Could it be happening AGAIN???

STOP PRESS STOP PRESS
Jennie & Lynne's go to Europe AGAIN is on the cards as they are in negotiation with families, spouses, dogs & children to investigate the possibility of departing on 25 June 2009 (only 16 weeks away) for that beligered continent only just now recovering from their last visit in 2006!

Yes it is true geriatric blokes all over Europe are soon to be in for a treat as the goyles (not gargoyles!) could be back in town.

WOOOOOOO HOOOO!!!

Bye Bye All

"I think they might have had enough of us Jennie!" A tearful farewell is said to all and a huge thankyou to all of you for making this trip THE BEST!!!!!

Last day started at Borough Market, London Bridge

A very British scene, Ranger's House Greenwich Park. A real snow dome of cherry blossom.
No we don't know why we can't fit the captions to the photos!



Jennie contemplates pie, mash and liquor @ Manzes in Tower Bridgw Rd.

Caught at the Court

Wisteria wench!
Cheese woman
A beech arched walk ( Jennie id considering one of these also)

We loved Hampton Court and it was such lovely weather!

Well Ross this is the sort of thing we think will look good at Regency Villas!

And Jennie is planning a Tulip garden.

London scenes

"I didn't go near his bottom!"

Hampton Court with guides.







Jennie and Eros.

Every picture tells a story

Madam Musgrove taking afternoon tea in Harrods.















Changing the guard ( actually the old one looked ok to us!)


Woolwich free ferry ( its a long story!) from the top of the barge ramp tower (Garry eat your heart out!)

ready for home!

OMG ( we never thought we'd use that expression) have finally made it to the BA lounge with a G & T and a computer, what a palava at check in! Well I did Jennie will not leave duty free!!

It seems that our luggage allowance was 56kg but our luggage weighed 86kg...the BA lady was not impressed with this but offered to help us out for the measly sum of £500 PANIC PANIC PANIC....

The solution was to disappear downstairs for a couple of hours remove sundry items from suitcases and hand into HB's (that's Hilary Brown ) for safekeeping. Boo hoo no French wine, boo hoo, no rasberry suede boots, sorry Kai all the jams & honey mum nicked out of that French hotel for you! plus all the catalogues to order more stuff! ( husbands breath a sigh of relief!) , plus lots more stuff some of which Lynne will ask mum to bring back...hello mummy!! XXX.

But in the end different BA check-in person, 10kg lighter and NO EXCESS BAGGAGE!!!!!
Totally drained... and no energy for duty free shopping now (husbands breathe another sigh of relief!!).

Well the last two days have been another whirlwind following on from the previous 19 whirlwinds. The sun shone on Hampton court, gardens magnificent. HB chauffeured us around Lynne's old stomping ground: Pepy's Library, Couldn't find the Apples & Pears!!, Haberdasher's Aske's Hatcham Grammar School for Girls', Jerningham Rd, New Cross ( still intact), drink on the Wibberly Wobberly, Tuam Rd, Plumstead Common, The Hollow, Plumcroft Primary School and a great view over London at night from the top of Shooters' Hill.

Today was a lot more chilly and overcast, we started out at Borough Markets; great food & wine. Managed to consume Venison bap with Cumberland sauce, bacon & sausage bap with cucumber & pepper relish, a Chelsea bun. Then off to Tower Bridge Rd for pie, mash & green liquor @ Manzes pie shop "we have no toilets here" said the pie lady " just go over the road to the bookies" she says. "What's a bookie?" says Jen, "is it a library thing?" "No you wally!" says Lynne "it means betting shop, we will have to put a bet on!". After some consulting of the form guide we selected 'Tax Free' in the second race at Newmarket which came in third and paid £3.

oops last call must dash!!

Shopping, Shopping, shopping....

Harrods...(canteen of cutlery. Egyptian earrings, D&G watch, soft toys, inc wooly bullie, Ashford factory outlets (2 pairs of shoes, carry on baggage two tops..)...Fortnum and Mason's luncheon Tuna nicoise & lobster bisque)...John Lewis, Liberty shirts, afternoon tea at the Wardorf. Now at Susan's for the Chamonix post mortum & farewell.

Chamonix

Chalet veille forge ......going silly up Mt Blanc (its the altitude!)


10 go mad in Chamonix! It's was cold
Tessa et tres belle! but who are those old bags with her?

