Royal Tunbridge Wells .... on our way to John & Anne's place
We headed to our friends John and Anne Gee, who live in Forrest Rowe near East Grinstead in East Sussex). Getting there from Susan's place in Essex involved quite a long and complicated drive. John wanted to avoid the M25 which is usually extremely busy in the morning peak hour, so we went through London via the Blackwall Tunnel instead and ended up on the South Circular Road almost, but not quite, as busy as the M25!
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| Going through the Blackwall Tunnel |
We eventually stopped for lunch in Royal Tunbridge Wells ... a spa town of Royal patronage. We parked up in a carpark just outside town and John spent some time wrestling with the parking payment station which refused to accept his card (until I spoke to it severely).
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| John finally conquered the parking pay station |
We wandered about the main street of Tunbridge Wells for a while looking for somewhere not too busy and not too expensive to eat lunch.
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| Barb in Royal Tunbridge Wells |
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| Have no idea what this statue is meant to represent |
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| John in Royal Tunbridge Wells |
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| It's a very attractive town |
After lunch we drove on through Kent to East Sussex in search of John and Anne Gee's newly aquired house. It's a sharp right turn off a sharp left bend in the road ... so of course we over-shot first go.
They have only been in the house since just before Christmas, having moved from their previous home in Aberystwyth in Wales (six and a half hours drive away) to be nearer to their daughter Siobahn and their two grandkids Cameron and Cormac, and her perfectly pleasant husband Rob! Siobahn, Rob and the two boys were actually visiting when we arrived mid-afternoon. Siobhan was very keen to see us. Twenty or more years ago it seems that John gave her some valuable maths tuition. He has no recollection of this (age) but Siobhan has a PhD in pharmacy, so clearly it's all down to him!
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| Afternoon tea in their back garden |
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| Their garden pond and alpacca farm beyond |
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| The two Johns ... mates since Uni days |
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| Not a bad back yard vista |
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| John in the Gee's dining area |
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| Their kitchen |
John and Anne are the most hospitable hosts. We always have a great time when we visit them and this was no exception
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