England 2026

 Up at 6:30, 9 degrees. I went to the DDK Cafe a five minute walk away from the hotel for a full English English breakfast. It was very well done and didn't disappoint. Dean went to his favorite cafe for a coffee and we walked down to Victoria Station where I bought my Gatwick Express ticket for any time after 7:00 a.m. tomorrow. I'll probably leave there around seven o'clock, that gives me lots of time to clear security before a 10:45 flight. Then we got on the District line and got off at Mansion House station. Walked up the street to Saint Paul's Cathedral. I'm sure I never been there before. It was enormous and the Architecture just superb. It was started to be rebuilt in 1666 after the Fire of London. Lovely variety of roses on the grounds and on the fences. Then we walked down to the Thames and the along to the Tower of London and London Bridge. We browsed the gift shop but didn't go into the tower. Got some really good pictures.  Also got a picture of the...

 What a day. Up at 6 o'clock, 11 degrees Celsius. Drink coffee downstairs in the waiting area of the hotel- breakfast at 7:20 eggs, beans, toast and fruit: decent. Dean went for a coffee and we left for Trafalgar Square. 35 minute walk because on the way we stopped to look at buildings of every sort including 10 Downing Street,Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey and Big Ben.  At Trafalgar we spent time in the Square itself. Walked by Saint Martins in the Field because Carol had done a rubbing there in 2010.  We also walked up several side streets seeing lots of restaurants,  shops and theaters. The National Portrait  Gallery opened at 10:30 and we spent two hours there enjoying paintings from the 15 to 18th century.  They was so much there. I remember Barry having been so impressed and that was my incentive to go. I'd never been in before.  At 1:00 we basically crossed the street and went to lunch at an Italian restaurant; Bella Italia. Dean had lasa...

 Up at 7:45 10 degrees Celsius late rain overnight. Looked at train options-taking an earlier one at 8:53: should get us into London around 1 o'clock. Gobowen to Shrewsbury to Wolverhampton to Euston exactly the same way we came up. Smooth sailing to Wolverhampton; nice warm comfortable lounge to wait in at Wolverhampton. Dean uses Google Maps to track our trip and it is easy to know when to get off and what platform to connect to. I'm glad I'm traveling with him. We didn't have reserved seats on the last leg which was about two hours but I sat in a seat that was supposedly reserved all the way. Dean had to move once when the true owner of the seat showed up part way through. Very smooth trip. Arrived on time and walked to our hotel arriving 1:35. The Sidney Hotel on Belgrave.  Rooms were ready by the time we completed registration. Room has two beds, very clean, not large but big enough for two people in single beds. After freshening up we walked around looking for a p...

 Up at 7:15 this morning, sunny about 10 degrees. Helped Steve with a bit of DIY in the new bathroom. Put up staging ready to prepare for painting a skylight window.  Emily(their daughter) and Stu and Jacob,9 and Ollie 6 arrived about ten thirty and stayed til noon. Steven and I went to the hardware store in Oswestry to pick up some primer. Brian and Caroline went to the garden centre in Oswestry to pick up a plant for the front garden and supplies for a hanging basket. Home at 2 pm and received a message from Dean to give him a call. Apparently there was an incident on the train line and he's not sure when he would be able to continue his journey. He's at Preston Station now and may be delayed a couple of hours. We'll stay tuned and then heard from him that he's catching an Uber from Preston to Manchester then the four o'clock train to Gobowen arriving about 6:10. If this works it's a great solution- he's very resourceful. Temperature today is a little cool...

 Up at 6:50 sun is shining. Caroline and I went for a walk up the Harlech Estate Road. Went through a secret tunnel under the road. Caroline used the flashlight on her phone to direct us in the dark.  The tunnel brought us to a grade two listed property that is being restored. It is called Swiss Cottage. It is a fascinating piece of Architecture with the portico being supported by tree trunks that were cut to fit underneath. Inside apparently is a library with a false door painted like a library shelf.   We walked around the lake through old Gardens and traipsed through some undergrowth and back over a stone wall to the road. It was a lovely morning for walking. Mara came with us. Back to the house for 11 o'clock where Steve had prepared a full English breakfast. It was delicious.  Stephen and Caroline are having a rock wall repaired in front of their house. Left for Shrewsbury while the sun is shining about 12:30. We went to a parking lot-the town was full due ...

  Up at 6:15, shower and downstairs to write up my journal. Julie and  Dean's 27th anniversary today. He will be leaving on the 8:45 train from Gobowen to Glasgow this morning. We dropped him at the station, the train was on time. He arrived in Glasgow at 1:15. The first thing he did was go to a pub and order haggis and beer. He'll be attending a concert in Glasgow and coming home on Sunday.  It's a bit of a dreary day here so Steve and I drove back to the train station and purchased tickets for Dean and I for Monday leaving Gobowen  about 10 arriving Euston about 2. Back at the house and we put on a fire in the snug to take the chill off. It was very nice. Due to the weather we agreed this would be a quiet day with everyone catching up on some screen time, blogs, etc.  About 2:00 we went into Oswestry. Stephen and Caroline were finalizing some of the finishing details in their new bathroom. Over to Sainsbury's for some groceries, back to the house about 4. It...

Slept in until 7 o'clock ,everyone up having a cup of tea. Looks like another lovely day. Breakfast on the deck again. We left for our morning excursion about 9 a.m. Stopped at Llanymynech Golf Club to see if there might be an opportunity for me to play a game tomorrow with a member. Nothing open now but they took Steve's number in case an opening comes. We then drove to south Shropshire to the Cardingmill Valley in Church Stretton. We did a 9.1 kilometer walk up into the hills along the top and back down in a circuit. The top elevation was 515 meters it took about two hours and 25 minutes. It was very steep going up and of course on the way down.  The scenery was stunning and there were lots of sheep and free roaming horses even some foals.  Mara walked with us.  After getting back to the car we drove to the  Little Stretton and stopped at the Ragleth Inn pub. I ordered cod goujons ( pieces) on a baguette. The cod was excellent. The guys had a gold ale and I had a b...