Bath continued

Fox and Hounds ( Wednesday luncheon)

Our gorgeous jewels, Jennie's on the top and her cameo and Lynne's on the bottom.

Cream tea in The Hand Tearoom, Bath.

2 girls, Beemer, a lab and a lamb????

Trickers beautiful handmade shoes that we want to buy our men.

The pump room in Bath, complete with string quartet and chandelier.

Exploring Bradford upon Avon & Bath

Clive hard at it in the study, Rosa off to school with her friend Vanessa and Lynne with Jennie along side the Avon.

Its Thursday it must be Bath

Clive & Lynne's 18th century weaver's cottage in Bradford upon Avon A huge Wiltshire ham ploughman's in the Fox and Hounds ( a pretty thatched pub) in Devizes.

This is Paul prooving he is every bit as stylish as Ross with a very similar choice of shirt colour.

Wednesday 26th April

Walked the hounds around the grounds @ Chateau James this morning. Bluebells and primroses are out. Saw violets at Sotheby's yesterday by the way. Polished the antique diamond rings, did the full make-up (including the touche eclat) and the liquid eyeliner and zoomed off in the Red BMW down the lanes of West Sussex towards Stonehenge. Quote from Mrs Blackburn
" I am driving a red BMW do you seriously think you are going to overtake me in that Suzuki!"

Stonehenge was impressive but less that informative, Avebury was very spooky, Swindon was a bit down market. Lunch at the Fox in in Devizes was excellent- Wiltshire ham ploughman's in a thatch roofed pub, luverrly!

Clive, Lynne & Rosa Robson are our next hosts with the most. Bradford-on-Avon (near Bath) is gobsmacking. An old weaving town on the river Avon...the old (back to Saxon times 700's) Bath sandstone buildings race up the steep hills as in Greece or Italy. Unfortunately this meant trekking up lots of steps and a lot of heavy breathing...but it was worth it for the views which included golden cockerel weather vanes, White horses etched in chalk on the hillsides, ancient tudor tithe barns, frantic canoists on the river and long boats on the canals.

Sorry no pics tonight as I have left the cord back at the mansion.

makeover beauties and frolics at the manor house

Brighton

Jennie's Earl Grey tea cup tells a story! Brenda's ex-friend did us a make-over.

Guildford

Neil has a briefcase!!!!


The tower of Guildford castle has magnificent gardens.

Neil 'n'Sue's

Thomas in action playing right back for Send United. Lovely time with the Woking Outteridges. Rather emotional but worth it.

Neil 'n'Sue'

Still on Saturday

Drove home over Blackheath where preparations for the London Marathon were in full swing...loos, outside broadcast vans and railings everywhere.

Quick change and off to a barn dance for Alison and Jonathan's 25th wedding anniversary (note: barn dancing is a very bad idea after hiking all over Paris and London for a week).

During the barn dance, the conversation turned to Bollinger (naturally!) and Hilary Sexton let it slip that there was a bottle in her fridge..this warrented a detour on the way home as according to Denise there was a grave danger of said Bollinger going off as it had been in her fridge for much too long. Luckily we arrived on time and were able to slurp the delicious drop before it was too old and off..narrowly avoiding disaster I'm sure you'll agree!

Returning back to HB's bought about a series of unfortunate events! Somehow the latch had been turned on the front door and we were locked out.. we wondered if Bill was trying to tell us something, especially when he wouldn't wake up and let us in. This meant we had to knock on Susan's door in the middle of the night and take advantage of her hospitality. We had to leave early the next day as Neil was to pick us up at Hil 'n'Bill's at 8.30am and there was much groaning!

Cars 'n' boats

Thames barge Groooovy mini

Our personal pick and one each too!

After lunch at the Cutty Sark we visited Greenwich markets and bought- coffee flavoured with maple syrup & walnuts, Amaretto & Marzipan Italian nougat

Back in Londres

Apologies for the absence of posts but there's little time/facilities for internet access and connections can be so slow that one posting can take half an hour. It is going well this morning as it is very early so I am catching up!

Saturday saw us back in Greenwich, visiting the Maritime museum, the beautiful painted Hall in the Royal Naval College, wandering along the Thames. Lunched at the Cutty Sark pub, steak and ale pies and scampi.. We didn't forget the pork scratchings either! (top pic)