June 18th - We left Wales after lunch for Manchester to stay with Lesley (my school friend from the New Forest.) We did very well driving the motorways and made it to Lesley's in 1 1/4 hrs. Didn't realize it was so close really. Good to be back at Lesley's home...so lovely and comfortable. Very familiar to us after all these years of staying there. Guy is 10, Kate is 13 and James is 18. 19th - Off on our day trip to Ironbridge which took us an hour too long to get there due to some navigational errors (and I'm not talking about a GPS). 3 ½ hrs later I am exhausted, beyond hungry and a tad cranky. Steve to be fair also had a splitting headache. We still managed to wander around a couple of museums and walk over the first bridge made of iron (1776). Then went to the "Blists Hill Victoria Town" with working factories, shops and cottages demonstrating how life was lived in the Victorian times. We particularly enjoyed the Lloyds Bank, chemist and Printing Shop (wonder why!) They had people in the shops dressed and playing the parts from the Victorian era. It was very well done indeed. At the bank you could change your modern money for Victoria token coins to spend in the shops and as you leave you can exchange any left back to real money. (Lots of fun for kids.) Back home the quick way in 1 ¾ hrs in time for dinner with Lesley. Watched football - Portugal 1 vs Germany 3. 20th - Weather about 16° with cloud and sun. Windy. Steve off on his own today to see a Tudor House museum (Little Morton). Lesley and I strolled around Knutsford and had coffee with a chat to catch up.
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