Dover

Woke and looked out to see Dover Castle atop the famous white cliffs. What a thrill to be back after so long. We hurried through showering and breakfast so as to get ashore all the sooner and meet our friends.

The weather hadn't improved since yesterday - not surprising, really. After all, this is the UK!

Carole Anne met us as we disembarked while John waited in the car, a 2 door hatchback Honda Civic. I tell you this as it's significant. They'd arranged to meet Libby at a nearby pub.

England looked as pretty as ever as we drove through the country lanes. Alan and John in the front ribbed each other as they always do while Carole Anne and I chatted sensibly in the back. Eventually we reached the pub and there was Lib in the car park. Alan jumped out and I started to get out, too. Sh… I was stuck fast. I could not get out. Embarrassment again. Why, oh, why can't I be as agile as everyone else???

After Alan had pulled and pulled, out I came all puffed and red faced. What a start! I vowed to myself to never sit in the back of a 2 door car ever, ever, ever again.

Greetings over, we popped inside for a coffee and a chinwag. All was forgiven and forgotten, I hoped. It was fun seeing our old friends again and reliving old times.

The plan was to drive westward along the coast and find a pub where we could have lunch. We stopped and got out (this time I travelled in Libby's car) to have a look at the nearby beach. The wind was howling around the car, almost preventing us from opening the door. There was a sea wall at the top of a grassy bank so we couldn't actually see the beach from where we had stopped. We clambered up, pushing against the wind. What a disappointment! Beach? What beach?

All we could see was a stretch of pebbles on either side, as far as the eye could see, licked by a sea of grey oily-looking water.

We set off again and eventually found the archetypical Olde English timbered pub (C16th!) which served Sunday lunch. It was set next to an equally old church which we determined to visit after lunch. Across the road was a field with an ancient and quaint brick barn and a friendly aged horse that seemed to be smiling at us from under a spreading chestnut tree.

Well, maybe that's coming on a bit strong but you get the picture?

Anyhow, the pub people found us a table that looked out to a terrace which sported tubs of petunias of all hues. Petunias seem to be the flowers of choice all over the British Isles, I suppose for their colour.

Anyhow, lunch was superb. Most of the party had lamb which was accompanied by huge Yorkshire puddings. I had the best gnocchi I'd ever had. English cuisine has certainly improved since we were there last.

After lunch Lib went off home to Cherry Hinton, near Cambridge, and the rest of us went into the church. It was fascinating. There were original family pews which had fairly high walls so unless the rector was up in his pulpit he wouldn't be able to see what was going on in them and goodness knows what used to go on.

There was also the grave of some local notary who had had the honour of holding the canopy at the coronation of James 1.

We started off back towards Dover, taking only pretty and traffic free B roads and stopping every now and then to inspect places of interest, usually churches. We even found a military canal which was built around 1790, prior to the Napoleonic wars. England is so pretty and so interesting.

The weather had not improved and rain fell periodically. It was timed to catch us whenever we got out of the car.

After stopping for a cream tea we arrived back in Dover happy to have seen our friends again and well content with our one day in England.

Maybe we can come back next year. I hope so.

Dover

Woke and looked out to see Dover Castle atop the famous white cliffs. What a thrill to be back after so long. We hurried through showering and breakfast so as to get ashore all the sooner and meet our friends.

The weather hadn't improved since yesterday - not surprising, really. After all, this is the UK!

Carole Anne met us as we disembarked while John waited in the car, a 2 door hatchback Honda Civic. I tell you this as it's significant. They'd arranged to meet Libby at a nearby pub.

England looked as pretty as ever as we drove through the country lanes. Alan and John in the front ribbed each other as they always do while Carole Anne and I chatted sensibly in the back. Eventually we reached the pub and there was Lib in the car park. Alan jumped out and I started to get out, too. Sh… I was stuck fast. I could not get out. Embarrassment again. Why, oh, why can't I be as agile as everyone else???

After Alan had pulled and pulled, out I came all puffed and red faced. What a start! I vowed to myself to never sit in the back of a 2 door car ever, ever, ever again.

Greetings over, we popped inside for a coffee and a chinwag. All was forgiven and forgotten, I hoped. It was fun seeing our old friends again and reliving old times.

The plan was to drive westward along the coast and find a pub where we could have lunch. We stopped and got out (this time I travelled in Libby's car) to have a look at the nearby beach. The wind was howling around the car, almost preventing us from opening the door. There was a sea wall at the top of a grassy bank so we couldn't actually see the beach from where we had stopped. We clambered up, pushing against the wind. What a disappointment! Beach? What beach?

All we could see was a stretch of pebbles on either side, as far as the eye could see, licked by a sea of grey oily-looking water.

We set off again and eventually found the archetypical Olde English timbered pub (C16th!) which served Sunday lunch. It was set next to an equally old church which we determined to visit after lunch. Across the road was a field with an ancient and quaint brick barn and a friendly aged horse that seemed to be smiling at us from under a spreading chestnut tree.

Well, maybe that's coming on a bit strong but you get the picture?

Anyhow, the pub people found us a table that looked out to a terrace which sported tubs of petunias of all hues. Petunias seem to be the flowers of choice all over the British Isles, I suppose for their colour.

Anyhow, lunch was superb. Most of the party had lamb which was accompanied by huge Yorkshire puddings. I had the best gnocchi I'd ever had. English cuisine has certainly improved since we were there last.

After lunch Lib went off home to Cherry Hinton, near Cambridge, and the rest of us went into the church. It was fascinating. There were original family pews which had fairly high walls so unless the rector was up in his pulpit he wouldn't be able to see what was going on in them and goodness knows what used to go on.

There was also the grave of some local notary who had had the honour of holding the canopy at the coronation of James 1.

We started off back towards Dover, taking only pretty and traffic free B roads and stopping every now and then to inspect places of interest, usually churches. We even found a military canal which was built around 1790, prior to the Napoleonic wars. England is so pretty and so interesting.

The weather had not improved and rain fell periodically. It was timed to catch us whenever we got out of the car.

After stopping for a cream tea we arrived back in Dover happy to have seen our friends again and well content with our one day in England.

Maybe we can come back next year. I hope so.