UK in a nutshell

Being very aware that we are lagging far behind with our blogs it seems prudent to put the UK in a nutshell. First stop the Midland Canals with Russell and Pam which was a hoot. We started off as full blown novices and  finished up some of the most confident lock operators the canal had experienced. Seriously we all had no experience whatsoever of either steering a 57 foot canal boat nor opening and closing locks. We were constantly being "educated" by more experienced lockerites, the only problem being every local had differing methods and different tips on how to do it properly. However we survived and by the time we were on the homeward stretch we were pros..The whole week was a great experience and Gary and Russell even managed to perform a winding which means turning the boat 180degrees and heading the opposite way. Only 1 wineglass suffered as we accidentally tapped the edge of the lock as we entered and one "doofer" was left behind somewhere along the route hanging on for dear life on the buffer bars. All in all a great week and saying our goodbyes to Pam and Russell we said hello to Carol who had driven to Willington from Shropshire to pick us up. From here to The Old Smithy, Carols family and Molly. It had been 7 years since I had seen Carol and as things worked out she was due to leave for Australia a few hours after we arrived. As a consequence we decided to provision Molly, deal with all our paperwork, work out what else we needed to do and buy and do a "trial run" for a couple of weeks and return to the Old Smithy when Carols Australian visit finished. This way we could spend some quality time together. We had a great time buying "stuff" to make Molly comfortable and spent a lot of money doing to it too but with the help of Corrine (Carol's grand daughter) and Pound stretcher shops we got everything we needed. After a last minute windscreen replacement we were off in Molly and on our way to Scotland. The first roundabout saw the fridge empty out into the cabin but we soon learned our lesson there. Now we have "setting up"and "breaking down" to a T. I am so proud of Gary who has taken to driving a left hand campervan in the UK with ease. Just a few "left a little Gary, left a little" from me as we almost kissed the keep left bollards and we were on our way. I have not had the courage to drive myself so a lot has fallen on Garys shoulders but we have travelled Scotland, Cumbria and the Lake District and survived. We are currently on our way down to Dover as we head for our entrance to Europe via Calais. We have enjoyed our prolonged stay in UK. I had forgotten how amazing the countryside is and the history of the country also. Every which way you turn there is a beautiful church or castle, Roman ruins, thatched cottage. Always something pretty to look at and enjoy. We have travelled narrow roads, over humped one lane bridges, over the hills and dales, moors and meadows. We have looked after Carols families farm and animals for a weekend whilst they went to a family wedding in Ireland, we have helped sell puppies too but we have had to finally say goodbye to Carol and her family at the Old Smithy and move on. France here we come. Cheap wine and good cheese to look forward to. Next blog from there. Love to all xxxx