At last we got a summer. So we got ourselves a break - Suzie and I went off to Salzburg for an extended weekend. What a fabulous place Salzburg is, so pretty and well looked after. Electric bendy buses. Historic fortress. Locations used in shooting The Sound of Mucis back in 1963/4 for the film's release in 1965, and yes, we did the Sound of Music Tour (Sunday) then hired a car for a day's independent touring dropping into Wolfgang and going up the mountain cog railway (Monday) and a guided tour (Tuesday) to The Eagles Nest which was frequented by Hitler (14 times) when it was The Tearooms up above his retreat in the mountains above Berchtesgaden. We spent hours walking around Salzburg, the old town, parts of the new town, back and forth across the river and along its banks, up the hill to the fortress, back down the funicular, round the monastery where the Von Trapp family hid and which was used in the film. This was a relaxing break that gave us a chance to visit central mainland europe and rest up as we explored - something tells me this won't be our last visit to this region.
Talking of which, earlier in the year we did a fully guided tour of China that was more adventure and less relaxing holiday. As we cruised down the Yangtze River we shared our meals at a table with a Swiss couple, Ers & Beatrice and in conversation I found out that Beatrice had some time back visited and toured the UK, including the Lake District. However she had not tried Kendal mint cake so on our return I sent them over a pack ordered direct from the Kendal Mint Company - so that is now rectified and I have received confirmation that they enjoyed the gift.
Having applied for the Grant of Probate for my late father's estate in March it eventually came through 7 months later, so the last few weeks have required me to start fulfilling the role of Executor, an ongoing task which will take a few weeks to fully sort out and bring to a close.
Work unfortunately conspires to require 8 hours a day of my attention Monday to Friday. When I started 2.5 years ago I was based on The Wyvern, then the office got closed down and I was moved to Glaisdale Drive, Nottingham until that too was closed so now I am based at Mere Way, Ruddington, except I'm not... because I've been seconded to another Department based back on The Wyvern, and will be there through to the end of October. Gives me a chance to ride the Transalp to and from work into the bargain.
Then there is the garden. This has become a major project, more of which will be revealed in a later post. One project which is now complete is the refurbishment of Mark's old bedroom. With him and his girlfriend having now bought their first property in Staines his old bright orange bedroom with dark blue carpet has been transformed into a tranquil haven for Suzie to have as her den and TV room with a sofa bed for use when people come to stay. First couple to try it out will be Mark and Eleanor next weekend - quite fitting.
So those are some of the highlights from my / our world. I will try and blog more often, with what is happening in our world and my views on what is happening out there in the world at large.
