Caught the train down to Charing mid morning on a balmy English day, I cannot believe the weather we have had this year,so unlike most summers I have spent here.
Brad met me at the station and we walked back through the village . A quintessential English village with a large church and village green and a high street featuring local shops and old houses opening onto the street . Doors so low even I need to duck my head and a range of buildings reflecting the history of the town.
Willow Cottage was such a house . The house is at the end of the row of similar cottages and it has a whitewashed exterior with blackened beams and low ceilings . It was like entering a dolls house for adults with tiny furniture to match the low ceilings and winding staircase to reach the bedrooms . Charming.
Cynthia has lived here for thirty plus years and done a lot of renovations to the interior as well as producing a delightful garden to sit in and enjoy the day.
We did quite a lot of walking around the village the day I arrived,up to the windmill on the hill overlooking the North Downs,through farmlands of wheat and broad beans!
Our big walk to Canterbury via the Pilgrims Way was planned ages ago but we had to postpone as it promised to be the hottest day of the Year . Thirty four degrees is not ideal for walking a long distance so we adjusted our plans and decided to get up early and walk to Wye on the North Downs walkway,about three and a half hours away and more suitable to the conditions.
A pleasant walk through rural England and we had the place to ourselves at seven o'clock when we set off across the downs.
We wi
We will have to come back next year to try again for Canterbury.
We caught the train back to Charing in time for lunch and relaxed in the garden until I caught the train back to London to meet Nick and Els for a picnic in the park opera in Cheswick Park . The Pirates of Penzance would you believe . Jim would have loved it.
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