I was pleased when my recently ordered board game arrived a day or two earlier than expected. Not having to wonder if a parcel might arrive meant that I could enjoy an afternoon walk in the sunshine.

I chose to walk along Hurley Brook which can be linked to a pathway that leads to Hadley Locks. For some reason the locks are once again surrounded by industrial fencing which is not appealing to the eye or camera lens.

My walk led me back to a favourite place of mine, Leegomery Pool. Some works around the pool have led it to feel more urban than the quiet country space that it used to be. I think the ducks and geese agree, only a few remain and I haven’t seen any babies this year.

Later in the day, after my 5 mile walk Mr C and I walked into town (another 2 miles) for a small gathering to celebrate a friend’s significant birthday. There was much laughter and a dear friend drove us home.

If you are wondering about the railroads… Building railroads is the theme of a board game, building the railway to the Snowdon summit. There are many expansion packs adding to the idea, exploring other railroads in both England and the wider world. The game is out of print but I was lucky to source a new copy along with the expansion pack that corrects some cards that were incorrectly printed wrong in the Deluxe Master set edition of the game.

I am looking forward to playing the game with friends. It has railroad scenarios unique to them.

One year later (minus a week) we revisited Jodrell Bank in order to see the new First Light Pavilion which is located within the arboretum. It was still under construction on our previous visit.

Inside the First Light Pavilion will be a spectacular exhibition,  in which visitors can engage with the stories of the amazing scientists and engineers who have worked at Jodrell Bank over the years, and whose stories continue today.

This innovative and interactive new gallery will include displays, objects and artefacts from the site’s rich history and will incorporate the fabric of the original 1957 surface of the Lovell Telescope. Archive footage and large-scale projections will animate the exhibition and bring the past to life.

A beautiful new 130 seat auditorium will also feature, housing an immersive projection space where visitors will be able to watch an animated history of Jodrell Bank. *

Our first stop was Oswestry to pick up a friend of Mr C. The in-car SatNav then took us on an unexpected (un)magical mystery tour through never ending traffic queues. The conversation and laughs we had made up for the inconvenience but I regretted not picking up my portable SatNav which is far better at route planning. When we arrived at Jodrell Bank, 45 minutes later than we planned it was time for lunch, which we enjoyed in the First Light café.

After lunch we walked to the Lovell Telescope and explored the Space Pavilion before it was time for our pre-booked Dome Show. We all thought that the show was rather bland and lacked something. The interactive gallery and display in the other half of the Dome made up for this, the exhibits drew us in to explore the history of the Lovell Telescope and explorations of Space. We will be back to explore the gallery in more detail on a future occasion.

We had afternoon tea including ‘naughty cakes’ and browsed the shop before leaving (empty handed) on our homeward journey. The SatNav behaved itself and took us in the direction we had expected to travel on our outward journey!

*Quoted from the Jodrell Bank website in 2021

We set the alarm early so that we could get the car to Autoglass in time for its 9am appointment.  Car checked in, we made our way to the nearby retail park, purchasing a few items from The Range and checking out bedside lamps in a lighting shop. We found the perfect one but unfortunately there was only one left and we need two. We settled down for a cuppa in the M&S café, planning things we might do for the remainder of the holiday.

When Autoglass rang to say the car was ready, we made our way back to pick it up. As we were leaving, the engineer who had fitted the new windscreen said ‘Don’t do it again!’

We drove to the Blickling Estate where we had arranged to meet Higgy and Mrs H. We had lunch then enjoyed a walk around the estate before visiting the house. We were then ready for another cuppa which we enjoyed outside in the sunshine. Once again wasps took a fancy to me and circled around my head causing me to have to stand up again. There must be something vaguely botanical in the hair products that I use.

The four of us finished our visit by exploring the estate further and walking around the walled garden. When we arrived back at the car park I realised that I had forgotten to pick up the guide book and it was a long walk back to the shop. I enquired at the car park entrance kiosk, only to find out that they had run out but that I could briefly park in another car park situated close to the house and shop and get one there.

It was too early to return to the hotel so we visited the quaint village of Horning for a short walk. Back at the hotel we freshened up after the sticky heat before joining Higgy and Mrs H on the hotel patio for a pre dinner drink. The room had been serviced and we noticed a second chair had mysteriously appeared in the room.

We dined in the hotel where we found the service to be good but we had to wait ages for our food to arrive. We sat up late, chatting outside on the hotel terrace. We were astounded to realise that it had been 15 years since we last met but the conversation carried on as if we had only seen each other a few days ago.

Breakfast took a lot longer to arrive that it had done the previous morning and we were treated to those two young girls who were sleeping in my previous post babbling on about socks and the ability to put them on. Thankfully, we were ready and waiting to meet Wiggia and Mrs W when they arrived to pick us up at our hotel. It was lovely to meet them for the first time, two years later than planned. Covid-19 and the seemingly endless lockdowns scuppered our original plan to visit Norfolk in 2020.

There was much amiable chatting and laughter in the car as we travelled to and from Castle Acre. Castle Acre has both priory and castle ruins, but before visiting either we stopped off in the village for refreshments. It was a little too soon after breakfast for me to be tempted by the delicious cakes that were on offer so I settled for a cup of tea. Next, we visited the priory which has a large footprint with some unique features I have not seen before. The English Heritage staff were excited about the recently opened rooms in the Prior’s lodging. Only Mr C ventured up the extremely narrow winding staircase. On his return he said that we hadn’t missed much. Wiggia told us that the priory had changed quite a bit since he last visited the site.

