We got up bright and early, paid our bill and checked out of the hotel. We decided not to stop for breakfast to give us plenty of time to arrive at the airport before our scheduled flight.

The journey was not with us and we were beset with delays, arriving at the car hire outlet much later than we had intended. We fuelled up in the petrol station next door before checking the car back in with the gentleman that we dealt with on arrival.

Despite cutting it tight, we arrived at Rome airport in time for breakfast. Mr C still missed out on his cooked English breakfast because in Italy breakfasts are continental style. I chose a pistachio croissant which was something new to experience.

The flight boarded early and the pilot anticipated a timeslot ahead of schedule but this didn’t happen and our flight left on schedule. On arrival at Manchester airport, we passed through immigration and made our way to the baggage reclamation area.

Mr C always likes to position himself on the far side of the baggage conveyor so that he has plenty of time to recognise our luggage; he prints distinctive luggage labels that are easy to recognise. My fear always is that someone will grab my case as it travels slowly around to where we are positioned.

This was the day that that happened…

I had identified my case and it had the distinctive luggage label but before it made its way to me a lady grabbed it off the carousel. I ran across to her shouting excuse me and as I got nearer, I said ‘this is my case’. She looked down at the case and realised that although it was the same type of case as hers, it didn’t have the yellow ribbon that she used to identify her case. Thank goodness for Mr C’s luggage labels.

Luggage successfully retrieved we drove home via Wilmslow Garden centre for a late lunch where I settled for apple tart rather than something more substantial.

We picked up a ready meal on the way home (chicken Kiev) which we enjoyed after unpacking and watching the latest episode of Dr Who (no spoilers).

Before unpacking I put up my VE day 80 window display ready for the day of commemoration the day after.

For our final morning in St Albans, sampled the hotel breakfast. I was tempted by the idea of a continental breakfast. Apart from meat and cheese, everything was there but the bread, pastries and fruits were more English in style. Turning back to the main menu I chose a pancake stack which was beautifully presented. And delicious.

There were limited options for places to visit on our journey home. Some we decided not to do because we had been there recently and others were fully booked. We settled on a National Trust property, Canons Ashby House. We arrived at the property to light drizzle which was supposed to clear up by noon.

As we arrived in Canons Ashby the place looked very familiar even though I knew we had never visited the property…

As soon as we arrived at the National Trust property, we had a lovely cup of tea in the café where, upon presentation of my Volunteer Discount card, we were asked where we came from. The lady serving us had not heard of Shropshire.

Next, we visited the house which Mr C found especially interesting due to the heraldry that was displayed, he was able to share some of his knowledge with a couple of the room guides. Somehow, we managed to miss some rooms on our circuit of the house and had to detour back to see them before crossing the short distance to Canons Ashby church of St Mary which is all that remains of the Augustinian Priory founded in 1150.

The weather had not been listening to the weather forecast and was raining heavier rather than lighter. We visited the garden but didn’t explore it to its full as we would have done without the downpour.

We were hoping to have lunch in the café but it was full. We returned to the shop which we had browsed before entering the house where I purchased the guidebook and the National Trust Book of Pies. The man who served me knew of Attingham Park and had visited many times when he lived on the Cheshire border. It was refreshing to talk to someone who knew where Shropshire is.

As we drove through the village after leaving the property we realised why the place looked familiar. We had been to a family wedding in the church, Morton Pinkney just around corner and the groom’s family home was almost opposite that church.

As we drove out of the village I consulted ‘The Extra Mile’ book for lunch options. We arrived at our chosen place, Revills Farm Shop, for a late lunch. I had a small tuna maya sandwich followed by a picnic slice. The picnic slice consisted of cherries and coconut with a chocolate base. It reminded me of one of my childhood treats although the ingredient ratio was different.

Whilst there we purchased a chicken for fine dining at home, along with some other essential items. As we made our grocery purchase the proprietor asked Mr C how Battlefield Farm Shop was fairing. Mr C had randomly picked up a bag, a Battlefield Farm Shop bag, from the boot of his car. The proprietor had visited the Battlefield shop for ideas before he extended his own Revills Farm Shop.

Then we headed homeward for a delicious chicken dinner and later indulged ourselves by watching the latest Dr Who episode.

We attended the 9.30 Easter service in St Albans Cathedral which, as we had been advised the previous day, was spiritual and communal. There were processions and presenting of ‘The Book’ and speaking the word, which is moving to experience.

Between the two-morning services, bubbles, juice and tea were served in the Cathedral’s Welcome Centre to celebrate Easter. Whilst this was taking place, children were encouraged to find laminated eater egg tokens that were hidden inside the Cathedral. These could then be exchanged for a real Easter Egg. Before leaving the Cathedral we lit candles next to St Albans shrine then shook hands with the Bishop as we entered the Welcome Centre.

Afterwards we walked to Wetherspoons for a late breakfast/brunch. I was looking forward to a small vegetarian breakfast to which I had added a couple of extra items. Unfortunately, when Mr C placed the order he forgot to say ‘small’. For the second day running I was overfaced with a large breakfast. Mr C’s breakfast arrived minus some items he was expecting so I was able to offload some of my excess to him.

