Cousins

We had a very long and tedious journey down to Essex today.  Left home at 11:30 am arrived Wix, near Manningtree at 5 pm. Very, very hot,  car temp hit 35degrees, thank goodness for the Aircon. We did have a stop on the A14 for a comfort break and a bite of lunch.

On arrival at one of our favourite campsites, the kindly owners had reserved our pitch in its own quiet corner and under the flight path of the Barn Owls who roost in the barn right beside us.Their young have fledged but there is still a lot of activity in an out of the barn. Oh and guess who was also there..... a very beautiful Hare.  Couldn't get a photo though as was helping Mr HB to reverse on to our pitch.  Hopefully I'll see some more here.

Straight after we got 'Matilda' pitched up, we were off again on another tedious journey back up the  A12 to Kelvedon to see my lovely cousins H and J and to deliver 3 family portraits, which I've had in various attics since my parents died over 40 years ago.  Cousin H has just the house for them and both he and his father before him are great at researching the family history.   My Blip is of the cousins with the pretty watercolours of our Aunt Janet aged about 8? The other picture is one of our grandmother's brothers, Harold, who sadly died when he was only 14 of TB.  we had tea in H's beautiful garden and J poured the tea from an 18th century and very ornate teapot made by Hester Bateman, or one of her family,  famous  silversmiths of their time.

Back to Matilda by 10pm, she was absolutely scorching, no air con here! Made the bed up and didn't think we would ever be able to sleep, but we were so tired and the last thing I remember was the sound of the owls hunting.

Extra: Harold, one of my grandmother's, brothers.(No idea why Harold is on his side, try as I might he won't stand upright, although the original photo is?? Any ideas??)