Audley End

We were reminiscing today. Thinking about where we've been in the past few years. Which is fine. Some people say you have to live in the present, but how can you know where you're going if you don't know where you've been?  For instance, we went  to Wimpole Hall on one of our Thursday trips but it was closed so we went to Ely cathedral instead. And had a very good time too. This week we planned to go to Long Melford and Lavenham by minibus but for reasons too tedious to relate we ended up going to Audley End by train and taxi.

In the afternoon, we were back at the Centre, looking at photographs, confirming what we already knew that our first trip as a Thursday group was on 31 March 2005. Three years and more ago. Since when we've been to Walsingham, Wells next the Sea, Peterborough and Anglesey Abbey and Wimpole Hall aka Ely cathedral and Bury St Edmunds and Norwich and a couple of other places. The first trip photographs show that the group included Lady Catherine, who has since moved to Leciester, and Vickie who has moved away from Russell Street and Sunny whose whereabouts always were a mystery.

But the group on that first trip certainly included David Collins and Norman and Jim to name but three. Nigel went on the Walsingham/Wells trip and he's still with us every Thursday except for this Thursday when he couldn't make it. Similarly, Dr Watson, a Thursday trip regular for many moons, was unable to come on this occasion because of a hospital appointment.

So when the group asembled it was made up of old friends and new: David Collins, Bruce, Denise, David, Sarah, Jim, Norman, Caroline, Sylvia, MB and JQ.  The train ride to Audley End station only took 15 minutes but even so we couldn't resist tucking in to the fabulous fare provided by Miriam Leach. In other words we had lunch at 10 15 as we did when we went to Norwich.

We took two taxis to Audley End house and sat down to enjoy more refreshments before embarking  on the gruelling guided tour at 12 noon. Several people didn't last the course. Norman excused himself quite early in the proceedings, Denise felt faint and Sylvia was somewhat overcome by her feather phobia when she had to walk down a long passage lined with floor to ceiling glass cases ful of stuffed birds.

We were certainly lucky with the weather which stayed dry until we had inspected thekitchen garden and greenhouses and it was time to leave. After two more taxis and a short train ride to Cambridge, we headed back to the Centre for large slices of Mim's chocolate cake washed down with cups of rosy lee. Another highly successful outing by the Thursday group. Roll on 9 July and our annual outing to Wells next the Sea.