Not a lot to report at this time.  We are kinda stuck near London, at Alderstead Heath, near Redhill in Surrey, waiting to complete doctor’s and clinic appointments etc.  Once these are completed, and we’ve got prescriptions sorted for the next 6 months, we can be on our way again.

We did manage to get the original appointments brought forward by 2 weeks – now 31st October.  So we’ve got a channel ferry booked for the following weekend from Portsmouth to Caen in Normandy on 3rd November.  We can head south from there to the Mediterranean again, and the south of Spain for winter.  We look at the weather reports with some envy, with typically 20+oC in the south of France and Spain still, while we have been hovering around 14oC, and down to 8oC this weekend with a frigid northerly blowing.

Why the rush ?  Well it is definitely getting colder and more miserable here.  We have been in the UK for nearly a month and only enjoyed 2 sunny days in that time.  We are currently into our 12th day in a row of general cloudy skies, with showers and cold wind, and the 7th consecutive day on the campsite of fog and drizzle.  The last fine day was Sunday 15th October, so it is getting very damp and depressing.  See photo of “d’Hobby in the fog” for a view of how things look around here.

We have been filling in time with some touristy things where possible, and as transport allows:
• A visit to Chartwell (Churchill’s home in Kent) – a National Trust property and beautifully preserved.  See photo of autumn colours starting in a view of Kent Weald from Chartwell;

• the Victoria & Albert Museum in London – superb collections of sculptures and art – especially exhibitions of Constable & Turner landscapes;
• the Imperial War Museum in London (see IWM photos), undergoing a make-over but impressive collections, plus a bonus exhibition of Cecil Beaton’s photos from WWII at home and abroad – Europe, plus near and far east;

• a day out to Tonbridge in Kent for cousin Pam’s 70th birthday lunch;
• a day out by train to Colchester and Lavenham in Suffolk, for lunch with cousin Heather & family;
• a day at the motorhome show in Birmingham by train.

The museums were both very interesting and well presented (and free admission), and the motorhome show was absolutely enormous, covering 14 halls of the NEC, with every conceivable model of motorhome and caravan on display, plus a huge selection of accessories with everything from awnings to tea cups and trailers, and all the knick-knacks you never knew you needed!  We bought a collapsible clothes line to take away with us, and details of some sides and front panels for our awning which we have now ordered on-line.  We didn’t look too hard at the lovely new motorhomes as we would get a bit jealous – we have to live with d’Hobby as the best we are going to get for our money.  We could have bought an immaculate, up-to-date with all the bells & whistles model if we had doubled our expenditure, but then had no cash to live on!

On the two occasions of our days out by train we’ve had to endure the rush hours to get across London to the relevant stations to catch our trains.  It’s a nightmare, especially on wet days, with everyone scurrying in all directions, in the tube and the stations, all crammed in, with damp clothes and fuggy atmosphere.  Who could endure that day after day?  Certainly not our cup of tea anymore.

Cheers!