Monday, June 05, 2017

A bit of a drive

The past week’s been strangely empty. We’re waiting to hear when Madeline’s funeral is to be, but Brian’s had several problems with the offices involved with deaths, not least that the issue of the death certificate itself has been delayed because of an administrative error. He’s hoping that the funeral can be held on Madeline’s birthday, and has insisted that Dorothy’s 70th birthday celebration should go ahead as planned two days later. Madeline would have been sharing the party with her. So it looks as if we’ll be spending a few days in Devon at the end of the month.
Just a couple of days after that, we’ll be heading off to Fradley Junction, where we’ll meet Michelle and take her for a week’s trip up the River Trent. Our “Strange Cruise” up and down the GU Leicester Line summit for the purpose of getting the Roses and Castles painted has had to be postponed until later in the year.
On Sunday, we had a very welcome day out. Jess and Steve had spent the whole of last week in Suffolk with Hannah and Kathy, recording Said the Maiden’s next album. Yesterday was going-home day, but Jess wasn’t going home. She had to get to a friend’s wedding in Oxfordshire by midday, but it really wouldn’t have been practical for Steve or Hannah to drive here there. Mum and Dad to the rescue! We set out at 6:30 to drive the 100 miles to the tiny village of Elmswell. We met Jess at 8:15 and drove another 130 miles to Minster Lovell, arriving there half an hour before the service started. Bourton-on-the-Water is just a 15-mile, beautiful cross-country drive from there, and that’s where we went to spend the afternoon.
It was Sunday, and it was very warm and sunny, and the lovely village was packed with visitors. It was lunchtime, and we’d not eaten since 6:00, so we walked straight to a favourite restaurant of ours as soon as we’d parked the car, and counted ourselves very fortunate to find a vacant table.
The village green was packed, and dozens of children and dogs played in the river as Grace and I wandered the main street. A visit to the Cotswold Perfumery was a must, and we were drawn into an amazing gem shop, too, where Grace bought two pair of delightful, very unusual earrings. The children within us took us to the model railway, too, and I chuckled at the simple pleasure we got from pressing buttons to control trains, change signals and revolve turntables. It took us back a few years!
I have to confess to being knackered when we got back to Kantara after another 53-mile, return drive, but it was a very good day. Now we wait in eager anticipation of hearing the new CD as Steve produces and engineers it over the coming weeks. It’ll be launched at the Water Rats, a rather prestigious venue in Kings Cross, on November 1st at the start of the Maidens’ nationwide tour. If any of these venues are within your reach, you’ll not regret going to see them.
Meanwhile, I’m doddering around the boat like a bent old man. A zimmer frame, unruly white beard and toothless grin would perfect the likeness. On Friday, I installed a new stern bilge pump, and this required a good deal of doubling-over and twisting of my body into small spaces. I’m assuming it was then that my back took exception to the way I was treating it, and now it’s wreaking its vengeance upon me. It’s doing a very good job of it.

1 comment:

  1. What a lovely place! No wonder it attracts so many visitors! Your girls are doing well, aren't they! I hope the new CD is a success! You are very supportive parents, I must say :)

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