Said goodbye to the Lake District this morning and said hello to my parents and their friends Peter and Janet in Quainton, a charming village not far outside of Oxford. The above photo of a traditional home with a thatched roof with a thoroughly modern Mercedes Benz parked in front reminds me that Britain is often a study of contrasts. We enjoyed a wonderful meal together before watching a bit of the US Open Tennis Tournament on TV. This is the first television I’ve watched in five days, if you can believe that!
Tomorrow we will visit a stately home in which some of the interior scenes for Downton Abbey are filmed. Later, Mom and Dad will visit Highclere Castle where exteriors (and some interiors) for the show are shot. Later I’ll head off to Heathrow Airport for my flight to South Africa.
And that brings me to today’s LUGGAGE UPDATE: after arriving at Denham Lays (the name of Peter and Janet’s home), I got a phone call from one of the owners of the Ambleside B&B where I had been staying for the past five nights. Seems a courier arrived and wanted to deliver my long-lost luggage. Great, so it arrives in the Lake District just hours after I’ve left! The owner wisely refused delivery, and I expect (anticipate? hope? dream?) that my bags will indeed find their way back to Heathrow where I will be able to see them briefly before (shudder!) checking them through to Cape Town, South Africa. Your prayers for my long-lost (and much missed) luggage are much appreciated. Thanks!
Images & Moments 
Glad there’s been a luggage sighting!