The countryside

From one of the most frantic cities in the world, we hired a sexy Volvo and headed for Max's relatives who live near High Wycombe. Less than one hour from London, it is a beautiful spot in the shelter of a woody dell bordering the Aston Rowant Nature Reserve. Wood pigeons, robins, English magpies and tiny finchy things flit about and warble all day, and high above, red kites enjoy the currents and whistle to each other in a very musical conversation. Max's aunt Adie has a wonderful flowery garden which attracts lots of butterflies and bees including the absolutely adorable bumble bee. So as you can imagine we are having a very relaxing time breathing in some clean air after smoggy London, walking, reading, talking - all this old fashioned stuff we seem unable to do in our everyday lifestyle. Oh and I must mention Adie's homemade delights, including wild blackberry crumble (also with home grown apples and plums), banana bread (also chock full of home grown fruits), and her apple and plum jam. Now all this hearty fare is not conducive to a trim physique, as you can imagine, but we have been doing a lot of walking. Adie led us on a ramble through the woods and along the Icknield Way which is hailed as England's oldest road. From there we walked through the reserve up to Beacon Hill, which is the site of the old beacon used for flashing news bulletins across the land, and also the spot where we distributed Max's mother's ashes on our last visit, with it's beautiful panoramic views of Buckinghamshire. Even though we are in the country, we are not far from the M40 with easy access to Oxford so we are heading off there today. Tomorrow is Sunday lunch at a local pub and on Monday possibly a day trip to Warwick Castle returning via Stratford on Avon and Blenheim Palace. Cheers from us - hope you all enjoy your weekend. TanMaxKarTam