More from Whitchurch - Couldn't get back to earlier message I had typed

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I had typed a bit this morning and then did a quick save as I was interrupted for a while, but now I can't get back to what I had typed. I'm going to continue presuming I can find the other few paragraphs. Basically, I said it was cold (not even up to 60), wet (it's the wettest June on record), and windy - but of course we're having a fabulous time anyway. It's just so special to be in someone's home and to travel with the Chaneys. We have seen the most beautiful countryside and quaint little historic towns. We've gone past sheep farms (with hundreds of shorn sheep) and horse farms, wheat fields, and old, old country estates. We have eaten (and had a few drinks) at OLD pubs (the first one was opened in 1600) and toured Windsor Castle. Really, this experience is truly transforming.

I see the last time I typed an entry was on Saturday and here it is Thursday. I won't try to catch you up on everything but hope to hit the highlights.

Sunday: Charles picked us up around noon on Sunday. Sadly, he had had to sit in traffic created by a terrible accident (double decker bus that had tipped en route to Ascot) for a couple hours, so we got off to a bit of a late start. But, he came and we headed back to his home. We met Pam at their favorite pub in Ovring - just down the road. The pub's name The Black Boy is hardly politically correct, but it is a wonderful old (1600) pub with the most gorgeous view. Between rain storms we were able to look over the countryside from the porch. Lee and I tried beef wellington and yorkshire pudding. Twas good. Then we drove through the little town and back to Pam and Charles' home - a two-story cottage, which would be called a townhome in the states. It's very charming and welcoming. The roses are gigantic and so fragrant. Their small patio garden is just beautiful - all my favorite flowers and then some. They have a birdfeeder that attracts hundreds of birds of all varieties. It's so muich fun to just sit and watch for five minutes - a veritable bird lesson. We unpacked, then had late night snacks and drinks and talked nonstop.

Monday: Truly a gray and wet day, but we managed to have an amazing day at Windsor Castle. Sadly, we could not take the ferry from Windsor Castle to Hampton Court, but that meant we stayed longer at the castle. The drive to Windsor was about an hour or so and then we walked through the little town. Decided we needed something hot to drink before we approached the Castle so went into a converted rain station where there were all kinds of shops and restaurants. The train depot was the one into which the royal family would be carried by train as it was then a quick walk or in the royal's case, drive, to the castle. We took the self-guided audio tour and were just taken with the artwork, decor, history, and layout of this country home of the queen. The royal family was in residence (the flag was flying) but for some reason they didn't come out to greet us personally! The public tour is extensive and we even went into the great banquet hall where they were setting up a major banquet to be held on Wed night - Prince Charles was hosting an evening of entertainment (Rod Stewart was the headliner) for the primary donors to The Prince's Charity Trust. William and Harry were planning their own major evening of music and tribute to Princess Diana. It's the 10th anniversary of her death. That concert will be at another castle in Wembly. I forgot - we spent some time in Aylesbury "hiring" - as in renting a tuxedo for Charles' big Rotary evening on Thursday.

For supper, we headed to Charles' Rotary club meeting in Aylesbury. This was the night the current president passes the reign to the new president, so it was a night of fun and gentle roasting. People were very kind to us and we had such a good time. We met a Welchman who had all kinds of tips for us once we get to Wales and we met a travel agent who had suggestions for Ireland.

Politically, all the talk is about Prime Minister Blair's exit on Wed. and the beginning of Gordon Brown's term. Weatherwise, the news is about the flooding in north England - really awful.

Tuesday: Pam and I head to Wimbledon while Lee and Charles spend the day. What a glorious time I had. Pam drove to the Aversham train station and then we started our adventure - something I have dreamed of since one of the first times I saw Wimbledon finals on television. We took the train, the tube, and then finally finished our travels by walking through the town of Wimbledon. We joined a long queue to get grounds tickets, but our perseverance paid off as we got queue # 4938 and 4939 - and they take 6000 before they close the grounds. The line moved much more quickly than we anticipated and so by noon (we had left the house about 9 a.m.) we were on the grounds of this hallowed tennis grounds. Actually, except for Wimbledon, England is not that enarmoured with the sport. They are so muich more interested in soccer (football), rugby, cricket, and even bowles. However, Wimbledon was spectacular even though we weren't on centre court or Court 1. We walked all over the grounds, watching great matches on the outlying courts. Literally, one can stand against the fence and practically reach out and touch the players. We watched a couple of American men I had vaguely heard of (Kevin Kim and B Reynolds) sadly lose in 5 sets, but some intense tennis. We watched a few well known players including Safrin, Krijcek (from the Netherlands), and Venus Williams. They all won, although Venus' match was a nail biter. We were on Hennman Hill while he was in the final set with Moya, finally pulling it out 13-11 games. The crowd went nuts. Hennman Hill is a grassy knowl from which you can see the huge outdoors screen that features the match on Centre Court. Though it threatened to rain all day, it didn't. It did get very cold and windy and then the sun came through for a little while. And yes, I had strawberries and cream and champagne. And for dinner - I had a slice of pizza! Reluctantly, we left and did the major travel back to Whitchurch and a light supper at the Chaneys. Lee had gone into town to help Charles at his sporting goods store and a good lunch at a pub and a stroll about the town.

Wednesday: We slept in, did laundry, and had a late breakfast then we went to Pam and Charles' daughter's home in Surrey, the London stock brokers' haven for some reason. Nikki's old farmhome sat on beautiful grounds and was an amazing example of an old, lovely farmhouse. They are in the midst of total rennovation, but when it is complete, it will be stunning. There are 6 or 7 bedrooms, livingroom (called the lounge), two playrooms for the 4 children, large kitchen and eating area, a new addition that includes a large laundry room and office. They have a live in au paire from Poland who was just delightful. . Went to lunch at a pub called The Mill - beautiful location and setting. 4 year old Joe came with us and is all boy. I had brought Spiderman stickers with me and he and I had a good time talking about Spiderman and putting stickers all over his napkin (or serviette). Then off to Milton Keynes where Charles was to perform his last official Rotary duty as District Governor - handing out checks to 9 charities. Sadly, the highway was totally jammed with traffic (another bad accident) and when we could finally get off onto another highway it took us forever to get through horrible downpours, extensive traffic and once we got into the city, we hit every red light and even spent time behind a student driver. Many roads are so narrow there is no passing, so one is just stuck. We arrived after the event was well underway and the checks had been handed out, but Charles got to greet folks anyway. Quite disappointing to him, but we all survived! The long drive home with a dinner stop - at 9:15 p.m. - at a rather new pub/restaurant, the Betsey Wynne. Delicious food. Dad tried bangers and mash - pork sausage and mashed potatoes.

Thursday: Today we are going to Waddeson Manor - a huge castle near here. Then it's back to prepare for Charles big night during which he passes the reign of District Governor to someone else. He has had a great year and has been a very popular leader. Tomorrow is Stratford-on-Avon and then it will be time to pack up and find our way to Wales. As I was typing this, the weather report came on to say there will be "unusually heavy rains" in England and Wales this week-end. Great. We know how to pick the best weeks, that's for sure.

This has gone on forever and if you have been able to keep reading and have gotten this far - know that we love you, think of you all, and hope everything is well where you are. Love the e-mails you send and love keeping up with your lives. Miss talking to you.

Take care. Mom and Dad/ Geri and Lee

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