Welcoming Committee...

Backblipped

Started our weekend away to Northumberland in our now traditional manner of breakfast at Broadslap.  And what a breakfast it was.  No need for lunch, it saw us straight through till dinner time!

I am so glad we booked this little impromptu weekend away to (belatedly) celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary as the closer it's gotten, the more I've looked forward to it.

We made a slight detour on our journey south, stopping at Lloyds Land Rover showroom in Kelso to pick up our new car (well new to us.  It's a Range Rover Velar and it's 18 months old.) 

I absolutely loved our Audi as a passenger but the driving position was too stretched out for me no matter how upright the seat, and made my hip ache.  And after years of driving MPVs and people carriers, I missed the elevated driving position (plus capturing blip shots from the car is impossible when you can't see over hedges! :-)))

So we were there for an hour completing the paperwork and having a coffee (a very good coffee!) then Paul, the salesman, helped us transfer our luggage from the Audi to the Velar (he thought we were going away for at least a week!  Hahahahaha) before giving us a quick run down of the controls.  Then we were off!

Wow!  It took less than a mile for me to fall completely head over heels with this car!  Sitting high up off the road again just feels right!  And so comfortable!  The rest of the journey was enjoyed immensely.

As seems to be the way when we cross the border into Northumberland, the weather was dull, grey, windy and wet.  Doesn't affect our love for this part of the world though.  Felt good to be back.

We are staying in a little cottage near Hadrian's Wall.  The sat nav told us to turn right off the main road and we indicated and slowed down to turn but then it told us the turn was another 100 yards ahead, so we kept going and turned there it told us.  Well!!!  We should have turned at the first one because all it did was take us into a tiny narrow lane with shoulder height, jaggy rocks at each side!  Not ideal when you've picked up your new, rather large car!  We were both breathing in as we negotiated the lane.  Thank heavens David was driving.  I may have said a bad word or three!  Finally we made it through and joined the road we would have been on if we'd taken the first turn off!

As we entered the village, a little reception committee awaited us (see extras :-)  They seem friendly enough, if a l little strange.  The local doctor was hosting an outdoor clinic.  I do need to see a doctor about minor problem but I think I might wait till I get home!

Found the cottage and it is absolutely perfect! I will link it at the end because 1f you are ever looking for a cottage in Northumberland (that doesn't have to be on the coast), I can't recommend it highly enough.  Lovely and cosy and the owners supply everything from an amazing welcome pack to cotton buds!  Fresh flowers in the living room and bedroom too.  

As the weather was quite wet and windy and the cottage so cosy, we decided to stay in for dinner.  G&T's poured, homemade lasagne, salad and garlic bread, and an evening of listening to a very special soundtrack. 

David had made up a Napster playlist of 75 songs that make him think of me (!) or us, spread over the 35 years we've known each other!!!   What a lovely, and at times hilarious and lump in throat, surprise!  What eclectic (and if I am honest, at times totally naff) musical taste we have!  lol!  I 

Thoroughly enjoyed listening to every single track and reminiscing about what they reminded us off and what stage in our lives we were at when the songs featured.  

I'm going to do a similar thing in time for our trip to Stornoway but avoiding duplicate songs.  That should be interesting....and shorter!  :-))

A great start to our weekend.

Hadrian's Garden Villa