a uk trip that was more than the usual weekend dash for my sister’s 60th birthday ‘do’.  amazing how the prospect of a cuddle or three with the grandson can lead to longer trips to blighty.  suddenly the other half can bear the thought of a longer stay!

our usual drive north but following the gps’ insistence we go via malemort to the a20.  we weren’t impressed just as we weren’t on the way home when it took us straight into paris and the perepherique!  a meal in the ‘gruffalo bill’ and a night in the b and b hotel, comme d’hab, and an early start next morning for calais but couldn’t blag our way onto the earlier ferry.   we shared it with a ‘1000 youngsters’ as the tannoy called them and we were very grateful to the ship’s officer who showed us into the family lounge and banned all school parties from it.  the result of travelling on the last saturday of the half term holiday!

a visit to mum as always and then a frustrating tour of chatham as we tried to find the hotel amongst the chaos of umpteen closed roads.  we decided ‘deviation’ was the watchword of this trip.  jon and kish arrived soon after and left kai with us almost at once.  cuddle time!

the birthday bash was 70s themed and all the family threw themselves into it.  the ingenuity of the costumes was brilliant.  the latest addition to the extended family (my great nephew born in january) was passed around like pass the parcel!  next day a lovely family sunday breakfast before gav cycled off for brighton while we tackled the m2 and the dreaded dartford crossing.  this time lou had been online and paid the charge ‘WITHIN 24 HOURS’ in advance.

this time there was no flat moving just lots of cuddles and family time.  jon was keen to take us up to harrow on the hill which neither of us had ever visited.  it is truly up on a hill and a very windy hill it was on that particular day

having taken our photos we were very pleased to find shelter in the dolls house tea shop, a pretty place that served huge slices of homemade cake and yummy scones with jam and clotted cream.

we tore ourselves away after a couple of days but promised to return as soon as….  the premier inn at kenton with sainsburys round the corner and several charity shops just down the road is rapidly becoming a preferred stop on our travel itinery. 🙂