it wasn’t actually unrecorded, but my photos of this day are simply missing. there’s a 20-picture gap between the last photo i took on monday night and the next photo that showed up, which is on wednesday afternoon. where could they have possibly gone? it’s a mystery.
Tuesday morning we checked out of Parsons Grove, and as we were doing so i noticed some brochures at the front desk. they were delivery menus! we could have had some food delivered in for dinner! but it was ok to just eat bread and cheese for dinner. but i wouldn’t want that delivery job.
it was a long three-hour drive across wales to England; we were going to spend the night in Maidstone with dear Carol and Alan. we’d met Carol and her friend Mary on our first crossing from the UK-NYC back in 2009, and we’d visited them when we returned in 2011.
really, though, a three-hour drive isn’t long though, now is it? it’s less time than it gets to go to chicago from home, and we cross into a whole different country! it was kind of rainy and the traffic around london was pretty bad, but it could have been worse (and spoilers, the next day it was).
we were so happy to have a little time to spend with Carol and Alan and their darling dog, Bob. Carl fixed delicious cheese and chutney sandwiches for lunch, and we drove over to the library to see one of the six extant Magna Cartas from the…uh…1300s? i’m pretty sure. the original magna carta was signed on june 15, 1215, so it was a big anniversary year.
and better yet, we then went to sainsbury market and i bought a whole lot of chocolates. i told carol i wanted some delicious chocolate for souvenirs, and to eat myself, and she started thinking of fancy chocolate shops, but i just wanted some regular, everyday delicious british chocolates.
so i loaded up, i can’t tell you how much i bought, but it couldn’t have been enough! i gave a little bit of it away, but i hoarded most of it to eat later. it’s all gone now, sadly, but it probably would have expired by now anyway.
carol and alan’s son james showed up, and it was good to meet him. he’d taken the grandchildren, rhiannon and owen, sailing, because he’d bought a big sailboat that slept six and had a shower and a toilet. now that we have our own little sailboat, it would have been cool to seem james’. but it would have been a dreadful day for sailing because it was so very cold and rainy and windy. maybe next time?
we went out to dinner, and i had a delicious sticky toffee pudding for dessert and i’m pretty sad i don’t have that photo to add to my sticky toffee pudding photo collection.
it’s been almost a year now, when will you ever actually try to re-create a sticky toffee pudding? you have the recipe, you have the ingredients, you just need to do it.
soon.
here’s the guest bedroom where we stayed again. nice and comfy.
the view of their lovely garden from our room.
here we all are! so at least we have this photo, that’s something. with bob the dog being so cute with his paw on alan’s arm. alan is a very cheerful and kind fellow, and i wish he’d been smiling here, but at least three of the four of us were.
so, not an unrecorded day at all, but whatever happened to those photos?
it’s always something.
ok then,
mrs. wrapping up the trip finally hughes.