After staying in Windsor, we’d planned a couple more nights in London before crossing the Channel to Europe. However, our friend Allison broke her leg so we returned to Pemsey Farm to help out as she adjusted to crutches, etc.

In fact, after being on the move from castle to cathedral, from another long walk to to another historical site, the kids were starting to rebel. When we told them we were going back to Pemsey instead of London, they cheered. So here we are for a few more cozy nights and sunny days of farm life. Taking care of horses and riding them is fun of course, but there is even a glorious tranquility in plucking muck from paddocks swathed in green under fluffy clouds in a blue sky, with a cool breeze and an occasional apple from the nearby orchard.

Nonetheless, I hope to chat with Martin Bates (Heather’s cousin) as we didn’t get a chance to have dinner at a well-known Indian restaurant in London he’d recommended. So many things left undone, unseen, unknown… We’re off to the continent tomorrow…