Cruise to the Norwegian Fjords

In May we set sail across the North Sea on a short cruise to Norway with our friends Richard and Jenny. Norway is beautiful, as are the fjords. We spent one day on Sonjefjord and another in the rainy city of Bergen. But as for cruising, I don’t think any of us became fans of the big ship on the high seas. Others may return time and again, but not us.

Cotswolds

We waited until October for our next holiday, staying in a cottage in Stow-on-the-Wold. Strangely all the eating places in the small town were shut for most of the week because there was a horse fair nearby. To deal with the potential influx of hard drinking travellers they all agreed to shut up shop. So for meals we travelled to Bourton-on-the-Water about 4 miles away. We enjoyed some good walks and discovered Sezincote House and Gardens and almost next door, Batsford Arboretum.

Ambleside

It was the year for the Stephenson cousins to meet up in the Lakes. Sadly there are fewer each time we gather. We made it into a long weekend, staying in Windermere with my siblings Mark and Ruth. Janice was enjoying a more exotic holiday somewhere hot.

Ramsgate

In the summer we visited Joan’s brother, Maurice, in Ramsgate on the coast in Kent. It’s a fascinating and busy port from where the French coast cab be seen. One of the surprises was a visit to tunnels, dug beneath the town as refuge for the people of Ramsgate before the start of World War 2. They are now preserved as a museum which tells the amazing story of the tenacity and foresight of the Mayor and Chief Engineer. The tunnels were being dug before the war started and saved the lives of thousands of local inhabitants when the enemy planes dropped their payload after crossing the channel. Ramsgate was the first port encountered on their raids and an obvious target.

London

While Wesley and his family were in France we borrowed their house in Chelmsford and spent three days travelling to London. We visited the Tower, a gallery, Frameless, and the Science Museum. London is so tiring we only managed one venue each day.