August 3, 2007: Country Bumpkins go to London
It's Friday already - one more sleep until the weekend dog trials! Yippee! Our week started with a terrific day of dog training in the Scottish countryside with a group of Swedish people, one Scot, one American and two kiwis. We could almost be mistaken for the United Nations. Training with people from other countries is always interesting - we can now command our dogs in two languages - but more than the training itself, it is terrific to be able to sit down at lunchtime to chat with people from other cultures. The common thread between us all being a passion for border collies. The only downside to the whole day was sprinting into the nearest fish and chip shop - we were all starving - only to find the shop had run out of fish! That is almost sacrilegious in the UK!

Mid-week Angie whizzed off to London with a friend, Diane, and two pups. London is Angie's "hometown" although a visit to her family further to the east was not on the cards this time around. The 6 hour drive from Scotland to London is exceedingly boring! The M6 and M40 are 3 lanes of traffic each way, bumper to bumper with cars and trucks (lorries, they call them here) and occasionally you see a built up area to your left or right. The only saving grace is the Moto stops (petrol/gas stations) with a Marks and Spencer shop. M&S has the very best Belgian Chocolate Milk around - Angie's favourite.

Wednesday night saw us stay at one of the very best B&Bs around - The Croft in Wheeler End Common. This is perfectly situated for one heading to London's Heathrow Airport and needing to overnight prior to a flight the next day. We arrived at The Croft in the early evening. Yes, we got lost on the way but it is actually quite easy to find. TomTom (our satellite navigation system) either had a hiccup or we did when we punched in the post code (more likely), and we ended up in the wee village of Speen. After resetting TomTom, we made it easily from Speen back to the Croft via single lane country roads lined with 10 foot high hedges. A very scenic detour. Thank you TomTom!

The Croft is a magnificent home. Timber frame enthusiasts will love this place as Richard is a timber frame specialist who builds in the traditional way - with mortise and tenon joints. (Angie is a timber frame construction fan so this was a real treat). The house is simply beautiful but more than this, the hospitality is FANTASTIC! We were invited to dinner - oh my, the quiche we had was to die for. Pudding (dessert) was made by 10-year-old Sabrina. Bread and butter pudding - a real British institution! However, Sabrina makes THE best bread and butter pudding in the world. We won't tell you what her secret is - you have to go find that one out for yourselves. Angie was sent home with a piece of bread and butter pudding for Kelvin - and it actually made it all the way back to Kelvin in Scotland. Kelvin LOVED it - and he is an aficiondao! Breakfast included Angie's favourite - hot chocolate croissants. Oh my, how spoilt we were. There is a terrific dog walking area just across the street on 'the common' - perfect for anyone heading to Heathrow with dogs, as we were. All in all, a delightful place to stay, and we'll be back for sure. Our stay was too short!

After saying goodbye to Diane, Coll and Sava, Angie headed for home. Six hours of thinking about dogs, training, timber frame homes, new friends, and where was the next Belgian Chocolate Milk stop - and, of course, Bailey who would be patiently waiting for Angie at the end of the driveway. ...and so she was!

Travel is a marvelous thing. One night we were sitting outside eating dinner at The Croft with wonderful people, looking over the fence at sheep in the field beyond and admiring a beautiful sunset. The next night we are sitting on a rock wall in the Scottish hillside enjoying good friends, watching sheep graze lazily and dogs playfully stalking each other. No matter where one is in the world or where one goes, good friends, interesting conversation, and a few dogs are the foundations of a very happy life!

Archives:
July 28, 2007 Whales and Wales
July 21, 2007 Blood sampling ewes.
July 16, 2007 A week of gathering sheep