Stonehenge

I’m back in the U.K. and as I write this on Sunday evening I'm about to head off with Oliver and Amy to the restaurant I mentioned a while back that I used to frequent in Caddington. Update: The same people were working there as before and they remembered me, even after all these years, which was nice. We got my favourite seat and they remembered my preference for a Cobra. Didn’t actually remember my name though - they had to ask…! 

I landed in the U.K. in the midst of a global IT crisis - the result of too many people relying on Microsoft servers, really. Fortunately my flight was unaffected and other than a lot of extra people being in the terminal at Gatwick I escaped the whole thing unscathed. I even managed a traditional British Breakfast at Wetherspoon’s. 

The delays and general travel disruption did persuade us that heading straight to Stonehenge was probably a bit of an ask; so we postponed that until the Saturday. The only downside to that was that Amy wasn’t able to come with us, as she had extensive other plans. 

So Saturday Oliver and I prepped and headed out first thing (actually about 11am - I had a little jet lag). The journey was, fortunately, uneventful - even though we drove past quite a few delays. Upon arrival we were encouraged to pre-book (...!) so that we could join the shorter queue. It worked a treat though, and after a quick dive into the exhibition, and pause for a sandwich for Oliver, we set off on the “30 min” walk to the henge. I’m not sure what that estimate was based on, but a mere 40 odd minutes or so later we arrived. 

And despite the number of tourists it is an impressive site, with plenty of room to take it all in. We took a number of photos. 

Ok the way home we also drove past Silbury Hill and West Kennet Long Barrow, just to finish off the ancient Britain tour. 

Despite the international travel I managed to keep up with my habits this week. It meant getting my piano practice and chess study in early, although I only managed my French listening on Sunday evening (just now in fact). 

Speaking of which, your French phrases for this week:

• C’est la chose qui me rend la plus fière.
  That's the thing that makes me the most proud.
• Donc, au début, c’était dur.
  So, at the beginning, it was hard.
• Quand on commence, on ne peut plus s’arrêter.
  When we start, we can no longer stop.

My habit tracker app is not enjoying the change in time zone though, so it's a little difficult to work out what I have and haven't done. Also, my general workout regime is now slightly on hold, even if my step count has been up for a couple of the last few days. Still stretching though.

The walks over the last few days have been extensive - other than the Stonehenge hiking challenge,  Oliver and I spent a few hours on Sunday wandering around the Whipsnade Zoo - mostly because Amy works there and I wanted to see her at work. Eventually she joined us to give us a guided tour of the aquarium and butterfly house. 

She wasn’t entirely impressed with our efforts to find all of the other animals. Oliver was mostly focussed on the cheetahs and the red pandas, which we did find. 

I’ve moved on to reading The Communist Manifesto. Quite fascinating. It’s certainly a product of its time but some of the issues it raises with society remain relevant today. Not a long read given the impact it had. 

I'm a bit late posting this, as I've been busy with this week's adventures. Stay tuned!