The Throckmorton Arms Alcester

With time rapidly dwindling I went down to Banbury way this afternoon to visit my brother et famille before I leave, taking the opportunity to say goobye to two young nephews - one of whom was able to appreciate some of the implications of what I am doing, "But what if you get sick?" he asked. :-)

Back up to Stoke in the late evening. Last day of preparations tomorrow.

... see most of the exhibits and didn't even get to see Blenheim palace! That was a great day though very hot and sunny loads of dogs around as the Brits take their dogs everywhere and got to sample a bit of the local food with handmade jams, chocolates, pastries, meats etc. Got to see a falconry exhibition, pet dogs chasing lures, shooting dogs retrieving, trout fishing competitions and also sorts of British country persuits! A very enjoyable if random day!

... Earl of Leicester, transformed Kenilworth from a medieval fortress into one of the greatest Tudor palaces so he could entertain Queen Elizabeth I in style for 19 days in 1575, costing millions of pounds. The Keep was breeched during the Civil War in the 1600s. The Great Hall where they dined was huge. It was so cold ...

... church of St. Lawrence. We then crossed little streams and did a huge uphill walk in deep mud tracks. At the top of the hill we followed the road back to Chipping Campden for the next 2-3/4 miles. The wind howled at times and was freezing. We passed fields of black sheep and then ...

... ticket to London on the National Express Coach for 13 pound 50 for both of us. Got it heaps cheaper because booking 3 days in advance ($31). Went for a hot chocolate at Costa’s in a lovely Tudor building. Changed $200 Aus to 79 pounds, bought a vegetable pastie and then went through Shakespeare’s birthplace 9 pounds ($21). Lovely home from the 1500s ...

... another pretty little Cotswold village with a stream, pub and a trout farm. We had a map with directions and they were very bad directions, because we got lost from box 1 and ended up doing the walk back to front and totally wrong sections. It snowed the whole time and was wet snow so after a couple of ...

... was used to create electricity. We then walked down to the boathouse on the River Avon. We had a great time and really enjoyed it all.













Afterwards we wandered around the town and found a tearoom because Nathan was dying of cold and needed a hot chocolate. It's a pretty town – some ...

Woke up 3 am and dozed until 6am and then got up. Nathan slept until 8 am. Michele made us all porridge for breakfast. This morning we did a 2 hour walk around Stratford with Stephen. We went to Holy Trinity church where Shakespeare was baptised and buried. We had a look inside and read some of the old tombstones. We walked along the river and saw swans and ...

... Mews. They have a lovely one bedroom upstairs apartment. Nathan and I sleep on a blow-up bed behind the map divider in the lounge. The map divider is great – wallpaper of the map of the world. Makes you want to explore the world. Had a dinner of Roast Chicken and veggies – all premade and just heated up. So yummy! In bed asleep by 8 pm UK time – 12 midnight Dubai time.

... thoughtless construction of modern buildings all around it. I glanced at the entrance fees listed on a board inside the ultra-modern annex and decided against spending $16 on a tour. The rest of the town was made up of souvenir and craft shops catering to the hordes of tourists who milled about in their Hawaiian shirts and sunglasses, so I didn't linger. I also decided to skip Anne Hathaway's cottage which was located on the edge of town. I drove through Banbury ...