Old friends and new

*
A few more colourful days in wonderful Wight.

On 17th, Andrew and Wendy Lamb, who introduced me to the island with our daytrip together last year, came down to see how I was getting on ... and found me, of course, fallen on my feet in the Most Beautiful B&B in Britain.
We strolled up on the downs in the sunshine, and I introduced them to Mr Hoy’s Folly and the ‘pepperpot’, we dined sumptuously ‘at home’ gazing out sybaritically over the glorious ‘nearly-longest-day’ evening view, down over the rolling fields to the sea, and in the morning we headed down to renew acquaintance with Ventnor. We ended up promenading in ancient Bonchurch, once a village near the town, and now apparently its most classy suburb. Such wonderful houses … little plaques tell us that the poet Swinburne and Lord Macaculey (and a couple of other folk I’d not heard of) lived there, and one can see why. A grand spot. And Swinburne and Macauley wouldn’t have had to worry about the parking…



After Bonchurch, we headed off on my favourite drive, to Shalfleet, partook of a walk down Newtown Estuary, the whole execrcise ending, naturally, at the New Inn, Shalfleet, for lunch. Not overcrowded today, and I sampled their local sausages on mustard mash. Oh, yes!
After lunch, there was just time enough left to nip across to Newtown where the Old Town Hall was just opening. I think Andrew was as much taken by its charm and its tale as I.
And then, after what had been an all too brief rendez-vous, the Lambs headed off to Cowes and I ‘home’, to Hermitage Court Farm.

Today, 20 June, at Hermitage Court Farm is a special day. For today, here, we have not one but two birthdays! Papa Chris and son number two, Charlie. Charlie is seven, Chris is classified. Charlie has just been unwrapping his birthday gifts over breakfast, so I grabbed a moment to snap him with his new scooter. And I promised him he’d be on the blog by the time he gets home from school. So here goes