Hurricane

Yup the big one hit the UK. 80 MPH winds, a ton of rain and we are in the middle of our first hurricane. There was a lot of flooding, road closures, trees blown down, and some building damage. London Heathrow airport canceled about 40 flights, and Gatwick also canceled some. After barely surviving an earthquake two weeks ago, then comes a hurricane. How much can a human take. I never thought I'd get beat down so low. The rain was so bad, I had to hire a caddy to hold an umbrella over me while I lined up putts. If you believe that, and have any feelings at all, please send relief funds to my local golf club, Clandon Regis, in my name. We really need the help.

More Family

Almost a family reunion. Here Nephew Charles joins our guests at dinner Sunday night. Charles is one of 10,000 US Air Force service people stationed at Lakenheath Air Force Base north of London. It was a two hour drive to Guildford, for Charles. We had a great visit as we spent most of the day together.

Visitors

Here is our daughter Brooke (left) and cousin Vicki from Arizona. They showed up today to visit for a week. Of course we will lay low for a day, so our first US visitors get adjusted to a 7 hour time change. It's nice to have family here for the first time. This is the first European trip for both.

Farmers Market

Every Friday and Saturday the local farmers bring their produce to town. This is quite nice for the cook, that would be me, getting fresh produce weekly. This is very popular here and brings people from many other villages. Not only is there produce but a huge selection of fruit, beef, chicken, lamb, fish, and even flowers. So we got no excuse for not eating good.

BMW Towncar

This BMW motorcycle comes very well equipped. With the high cost of fuel, narrow roads, and just no place to park, we're seeing more of these on the roads. These fully covered bikes are ridden year-round in any weather conditions. I don't see very many bicycles in use, even with high fuel costs. There just isn't enough room for autos to get by a cyclist in many places, with no hard shoulders anywhere. Many city roads don't even have room for someone to walk safely, with shrubs and rock walls on the road edges. I can sure appreciate the wide open spaces I grew up with.

UK GOLF

While Julie was off having fun at work today, I joined a local golf club. The club is called Clandon Regis. It is a 18 hole, par 72 course, and is the nearest course from our flat. Only a 10 minute drive on the wrong side of the road, and I'm playing. It will be a while before I put on my Arizona shorts, but the golfing isn't to bad with a light jacket. Now I can meet a few chaps for golf maybe twice a week, and hit the gym 2 or 3 times a week. After typing up a few blogs the week will be over. It's going to be very exhausting trying to adjust to this lifestyle, I'll give it my best shot.

LEEDS CASTLE

Every castle needs a King & Queen: How about this good looking couple! Friday Night Julie hosted a recognition night for several "best of the best" employees in her region of 180 branches. All spouses were included, as special guests so I got to go. This took place in the south-east England area of Kent. We spent a fun overnight at the Bearsted Marriott. The awards presentation was a formal dinner, within the Leeds Castle walls. The construction of the castle started over 900 years ago, during the reign of Henry 1. Over the years it has been a royal residence for six of England's medieval Queens, a palace of Henry V111, and a retreat for the powerful and influential. Toady it is preserved by a foundation for the enjoyment of the public. The Castle is very well known for hosting weddings, and concerts. We got to tour the entire property which was a real treat. It is considered the most beautiful castle in the world.