Visiting

 No walking today..Pirate's great niece did the washing and we set out to see her uncle, Pirate's nephew after getting it on the line.

Just a short drive to Ashford.

Tea and chat for the afternoon! 

It was good to see him and his wife. He has Myeloma and is on groundbreaking treatment...and now has developed Prostate cancer. Discussing that we worked out that he has a family tendency for the latter...

Despite all the publicity...plus the fact that he is on a special project for the other...he had never had his PSA checked.....and he is in his  late 60s....

It was great to catch up with all his grandkids' news....I've met all but the newest in person...who I met as a "bump". !!

Then fuel up and head back here...ready for off in the morning.

Bigbury Camp

 This afternoon's two hour (!!) walk went through. No Man's Orchard on the North Downs Way and on in the direction of Harbledon and the A2, stopping at Bigbury Camp...a steady reasonably steep climb up from the Way.

This is the information board

and our walk...

This level ground at the camp was cleared of chestnut coppice...which at one time was grown to produce riven fence posts like this

On the gatepost was a sticker....myst investigate....

Rellies meeting

 I went with Pirate's great niece to meet a cousin..both on the Possee half of his family and we had a grand afternoon out wandering around Canterbury....Starting with coffee (or tea) and cake and ending with hot chocolate four hours later!!

We couldn't find the Green Man on the wooden doors to the Cathedral close...I must look through old photos from visits.

We didn't go in...at £18 each unless you were a National Trust member !! About ten years or so ago we went in without payment, and there was noone gatekeeping...

I did make one purchase...a small solid stainless steel saucepan with a lid, and a pouring lip both sides from a very posh cook shop..£25 well spent. 

You try finding one....without non-stick coating....with a lid...and without having to buy a set of pans.....

It was great having a good catch up, plus all of us getting to know each other better. Sadly another  cousin has just died, which is a great pity as we were all beginning to get on really well.

of course..pictures in reverse order....

cleaning job...before, during and after

The house from which the assassins of Thomas à Beckett left to do the deed

Kings College

Georgian houses with wheel thrown not moulded chimneypots we

A French chocolatière...

the crooked bookshop

felix....

 kept on walking....around the village lanes this time....where we saw a row of large oak trees

a commercial apple orchard

and our shadows!!

Blue sky, sunshine and fluffy little white clouds!!

Chilling out...and apples!

 Relaxing, reading, doin' nuffin special...

and going for a walk to an old established apple orchard....No Man's Orchard

The trees all around are sweet chestnuts, and there are hazels..or mire likely cobnuts as this is Kent.