Saturday: Set off at 1:30/ Airport to change money. First minor crisis - pubs close at 2:30 not 3:00 - closely observed by BK at 2:25! Found nice pub near airport. Full of Americans! Ate 2 pork pies - full of finger nails - and 2 evil sausages. Good fun. Drove through Thames valley. Nice villages and cotswold villages. Walked through ancient Great Tew. Went into St. Michael's Church. All grass on graves cut by hand. Weird grave digger. Through more Cotswold villages to Deddington. Stayed at 16th century King's Arms (haunted). Went out to Adderbury to nice pub for scampi in the basked round a fire. Back to King's Arms for a few more beers. Bed.
Sunday: Had breakfast - bacon egg and tomatoes & cornflakes at King's Arms. Freezing cold. Saw Ewbank carpet sweeper in action. Set off through more lovely Cotswold villages (hard to beat). Got out of car at Aynho and walked down Skittle Alley. Inspected Ivy Cottage and rescued little baby bird. Had sandwiches and beer in lovely pub (Stags Head) in Swalcliffe. Decided that instead of F & B living in England, B & M will live in US. Kept changing countries with villages. Bought booklet and postcards in Stanton. Then up through Worcs and Shrops. Shropshire not very nice. No nice villages or pubs - all agricultural. Stopped at Ship Inn Shottaton. Ate huge T-bone steaks. Went to terrible pub in Knockin and played dominoes and drank beer. F & M won of course. Talked to ancient local who showed us his coins and his watch and told us all about the quarry and then came back to Ship Inn to spend comfy night.
Monday: Got off early and up to Oswestry where Bill bought a long-sleeved shirt and Fran bought a copper kettle at super antique shop. Had a giggle when we tried to work out the kitty from last night. Fran put in 10 GBP and Barn had to owe 10GBP because he didn't have any money. Then Fran put in another 10 GBP and when Barney changed his money he put 10 GBP into the kitty and gave Fran her 10 GBP back!! But after arguing vigorously and much convincing and proving wrong we eventually sorted it all out outside Marks & Spencers! Henceforth to be known as The Great Oswestry Fiddle....
Weather changed for the better and went into Wales. Stopped at Betwsycoed (sp?) for farmers' lunch and Fran and M went round to look in shops while B & B had darts championship, drank Guiness and got thoroughly drunk so that M & F had to drive. Went up to Snowdon and tried to drive up but only got halfway - should have gone up on the train. Fran had to get out to open all the gates and Barn was all for driving off and leaving her so when we eventually got as far as we could go and the lads got out to "walk" over a wall, Fran & Mag drove off down Snowdon and let the lads have a nice walk down the mountainside. Very silent journey for half an hour!! Went up to N. Wales coast. Terrible weather. Beautiful but no pubs!! Stopped at Mrs Kendrick's Farmhouse, Garnewennyd Fawr (??) at Lixwm (turn right at the milk churns). She fixed us up with a meal at the Cherry Pie - lamb chops and Wiener schnitzels and a bottle of wine. Walked across the car park to the Rising Sun - nice pub. Played darts and Fran and Barn beat the official scribe and Bill by sheer fluke each time!! Bill's Blue Devils leapt out of his cigarette putting Bill off his stroke at a very crucial moment! Actually, Fran had been engineering the wicked Blue Devil trick on Bill for ages and it had gone wrong. She couldn't get his ciggies until he bought his Limey shirt without the pocket so, at the Cherry Pie, Fran seized her chance and put the Blue Devil in the end of a ciggie in Bill's packet and we all waited. Bill got out the ciggie and lit it and kept pointing it at Mag or the waitress and Fran and Mag were convulsed with mirth and got into trouble for giggling. But it didn't go off and just dropped out in the ash. So it all had to be done again in the pub. This time it worked beautifully except that it helped Fran and Barney to win the darts! But Barn was exceeding nervous from then on cos he thought maybe the girls had 'fixed' his cigar but, sadly, they couldn't have since they only had one Blue Devil and anyway Barn's cigars are individually wrapped. Well, well, well - never mind. All slept well in lovely farmhouse.
Tuesday: Had terrific breakfast - 2 eggs, bacon etc. and set off for Chester, Bill enthusing all the while on the beautiful sewer jobs, race courses and golf courses. Stopped in Chester which is super place and found toilets immediately! Fran & Marg had hair done and went shopping and bought jacket and blouse for Marg. They met B & B in the Boot Inn and had beer and sandwiches. B & B had shaved and looked reasonably decent! Drove up to Preston and off motorway through Trough of Bowland and up to Settle. Drove through Giggleswick four times!! Went up to Grassington but couldn't find decent hotel so had to drive all the way back on same road cos we'd seen somewhere not far away that looked nice. Great punch-up ensued and F & M seemed to be in the wrong again, as usual. Twice more through Giggleswick brought us to the Plough Inn near Rathmel. Really super place. Exploding cigar trick fooled Barney except that it was a dud and didn't go off - swizz! Wait till he finds his apple pie bed. Hee hee!! Went back (through Giggleswick - no giggle) to Settle for fish and chips in Ye Olde Shambles fish restrong and back to pub for game of darts and drinks. Off to bed. Night night.
