Today feels like the start of a proper new term, mostly thanks to the significantly increased volume of traffic on the road this morning, as everyone started to face getting back to work or school, unlike those of us who made the effort for a couple of days last week. Still things are warming up a little bit - preparing for things to come as January (and beyond) gradually gets busier.
As the pictures from Saturday's blog shows, we had a lovely start to the weekend. Nicky picked me up from work on Friday, and we drove to the Vineyard pub in Lamberhurst where a dinner and B&B had been arranged. Pub food was good (even better once we'd moved ourselves away from the large table of shrieking ladies), room was comfy, including an entertaining and challengingly tight spiral staircase, and breakfast was full English.
Just under a mile down the road was Scotney Castle. If I'd been there before, it must have been a very long time ago, as I don't remember it at all. Nicky's main story involves camping and D of E expeditions. However, we had a lovely visit in the winter sunshine. Sad to discover that the old castle was deliberately made a ruin when the newer house was built. Where was the National Trust when it was needed the most?! Importantly, we can say that we've already used our NT membership in 2020, and possibly more than we did in the entire year in 2019!
Once home on Saturday afternoon, we set to with dismantling of Christmas trees and packing up of decorations (there's quite a collection on the landing waiting to be shipped back up to the loft at the moment) before risotto followed by crumble for tea (Jake and Izzy's request).
Relatively quiet Sunday: church (final chance at some carols), Nicky took Izzy's luggage over to her house as the rest of the family had just arrived back from NZ, roast with Nan, dog walk, that sort of thing.