Sunday 2 August 2015 During this trip we have spent time at various World War One memorials and cemeteries. It seems that many other people share this need to try and appreciate the enormity of the sacrifice made by a generation of young men, their families and their countries. Always there are people walking quietly, looking at row on row of headstones, perhaps seeking a particular name. Today we will leave Belgium, but will first make a visit to Tyne Cot, a very large Commonwealth WW l cemetery near Ypres. Our other planned stop is the much smaller Trois Arbres Cemetery just over the border and into France. We have enjoyed Belgium very much and on this sunny morning it's good to drive through the productive countryside, taking smaller and smaller country roads as Polly tries ... read more

Friday 31 July 2015 Bruges is a short drive from the little town where we are staying and we have heard it is an attractive place to visit, so with the sun shining again we head off to find out for ourselves. The car is safely underground, but the downside is that the wet socks drying in the car won't make much progress while we are parked there. It's hard to find the perfect park. Above ground we were immediately captivated by the sight of a tall spire looming at the end of the street. We followed our noses and quickly found the streets which seemed to be attracting people. Bruges seems to be a city built around water, and canals carry boatloads of tourists under bridges and past delightful old buildings, some used as cafés ... read more

Wednesday 29 July 2015 Today we start our homeward journey. It will take two and a half weeks, visit three countries, and traverse half the globe, not to mention seeing more wonderful sights. With everything back in the car we say our farewells to our daughter and son-in-law, programme Polly to take us to Eastleigh near Southampton, and leave London. After driving through leafy suburbs we join the dreaded M25 and then the M3. Traffic is busy but free flowing so we cover the hour and a half journey to Eastleigh quite quickly and arrive on time. We have a coffee appointment with Ann, our son-in-law's mother. The one hour catch up extends to two hours and it is time to move on. We had a lovely time sharing stories and having lots of laughs. We ... read more

Monday 27 July 2015 We are now feeling a certain amount of weariness as we journey, and back in London for two days we want to slow down a little and relax with our family here. With occasional breaks in the cloud and no hint of rain, we have a visit to the Chiltern Open Air Museum planned for this afternoon. Holly the dog can come on this outing and clearly approves of the plan. A relatively short drive from Watford, this Museum is reached via narrow country roads once you are clear of London. A pleasant walk takes the visitor on a trail that passes many old buildings which have been brought on site. There are cottages of different sizes and ages and other historic buildings such as the High Wycombe Toll House where taxes ... read more

Saturday 25 July 2015 We have waited a while for a fine day and here it is, so it's up, up and away on a drive around the Cotswolds. We have a rough idea of places we might visit, but first we need to drive northeast from Gloucester to reach the Cotswolds area. We pass through Cheltenham admiring its tree-lined streets and large gracious houses, then we are out of the town and driving on quiet country roads. The names of English villages include some that cause curiosity and occasionally mirth. One such name suddenly stood out, demanding attention. We headed towards the village of Wyre Piddle Just because we could. This did not appear to be a "tourist trap" town, but did have a pub backing onto the River Avon. We drank our coffee on ... read more