The Land
Wednesday, 17/7

It is over a week since we've written and that is because we've been so busy!

After Oxford, we meandered about that area for a while.  At one point we visited Little Rissington, where Judy's father had been photographed outside a flying school in 1975.  We could find no trace of the airfield there, but at nearby Upper Rissington there is a huge housing development that we think must be on the old airfield.  The streets in the development have names including Sopwith Rd, Bleriot Rd, Hawker Square, Bristol Rd (OK, that could have been the road to Bristol, but we don't think so), Avro Rd, DeHavilland Road, and Vickers Rd.

We spent some time with David and Lucy, our friends from Hadstock, near Cambridge in their beautiful thatched house which has been lovingly and expertly restored.  As well as hours of talking together, we were taken to an outdoor screening of Casablanca in the grounds of a huge (no, really huge!) estate nearby.  After such a hot day it was a welcome relief to have such a clear sky and to actually wrap up in a blanket for the film.  We spent virtually a whole day in Cambridge again, revisiting the Fitz, one of our favourite galleries.  On Saturday morning, market day, David and Lucy showed us around nearby Saffron Walden before we headed off for the short trip to Boxted.

We're still at "The Land", near Boxted, but will leave here tomorrow.  Our friends Gordon and Patricia have looked after us wonderfully.  Saturday night was the night of their annual barbecue, an amazing event with nearly sixty people, a stage with entertainment, games (including a shooting gallery), fireworks and such a friendly crowd. 

Yesterday we took the train to London.  We traveled in with Gordon, Patricia and their daughter Naomi.  Then went our separate ways.  Imagine our surprise then, in a city the size of London, to run into them again by chance in Westminster that evening.  Speaking of Westminster, here we are at Downing Street.  No sign of Jim Hacker though.  (Photo courtesy of the policeman at the door).

We really do love London.  Spent hours in the Courtauld Gallery and more hours in the National Gallery  tracking down a short list of particular paintings we were keen to see, before enjoying the galleries' other offerings.

Today we were taken to Lavenham, another very quaint medieval village nearby.  Very nice pub lunch too!

This morning Judy saw a woodpecker on the grass near the van; and this evening there was a pair of them in the same area - we both got a good look at them as well as a not very good photograph.

So we're off again tomorrow.  Heading North toward Perthshire and more friends (Mary and Mike).

Regards,

Judy and Rob