10 th August

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Friday 10th August Departure day for Wales
A beautiful day once again. We can hardly believe our good fortune.
Beatrice & I decided to walk into CC so we could stretch our legs before the four-hour drive to South Wales.
What a great walk it always is. Going along the river and past the Christchurch Mill dating back to the 10 century we past on through the church grounds along the nuns walk and the thickly covered vine archway just allowing a flicker of sunlight through as its so dense. Up and on and a look at the map as how it all was 900 years ago, Christchurch Castle, with the Keep and moat, draw bridges and walls. The mind wanders into the past and what stories the old flint walls could tell, the tragedy’s, the happy, the sad times and how we will also move on one day and for many more years to come others will also walk around and be absorbed by it all and pass on into history.
Time for coffee so off to the Soho Café sitting outside overlooking the Keep ruins.
Home again after buying Beatrice’s sunglasses, for lunch and to pack the car with the suitcases etc.
What a great trip! We just flew along once we were on the dual carriageways, averaging 75 mph. What joy. Up the M27 to the M3 across to Newbury in under an hour and on to the M4 heading west. No stopping us, we thought we would be knocking on Mikes door in no time.
Across the magnificent Severn Bridge (owned by the French) and into the right lane to pay the 5.10 pound toll.
It was then when I looked ahead I saw the dense traffic jam of cars and trucks. It was so bad that they were keeping the boom gates down, as there was no place to go.
Over the next hour and a half or so we only covered 10 miles. We crawled stopped and continued to do so it seemed forever. Road works, cars broken down and the shear volume of traffic trying to get into Wales on a Friday afternoon was all too much.
Nothing lasts forever, and we eventually arrived at Michael's.
All happy now and safe we enjoyed pizza and salad.
Chatted, catching up on all things and got around to how are blood pressure was standing up. Michael produces a monitor and everyone is checked. First round not the best. Changed arms and did it again.Probably the traffic hold ups had made mine high.
Time for bed