Wednesday: Set off from Plough Inn, Wigglesworth at 10-11 ish and off to Settle not via Giggleswick. Fran and Marg directed party through country roads via Over and Nether Kellet. Stopped at St. Cuthberts and looked round graveyard for Kelletts - didn't find any. Fran and Marg leaned on Over Kellet signpost and had likenesses taken and caused terrible traffic jam of local bus and local dustcart and BK had to moved Baked Bean for local farmers to get past. Fran and Marg wanted to trace parish records and set off for farm for church key while B & B went to Eagles Head for pints. No luck for F & M.
And here the record runs out.......
Sunday: Had breakfast - bacon egg and tomatoes & cornflakes at King's Arms. Freezing cold. Saw Ewbank carpet sweeper in action. Set off through more lovely Cotswold villages (hard to beat). Got out of car at Aynho and walked down Skittle Alley. Inspected Ivy Cottage and rescued little baby bird. Had sandwiches and beer in lovely pub (Stags Head) in Swalcliffe. Decided that instead of F & B living in England, B & M will live in US. Kept changing countries with villages. Bought booklet and postcards in Stanton. Then up through Worcs and Shrops. Shropshire not very nice. No nice villages or pubs - all agricultural. Stopped at Ship Inn Shottaton. Ate huge T-bone steaks. Went to terrible pub in Knockin and played dominoes and drank beer. F & M won of course. Talked to ancient local who showed us his coins and his watch and told us all about the quarry and then came back to Ship Inn to spend comfy night.
Monday: Got off early and up to Oswestry where Bill bought a long-sleeved shirt and Fran bought a copper kettle at super antique shop. Had a giggle when we tried to work out the kitty from last night. Fran put in 10 GBP and Barn had to owe 10GBP because he didn't have any money. Then Fran put in another 10 GBP and when Barney changed his money he put 10 GBP into the kitty and gave Fran her 10 GBP back!! But after arguing vigorously and much convincing and proving wrong we eventually sorted it all out outside Marks & Spencers! Henceforth to be known as The Great Oswestry Fiddle....
Weather changed for the better and went into Wales. Stopped at Betwsycoed (sp?) for farmers' lunch and Fran and M went round to look in shops while B & B had darts championship, drank Guiness and got thoroughly drunk so that M & F had to drive. Went up to Snowdon and tried to drive up but only got halfway - should have gone up on the train. Fran had to get out to open all the gates and Barn was all for driving off and leaving her so when we eventually got as far as we could go and the lads got out to "walk" over a wall, Fran & Mag drove off down Snowdon and let the lads have a nice walk down the mountainside. Very silent journey for half an hour!! Went up to N. Wales coast. Terrible weather. Beautiful but no pubs!! Stopped at Mrs Kendrick's Farmhouse, Garnewennyd Fawr (??) at Lixwm (turn right at the milk churns). She fixed us up with a meal at the Cherry Pie - lamb chops and Wiener schnitzels and a bottle of wine. Walked across the car park to the Rising Sun - nice pub. Played darts and Fran and Barn beat the official scribe and Bill by sheer fluke each time!! Bill's Blue Devils leapt out of his cigarette putting Bill off his stroke at a very crucial moment! Actually, Fran had been engineering the wicked Blue Devil trick on Bill for ages and it had gone wrong. She couldn't get his ciggies until he bought his Limey shirt without the pocket so, at the Cherry Pie, Fran seized her chance and put the Blue Devil in the end of a ciggie in Bill's packet and we all waited. Bill got out the ciggie and lit it and kept pointing it at Mag or the waitress and Fran and Mag were convulsed with mirth and got into trouble for giggling. But it didn't go off and just dropped out in the ash. So it all had to be done again in the pub. This time it worked beautifully except that it helped Fran and Barney to win the darts! But Barn was exceeding nervous from then on cos he thought maybe the girls had 'fixed' his cigar but, sadly, they couldn't have since they only had one Blue Devil and anyway Barn's cigars are individually wrapped. Well, well, well - never mind. All slept well in lovely farmhouse.
Tuesday: Had terrific breakfast - 2 eggs, bacon etc. and set off for Chester, Bill enthusing all the while on the beautiful sewer jobs, race courses and golf courses. Stopped in Chester which is super place and found toilets immediately! Fran & Marg had hair done and went shopping and bought jacket and blouse for Marg. They met B & B in the Boot Inn and had beer and sandwiches. B & B had shaved and looked reasonably decent! Drove up to Preston and off motorway through Trough of Bowland and up to Settle. Drove through Giggleswick four times!! Went up to Grassington but couldn't find decent hotel so had to drive all the way back on same road cos we'd seen somewhere not far away that looked nice. Great punch-up ensued and F & M seemed to be in the wrong again, as usual. Twice more through Giggleswick brought us to the Plough Inn near Rathmel. Really super place. Exploding cigar trick fooled Barney except that it was a dud and didn't go off - swizz! Wait till he finds his apple pie bed. Hee hee!! Went back (through Giggleswick - no giggle) to Settle for fish and chips in Ye Olde Shambles fish restrong and back to pub for game of darts and drinks. Off to bed. Night night.
Wednesday: Set off from Plough Inn, Wigglesworth at 10-11 ish and off to Settle not via Giggleswick. Fran and Marg directed party through country roads via Over and Nether Kellet. Stopped at St. Cuthberts and looked round graveyard for Kelletts - didn't find any. Fran and Marg leaned on Over Kellet signpost and had likenesses taken and caused terrible traffic jam of local bus and local dustcart and BK had to moved Baked Bean for local farmers to get past. Fran and Marg wanted to trace parish records and set off for farm for church key while B & B went to Eagles Head for pints. No luck for F & M.
And here the record runs out.......
