pinkbirdflies

Climed the tower of St. mary’s Church for spectacular views of the town and countryside.

Left my pet sit at Coxheath and drove through the Kent countryside and small villages to Cranbrook, a pretty village with a sweet cafe where all the local ladies seem to gather after the school drop off at the prestigious Cranbrook Private school. Mingled with the yummy mummies and the owner was lovely! Explored Bodiam Castle which looks staight out of a movie..pub lunch of delicious pie and drove to the character filled village of Rye on the river Rother. Rye is pretty, ancient and cobblestoned and my accommodation for the weeek in Ockman Cottage is just lovely.

A lovely town with a working harbour. The mainstay is the oyster industry…Whitstable native oysters dredged from the bottom of the bays (no oyster leases but I think some are grown on racks). People come to the beach here and for the seafood…cockles, whelks and sad looking tiny, pale things they call prawns. Had a paddle and was surprised that the water was not freezing! Nice lunch at Pearson’s Arms pub where I experienced marsh grown Samphire which was lightly steamed to be a crispy, salty deliciousness with the fillet of fish.

Old Churches,  graveyards, strawberry cream teas and the Milkman still delivers!

The sun came out today….nice day to visit a castle! Very pretty with beautiful gardens full of blooms and the scent of summer roses.

Truly lovely walks along the public footpaths around Coxheath. Every shade of green, lush foliage and the twittering of birds is amazing. Apples and strawberries growing along the path and panoramic views across the Kent countryside which is dotted with Oast houses.These distinctive buildings were designed to drying hops and are conical in shape with a cowl on top, many now converted to parts of houses.

Left Holyport in Maidenhead and drove along the Motorways in Percy Peugeot to Coxheath which is an outer part of Maidstone in Kent. I’m house and pet sitting for Bianca in her home in ClockHouse Rise, a newer styled housing estate. Max (sausage dog), Bailey (Beagle/Lab cross) and Jinx the black cat are all adorable. Bailey is still young and full of energy and got straight into mischief when I popped down to the local shop….

I met up with Lucy who lives here in England and who I last saw in Montepulciano, Tuscany, Italy this time 3 years ago. We finally caught up with one another in Windsor. We had a lovely afternoon talking, visiting Windsor Castle, taste testing fudge and having a drink in a pub in Eton. It was great to see her!

Scruffy the Border Terrier has been enjoying our daily walks along the paths and through the fields. He developed some nasty coughing and choking and it sounded like some obstruction in his throat he was trying to clear…after a rough night (because he likes to sleep on the bed with me!) I was at the vet first thing and the diagnosis was classic Kennel Cough. Apparently it can be contracted irregardless of previous vaccination! So, anti inflammatories and rest for poor old Scruff!

Eton town itself is full of character and dominated of course by England’s prestigious and expensive private  independent boys boarding school founded in 1440 by King Henry VI. I saw the boys moving between classes in their traditional uniform of black tailcoat, waistcoat, false collar and pin striped trousers. The Geography department looked fancy and I reflected on good old Melville High, drawing a few comparisons! I wonder if they have any job vacancies?