England, 2022

My second attempt at flying to England was successful 3 weeks after a last minute cancellation by British Airways who stated on their website that a refund will be forcoming (still waiting). It was a packed Austrian Airlines to Heathrow, that actually left more or less on time, mid afternoon, Thursday, 21/07/2022.

After negotiating the complex train system to get to St Pancreas railway station involving the brand new and yet not quite fault free Elizabeth line part of the way, I met up with Paul.

St Pancreas Station is around here somewhere? But where?

Meeting Andrew at the Meeting Place statue? Where would that be, now?

Still at the station . . . 4 hours of catching up the past 3 years and eating Italian? Righto.

After 6pm, I hop on the train to Market Harborough where Bec picks me up. After a lazy morning, we have lunch then Bec and I go for a spin, about 30km but quite hilly with about 300m of climbing. A lovely landscape of rolling hills covered by wheat and sheep. We stop at some of the war memorials in the area - War of the Roses, over 500 years ago, and a local windfarm. After dinner, we try out the new, hot tub.

On Saturday, we drive out to where the boat is moored with the dog and sail out, past Foxton Locks to the Waterfront Resturant for lunch and also meet up with Alan and Wendy. I think I make future arrangments to go to Liverpool to see model boats and real life steam engines with Alan. Lunch is actually on the boat back as the they have a wedding on.

It is all very slow and the boat very hard to steer with a very delayed reaction to the steering.

Andie bought the boat with 7 others and spent a few weekends with 2 others, fixing it up; fibreglass and about half a century old.

Dinner is at Avatar Nepalese restaurant with Bec's boys.

On Sunday, Bec, Andy and I drive to Leister to walk around, see Evans Cycles, enjoy a very nice pub lunch at a 300 year old pub, then tour the Richard III (king in the carpark) exhibit of proof. I manage 30 minutes on the Peleton before watching 4 episodes of the Windsors with Bec and Andy before dinner. On Monday morning, Andy drops me off at the railway station and I retrace my steps back to Vienna.