h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Ah, the last morning in Agapanthus's flat. No longer would 2 introverts be having a wonderful time being in the same room together barely interacting in the evening after a day in the most people-y place I have ever been (I know my write ups of the evenings sound like "Did lots of fun stuff, wen to flat, killed time until we could go to our beds," but I, at least, had an absolutely lovely time and would love to spend more time barely-interacting with Ag. That didn't *quite* come out right...)

Ag had taken the day off of work to go with me to meet Mol. We were taking the train to Banbury, and then riding with Mol and Kit to Stratford-upon-Avon, to spend a few hours before Ag took the train back home, and Mol, Kit, and I made our way to Lofas Towers. Now, I had been... concerned... about the size of my luggage as compared to the size of people's vehicles' boots (I had it in my head that everyone over there has Mini Coopers and the like) I'm going public here and now to say that I was wrong. No one, whose vehicle I actually placed my luggage into, had any trouble accommodating it. Though both vehicles that I rode in *without* luggage would've had trouble fitting my big bag into the boot (OK, so if Sol's boot hadn't been full, it would've fit, and HonestIago could've easily fit my bags in his back seat, but still.)

Anyway, while in Stratford, we went into Gregg's to pick up lunch (sausage roll and , if you were wondering). The food was good, but the drink I'd gotten as part of the meal deal? I'd grabbed a ginger beer, to see if there was much difference between that and ginger ale, but I hadn't read the ingredients. I'm one of those people that can taste *all* the artificial sweeteners (and the natural non-sugar ones, like stevia) and absolutely hate them. I opened up the bottle, got a nice strong whiff of ginger, and then the sweeteners completely drowned the ginger out You know there's too much of something if it overwhelms *ginger*... I could only force myself to drink half, and that was only because I was very thirsty after my salty fare. After lunch (eaten at a park on the Avon), the four of us got on an enclosed boat for a tour of the Avon and a canal. We got to watch the lock in action ('cause we were in it), and there were many, many swans. It being late July, the cygnets, while still identifiable by being gray instead of white, were no longer little adorable fluffs but instead fully feathered and nearly as large as their parents. So there were snowy white swans and dirty looking swans. After the boat tour, we went to Tudor World, an interestingly cheesy museum. Then we started meandering our way back to where the car was parked, via the tow path we had used earlier. Steep, wet, cobbled slopes do not provide the most enjoyable footing, but other than the descent to the path/ascent to the street, it was a lovely walk, even in the not-quite-rain. Goodbyes were said, and it was off to Lofas Towers in a village outside Northampon.

When we arrived, after a lovely ride discussing Roman roads, the route we'd be taking upon the morrow, and flatnav vs. satnav, my things were taken up to the guest room, which was Penny's room (Penny shifted to Rose's room, and Rose ended up on the couch... I would've felt bad, but it was only for 1 night, and the couch was Rose's choice.) Mol made shephard's pie and roast veggies for the evening meal (we didn't get into dinner vs. supper vs. tea) and gooseberry fool for dessert (I think. Some sort of berry, and I'd pretty sure it was fool, unless it was trifle. I know there was custard.). After the meal, Mol and I went for a walk through the village, over a proper footpath through a cow pasture (American instincts muttering about trespass all the while), to the allotment. Mol was chuffed to harvest a few late peas and beans--she had not been able to work the allotment much (if at all) this year, because she was busy kicking breast cancer's butt. (Not exactly a secret--there's a very readable blog out there...) Various administrative problems almost made for needing an alternative plan for the 2 days I was to be in Mol's care, which caused some confusion and concern with a third (unrelated to trip plans) party here in the US (straightened out when I gave them the right end of the stick), but everything turned out fine and Plan A prevailed. Once back at the house, we watched TV for a bit (there was a documentary on Dirty Dancing) and turned in for the night.

And I meant to mention that I was quite impressed that I was both on the perpetual calendar *and* the meal prep rota in the kitchen (and that Mol has both a perpetual calendar and a meal prep rota, period, which everyone is on, the youngest child, whose birthday was the day before my arrival at the Towers, being 15).

"I was quite impressed that I was both on the perpetual calendar *and* the meal prep rota in the kitchen (and that Mol has both a perpetual calendar and a meal prep rota, period)"

Yes indeed that is impressive!