A few days prior to leaving for Birmingham , the inside door handle on the
hire car refused to operate. We notified the hire company but as it is peak
holiday period here, they did not have a similar one available. They replaced
it with a brand new Ford Fiesta which, although was a very nice car, lacked the
power of the Hyundai and was petrol as opposed to diesel. We had to change down
gears at the slightest incline. Luckily they were able to find another Hyundai
i30 diesel the afternoon before we were due to leave.
The warm weather was continuing and our trip down to Birmingham uneventful,
arriving at Neil and Diane Challinor’s house just in time for lunch. Neil and I
were in the police together and as a young bobby I used to visit the Challinor
household regularly. Their current home is a converted farm barn with
countryside all around at Ullenhall and we sat out in the garden drinking,
eating, chatting and laughing for the rest of the day, only moving inside for
coffee when the midges started biting. Neil and Diane’s house is only 2 bedroom
and they only have a single bed in their spare room so they had arranged for us
to stay at a B & B down the road. We spent most of the following day with
them which was hotter than the previous day so more food and drinks. (It is a
wonder we are not as fat as barrels.) Note from Janice – we almost are as fat
as barrels !!! Photo taken in the garden.
Then we were on our way to Dorridge (only 20 minutes away)
and the home of more friends, Geoff and Jill Osborne. I have known Geoff since
I was 16 when we were police cadets together and got to know Jill a year later
as she was a police cadet also. We spent 9 wonderful days with them using their
home as a base for catching up with other people in the Birmingham area. On the first day we visited
some local landmarks like Baddeley House (photo below)
Met up with friends Wendy and Pete for lunch one day and
whilst there, the heavens opened and we had a terrific thunderstorm. Wave after
wave of storms came through with blue sky and sunshine in between. Amazing. We also
met Christine Miller for lunch and caught up with the Warwick and Law families
at the Harvester Pub on Stratford
Road .
On Thursday we toured the Cotswolds with Geoff and Jill and
this turned out to be the hottest UK day since 1976. It reached 34
deg. We visited Shipton on Stour (where we
stopped for brunch at Mrs Brown’s Tea Rooms), then on to Chipping Campden
(photo below of old market)
Last Friday we travelled to Wollaston near Northampton to catch up with Keith and Jean
Powell. Keith and I were also police cadets. They took us to local historical
places of interest and visited Fotheringhay where Mary Queen of Scots was
beheaded at Fotheringhay castle in 1587. After a delightful dinner we headed
back to Dorridge.
Saturday we visited various places of interest around Birmingham , called in for
lunch with Christine and sister Pam, and headed back to Dorridge to get ready
for dinner with Neil, Diane, Geoff and Jill at the Herons Nest hotel where we
had a fabulous time.
Yesterday we travelled back to Chester via mum and dad’s and we have a few
days here to get ready for the next leg of our journey. Would you believe that
tomorrow we are only half way through our trip?
Janice – The Cotswolds are my favourite place – it’s all
picture book stuff with beautiful thatched cottages, lots of beautiful flowers
everywhere, and just what you would imagine the English countryside to be.
It was lovely catching up with my cousin David. He took us to a lovely place called The
Mailbox which everyone here seems to have heard about, and waiting there were
his wife Jean, daughter Katie, and her daughter Eve. We had a great lunch, and after that David
took us all over the place (as Brian has mentioned).
We visited Chris (as Brian also mentioned) in
Bournville. This is all part of the
Cadbury’s Estate and its really pretty there – all the roads are tree lined,
and it just has a lovely English look about it.
Brian has had lots of nostalgic trips around the Birmingham area. He keeps telling me that this was where he
trained, or where single mens quarters were, or where he stood on the street
corner & such & such happened.
It’s quite funny really as he kept talking to himself, saying that up
that street was…….., and if I turn up here ……… - so I kept quiet & just
left him to it.
I am starting to feel a little homesick after two months,
but there’s so much happening that you don’t have much time to think about it.
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