a veg life

(posted by Emily) Friday 25 July We woke up early on our last morning in Roydon. The boat needed to be pumped out, and filled with diesel, so we headed over to the clubhouse area of the marina to take care of business.  After last minute packing adjustments, washing of dishes, and cleaning, we were ready to go! We said goodbye to our boat neighbors (and Dobby) and Malcolm drove us to Heathrow.  We had planned ahead for the trip and packed an extra suitcase. It took a little finagling, but we got all of our bags checked in for free (lesson learned--always bring the credit cards of the airlines you are flying while on a vacation, to prove you really do have the frequent flyer status you claim to have).  Security was an easy affair, with almost all steps automated. There were security workers there to help direct you, and we only had to pass through a metal detector (I hate full body scanners).  I attempted to take a photo of the security area, but got fl...

(posted by Emily)   Thursday 24 July Thursday was a very low-key day for us. We spent most of our time drying laundry, packing, watching tv, paying bills, and noodling on the computer. Rick and I had both really hoped to be able to take the boat out one more time, but it was too windy and the water was too choppy. I was pretty bummed that we didn't get another opportunity, but it's not like we won't be back! At some point, I was going a little stir crazy, so we grabbed a bag went foraging for blackberries.  We even had a little friend to keep us company :)  Dobby's mom, Hailey, saw us heading off on a walk and offered that we could take little man along. It was fun to have some puppy time, and Dobby loves  blackberries. We worked on sit with him with the fruit as a reward :) For some reason, dogs in the UK walk on the right. Wrong side of the road for them, too? :) The blackberries were growing wild everywhere--in huge bushes, reaching ...

(posted by Emily) Wednesday 23 July  After driving in to London with Malcolm on Tuesday, we decided to head up to Cambridge to see the university and meet for lunch. We had to wait for off-peak travel and much to our dismay, discovered almost every train in either direction was delayed due to overhead wire problems.  We weren't the only ones sitting around waiting, and by the time a train finally arrived to head north, there was quite a crowd ready to board. What should have been maybe a 50 minute trip turned into a three hour ordeal by the time we arrived.  Malcolm picked us up from the train station and we headed into town and on to the university's campus. The university and the city are so intertwined, you can be walking down the street and stop in a clothing shop that is right next door to one of the school's colleges.  We decided to stop in a pub for a drink before lunch. They were having a cider festival, with seven different v...