The Great English Road Trip 2024

First Elizabeth asked if everything is OK with me, and then Steve pointed out it’s almost October…

Yes, I am behind again. Yet another picture diary for your enjoyment.

If you follow me on Instagram you will have seen some of these snaps. If you are joining me for the first time having met me recently, thanks for coming along for the ride.

We flew to London on August 13th!

It was quite a big plane, too big to get it all in one picture.

We took off at sunset.

We sat one row from the back of the plane.  I slept, Steve didn’t, but we plan ahead… We just had a short drive to Gill and Graham’s where Steve went to bed and I caught up with Gill!

Early the next morning we set off for Sheffield.

Steve’s mum fell and broke her hip the week before we were due to fly. She had a hip replacement and was in rehab by the time we arrived. Ali was staying with their dad. It’s always time for a game of Scrabble!

We popped in to see Steve’s mum and then back south again on Friday…

Dinner with Gill and Graham’s family, and my niece and nephew on Friday night, and then breakfast in Mill Hill… defibrillator at the ready!

Yarn bombing is all the rage.

And back on the road, east to Suffolk this time!

I went into Eye with Bridget before dinner. It is a lovely little market town with lots of history.

Here I am at church Sunday morning, with Bridget and our brother David.

And then off to the seaside at Felixstowe. I love the beach huts along the promenade.

We stayed at Bridget and Chris’s lovely seaside home, joined my (old) friend Rosemary and her husband. Rosemary and I grew up in the same village. We went to school together, all the way from Elementary school to High School!

Bridget and Rosemary were tennis doubles’ partners. We all went Youth Hostelling one time in our teens…

On the Wednesday we visited Audley End. Several scenes from the Crown were filmed there. No pictures were allowed inside. Here’s one of the ones I took of the exterior. Very grand.

We said good bye to Rosemary and Pete, and Apple maps took us on the scenic route to Cambridge.

Just one night in Cambridge, but enough time to visit The Eagle for a quick pint and some pork scratchings. An updated blue plaque acknowledges the contribution of Rosalind Franklin to the discovery of the structure of DNA. (Read Her Hidden Genius by Marie Benedict to find out more!)

Back on the road to Sheffield. We made a quick stop to visit with Gina B., of Gina-B Silkworks button making fame.

If you are thinking you want to make some buttons, and you want to learn from YouTube, Gina’s videos are the ones to watch. She sells all manner of button making supplies and I picked up a reasonable size order to bring home with me!

We made it to Sheffield in time to take Steve’s dad to visit his mum. Another game of Scrabble!

Two nights in Sheffield and then back on the road. Norwich this time where Steve’s niece’s wedding took place.

Steve and his siblings, in all their finest finery.

Lots of nieces and nephews.

Just one picture of the bride and her attendants.

Best wishes to the bride and groom!

Back to Sheffield for two more days and then South to Heathrow and the traditional cocktails on the hotel roof at sunset.

If it’s terminal five then you know it’s going to be a long way to get on the plane. This time it involved a bus ride and a very steep set of stairs…

Three rows from the back. Our luggage arrived with us, the button making supplies didn’t cause a problem at immigration. Two weeks, 1336 miles in the rental car, suitcases in and out of the car ten times…

Steve’s mum is home from rehab. She’s complaining that her recovery is going a little slowly… She has a lot of exercises to do each day!!

 

 

Now we have been home for a month. I have been busy, but that’s a story for another day.

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