Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Jolly Old England

The first stop on our English getaway was Woking where good friends from Stockholm have a second home.  Upon waking, rain was falling softly at first then with increasing vigor.  Our plans for the day changed with every new drop.  It seemed the clearing forecast was increasingly unlikely so we made plans to drive to the pub for lunch instead of walking and to see a movie this afternoon instead of exploring quaint little towns.  Upon getting out the door however we noticed a bluing sky and even some sunshine. We turned the car around, change into wellies, grabbed two of the three dogs and took a walk across the nearby golf course.  The trail was so gorgeous and I was enchanted by the fresh holly!  I'm so thankful we made this switch!  It was a beautiful walk on a fairly warm day and it was wonderful to get some exercise, chat with our dear friends and enjoy the lovely English countryside.  From there, we jumped back in the car and drove to Newlands Corner where a gorgeous view and a delicious hot chocolate awaited us.  The wind was up so we jumped back into the car and headed to Cranleigh, a charming town with an old fashioned sweet shop, a nice pub for lunch and a lovely coffee shop.  Lunch was great.  Pubs in England are hard to beat for just good fare and the burger I had went down easily! After lunch we enjoyed strolling through the village shops admiring the nice things for sale. Our afternoon coffee spot was a very interesting loft.  When we got up to leave at 3.20 p.m. I was struck by how light it still was outside!  Wow!  Nice to punch out of the 3.00 darkness of Sweden!
From Cranleigh we headed over to Guildford, another sweet town. The view from the top of the car park was very sweet.  What a charming and beautiful place Guildford is!  To my great surprise, there is a Krispy Kreme shop!  I did not indulge as the pub lunch was plentiful!  It was fun to see England's version of a dollar store: 
We wandered through the town, continued our window shopping, chatted up a storm with our friends and relaxed over a glass of wine in another great restaurant.  We finally decided that it was time to head home.  Upon arriving back at the homestead at Fishers Hill House, we were delighted at the fantastic welcoming committee.
Today was beautiful, new and interesting.  Relaxing time with our friends while sharing lovely sights and wonderful conversation is such balm for the soul.  It really was a grand day in jolly old England.

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