Monday 16 July, down to the last 6

It was very wet. I saw 3 rabbits playing on the lawn when I woke up.We had croissants and muesli for breakfast, with coffee, thanks to Hugh and Julie's generosity. We made a list of minor problems in the house and also a shopping list. We said goodbye to David and Cheri, who were setting off home for Sedburgh.

Ashbourne was our nearest town

We drove into Ashbourne, the nearest town about 2 miles away. There were some interesting shops including a nice bookshop, a ginger bakery and a fruit shop where Laura bought gooseberries to make a crumble. It was still very wet.We had another shopping trip to Sainsbury's to see us through the week. They have some nice home-made soups.

We stopped on the way back at the Royal Oak and had fish and chips for lunch - delicious! I spoke to Kerry about collecting the glasses and mentioned the house problems. She came while we were out to collect them. On our return we read the papers and did crosswords. It was too wet to be outside.

A very wet day spent exploring Ashbourne and shopping

Later Laura and I made a gooseberry and strawberry crumble, and we had various nice soups for tea. Sarah was feeling tired after the excitement of the weekend and all the travelling.We watched some TV programs in the morning room, which had a very wide sofa, and then played Town and Country. Rather a quiet day.