Sandy Lane

For more than 30 years, Ray and Jane have lived in a lovely home on Sandy Lane. Isn't that the best?

In our years of marriage we've lived on Gusten Place, Whistler Drive, Hargill Drive, and for the last 18 years on Gem Mary Court. I liked Whistler Drive, or at least the street name the most, and our current address the least. I bet they never have to repeat, or spell for that matter, Sandy Lane, whereas we have to begin by saying it is three words, no, that is Gem, not Jim, Mary, not Merry, and the like. If we move again I must make sure the street name is simple, and easy to understand!

They were kind enough to pick us up in Grantham, a little town nearby, and take us to their lovely home for a little respite from hotels. Everywhere you look there are the sweetest vignettes, flowers, or collections like these bright blue bottles on one of the mantles.

After dropping off our bags and a little refreshment, Jane drove us through the countryside to Langar Hall for lunch in the English countryside. It felt good to be in a car with no serious timetable to worry about. The roads were lovely with sheep dotting some of the hillsides.

The only thing that would have made it slightly better was sunshine, but you cannot have it all! I was most surprised to see color on the building as most everywhere you look the buildings are primarily brick.

Having read the proprietor's book, I'm not entirely surprised as she definitely likes to be different. In the bathroom, or so now I've learned, is some of that famed British wit----

nope, you would not expect to find something like this when you see the rest of the house! Turns out her brother is the artist.

Here's the door where we entered. After perusing the menu in one of the lovely rooms,

I took a few moments to survey the grounds.

I most definitely heeded this sign:

I told you she is a character! The food arrived and it was lovely:

After reading her book, I now know that she has had her struggles with chefs throughout the years--my goodness I would not want to run a country home like this! One thing I also learned from the book is that she is personal friends with the famed British men's designer, Paul Smith, who took it upon himself to once rearrange all the furniture in one of the rooms because he thought her design was poor.

Back to Sandy Lane, following our scrumptious meal, we waited for Tom and Matt to arrive from London. As I mentioned, there are delights for the eye where ever you look.

Textures, colors, freshness! There are, however, no bird feeders, not because Jane would not like one, but because of the cats who might like them too well!

Shame on me, but I've forgotten the cat's name!

Sunday morning I went for a stroll, in spite of the cold, overcast weather. Matt mentioned there might be animals at the end of Sandy Lane, and so there were.

Along the way I saw an unfamiliar bird, sitting atop a hedgerow.

Everywhere I go, try as I might, I've yet to get a great photograph of a lone tree. That, of course, does not stop me from trying!

After working in our yard for the last three days, Bruce, I'm sure, is slightly jealous of how compact and lush the garden is on Sandy Lane.

Not that ours isn't nice, mind you, but there is just so much of it! A corner lot is best left to young people. Oh yeah, we were once some of those young people!

After our lovely visit at Duncan's home, we returned to Sandy Lane for a proper Sunday lunch--roast chicken and all manner of goodies to go with it. The night before there were all good intentions of playing a game, however, we had so much fun talking that before we knew it, it was time for bed. And then it was time to leave our lovely hosts to head back to London on the train. The station is a short walk from the house.

And as you can see, not so busy on a Sunday afternoon.

So our journey took us from Sandy Lane to Mayfair, however, I can say without a moment's hesitation that Sandy Lane was the more hospitable of the two. It was one more unforgettable experience, getting to know our "new" British family. One of these days, they will have to make their way to Florida and see what life is like on Gem Mary Court. I suspect though that a winter visit might suit them best--the Florida summer heat might be too much!

p.s. Isn't it a remarkable thing to ponder--a young man from Melton Mowbray, meets a young man from Orlando and they get married?