Motoring

 We had an early start. Clearly, Ellie wasn't ready for it. She came into the house just after 6:30 and went straight up to bed for another hour's sleep. I made the tea and the coffee, and we sat and read the overnight news. At 7:30 I went up to wake Ellie and get washed and dressed myself. 

Once Ellie had left for school, we pottered around; Di went to shower and dress, I reviewed the logs from last night's backups, then got on with some documentation. Mid-morning, we set up Jasper's timed feeder and left for a pleasant drive up through the Downs, Petworth, Chiddingfold and on to Milford. We were meeting Jane and Trevor for lunch at The Refectory.

As usual, we first checked the plumbing, then settled in front of the fire for a coffee while we waited for J&T. The rain that had been so incessant earlier had faded; the sun was out, and the skies had cleared. Jane and Trevor arrived, and we settled down at what is becoming our usual table. The Refectory was remarkably busy for a Tuesday lunchtime, and service was a little slow. It was not a problem, as it gave us more time to chat. We heard all about their recent trip to Rome, which sounded wonderful, and they clearly did well choosing a private tour guide for a couple of days.

For lunch, Di chose the hake "burger" with salad. I must say that it looked lovely, with a couple of large slices of hake in batter nestling in a brioche bun. I started with some bratwurst in sweet mustard, then followed that with Chicken Schnitzel with saurkraut and fries. We also indulged in desserts. It was four-ish before we left. We had a lovely drive back to the coast, arriving home in about an hour.

We had a quiet evening (no dinner was required!), and I perused the letters and the photo that Jane had sent back with us.