Some weeks ago, my dear friend Sally commented on a blog that that we should visit her. First, I checked that she wasn’t just being polite and then set a date. They live near the Forest of Dean, so it would be more than a coffee klatch. However, we haven’t seen them for a year and they are the best company.
The day fixed in the diary, we organised the dog, checked Mariia had plenty to eat in the fridge, and planned the route.
Making the intolerable, tolerable
Setting off on Friday, we knew that we would encounter traffic, but it would give us a full weekend with our friends. Living in the South East is great, until you try to get out of it. Much of the drive would be snailing along clogged motorway. But we had each other for company and long journeys are a perfect opportunity to talk properly. How often, after all, do you get a clear five or six hours to converse?
We broke the drive in the delightful town of Marlow, which sits alongside the Thames. Arriving in golden summer sunshine, it looked like an advert from the British Tourist Board: rowing boats moored at the riverside; a delicate iron suspension bridge and bunting on the High Street.
It is frightfully posh, boasting not one but two Michelin starred restaurants and a list of celebrity residents that is too long to repeat, though I was sorry to miss seeing the Shelley’s house where Mary composed much of Frankenstein.
Keeping with the spirit of the place, we stopped at The Ivy for lunch (which was surprisingly reasonable!) Our meals were a delight and the decor enchanting. We would have tarried longer, but we still had a long drive ahead.
Far from the madding crowd
Once we cleared Oxford, we could enjoy the magnificent countryside and quiet roads. The closer we got to our destination, the prettier it all became; passing houses of Cotswold Stone and tiny thatched cottages. This is the England I love.
Arriving in early evening, we had time for a mug of tea and delicious flapjacks fresh from the Aga. Dinner was relaxed and scrumptious (thank you Derek) and eaten around their huge kitchen table.
The Lomaxes are the perfect hosts – providing everything you need while chatting away and making their guests feel relaxed and comfortable. They also seem to have far more energy than the average human being. As if having guests were not enough, their grandchildren were staying the night.
So while Sally and I read stories (which was a real treat for me), Jeff and Derek went out blackberrying. And after that, it was time to sit and chat and relax until we couldn’t stay awake any longer.
The forest and the river
When we were finally able to drag ourselves away from our breakfast smorgasbord, we set off to the Forest of Dean with a couple of additional family members.
Jeff had invested in some very high tech wheelchair wheels in the hope that I could travel off-road, but sadly, the forest defeated them and I used my chair as a kind of zimmer instead.
The Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail is magnificent with over eighteen forest inspired sculptures over a challenging 4.8 trail. Of course, I’d love to do all of it, but for now I was happy to get a taste of it at the most accessible part. If it is something you might enjoy, here’s the website: https://www.forestryengland.uk/beechenhurst/arts-the-forest-dean-sculpture-trail-beechenhurst
Some sculptures, like the one above, were easy to spot; some like the poem written into stone were rather easier to miss.
Of course, the forest itself had much to offer from a canopy of ancient oaks to the undergrowth of luminous green ferns. Daphne the dog enjoyed her adventure and little Isla-May was engrossed by the flowers and the pearlescent ink blue beetles.
If only we could retain our wonder at the natural world!
Ross-on-Wye
Close to our friend’s house is the historic town of Ross-On-Wye. The whole area is an outdoor enthusiast’s playground with epic mountain bike trails and water sports. Ross-on-Wye offers life at a gentler pace with its meandering river and pretty park borders.
Here you could while away an afternoon in a canoe or picnic on the banks, or as we did, go to a riverside pub to enjoy a delicious dinner.
We took our friends as a small thank you for their hospitality. It was also their anniversary and with five grown children and four grandchildren, they seldom get the chance to indulge themselves. We were very happy to give them the excuse to go out for dinner.
Friends for a lifetime
I have the great privilege of having many friends whom I have known for decades and Sally and Derek are no exception. We met through the NCT (National Childbirth Trust) coffee mornings and have kept in touch ever since. I suspect that there is a benefit to making friends when you haven’t slept for weeks, look like you’ve grabbed any item of clothing that is clean to wear (which you did) and by the time you meet is covered in baby vomit. If someone will accept you as a friend then, things can only get better.
It was wonderful to see the babies grow and have their own children, though we hardly felt enough time had passed for that.
We spent our final evening discussing books we’ve loved, swapping recipes and tips and catching up on wider family.
Sunday was employed exploring the village (Jeff and I) and barbecuing vegetables and preparing salads for lunch. We had a feast.
Home again
We returned home to an excited dog and an angelic Mariia, who had made a delicious dinner and picked 1.5 kg of blackberries. (Our efforts seemed rather paltry in comparison!) Normality resumed.
But our heads are filled with wonderful memories and our phones with photos. I only hope that Sally and Derek can get away to visit us soon; I don’t want to have to wait another year!