The weather was gloriously sunny allowing us to enjoy our walk to Verulamium Park where we viewed the Roman mosaic and hypocaust. We continued our walk along the river stopping for a Mr Whippy ice cream that we enjoyed whilst sitting on a bench watching the swans that were settled nearby. A boisterous dog ran towards them, unsettling them and causing them to scatter into the water for safety.

We returned to the Cathedral shop where I was in a better frame of mind to enjoy what was on offer rather than thinking of a gift for mum. I found a lovely glass heart to add to my collection of hearts which hangs on the wall next to my computer.

We walked back into town for a cuppa, in my case Elderflower presse from the museum teashop which we enjoyed in the old courtroom seating area. After which we had a mooch around The Works book shop before returning to the hotel to chill out.

We arrived back at the hotel to find that it had only just been serviced and wasn’t quite in order. The pedal bin hadn’t been put back together and there were no biscuits! A few minutes later there was a knock on our door, it was the housekeeping supervisor asking if our room had been serviced to our satisfaction. We pointed out the couple of issues which he rectified immediately leaving us with extra biscuits which we much appreciated. I told him he was spoiling us.

Later we dined in Bar Meze where the owner came to say hello and remembered us from our previous visit in November 2024. The food was just as good as our previous visit, although on this occasion we slightly over ordered.

We returned to The Cock and our usual seats in the bar area for a nightcap. On the way back to the hotel I photographed a scarf that was in a shop window near to the hotel. I had been eyeing it up every time we walked to and from town, but due to Easter the shop was closed for the duration of our stay in St Albans. I took the photograph in the hopes that I could buy it for the shop to post to me…

One of our friends arranged a breakfast gathering because her family were over from Germany for a few days.

There was much fun and laughter and the extensive menu options proved a challenge for some. For me, the small vegetarian breakfast hit the sweet spot.

All too soon it was time to part ways leaving Mr C and I in the ‘not quite’ ready to go home mood. We eventually settled on a visit to Bridgnorth where we had fun on the recently re-opened cliff railway.

We took the train down the cliff from high town to low town and enjoyed a delightful walk along the river bank where I saw my first goslings of the year. One of the goslings was so cute and funny, climbing up the steep river bank then slipping and rolling back down, only to be determined to reach the preferred spot for grazing.

As we made our way back to the cliff railway to ascend into high town Mr C helped a young jogger who tripped over a curb and hurt herself.

Back in high town we sought out ‘cake’ and settled on Violet’s Tea Room, where we knew we could sit outside and soak up the rays even if it was a little chilly. We both chose ginger and lemon cake which was delicious.

After our ‘naughty cake’ indulgence, we headed off home in time for our usual Sunday pre-dinner aperitif with Mr C’s parents.

We awoke to glorious sunshine and made our way down to the breakfast room. I was pleasantly surprised to find that some items were available to select from the buffet rather than to order. This included a fresh fruit salad served in a sealed Kilner jar. The fresh fruit option is one of my favourite breakfast choices when I am on holiday. A full cooked breakfast was available to order but, as usual, I only selected a few items from the menu.

Suitably replete, we set off towards the Fleet Air Arm Museum for which had booked a ticket and timeslot as required by current Covid-19 restrictions. We had time to kill so we drove past the museum ending up in the delightful village of Huish Episcopi. Mr C parked to allow me a photo opportunity of the church. Whilst deciding on the best angle to photograph the church, I noticed the war memorial and and a sign that indicated we were only a few miles away from Muchelney Abbey, a place  we enjoyed on our previous stay in Sherborne.

After taking advantage of my photo opportunity we returned to Fleet Air Arm Museum where we spent over three hours. My favourite items in the museum were; the Short ST17 with its flimsy wings and rattan bucket seat (a crazy prospect for flying) and a Concorde prototype which we were able to board and observe how tiny the cabin compartment is.

We had lunch in the museum before heading towards Glastonbury with a view to walking up to the Tor or perhaps visit the Chalice Well Garden. We quickly changed our mind when we saw how busy both Glastonbury and the Tor were. There was a queue to visit the well and a swarm of people looking like ants on Glastonbury Tor.

We had a rethink and drove to Burrow Mump where we climbed to see the ruins of St Michael’s church and the spectacular views from the top of the mound. After this adventure it was time to return to our hotel and freshen up before our evening meal in The Grange Hotel at Oborne. It was a fine dining experience; I chose Duck Leg with fondant potato and spicy red cabbage, followed by Chocolate Torte with Orange and Berries. There was a slight hiccup with the wine not arriving at the table but when we pointed this out the wine arrived within moments. We loved the place so much that we would like to stay there when we next visit the area.

We returned to the Eastbury where we got chatting to a couple about life, lockdown and that they were staying in the Eastbury due to winning a prize that including a stay in the other hotels in the Peter de Savary collection. From our conversation it seems that everyone has experienced the same trials and tribulations that working from home entails and the same losses and isolations due to Covid-19.