A couple of jaunts

 Like many people, I have been having my holidays closer to home this year. However, I still managed to travel from the top to the very bottom of England.

My work had brought me North to be the celebrant at a handfasting ceremony and so I took the chance to visit two of my dearest friends Martin and Madeleine.

My stays with them are always filled with talk of books and life, Madeleine's delicious homemade food and wonderful walks. Martin had even kindly planned a route that I could manage, given my slightly wonky body.

I feel renewed and refreshed every time I visit them. Their way of life requires hard work and strength of mind and body, yet they seem to have found a balance between following a simple, more traditional way of living and while still appreciating some benefits of the modern world. They live according to their beliefs and I have great respect for them.

I am lucky to have such good friends in my life

One added bit of fun and coincidence was that whilst on my travels, my friend Pippa who lives in Devon, was also visiting the area and we managed to meet for an hour for breakfast!

For my second little holiday, I picked up Emily and we headed down to Cornwall to see Sam and Lillibet in their new home in Falmouth.

We packed so much into the couple of days we spent there. I love seeing both my children together, we live so far apart at the moment.

Sam is a great cook and we enjoyed his creations and also had a wonderful meal out at a boat restaurant in the harbour.

Falmouth is such a vibrant place, the sea is part of its character and never far away.

I have enjoyed myself immensely and it has whetted my appetite for my adventures in Wales.

Roll on September! It's less than a week to go.