Taunton 

Today I got a train back down to Somerset to visit a friend of mine that I used to work with a Lloyd’s bank in Reading when I lived in London back in the 70’s. 

Have always kept in touch with Jan and I had emailed her and suggested I come down and have a night with her.

Back on the train – I am thinking that I now have shares in GWR Great Western Railways – I have been on so many trains but a quick and easy way to get around.  

Jan met me at the station and we virtually did not stop talking, eating, drinking, laughing and catching up for the 24 hrs I was there.  It was so wonderful to see her again after nearly 18 years 

We hardly left the house as we talked and ate and drank and laughed and caught up with a lot of news in both our lives.   

We got up this morning and took Tilly, Jan’s dog for a lovely walk along the canal and it was lovely.

So after a wonderful 24 hours of a huge catch up it was back on the train and back up to Paddington and  on to Berkhamsted back to Laura and Mike’s.  

I think I will have a rest from riding on trains tomorrow.  

A most exciting thing happened before I went down to Taunton. I had said to Laura and think I have mentioned in my blog that I really want a ploughman lunch.  

I mentioned to Laura and Mike that we should go out and celebrate my birthday and their wedding anniversary on the weekend as a final farewell for lunch before I leave the next day.  

We googled a few local pubs and this is the new age of upmarket pub food so no one does ploughmans lunch. 

I got on the phone and rang the little pub in Potten End and spoke to a girl and I explained to her my predicament about trying to have a ploughmans lunch before I went back to Australia.  She told me that ploughmans lunches were a summer thing but she would talk to the chef.  

2 minutes later she came back and told me the chef would be more than happy to make one for me so we are booked into Martins Pond pub at Potten End for lunch on Saturday and I will get my wish of a ploughmans lunch before I go home!  

Watch this space for photographic evidence.  

Nighty night 

Author: Baguettes cheese and wine

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