A flying visit to Buckinghamshire

Jamie and I were up very early on Tuesday to catch the 7 a.m. flight to Luton to visit Jennifer and family. It was just as well that James had advised us to set off sharp because there was a big queue at security and by the time we walked out to gate 12 the flight was already boarding. We collected our hire car at Luton without any problem and drove to Jennifer’s lovely house, where we chatted with her and Josh (who has commenced his gap year.) Jennifer asked where we would like to go and I suggested Marlow, which I visited with her a couple of years ago, and which I remembered as being very pretty. And that’s what we did, and had lunch in The Hand and Flowers, a pub / restaurant recommended by Jennifer. I didn’t realise just how special the meal would be; the food really was fantastic. I had cauliflower soup followed by an omelette and they were amazing, cooked so perfectly. The surroundings were beautiful too. Jamie and I didn’t realise until we were leaving that it has two Michelin stars! No wonder the food was exceptional! We then walked all around Marlow and along the Thames.
It was just as well that we took a bit of exercise because Russell treated us all to dinner in the evening at The Black Horse in Thame, where I went with Jennifer and Ben in August. Luckily I was hungry (greedy!) enough to appreciate yet another delicious meal! The food was great but the company was the best thing, it was fantastic to see all four Smiths together and it was especially great for Jamie because he hasn’t seen them since he went to New Zealand. He has always been very close with his Auntie Jennifer and with Uncle Russell, and they were so good with him when he was a little boy. And he has always been very fond of Josh and Ben. So it was a great evening for him, the first time that he has spent time with Josh and Ben since they have evolved from boys into fine young men. It was such a convivial and heart warming evening.
Jamie and I had booked a Premier Inn nearby and I slept pretty well; however Jamie claimed that I snored and coughed throughout the night, leaving him short of sleep.
We spent Wednesday at the gorgeous Nirvana Spa with Jennifer and Josh, and it was a very relaxing and fun day in splendid surroundings. It was still warm enough to spend time in the outdoor pool and jacuzzis, even though we knew from the weather warnings that Scotland was being lashed by Storm Ali!
Our gruelling two hour drive back to Luton Airport on the M25 and M1 was not much fun because the traffic was constantly grinding to a halt and then speeding up again. And as it took much longer than we thought, we ended up cutting it really fine for our flight. However all was well; we made it, the flight left on time, and by the time we arrived back into Glasgow at about 8 p.m. the storm had moved on. James very kindly met us at the airport and we got fish suppers on the way home. Jamie was so exhausted that he staggered off to bed by about 9.30 and slept for more than ten hours!