Rowleth End Richmond

... 15 minutes, I looked at it and realised that we were going the wrong way. I had majorly ****ed up. We turned around and went back, found the correct track and marched on. We went up straight away, until we were scrambling up rocks, and not long after, we found the trig point at 694 metres, took the photos and moved on downwards.

**** up number two happened not long after, and again it happened because I wasn't looking at my GPS. We turned around again, but met other ...

... church was built and they had his bones for 300 years before a beautiful chapel was built to house his mortal remains. For Bede, life was brief but held the knowledge of the mercy of Christ. He liked the English and wrote the first history of the English speaking people. I love his prayers but he is not in that black stone box; he flew to the light of his Lord long before the first stone was laid for Durham’s great Cathedral.

We got to Durham at 2 pm ...

... to Cote Ghyll Caravan site , he had to go and borrow a hose off a neighbour as he had forgotten to fill my water tank. What did he think would happen...I would get it myself? Who does he think he is...his job is to look after me, not the other way round!!!

He also had trouble keeping me warm overnight... he couldn't understand how to turn on the ...

... very long time in Thirsk.

On Monday morning we had a very tearful time saying goodbye to my Mum, Dad and Emma. We are hoping Emma was none the wiser as Mum took her out for a walk and we packed and moved out while they were gone.

No one could have prepared us for how it feels to say goodbye to family. I was obviously ...

... Outdoor smoking area (what a combo) I have been forced (sort of) to eat at Burger King. I feel dirty. I suppose there are worse places to spend a 4 hour transit; Buenos Aires, Auckland, Kabul... The free wireless internet however requires a mobile number that works outside Australia...ah no..Well done 3 Mobile what a brilliant service provider. Flight thus far was been good but have fished out the Valiums for the next leg just in case." I did however ...

... feel them pumping hot air out from under the seats. S took us for a walk to see the house that she and E had put a bid in for. More of a half house really. We were not very impressed but did not tell her that. Nor were we with the area. It was the first suburb we have walked around that looked dirty. The pavements were strewn with rubbish and the shop fronts were dilapidated. Gangs of young men were assembled every few yards and all just looked depressed. It reminded me of ...

... effect on their life. I am as guilty as any of them but at least my collections do not teeter on the manic. My collection of stamps or records is relatively sane and eventually of some value compared to accumulations of garden dwarves, bottle tops, dog collars, football jerseys, darts, miniature paintings, butterflies or books on subjects as varied as birds of the world or military uniforms of every nation. J collects postcards with a golfing theme and the ...

... lot of juice on playback. In the afternoon I walked to Sheen to find Europcar to confirm our car rental. No problem. On the way I took a stroll through the Richmond and North Sheen cemetery. It was much bigger than I had imagined but there seemed to little of historic value. There seemed to be a policy of ploughing everything up after say 100 years because there was a large newly prepared area for grave sites near the entrance. Good fertile soil too!

... practically half price...£44 for the two of us. Now what to do. Catch a bus. Jumped on the first one that came along but 'mystery tour' it was not. In fact it took us down Whitehall, around the Abbey and down Victoria St. where we got off at Westminster Cathedral [not the Abbey!] They were right. It was a 'bizarre, Byzantine, edifice" and regrettably it was closed. But we walked all round it staring at all the desirable residences, one of which was where Churchill used ...

... to the bedroom, where it hits the visitor with an intoxicating scent that causes instant pangs of hunger. And in that moment, with the scents, the morning light, and scenery, life just seems very, very good.

We headed down to breakfast. If you haven't read my account of Ratho Hall from my 1997 trip, then you probably won't understand my reference to croissants. But, for those of you that have, I'll just say that the croissants were back on the table at this visit ...