Thanks to everyone

Back home to brilliant weather here in Sydney, we must thank all of YOU for so many things these past 6 weeks.

First thanks to Craig and the children for letting Alison come with us.

To Matt and neighbour Kylie; Matt looking after our cars (I haven't looked at them yet !),  and between them sorting mail and cat feeding. Roger keeping an eye out on the house and visitors.

Someone seems to have mowed the grass --or am I dreaming?

To Jacqui and Tom for organising our Paris accommodation. Myra and Trevor had held my wedding clothes for me and accommodated us that first night in England.

Nephew David and fiancée Clare invited us to their splendid country-style wedding and Jacqui arranged all the Andover accommodation for our side of the family.

To all the family who came to the house at Foxham for the week -we all  made it a really enjoyable  family week

Thanks to Jacqui and Tom again for their excellent wedding arrangements and providing such good weather and not forgetting cousin Keith and Petrea who put Mary and I up for a few days (sorry to the neighbours  about setting off the house alarm for an hour while  Tom and Jacqui hacked into my email account to find the email instructions!).

Thanks again to Myra and Trevor who made us all so welcome for some days in Emsworth and making Alison feel so especially welcome--your cooking is legendary, Trevor.

To Ginny and Robert for making us welcome for a short stay in Rowledge  -including a visit to Wisley RHS  Gardens and especially Robert, who always manages to get us men into a pub so soon after arrival--but make it seem Like it was my idea!

Ann and John made us welcome at Ashtead in Surrey and Ann took Mary to Chartwell while friend Clifford and I went to Greenwich for the day.

Susie and Ian allowed us to use the cottage at Hope Cove again this year, where Will and Caryl joined us -we visited Buckland Abbey and did the Bolt Tail to Bolt Head walk. We  met Sally and Robin again,  from Stoke Gabriel for a nice day at S. Milton Sands and we moved on to Kendal and the lakes where Hilary and Tony hosted us for a few days in the spectacular countryside of the South Lakes.

While Mary reminisced with college friends in Penrith, Rilla and Shirlaw at Croxley Green, made me  welcome and I visited schoolfriends in Harrow--Thanks to Marion (we hadn't met for 50 years) and Ron, who introduced me to the new Harrow restaurant scene. As a finale--Shirlaw and I cut a CD together--clarinet and guitar duos --courtesy of Rilla who is a 'whizz' with 'Sibelius' software!

Cousin Valerie in Aylesbury took us to the Jacobean Chastleton House and on return,  cooked a lovely dinner for us all, as well as encouraging us to pick  apples and damsons from her garden, to take back to Croxley Green.

For our last weekend we enjoyed Jacqui and Tom's hospitality again in Sydenham and had the Medway river walk as well as the excellent visit to 'The Lion King'--thanks also to Michael.

To those reading this blog who we did not manage to see, we are sorry we couldn't go everywhere--especially all our Nottingham friends, also Geoff and Patsy, Sandy and Norman,  Mike and Judith, Chris and Jennifer, Rob and Lucy, Susie and Ian, Marion in Twickenham and  Joan and Merrick in Cornwall. Sorry if we have overlooked mentioning someone.

It's a bit strange being back--but the weather is SO nice--we'll soon get used to being here again.

Bob and Mary