we soon found out and we were all thrilled with our first look around.

Tuesday we drove the most scenic route through the mountains to Ronda.

We had been there before but wanted to show Allison. What can we say it’s a wowser from every scenic vantage point.

If you ever do a trip to Spain put it on your list, you won’t be disappointed.

So Tuesday was a wonderful day for me as I got to catch up with my old neighbour and bestie till 1969 -fifty years ago when her family sailed back to England.

As youngsters we probably spent almost every day together and I still have great memories of those days.

It was a bit tearful when we saw each other and we had just the best time catching up.

Dallas and her lovely husband Derek live on The Costa Del Sol between Malaga and Torremolinas. It’s a fabulous place. We loved it. Their apartment is extremely spacious and wonderful sea views filled with their charming company, what more could you want.

All too soon it was time to leave and I know we’ll be back to visit again.

Another great evening of walking around Malaga took us along the waterfront and seaport with all the new development of bars and restaurants , just past that is a long stretch of beach. We walked back into the old town for another evening meal of tapas and drinks. It’s so funny we didn’t sit down to close to 10 pm and even walking home at 11:30 people were still sitting down to dine and drink.

Thursday our last day here we ventured along the waterfront then cutting in to take the quite steep climb to the top of the Castillo de Gibraltar’s. Walked the fortified walls and then back down.

there we took a visit to the Cathedral de la Encarnacion de Malaga.

I think it is probably one of the most impressive and beautiful Cathedrals we’ve been to. It really was breathtaking.

We left Allison to shop and we started to head home via Costa coffee for a beer! Because yeah that’s a thing here, you can buy beer or a bottle of sangria even an ice cream at Costa in Malaga.

In reflection we have decided that Malaga is one of the most liveable cities we’ve visited. It’s easy to walk, there’s a great vibe, historical museums and areas,awesome Spanish food etc, a sea port to travel from, an airport, countryside and mountains to escape too along with beaches we don’t have anything to criticise.

Our last night we walked back into the old town for our last night of delicious tapas and soak up the vibe. On the way Allison managed to buy a few more things as her shopping in the afternoon was cut short due to shops closing for siesta.

We got away by 9:30 am the next morning and with just one stop for lunch and another at lidl for a few things were home at Paula’s around 2:30 pm.

We had an early start the next morning to get Allison to the airport and it’s hard waking at 6 am to darkness, in fact it wasn’t light till 7:30 and it’s just the beginning of Autumn.

It was a tearful goodbye, but we will be in Singapore the first weekend in November and Allison will be in Australia for a wedding in December so have actually managed to see her quite a few times this year.

It was a great visit for road trips and sharing the experiences that travelling brings and hopefully we’ll repeat a trip together next year.

On the day we were to arrive at Carolyn, Alan and their son Dougies home we first went into Swindon to the outlet shopping centre to look around. We made some great purchases and I was rapt to buy a whole new wardrobe of tops in different colours as I try to faze out the black and head towards a change to navy as a base.

Arriving at 3 pm after driving through the rural countryside and one way lanes we were met by our new furry dog friends Mac and Laurie and little cat Bonnie.

As Alan showed James how to use the ride on mower, work the spa pool etc, Dougie the son and I cooked dinner for everyone so that when Carolyn got home from work we were all ready to break bread together and chat before it was time to head to bed for their early pick up for the airport.

Another beautiful country setting and comfortable home to enjoy for the next three weeks.

We can’t believe how well behaved all the dogs have been and affectionate the cats and one rabbit have been. Each has been a joy to spend time with and you really do bond quickly.

Our first day was our food shopping day and pottering around home so the animals get used to us, a lovely walk with the dogs in the afternoon through the fields surrounding us and we enjoyed a drink sitting outside in the perfect summers evening.

The next morning after our watering the garden and taking care of our charges, including some bed snuggles with Bonnie while we had coffee in bed ( yes there’s a coffee machine), we headed off towards the Cotswolds to visit Chastleton Park stopping at the ridiculously cute town of Burford for a wander and cream tea ( of course). I managed to pick up some 3/4 pants in navy and tan to help my change over from black being my dominant colour scheme.

Chastleton manor was built in the Jacobean fashion four hundred years ago when the family had money. But their wealth soon declined and until they handed it over to the National trust they never had enough money to update anything so when the National trust got hold of it they made a conscious decision to keep it as it was. The furniture is from the house including the dining setting, and as each generation actually lived there although not updated it hadn’t fallen into complete ruin.

It’s fascinating to walk through history as it was.

The next day we were off again this time to Basildon Park another fabulous trust property given to then in 1978 by Lord and Lady Iliffe who fell in love with the dilapidated property in 1952 and started an ambitious program of repair.

The property originally built for sir Francis Sykes who made a fortune with the East India company.

