Visitors!

This evening we got to have dinner with friends from home! Steve Rodeman, another coworker from PERS (impressive record, you guys!), and his wife Linda arrived in the UK today for a two-week holiday. Amazingly, after flying for many hours, dealing with Heathrow, getting a rental car, and finding their hotel, they still had energy to drive out to Great Milton to see us! Very impressive, and it was great to see them.

They arrived at about 3:30pm and it was such fun to see familiar faces in our isolated little farmhouse. They got to meet our farmer landlord Mr. Peers, I gave them a tour of the flat (took about 20 seconds), and I received beautiful gifts of peanut-butter-filled pretzels from Trader Joe's and tubs of creamy Jif. Yum!!

They were starving after their long journey so we decided to head into "downtown" Great Milton for a snack. I'd never been to the pub in the village, though we always talk about trying it. They were game for walking after having been cooped up on the plane for so long, and as we headed down the narrow country lane Steve said he'd definitely rather walk that road than drive it!


The road to Great Milton (photo taken on another day).

We had a fun surprise along our walk: a little hedgehog! I am so sorry I didn't have a camera with me - I don't know what I was thinking. None of us could recall ever seeing a hedgehog before, so it was pretty cool. The sad part is that he must have been injured, as he was sitting quite still on the side of the road, and did not run away when we approached. Poor thing. :( He was so cute.

Unfortunately the pub turned out to be closed until 6pm, so we headed further on to the little village shop/post office. Steve wandered off the path to check out Great Milton's cricket pitch along the way. I'd never been in the shop (it was always closed on our previous walks) and it was pretty nice! It even had popcorn, which David and I had been looking in vain for at grocery stores for weeks - and it's the best kind, made by Oxford Whole Foods.


The Great Milton shop (taken on another day).

Steve and Linda picked out some good British treats - crisps and biscuits and flapjacks and such - and we had a nice little picnic on the pub's outdoor tables. Meanwhile, the pub's roof was being re-thatched! That's another thing I haven't seen before. The new straw was all light-colored and fresh, in contrast to the blacker old stuff.


Great Milton's pub, with "our" picnic table on the right (taken another day).

I gave David a call as he was leaving work at 4:30, and he agreed to pick us up on his way home. That was a heck of a deal! We stopped back at the house briefly for David to change, and off we went to the Victoria Arms for a "dinner by the river." We learned that dinner wouldn't be served until 6:30, but we had our pints at an outside table and had a lovely time chatting and watching the ducks and punters until it was time.

We ordered promptly at 6:35, and for once they weren't out of anything we wanted, and our food arrived nice and quick. I understand Steve has promised some of you that you'll see what he had for dinner, and I'd hate to disappoint!


Steve had fish and chips with peas...


Linda had gammon steak...


David had the "Victoria Pie" they were out of last time...


And I had the spinach and marscapone lasagne that I enjoyed so much last time.

We were all very pleased with our meals, the weather was nice, and a very good time was had by all. It was great to catch up with them.

Back at the ranch, Steve and Linda consulted with maps and David on how best to return to their hotel tonight and do their excursion tomorrow (Winston Churchill's house and a nearby tea room), then they headed off into the night. Steve seems to be doing great with driving a stick shift on the wrong side of the road!