On Saturday we had planned to see our former Home Group Leader and his wife, who moved away to central England to be closer to their family. So on Friday night after putting the seat back in the car, I noticed that the off-side rear tyre was almost flat. I had only pumped it up the previous Sunday. So Saturday morning started in a rush - off to the tyre shop for a repair. I arrived at opening time and was already in a queue. About half an hour latter Queens Park Tyres had completed the repair. We filled the car with people, and the seven of us started our 130ish mile journey.
The sat-nav took us on real roads for some of the journey, a much more interesting route than sticking to the motorways, it avoided several delays and even with a road closure right near the end still arrived at the estimated time of noon.
Our hosts had prepared a snack lunch for us. We ate as we caught up on the news. After some discussion we decided to visit Hatton Locks on the Grand Union Canal. There is an excellent series of pictures here, they are rather autumnal, but remember it was a bright and warm September day. So much so that I needed to wear my hat. As we walked and talked, and watched people go through the locks, we began to appreciate how fortunate we all are. England, especially this part of it, is a beautiful country, and it is a privilege to be able to wander through it with our friends on such a lovely day.
Soon we walked back up the hill, drove the short distance into Warwick, and had tea in the Castle. Take a look at the link. Do you, like me, wonder what the owners and builders of the castle in previous centuries would make of our use of it today?
Then it was on to ASK for a meal before the long drive home. What an interesting time that turned out to be. One of our number ordered a red wine and received a white wine. No problem, they happily changed it. When it was finished there was a dead fly in the bottom - YUK! They took the wine and the price of the sweet off the bill. So they responded well, but the second issue should not have happened.
Despite receiving directions, I decided to follow the sat-nav on the way home. It took us down the M1. That was not a problem, but the state of the signage on the M1 was appalling. There was a large notice telling us that the motorway was closed between junction 14 and 13. One of my passengers checked the map, and decided that the best thing was to follow the diversion. Junction 14 came and went , so did junction 13, with no closure in sight. Then we were warned of lane closures - none were found. Later we were warned of workers in the road, in the outside lane, this time there were workers, but only on the hard shoulder. I have long mistrusted signs on Motorways as they frequently prove incorrect, but that journey was the worst I have seen.
A very good and enjoyable day.
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