Lady Iliffe had impeccable taste and with money obviously no problem they created a stunning home that they still lived in a part of even after giving it to the Trust, till their deaths.

Occasionally you have to have a day at home organising tickets and accommodation for further on in our travels and also go food shopping and haircuts etc. We do some house work and or gardening everyday to keep on top of everything and we find the animals love it when you’re outside even the cats.

Little Bonnie likes to come for her morning snuggles on the bed and Mac comes up says hello then plonks himself outside the door keeping us safe. His brother Laurie sits outside each night keeping watch while we watch tv inside with his brother Mac and Bonnie. Funny little personalities they all have. The boys are so good, go to bed when you tell them, lie still while I brush them, just very relaxed and no bother at all.

Another day we went off to Waddesdon Manor but didn’t realise we had to book in our tour of the house times so did that for a couple of days later and headed to Nuffield house.

Owned by lord and Lady Nuffield. Born William Morris he started out from humble beginnings starting with a bicycle repair shop to building one of the most respected and successful car businesses.

Having no children themselves and living very frugally ( they even sewed car mats together for the carpet in his bedroom) and famously saying ‘ you can only wear one suit at a time’ they gave away literally almost all their money for good causes including using the car factory in the height of the Polio epidemic to build iron lungs and donating them free of charge all around the UK and Commonwealth.

They gave huge amounts to hospitals etc even built a few.

Wonderful people and a lovely story.

We then went on to Greys Court a Jacobean style home where we also managed to get a private tour of the gardens which was wonderful.

o

We really are loving The National Trust pass its given us a great excuse to potter around the country down through villages and towns visiting places we had never heard of before and some we have seen in movies and tv series.

We went back to Waddesdon Manor and were in awe of the sheer magnitude of the collections in held. Plus as The Rothschild foundation still have a large hand in its upkeep etc it is in excellent condition. It’s actually not as old as you would think as it’s decorated in a earlier time period than when it was built.

Architecturally French Chateau and with wine cellars as you would expect from The Rothschild family we along with everyone else were ooohing and aaaahing and going WOW the whole way through.

Another day trip to Oxford to catch up with David and Gerry, friends I met in New Orleans in 2000 we coincidentally sat at the same table in the same bar we had with Pratek and Damian just over a week earlier.

A few wines, lunch and then a move to a cocktail bar later………

Isn’t it wonderful catching up with people all over the world in their home towns.

We also caught up with our previous house sit couple Tony and Pam for morning tea in Newbury, a lovely couple I’m sure we’ll see again, already planning our next house sit for them with Honey girl next year.

Other day trips have seen us drive to Bourton on the water. An historical town that was completely overrun with tourists but luckily we got there before it was tooo ridiculous and enjoyed a cuppa at a cafe beside the stream and the great motor transport museum.

On the way home we stopped at the ruins of a Roman villa. It’s incredible how much history England and the UK have and these Roman villas are so unexpected when they’re very much like you would imagine you’d see in Italy. The same bath houses, mosaic tiling etc and there are so many of them.

We took a look at Bicester outlet village LORDY LORDY it was all designer shops and incredibly full of people queuing to get into some of the stores!!

It has a fake fascade feel about it like a movie prop town, Disneyland vibe especially with the people queuing. Anyway we did a lap up and back then hopped in our car and drove to the Tesco superstore just down the road… more our price level haha.

Another home day saw us finally get into the spa pool outside here. Lovely must get into it one evening and look at the stars.

We’ve been lucky to get some recommendations from UK friends about where to go and what to see.

So thanks to Sue and Terry we headed to Woodstock another of those Cotswolds beauty towns.

Not far from Woodstock is Blenheim palace which looks to be beyond fantastic and we will have to try to get there next year when we return as we ran out of time on our day trip as we needed to get home to feed and walk the boys before heading to The Carpenters Arms pub to meet Louise and Tammy two lovely friends we met on our day trip to Doubtful sound in NZs South Island in February. Wonderful to catch up and look forward to seeing them next year.

But although we didn’t have time to give Blenheim Palace a tour we were able to travel the short distance to the town of Bladon to the church of St Martins the resting place of the Churchill family in particular Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill 1874-1965 not a bad innings for an overweight, hard drinking smoker with the stress of running a country during war time.

Our friend Louise had recommended Snowshill Manor with its totally eclectic hoarding by Charles Wade. It’s incredible mix of ordinary items that he seemed to collect en-mass all housed in a manor he bought solely to store his collections, whilst living in a little cottage out back is a great visit.

Even better it’s National trust run so used our pass.

I’ll let the photos show the variety of wares.

I think he was a little mad, definitely eccentric and at 61 he married his wife whom was 44 at the time and for several years they lived in the small hoarders cottage before leaving the estate to the National trust.

Another fabulous day out recommended by Louise was the British Motor museum in Gaydon.