Next we visited the castle where the earthwork remains are impressive but not much remains of the castle buildings. Mr C explored the higher reaches whilst Wiggia and I chatted on the lower levels. After the castle it was time to return to the hotel and say our goodbyes. Thank you Wiggia and Mrs W we enjoyed our time with you and we are already looking forward to the next time, hopefully soon.

We headed into Norwich and the Cathedral stopping for a drink on the way (we still weren’t hungry, it must have been the heat and humidity). We didn’t get the best Cathedral experience because the organ was being restored. The sheeting and scaffolding around the organ and pipes sort of cut the Cathedral in half.

We had time to chill out before our meal in The Fox. The restaurant had looked promising but somehow fell short on delivery. My first choice of meal had run out (unfortunate, it happens) but when Mr C’s meal arrived the steak wasn’t cooked to his requirement. He sent it back and his plate was returned almost immediately with the correct steak on his plate. The chef had served the wrong steak on the plate. It wasn’t the only order that arrived incorrectly, people on the table next to us also returned items to the kitchen.

Back at the hotel terrace we planned what we might do with the friends that we were due to meet the next day.

In the morning I attended the funeral service for the mother of one of my friends. Before attending the subsequent wake I visited the crematorium memorial garden and spent a few moments next to the walnut tree under which my father’s ashes were sprinkled.

Later, in the afternoon, I walked one of my Leegomery circular routes. I would have liked Mr C to join me but he declined my offer. This allowed me to ‘Rest a While’ on one of my favourite benches where I lingered  a little too long… My brolly came in handy as I was chasing raindrops on my way home.

We finished our weekend shop and dropped off a few items for mum before setting off for some fun in the sun. We thought we might lunch in Apley Farm shop on our way to Bridgnorth. When we arrived the café was full, with only outdoor seating available. It was lovely and sunny but far too windy to enjoy eating lunch outside so we continued our journey to Bridgnorth where we enjoyed lunch ‘with a view’ in Violets Tea Room.

I chose a a warmed lemon scone with butter and my lunchtime drink of choice, Elderflower Presse. After our order had been taken Mr C received a message from a friend. “I know it is short notice but I am available for a board game tonight”. Mr C replied that we were available. What game would I choose…

After lunch, it was lovely to step away from Bridgnorth’s  busy streets and enjoy a quiet walk around the perimeter of the Castle Gardens, taking in panoramic views over Bridgnorth, including the rugby pitch which looked more like a swimming pool after the recent rainfalls and flooding.

After walking around the perimeter I stepped Inside the tranquil Castle Gardens and I wondered how the tower keep (all that remains of the Castle), defying the laws of gravity, is still standing!

We returned to the town centre where Mr C and I had a separate random encounter with one of his friends. The street was rather crowded  with people bustling everywhere. I ploughed my way through to a quiet area beyond the market stall, thinking Mr C was behind me. When I turned round I realised that it was a couple following in my footsteps rather than Mr C.

I looked back down the street and couldn’t see him anywhere even when the street was clear of people. I reached for my phone to call him when suddenly I heard a voice next to me saying ‘he is down there’. When I looked to see who had spoken I realised it was that friend of Mr C, we had a brief chat and a hug before he had to rush off.

After our Bridgnorth excursion we enjoyed ‘Fine Dining’ followed by a lovely evening that included the aforementioned board gaming with our friend. We played Alhambra followed by Exploding Kittens!

I spotted these lovely snowdrops whilst checking out a route that I intend to add as an event in one of my local walking groups. A few weeks before Christmas I had a failed attempt at adding the event. Facebook showed others a different time (one hour later) than the one I had scheduled for the start, whilst showing me the time I intended. Re-walking the route today made me think that the failed attempt was a blessing in disguise, I had chosen to walk the circular in the opposite direction from the way I normally walk it. Today, I realised that the walk is not as good in the direction I had originally planned.

Along the way I noticed that a small housing development I had watched progressing during my lockdown walks was finally complete. In front of two most prominent bungalows there was a large poster showcasing ‘The Wrekin Rowers‘, a local team who are taking part in the ‘Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge 2021‘, raising money for RNIB and Severn Hospice. The four-man team have recently, suffered a setback when the spike of a marlin (a giant fish) pierced their boat causing it to take in water. The team have managed to patch the hole with a sandwich box, however the water taken on board has made the boat heavier and slowed their progress to the finish line.

Much later in the day, whilst I was cooking dinner the doorbell rang… Who could it be?

Mr C and I were treated to a lovely unexpected visit from a friend we hadn’t seen for far to long. Dinner was slightly delayed

Today I met with a friend for a local walk, the weather was glorious. I enjoyed her company and sharing walking pathways that were new to her. As I set off to meet her I encountered one of my neighbours who was also setting off for an afternoon walk. We had a lovely chat before setting off on our different routes.

I was so busy walking and chatting that I forgot about taking photographs of our walk!

Today I completed my #walk1000miles 2020 challenge walking around Telford Town Park.

Thank you Angie for accompanying me (and choosing the route) as I reached my goal and also for the wonder of Dinosaurs.

We were soggy but happy after our 4.9 mile adventure.

Despite the current lock-down our local town improvised to celebrate VE day with social distancing throughout the town. Due to the efforts of of local people the town was decorated with bunting and poppies. A plane displaying the message ‘THANK YOU HEROES PAST & PRESENT’ flew overheard.  Midlands Today recorded the events including streets that had arranged parties to celebrate VE 75.

Photo taken by Claire

Later in the day our street enjoyed a social distancing party to celebrate the day from our front lawns. The current restrictions have brought our communities much closer together, a perfect spirit for VE day celebrations.

Much later on there was ‘Fine Dining’ on the patio watching the sun go down, the stars emerging and two bats flitting around.

A perfect day