Vyne Estate
Woke up this morning and continued work on the website on the desktop computer in my room (Chris' home office) because the weather has now turned grey and cold. Chris came up and joined me on the bed with her laptop, working on a chapter for which she is overdue for submission for a sociological textbook. Her chapter is on participatory action research and action research in general, and she's using VIA as an example.
Around 12:30, we left to go meet up with Ann at the Vyne Estate for a walk and lunch. We headed pretty directly to the restaurant, since we were starving, and had a great lunch. The food was homecooked, and served piping hot. Ann had vegetable soup with a fresh roll. Chris and I had "macaroni and cheese" which had leeks and mushrooms in it, and was really more vegetables and cheese than pasta, but it was delicious. The sides were baby potatoes, roasted in olive oil, and a mix of garden veggies. It wasn't particularly special, I guess, but it tasted very good. Then, all three of us went back for dessert - heaping bowls of apple-pear crumble with hot custard poured over the tops. Wonderful comfort food, and just perfect for the dankness of the day. I haven't felt really satiated like that in a long time.
After lunch, we hiked around the estate for a while, traipsing on trails through the woods. During lunch, we'd talked about the conference. during our walk, we talked mostly about business. Sadly, I never seem to be able to turn off while I'm here. Would be nice, I think, to have a day where I don't think about that stuff, but I can't see that happening.
I posted a load of pictures from Vyne on the flickr set, here. Just pick up with the first picture of the dirt path.
Tomorrow, we're here in the morning, and then heading over to Chris' friend Tim's house. Tim is a photographer who took the pics for Chris' engagement and wedding photos. Chris wants some pictures taken for the website, and Tim lives close to Stew (Stu?) at whose house we're spending the night before going to "the OU" (Open University) at Milton Keynes on Wednesday. We'll be teaching a software package I am not yet familiar with, so that ought to be interesting. Don't know how much help I'll be to Chris with that. So we'll probably leave here around noon tomorrow, and won't be back until Wednesday night. It really is amazing how many different places I will have slept by the time I get home: Chris' house, Royal Holloway, Stoke-on-Trent, and Stew's house in Milton Keynes. Four different places in 14 days.
It's nearing midnight now, so I'm going to post this and go to bed. G'night!
Around 12:30, we left to go meet up with Ann at the Vyne Estate for a walk and lunch. We headed pretty directly to the restaurant, since we were starving, and had a great lunch. The food was homecooked, and served piping hot. Ann had vegetable soup with a fresh roll. Chris and I had "macaroni and cheese" which had leeks and mushrooms in it, and was really more vegetables and cheese than pasta, but it was delicious. The sides were baby potatoes, roasted in olive oil, and a mix of garden veggies. It wasn't particularly special, I guess, but it tasted very good. Then, all three of us went back for dessert - heaping bowls of apple-pear crumble with hot custard poured over the tops. Wonderful comfort food, and just perfect for the dankness of the day. I haven't felt really satiated like that in a long time.
After lunch, we hiked around the estate for a while, traipsing on trails through the woods. During lunch, we'd talked about the conference. during our walk, we talked mostly about business. Sadly, I never seem to be able to turn off while I'm here. Would be nice, I think, to have a day where I don't think about that stuff, but I can't see that happening.
I posted a load of pictures from Vyne on the flickr set, here. Just pick up with the first picture of the dirt path.
Tomorrow, we're here in the morning, and then heading over to Chris' friend Tim's house. Tim is a photographer who took the pics for Chris' engagement and wedding photos. Chris wants some pictures taken for the website, and Tim lives close to Stew (Stu?) at whose house we're spending the night before going to "the OU" (Open University) at Milton Keynes on Wednesday. We'll be teaching a software package I am not yet familiar with, so that ought to be interesting. Don't know how much help I'll be to Chris with that. So we'll probably leave here around noon tomorrow, and won't be back until Wednesday night. It really is amazing how many different places I will have slept by the time I get home: Chris' house, Royal Holloway, Stoke-on-Trent, and Stew's house in Milton Keynes. Four different places in 14 days.
It's nearing midnight now, so I'm going to post this and go to bed. G'night!