A break!

We needed a break. We were breathing out paint fumes, and Grace had Summer White oozing from her pores. Said the Maiden were performing at the Moira Furnace Folk Festival, and we were tempted to go to that, but there were only two acts we knew, and we didn't fancy forking out 40 quid when there was a risk that we wouldn't enjoy much of the music. However, there was the not-too-distant Lichfield, and we'd been meaning to go there for some time.

We drove Jess to Moira. She had to be there before 10:45, and it's a two-hour journey from St Albans. We arrived with half an hour to spare. The furnace is a nineteenth-century iron-making blast furnace built on the banks of the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal. It's now a museum, and we've added it to our "to see" list. We didn't have time yesterday,

From Moira, we drove to Lichfield. It's a lovely ancient city on the Coventry Canal. with beautiful old buildings, crooked and characterful, and newer ones squashed into the gaps.

This was the most tuneful busker I've even seen. It's a fairly small organ attached to a mobility vehicle, and battery operated. The owner was nowhere to be seen, and his hat lay next to the organ to receive donations. It played a large collection of melodies from its own era, and was a delight to listen to.

800 year-old Lichfield Cathedral was stunning.

I am always amazed by cathedrals. The architecture, the construction, the sheer size and the intricate detail carved out by hundreds of men with very limited tools. I spent my whole time smiling broadly, awed by it all.

We had hoped to carry on from there to Ryton Organic Gardens, not far from Yelvertoft, but it was closing at 4:00 pm, and we couldn't have got there in time after our Lichfield visit. Instead, we drove to Yelvertoft and visited Kantara. There were various bits and things we needed to have back at the house, so we bundled those into the car, had a short nap, had dinner at The Wheatsheaf, and drove to Watford Gap services, there to wait for Jess. The Maidens' last performance was due to finish at around 8:00, but they had to hang around for some time after that, selling CDs and chatting with fans old and new from their two 300-strong audiences, so it wasn't until half-past ten that Hannah dropped Jess off before continuing her drive home to Bedford while we set off back to St Albans. We were glad we'd had the nap.

Today, family. Tomorrow, decorating.