I have known Rus since high school and we have kept in regular contact over the years. He sends us wonderful care packages at Christmas, so we tried to repay him by hosting a visit. He got artichokes. To see our adventures in Italy the following week, click HERE.
Above: meals in our garden studio, a trip to the lavender farm, and an evening barbecue with Bryn and David
We went to the farmers' market in Southsea and saw lots of cute produce. For more Supermen sightings, click HERE. To see the Italian men we collected, click HERE.
The town mill in Winchester, stained glass in a wonderful book shop, the cathedral, and a military parade outside Jamie Oliver's Union Jacks
Our visit to Mottisfont Abbey coincided with an exhibition of the original artwork for Winnie the Pooh by E. H. Shepard.
We took part in a bear's picnic and admired the mechanical toys, including Anubis doing press-ups in the sauna.
Our search for history took us to Stonhenge and Southampton's medieval centre, where there were rhinos on the loose.
After visiting Avebury, we had a wonderful meal at The Pig Hotel, with the best pork belly salad ever.
A day of signts and culture in Oxford, thrilling for me having watched so many episodes of Lewis and Endeavour.
We had tapas in London at Borough Market, visited Tate Modern, and Rus bought his autumn wardrobe at the Dover Street Market.
Possibly even better than Dreamthinkspeak, Punchdrunk's The Drowned Man was a baffling evening of interactive fun. My spoiler-filled writeup can be read HERE.
Our lovely friends Gordon and Neil got married in July. Above are some photos from their special day. Click HERE to see our own wedding day.
I made the cake, decorating it with both family tartans. Click HERE to see my other cakes and baked goods.