Loved it, happily spent hours there. Great day out for all. So many awesome displays. They also have a collection of first and last off the line production cars.

Our days were passing by and we still had places to see as well as start planning our departure from the UK. Our tickets for the moto GP finally arrived which was a relief as it was less than a week away.

Our two boys Mac and Laurie along with Bonnie the cat have become quite the furry family, coming upstairs in the morning to say hello and sit by the bed or on the bed for Bonnie while we read or go online. The boys love their walks and we’ve seen, deer, squirrels, hawks, rabbits, dogs, sheep and horses on just about every walk.

There are some Black sheep in a field with some black and white ones which I’ve found out are called Badger faces, a Walsh breed. White with black underbellies and black stripe down their face.

On our last Monday at our final house sit we drove to Hughendon Manor.

This was interesting as it was the home of The Victorian British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. It featured beautiful gardens with deck chairs for visitors to sit in and a display about the use of the Manor during WW2 as a secret map drawing property. This only came to light a few years ago as all who served there had been signed to the secrets act. Along with memorabilia of The Disraelis time there and gifts given by Queen Victoria it made for an interesting trip.

m

Their grave is in the churchyard next door and in the church there is a memorial to him by Queen Victoria who trusted him as a close friend.

Some of our drives to these places take up to an hour and a half to get to, but half the fun of the day out is travelling through the countryside and villages. There’s usually a first stop at the tea rooms when we get there for a tea and scone or something light to eat.

Our trip on the Tuesday of our last week was to Ascott house another home of the Rothschild family, but this one they actually use and so with an arrangement with the National trust five large rooms are open for visitors from 2-6 pm most of the summer months and a fair bit of the grounds which are fantastic.

The five rooms are also still used by the family so look comfortable and homely considering the collections they hold. Dutch masters, Gainsborough, Turners along with one of Britain’s largest Chinese pottery collection which is so beautifully displayed. Unfortunately no photos are allowed but you can google it.

We planned our Wednesday to include James mowing the lawn/ field in the morning then going out in the afternoon, however fate had a different idea.

James accidentally mowed over the mole deterrent in the garden, breaking one of the belts under the mower, as well as shredding the deterrent.

Googling any local repair shops that specialised in the ride on turned out a lucky hit as the one we contacted was the one they had bought it from and use to service it. They hoped to collect it that afternoon but it was Thursday morning so Wednesday became a right off day.

The rest of Thursday was our start to get ready to move on plan, cleaning, sorting and waiting to hear about the mower.

I think we were just hoping we could get it fixed and back and grass sorted before they got home. We sourced a new mole deterrent and spent a few evenings in the spa enjoying watching the stars come out and our last days in the countryside.

On Thursday evening we traveled back to Burghclere to drop a box of things to our new friends Tony and Pam for them to store for us till next year. We all went to the pub for dinner and we got to say goodbye to Honey again with the hopes that we’ll see them next year to stay if all goes well.

We got the mower back late Friday afternoon and James quickly got onto the lawn. However the repairers had mentioned that there were some other issues coming up with the mower due to general wear and tear but could probably wait till it was taken in for its end of season service. However this didn’t end up being the case and before James could finish the grass it stopped working because the transition belt went. Oh well we had done our best.

Another more stressful event happened. We were expecting our home owners rerun around noon on Saturday. But we heard nothing all day. What had happened to them? We had dinner booked with friends and an Airbnb booked for that night.

We had to cancel both as it transpired they had given us the wrong return date.

They were coming home on the Sunday!

We were relieved that nothing serious had happened and we were able to rebook with our friends for the next night.

We got up early Sunday, fed our babies and sadly patted them goodbye , knowing they would only be alone for just over an hour, and made our way to the park and ride at Towcester to take us to Silverstone race track for the motogp.

Everything went smoothly and we had a great day. It was very warm and we were grateful to get to Sanjees house for shower before going to dinner with Gerry and David.

Sanjeev is a delightful host with the most and insisted he drive us and pick us back up so we could make use of the two for one cocktails. 😂.

Our room was beautifully styled and Sanjee was hysterically funny, great story teller, he’s missing his calling as an entertainer for sure.

One thing we saw outside Sanjees house was a robot delivery happening. A cooler box on wheels driven remotely to a house with a delivery of shopping, the people came out, opened the lid, took out their stuff, closed the lid and the cooler box turned around said Thank you and rode off up the road. Incredible.

Monday we decided to visit Bletchley Park, home of the decoders during world war 2 as it was very close by. Great visit, well worth it if you’re interested in espionage etc.

Most incredibly we ran into Adrianne and Michael from our cruise last year. We had lost their contact details as I’d wanted to visit them when we were in NZ and was so disappointed not to find them. What a hoot. We had a cuppa with them and Michaels sister and brother in law before making sure we had inputted their details into our phones and hopefully we’ll see them in NZ some time.

