Kiwis and Fairy Bread

1 July 2024

It was time to leave Glossop. United Airlines had offered the kids an earlier flight back to NJ and they jumped on the opportunity. That meant an earlier departure from Glossop and a far-too-hasty good bye to the fam. But Mike and I will be back within a few months for sure.

Crammed into the car again and made it to Heathrow just in time for Emi, Ben and David to check in and take off. They are all home safe.

I loved traveling with the five of us together. Emily and Ben are British as well as American. Part of our trip was to help them reconnect with their other culture. Emily looked as at home in the English gardens as Ben did on the moors. They ate meat pies and custard and crumpets. They smiled as they talked happily with their grandparents. David was inspired by the many sites to add to his stories and games. He is now, as I am, British by marriage too.

Mike and I headed to the South Coast where we were to spend the night in Lyme Regis. It had been a long day and I really wanted a good meal and a comfy bed. We had booked a room at The Royal Lion Hotel. It was all I could have wished for and more! Like something out of a vintage BBC television show.

Mike and I were greeted by name at reception, offered a time slot for dinner and shown personally to our room. A quick freshen up and we were seated at a table for two in a dining room with dark wood beams and bright walls. The friendly waitress had just graduated university and was working in Lyme before starting a teaching position in Cornwall, where she’ll educate her students about protecting the planet.

While toasting the day I noticed something interesting about our fellow diners: they were all over the age of seventy. Every single one of them. I felt old. But then I noticed a man in fantastic blue and gold tailored suit who looked just like the actor Bill Nighy. We eventually got talking to he and his wife, who are artists. They’ll be touring the art museums of Manhattan, Philadelphia and DC soon. We gave them some tips.

I must admit I have rarely enjoyed a meal more! Mike loved his roast chicken with nduja (a very ‘in’ spice in the cooking world right now) and my chicken and vegetable pie with mashed potatoes and buttered savoy cabbage and green peas was lovely! I relaxed and ate this meal and did not worry (much) over being allergic to it. How bold of me!

And then for a walk to the seaside. Lyme is a classy town and we loved it immediately. A promenade runs the length of a uniquely smooth and rocky beach lined with colorful Hotels, cottages and shops. We looked up at an old three story brick building with lead paned windows. Fellow travelers and I romanticized about it being haunted. Incident at Sundial House is a good title for our story, don’t you think?

The town of Lyme Regis has two distinct areas, East and West , with a large, manicured, walkable garden in between. Imagine planning a town so that no one owns property on a big, beautiful stretch of shore line! A garden that every one can enjoy. And then to make sure it is taken care of. Impressive.

Up on the garden path a hefty black cat introduced himself to us. We were fast friends with Moon Shadow (always my name for a black cat) until another couple came along for him to greet. Down the trail we notice a familiar statue to George Somers, founder of Bermuda. We know his story well, and thought of our friends in St George, one of our favorite places in the world.

We walked a bit on The Cobb, a stone wall leading out into the ocean, and then back to the hotel. Mike had driven over 320 miles in one day. I hadn’t slept well all week. The Royal Lion Hotel understood. The bed was inviting. We watched the Euro and fell into a much-needed deep sleep.