One of the things that we are always going on about is meeting new people and making friends as we travel around. It’s something we love about our lives at the moment but this week wasn’t about new friends. It was about catching up with a couple of our best friends.

An Afternoon with Great Friends

It’s quite difficult to organise seeing old friends as we move from place to place as our lives are so nomadic and it requires a lot of planning sometimes months in advance. We do feel guilty about not being able to touch base with friends and family but we do our best to as we wander around. Last Saturday we arranged to meet Jackie and Trevor, friends for over 28 years, in Ware as they kindly suggested driving down. To our delight their daughter Sarah and her lovely daughter Lottie wanted to come too. Not too sure if Lottie had much say but I’m sure she missed me (and Jo).

So a fabulous afternoon wandering along the riverside walk in Ware, chatting over coffee in Truly Scrumptious, and then being spoilt and treated to a fabulous lunch out in the Waterside Inn.

The hours flew by as we talked constantly about anything and everything and obviously lavished attention on Lottie as she dominated proceedings with her sunny smile and sweet nature. It was just wonderful to see them all and so nice that they made the effort to travel all this way just to see us. Have to do it again soon.

To complete the day our oldest son Shaun popped over in the evening for an hour or so as he only lives 40 minutes away so it was a wonderful sociable day, great catching up with them all and having so many cuddles.

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Saffy, Miami and the Ducks

Even with all the socialising we still have to look after all the animals and its going better than ever. The house we’re in is absolutely massive as it’s an extended 200 year old farmhouse with huge grounds and a multitude of plants and pots and vegetable plots that need daily watering and caring for.

Saffy is a gentle loving little Whippet who loves to play in the garden and likes a good long walk around the rolling hills of Hertfordshire. There are a whole bunch of footpaths all around us so we’ve spent hours discovering new tracks and routes as we hike around the area. Don’t miss our post on the Legend of Cold Christmas, one of the beautiful villages across the fields that we’ve explored. Saffy is unbelievably well behaved and we love seeing her bounce up on her hind legs when she spots a rabbit or something. I think she’d disappear into the distance if we let her off the lead!

Housesitting in Hertfordshire

Different housesits bring different things to our lives, for instance our recent stay in Devon gave us amazing countryside and fabulous walks around the edge of Dartmoor. This current stay in Ware, Hertfordshire is different in that this part of the country is typical middle England with green rolling hills and gentle scenery but this time it’s the house and gardens that are incredible.

We don’t like to show photos of our housesitting houses for host privacy reasons but the rambling extended farmhouse is really hitting all the buttons for us. Breakfast and morning in the huge country kitchen, afternoon tea in our quiet living room, then evening viewing and relaxation in the other lounge. Perfect.

Then on Monday 15th May it was our 35th Wedding Anniversary. We’re not into celebrating occasions like birthday and anniversaries but it made us sit back and think of that day many years ago when we tied the knot. It often feels like yesterday to both of us. Apparently it’s our Coral Anniversary if anyone is interested. I just know that we’ve never been happier and every day we spend together is a joy.

So Happy Anniversary Jo, none of this JWalking would be possible without you x

12/05 – 17/05/2017