,

We spent quite a few hours at Bletchley before making our way back to where it all started in Ealing early June at the Grange lodge. We knew we’d be comfortable and close to Heathrow for dropping the car off the next day.

It was strange handing the car in after three months and catching the bus to Gatwick to get our flight to Alicante, Spain and new adventures ahead.

We had a fabulous time in the UK and loved our house sitting gigs. They gave us the opportunity to live really like locals including our very own pets, all of whom we fell in love with. We can’t believe how well behaved all the dogs are in the UK.

Even the cats loved cuddles and purred away happily.

Below is a field harvested near our last home. It was an awesome sight.

After a comfortable night we headed off towards Burghclere for our next house sit with the adorable cocker spaniel Honey.

We had time to visit the nearby town of Newbury and were surprised at how big it was and what a lovely town centre they had.

Also surprised to see a jewellery shop called J Lawrence jeweller then two shops opposite each other one called Boswells cafe and the other Shaw’s direct. My mother was a miss Boswell before she became Mrs Shaw and of course I was J Lawrence for over 30 years. Will look out for more family name coincidences on our next visit there.

On arriving at our new house sit Tony and Pam welcomed us back as we had visited them before when we were at Wiltshire on our first sit, and we all walked to the local pub for a delicious dinner before Honey, James and I waved them off for the little sojourn in France.

Their home is in the most beautiful location of woodland and estate properties.

But only a short drive to fabulous shopping and Highclere castle where Downtown abbey was filmed so we must go visit.

We spent our first day just going to the massive Tesco mega store to shop and spent the rest of the day chilling at home and enjoying their beautiful garden letting Honey get used to us and feeling secure that we’re here taking care of her doggie needs.

She’s delightful.

Well the second hottest day on record here in the UK found us taking a drive to Marlborough a beautiful town with lots of old quirky buildings and some nice shops to look around.

We had lunch in a redundant church which is now renting out space to several small businesses like the cafe and jewellery and gift stalls.

A great idea to save the church from been pulled down for a roundabout.

Once back home we walked up to Sandham memorial chapel just up the road and part of the National trust. To be honest glad we didn’t go out of our way to visit. It has some of the paintings by the First World War artist Stanley Spencer.

Honey our little girl has settled in well with us and now follows us around and happy to sit near us wherever we are.

She was very excited to go for an outing in the car to The New Forest for a cream tea and walk.

A lovely area with so many walks, hikes, bike rides, horse rides etc it was great to see cows and horses with their foals not fenced off from the public and watch the horses approach picnickers to see if they could get to share.

The church St Michaels of all angels in the historic town of Lyndhurst had the grave of Mrs Reginald Hargreaves whom was The Alice in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. Just came across it with no idea it was there.

Another day we took Honey in the car to Newbury to catch the artisan markets then walk along the canal to see all the barges and walk in the park. That night I could hear her having little dreams so cute.

We HAD to go to Highclere castle, home to the Downton Abbey series since it was so close and it didn’t disappoint, we had driven there a few days earlier to see what the go was and the guy told us get there at the opening and beat the coaches. So we did and as the house didn’t open for a while we were able to walk around the lovely gardens virtually with no one else around.

They have displayed the house beautifully and had some large photos of cast in situ which was great.

A lot of the houses furnishings are used as well so the authenticity is believable.

There are a few villages in the UK that have been kept very much original and one town Lacock is mostly owned by the National Trust it also has a wonderful 12th century Abbey which was then bought by a family and there are some wonderful insights into life in those days.

o

The wonderful thing about the village of Lacock and also the fabulous village of Castle Coombes is that they haven’t allowed overhead cables etc so filming of these towns is quite common for period shows.

We were fortunate that on the day we visited although there were a lot of showers that day we managed to get enough breaks to walk and see what we wanted, quite incredible considering how much it actually did rain.

James had been in contact with an ex work colleague whom at 30 decided to take a year off work and do his Masters degree at Oxford University. Pratik generously offered to show us around some of his favourite Oxford University spots.

With his student card we were able to access places we would normally never get to see and he has a great knowledge of the history so it was a great tour and we caught up with Damien another work colleague whom met us all for lunch as he was working in Oxford that morning.

We really appreciate the young folk making time for us.

All too soon it was time to welcome home Pam and Tony and say goodbye to our beautiful Honey girl. We had a wonderful stay and hope very much that it works out that we will see them again.

We had booked a night accommodation at The Bear pub in the quaint village of Hungerford for the night before we were due to start our fifth and final house sit not that far from our last one.

Tony and Pam had generously told us to stay the night with them but we had already booked and paid. We have been humbled by the outstanding generosity and warm welcome we have received from all our home owners at our sits. It has been an incredible experience and will certainly try to book a few again next year when we return to the UK.