England with Ruth

Home again, home again, jiggety jig. We rose early, breakfasted on muesli and tea, and tossed luggage into our faithful car for the last time. On the road by 7:20 a.m., and we reached the Budget car rental at Heathrow by 9:00, our target time. That gave us two hours to relax in the American Express lounge, which provided us with a great breakfast (although no almond croissants) and a place to relax and unwind.  Goodbye to “this green and pleasant land.” The flight home was uneventful and pleasant, and we breezed through customs in Detroit, then flew on to Minneapolis, where Phil picked us up—dear man. I think both Ruth and I were ready to be home, though it is always bittersweet to end a journey that has given such pleasure. I am already thinking of excuses to go on the next one. (A story set in Cornwall?) Thank you, Ruth, for being such a pleasant and patient and enthusiastic travel partner. And now, Ponsonby, what about a spot of tea?

Up, up, and away! Today we must drive close to London, just past Oxford. A long drive—almost six hours of freeway (“M roads”)—and rain forecast. But first: cleaning. Strip the beds, wash and put away the dishes, sweep the floors, run a cloth around the sinks and tub. We like to leave our cottages as neat and clean as possible.  Here is where we’ve stayed for the past six nights: An old-fashioned cottage, which I greatly prefer, but decorated with an eye to beauty as well as comfort. Ruth and I shared this attic headroom for two nights while Teresa was staying with us. I had the bed on the left. Its slats kept falling out whenever I would turn over.  It’s funny now, but it wasn’t then. This was a second sitting room, located upstairs. Really nice, but we never used it! We left at 10:20, drove through hours of rain and some congested traffic along the M6 and M40, arriving at our 16th century thatched cottage in South Moreton, Oxfordshire, by 4:30 p.m.  Our success in arriva...

Our last full day in the Lake District, so we explored Nether Wasdale more thoroughly that morning as a setting for part of the story I’m working on. It’s an old village, very small (hardly more than a dozen houses), with two inns because of its proximity to Wast Water—a long lake surrounded by brooding fells.  The remains of an ancient well, restored in the 1800s. I’m leaning toward making this the vacation cottage in my story. A number of walking paths branch out of the village, so we took one that meandered through forest and meadow and eventually along a large creek. My main character will walk this path. Those trees are enormous. The little speck of dark blue is Ruth,  standing next to one. Another option for the vacation cottage. A productive morning—and again, no rain! After lunch we drove up to Ennerdale Water, using the back roads—a longer drive than we’d thought, taking almost an hour, but the scenery along the road was as usual worth the trip. The lake is surrounded...

Today we opted not to go to church, partly because it was difficult to find which one was holding services—and at what time. There are many small, ancient churches in the area, but most share a rector and hold services only once a month. Besides, it was a gorgeous day, full of sunshine. A note about the weather: All I will say is that my many and fervent prayers were answered gloriously with our weather this week. Even the rain that fell came mostly at night, when we could hear it pelting against the windows and dripping from the eaves. It would hold off while we were out of doors, then rain while we were inside at lunch. We have been so, so grateful for this. In sunshine, the fells and lakes are glorious. Ruth and I started the day by driving to Coniston Water—a long, narrow lake in the middle of the Lake District. The drive took us close to an hour, as we took the back roads that clung to the sides of the fells or twisted their way through small villages and hilltop farms, snaking al...