Chalk One Up For England

The further we headed away from Wales the better the weather, and by the time we got to Susie and Mark in Broad Chalke near Salisbury it was far more reasonable. 

Who would have thought we had to go to England for good weather? 

We did have some concerns on the drive  about modern technology. Our rental car reads speed limit signs to augment the in-car navigation systems, and displays the current limit on the screen so the driver always knows how fast they can drive. 

On the way out of Bristol, the limit is obviously 30 miles per hour in the suburbs, i.e. 50 km per hour. 

However, our car read two of the signs as 80 and 100 miles per hour respectively, i.e. 128 and 160 km per hour. In a heavily built up area with typically narrow English lanes. 

Thankfully we were not driving a Tesla on autopilot... 

Susie and Mark were again delightful hosts, and the tone of our stay was set on the first night by a wonderful meal at the Horseshoe Inn in Ebbesbourne Wake. 

A personal highlight was a dessert of spotted dick and custard, something I had never tried before. 

A Michelin star restaurant in Rome. A rare bit of Wales. A spotted dick in England - this is in danger of becoming a food blog!

Walking around  in fine Spring weather was a welcome change from Welsh rain, and there is no doubt the countryside and architecture is lovely with many interesting sights. 

In one way it reminded us a bit of Tasmania 

On the morning of our departure we had some visitors to the guest cottage, not sure if to say hello or goodbye. 

The geese were very happy with Mary watching them. They were so unconcerned that they continued their morning visit to the local food mart. 

They were somewhat concerned that the shelves were bare... 

The gander was also very unhappy when I turned up. I was wearing a white t shirt and Mary's theory was the gander thought I was another, bigger gander looking to steal his goose. He got very agitated and quickly steered his beloved away from this new rival lest she start to have second thoughts about her domestic arrangements 

Next stop, Dorset and Devon...