Day one adventures

Being in wonder over here is nonnegotiable, and that has made blogging and keeping y'all updated a smidge more difficult. So, I'm sorry about that!

Okay, so I landed EARLY Monday morning and picked up my car. Every single human has been lovely (even the rental car guy who "made" me buy the extra insurance by showing the piece of paper that laid out all the thousands of dollars I would have to pay if ANYTHING went wrong in about ten different situations).

My friend, Sherry, met me at the airport (she came over early from the states to spend a couple days with me. She's excited to explore with an American friend because her husband is a Brit and doesn't have time for her fawning. Her main role was to drive us out of London to let me orient myself first. Well... turns out I had to show my license and receipt to get out of the rental lot, so orientation had to happen on the fly! It was not pretty, and once I figure out how to get videos where they need to be, I will share.

Luckily, the drive from London to Ledbury was predominantly highways. This is the one time in my life I would have chosen a highway over a country road because it was a straight shot, folks could pass me, and there weren't many roundabouts (they still give me anxiety, but it's getting better). ALL of the towns are charming! Sherry kept saying, "Girl, just you wait," but I don't think I'll hit the brake pedal on wonder anytime soon.

Our bed and breakfast is about twenty minutes away from the center of the historic market town of Ledbury. The last ten minutes is gravel/dirt roads with tall hedges and room enough for one car. Now, I had only been driving in England for three hours (maybe?) when I came head on with a car in this setting. Y'all, first off, the couple looked like they were in a movie: young, in a convertible, and she had a scarf on her head. Meanwhile, I'm screaming in a little Hyundai because WHERE AM I GOING TO GO?!?!?! I had already been struggling not to scratch the shit out of the car going down this road this tiny road. So, what do I do? Freak out. Naturally. And, I go in reverse (because I'm a visitor and should be polite - turns out, I need to let the professionals run the show) and back Sherry into some hedges (whoops); I wouldn't have known, but her window was down, so she was more than willing to let me know! Well, it looked like I was doing a bit on the Carol Burnette Show, except this was unintentional. After about five minutes of struggling, I finally got Sherry safely in some bushes, so the car could pass. Whew!

Our plan was to just lay eyes on our bed and breakfast, but one of the owners was outside on his tractor and quickly came to greet us. Y'all, Inga and Malcolm are as lovely as they come! Malcolm is a Brit and was so excited to tell us anything we wanted to know. When they invited us inside, I sat on a bench, so I could pet sweet little Mable (a ten month old lab that likes to jump, so Malcolm was holding her). Well, while I was sitting and petting, Malcolm leaned over and said, "You know, this bench you're sitting on is older than your country." Just like that. No judgement. No ego. Just facts. That's kind of how this entire trip has been so far: everyone just likes to share tidbits that make wonder instinctive.

Sweet Inga showed us our room, and THEN said that they had a cancelation and would like to offer us the suite for no upcharge!!!!

THEN, she asked if we would like some tea on the deck. Uhhhhhhh... yes, please! So, we set our things down, oooohhhhed and aaaahhhhhed over the room, and then headed to the deck. Look at what she brought us!?!?!?!

She and Malcolm told us where we could drive around nearby and even offered to book us our dinner at a local restaurant! I mean, I know this is their livelihood, but my goodness, they do it with such generosity and grace that I felt so cared for and safe.

So, after our tea, we headed to Bosbury where the Knights Templar had a base! It's tiny and gorgeous. Every single cemetery has been stunning, so that's where we ventured first.

After Bosbury, we went to visit Eastnor Castle that was not too far from Ledbury. Well, it was there when my body said, "No, Ma'am, you MUST sleep." So, we got a glimpse of the castle, found a beautiful tree, and I passed out for an hour and a half while Sherry planned other excursions. Turns out that staying up for twenty-four hours, no matter how lovely a place is, I can't hang the way I used to. If I don't eat or sleep, I'm a grump. So, after my nap, Sherry said, "Girl, you need to eat. Let's go to a pub!

So, we drove to Ledbury downtown and stopped into the Brewery Inn where the owner, Danny, quickly took us under his wing. It was filled with locals drinking pints, sharing stories and jabs, and laughing. Lots of laughing. I had one, small, delicious lager with a sandwich and chips. My sandwich had radishes on it!!! And, I had a wonderful pickle chutney and English mustard. It was gorgeous! Danny sat and told us all about the town and his life. We could have stayed forever.

And then sweet Linda came over. It was her sixty-ninth birthday, and she was living it up! She was so friendly and lovely, and she had a sweet, cartoonish voice. She wanted our autographs and phone numbers (she only got our names and a sweet message) in her little book she carried with her. She shared her life story and then wanted pictures and kisses. After that, I told Sherry to chug her cider because I was overstimulated and needed to jet!

But, I will absolutely go back to the Brewery Inn again!

Then, it was off to The Oak Inn Staplow for dinner. It was very nice but a little high brow for me. Turns out, my speed is a beer and sammy at a pub. But, I'm glad we went!

Then, we came back to The Larches, and I passed tf out!

Okay, if you made it this far, excuse the typos. I wrote as soon as I woke up, then breakfast, then finished writing. So, now I have to get ready and go explore!

Tata for now!