Packed and Ready
14 ноября 2023 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F
We are all packed and ready to go. Vinnie staged a silent protest this morning when I was trying to do the last bit of packing. He was not successful either in stopping me or in getting packed intoЧитать далее
Last meal in America
14 ноября 2023 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F
We arrived at the gate really early because we had zero delays getting to the airport, checked in and through security. Literally no lines anywhere. So we decided to get a snack and some beer.
I'mЧитать далее
Landed in London
15 ноября 2023 г., Англия ⋅ ☀️ 54 °F
After a relatively uneventful night flight we landed in London at noon local time which is 4:00 a.m. for us. At one point I looked out the window and saw sunrise over Greenland.
Then we navigatedЧитать далее
CitizenM Hotel London (Bankside)
15 ноября 2023 г., Англия ⋅ ☀️ 54 °F
It took us about 3 hours after landing to navigate the airport, clear customs, get a train in to central London, get a tube close (-ish) to our hotel and then walk to our hotel. We saw someЧитать далее
Borough Market and Dinner at Padella
15 ноября 2023 г., Англия ⋅ 🌙 50 °F
After we unpacked and settled in, we headed off to a nearby indoor food market. It was very impressive, which it should be since it has been running for about a thousand years (noЧитать далее
Early morning bike ride
16 ноября 2023 г., Англия ⋅ 🌧 43 °F
Even though we didn't have to get up until 12 hours after we went to bed, we still didn't get a great night's sleep. But we didn't have much trouble getting up in plenty of time for our early morningЧитать далее
Buckingham Palace
16 ноября 2023 г., Англия ⋅ ☁️ 46 °F
Just as we pulled up to Buckingham palace on our tour, a ceremonial carriage arrived, accompanied by a police escort. It had all the trappings of some official visiting head of state. Then, when weЧитать далее
Lunch and steet scenes
16 ноября 2023 г., Англия
We skipped breakfast before our ride, so we were pretty hungry when we finished. Our guide recommended a local cafe/diner so we headed over there. It was very yummy, and pretty healthy as well.Читать далее
Modern Marvels
16 ноября 2023 г., Англия ⋅ ☁️ 46 °F
One thing I have noticed about England that is different from 25 years ago: the sinks in the public bathrooms have been modernised. As I recall, pretty much every public bathroom, even those inЧитать далее
Late dinner
16 ноября 2023 г., Англия ⋅ ☁️ 46 °F
We had a very late dinner reservation so we went into our hotel to get out of the rain. We had enough time for both of us to get a refreshing nap.
Dinner was at a Spanish restaurant where the foodЧитать далее
Slow morning
17 ноября 2023 г., Англия ⋅ ☀️ 46 °F
I'm not sure if it was too much wine or jetlag or both, but we were both dragging the next morning.
Russell headed off in search of an Asian grocery store while I packed our bags for the nextЧитать далее
Train delays
17–19 нояб. 2023, Англия ⋅ ☁️ 48 °F
After a quick lunch at the same place we ate yesterday, we headed to nearby Waterloo Station to catch our train.
Unfortunately, when we checked the board, it listed our train as cancelled. WellЧитать далее
Arrival at Cadhay
17 ноября 2023 г., Англия
We were two hours later than planned, but we finally arrived safe and sound.
Then we had a lovely fish and chips dinner with old and new friends. And a lot of wine.
Cadhay House
18 ноября 2023 г., Англия ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F
The next morning was clear and mild. We had a leisurely breakfast. Then I decided to take a walk around the grounds, while most people went off on various errands. I heard something about goingЧитать далее
Gin Distilling
18 ноября 2023 г., Англия ⋅ 🌬 59 °F
In the afternoon, Stuart, Doug, Russell and I drove off to Torquay to do a Gin Distilling Experience. We had two stills between the four of us and we got to design our own recipe. We had a lot ofЧитать далее
Ha ha
19 ноября 2023 г., Англия ⋅ 🌬 57 °F
The next morning was quite a bit windier. I took another walk around the grounds and explored the ha ha, which is just a confusing term to describe a retaining wall that separates the pasture (whereЧитать далее
Shopping
19 ноября 2023 г., Англия ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F
Then Stuart, Doug, Russell and I went off to do a bit of shopping. Our first stop was a local farm shop that ended up being a major disappointment. We thought there would be lovely vegetables andЧитать далее
Birthday dinner for Rosie
19 ноября 2023 г., Англия ⋅ ☁️ 52 °F
Dinner was another amazing feast cooked by Mark in honor of Rosie's birthday. Which was technically yesterday, but since she arrived today, we had the celebration today. Jet lag hit me in theЧитать далее
Silver safe
20 ноября 2023 г., Англия ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F
It rained overnight, but the weather in the morning was clear and not too windy.
The owner of the house stopped by and showed us what was behind this mysterious door in the dining room. It lookedЧитать далее
Country walk
20 ноября 2023 г., Англия ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F
I went off for a very long walk through several of the pastures that surround the house. I am assuming that the land is still part of the estate. It appears to be used as grazing land at times,Читать далее
Toad in the hole
20 ноября 2023 г., Англия ⋅ 🌙 52 °F
I woke from my nap ready for another great dinner cooked by Mark. Tonight's main dish was sausage in pastry that goes by the oh-so-appetizing name of "Toad in the Hole". It tasted way better than itЧитать далее
Wine shopping
21 ноября 2023 г., Англия
Rosie and Russell got up early to head to Exeter to do some wine shopping. Even though we only have 3 more nights, we need at least a couple more cases.
Sidmouth fish market
21 ноября 2023 г., Англия ⋅ ☁️ 52 °F
A bunch of us headed down to Sidmouth (which is a town on the seaside at the mouth of the river Sid). It was a cold and blustery day, but I can imagine that on a warm summer day it would be anЧитать далее
Ottery St. Mary
21 ноября 2023 г., Англия ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F
On the drive home, I had them drop me in the village of Ottery St. Mary. I did a little shopping and then walked back to the manor house. The village wasn't quite as picturesque as I had hoped. It wasЧитать далее
Russell's dinner contribution
21 ноября 2023 г., Англия ⋅ ☁️ 46 °F
Russell made a lovely Chinese dinner. The baked tofu appetizer and the roasted pork belly were big hits. The mussels with noodles and the scallops weren't too shabby either.














































































Good idea [Lynn]