Little Wandering Wren …. chats!

There can be no better way to enjoy a leisurely Sunday, than down the pub for lunch, a quick stroll to explore the village, and back in front of the fire curled up with The Sunday Times....Yes, the great British sunday roast is the best meal of the week (especially when someone else is doing the cooking and washing-up!) Today we are in Shrivenham a large village with a rich history in the Vale of the White Horse in Oxfordshire. The village has a choice of historic pubs; The Barrington Arms, The Prince of Wales, The Fat Dog and where we have our booking The Crown.... The Prince of Wales, Shrivenham The Barrington Arms Hotel, Shrivenham The Crown, 11 High street, Shrivenham The pub or Public House has been at the cornerstone of British social culture for over two centuries, three quarters of the adult population will go to pubs, a third of them regularly... Each pub will offer a variety of beers or ales - our beers came from the local White Horse brewery, we liked the Village Idiot! It

DAY 25-27 Melbourne to Bristol 12,429 miles as the crow flies There is always something usual and edgy happening in Bristol. It's unique combination of history and pure right out there makes it a fun place to hang out for a couple of days.... Wow! Gorillas in Clifton village The old and the ultra modern sit well side by side in Bristol. On one hand we have outside our docklands door Brunels SS Great Britain the worlds first great ocean liner - now nestled in a dry dock under the watchful eye of the brightly colored terrace houses of Hotwells. A signpost shows Melbourne is 12,429 nautical miles away ; a voyage taking the 630 passengers and animals 83 days in 1852. So the Tim's forthcoming return at Christmas - 30 hours on China Southern should be a breeze! See No Evil. On the other hand, at the urban cutting edge of modernism is the Nelson Street Art in Bristol city centre. This street was a nondescript corridor of bleak, grey buildings now it hosts the most ambitious permane

DAY 24 - HAPPY 90th Birthday One of the lovely things about being back home is the opportunity to join in with family events that you wouldn't normally be there for. Today we are off to celebrate my Great Aunts 90th birthday at The Swan Hotel in Bedford. Bedford is a town that is believed to date back to Saxon times and relatives of our family have lived there for over 80 years. From the quick peak we had walking along the river, the town still abounds with history.... and is a thriving market town.... My Great Grandmother returned from Calcutta, India in the 1930's to live in Bedford, thought to have been attracted by the town's good reputation for schooling. My Grandmother attended Bedford High School and fell in love with the dashing young officer from across the Street in Kingsley Road, my Grandfather... My grandfathers sister has remained connected to Bedford and family members and visiting overseas friends were invited for lunch with other local guests joining for a t

DAY 21- Saket B & B & Delhi delights A stay at Saket B & B is like sleeping at a mates place. The rooms are simple but have everything needed, and a nice bathroom with hot water and strong water pressure in the shower, often a bonus in India - all spotlessly clean. We loved the free WiFi. We thought the location in Saket was great if you like to be in a quiet non-touristy area away from the pandemonium of downtown Delhi. It is a short stroll to the metro and a 25 minute ride to Connaught Place costing 18 Rs one way. The Metro was easy to navigate and we even found a women's only carriage. Everyone at Saket B & B was really friendly and helpful; whether it was arranging transport for us, suggesting a good takeaway menu for dinner, or the staff getting up for our crack of dawn departures to hand us a packed breakfast and to ensure that we were safely on our way... Saket's breakfast room Today we hired a guide to show us the sights of Delhi. It was interesting tha

DAY 21 - Delhi By Cycle We are grateful for the early start to our Shah Jahan Bike tour, which we foolishly thought would be well over by the time Delhi awoke.....Wrong.... The bright orange sit up and beg-for-your-life bikes are well maintained and comfy looking. There is a big saddle and no gears to worry about. Each comes fully equipped with all the latest safely features; an essential noisy bell and working brakes! Ok deep breath, and they're off....through the small windy streets of the bazaar; a seeming catastrophe of auto-rickshaws, motorscooters, pedestrians, dangling wires, potholes and rubbish. The journey goes like this bell, brake, swerve, bell, brake, phew!! But it doesn't take long to get the hang of it and ringing our bells like old pro's we come across all sorts.... As the sun creeps higher in the sky we arrive in the wholesale Spice Market. The spices penetrate deep in our lungs, making us cough and sneeze. We are grateful to escape into the dark interior