Blog Tracker
28-09-2023, 19:40
Visit the Paul Bailey's Beer Blog site (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2023/09/letting-train-take-strain.html)
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After eight days with my car still parked at the local Skodadealer, and no update either as to what the fault might be, I remain car-less.It's like having your arm chopped off, but with the weather remaining quitemild and with not much rain either, it hasn't been that much of an issue. Havingsaid that, I remain unimpressed with the service I’ve received from this maindealer, and whilst I won't embarrass them by naming and shaming, their currentstaffing issues must be similar to our own. This seems to be the way of theworld at the moment.
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These past six days I've been travelling to and from work eitherby train or by a mixture of lifts from son Matthew or from a colleague. I've quiet enjoyed travelling in by train, andwalking to and from the station at either end means I’ve easily clocked up10,000 steps a day. The train ride itself is pleasant as well, although somewhatconfusingly, the station at Chiddingstone Causeway where my company is based,is called Penshurst despite the village of that name being a couple of milesaway.
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Penshurst station is only two stops from Tonbridge on theline towards Redhill, and because I'm going against the flow of commuting traffic,the trains are not too crowded. When they pull in at Tonbridge station eachmorning, before making the return journey to Redhill, the sheer volume of schoolkids they disgorge onto the platform has to be seen to be believed.
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This is because the town is a centre of educational excellencewith two girls grammar schools (equivalent), one boy’s grammar, plus two otherschools, one for each sex. One of those is Eileen’s old school, which hadsomething of a reputation, back in the day, plus the comprehensive whereMatthew spent six years of his life, getting up to mischief and not reallylearning as much as he should have done.
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So speaks the judgmental parent, butagainst this background, it’s small wonder that property prices in the area areso high. Trains on the Tonbridge-Redhill line operate on an hourly basis,although at morning and early evening peak times, there were two services everyhour, in both directions. This works out fine for work, but even so, I'mlooking forward to the return of my vehicle, when we return from holiday.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVXGMrODdXFPXcbezzMb871BCFBLkEibWvzNj6iQaVHo 8cqEb9od01LDEdNFvFkLE6mYBaOhZaEWEtY6hWOAZwYnpZqtZP bTArEAqaw9ujQgtRd7dlWg5E4XLPex6tWCAzTkg3ITOXqCmpH5 Kd0RNmCLRBtx-wPkC17drXxrR9ePm6p_qY4owYPgww6qM/w400-h225/View%20towards%20Redhill.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVXGMrODdXFPXcbezzMb871BCFBLkEibWvzNj6iQaVHo 8cqEb9od01LDEdNFvFkLE6mYBaOhZaEWEtY6hWOAZwYnpZqtZP bTArEAqaw9ujQgtRd7dlWg5E4XLPex6tWCAzTkg3ITOXqCmpH5 Kd0RNmCLRBtx-wPkC17drXxrR9ePm6p_qY4owYPgww6qM/s3264/View%20towards%20Redhill.jpg)
Now for a few interesting facts about this rail line, whichforms an important east-west, cross-country link. The railway between Tonbridge and Redhill was part of the original line from London to the Channel coast and after followingthe course of a natural gap in the chalk hills, to the south of the capital asfar as Redhill, departed from the mainline and turned east towards Tonbridge,Ashford and ultimately, Folkestone. It wasn'tuntil the 1870’s that the more direct route north-west, via Sevenoaks was opened, itsconstruction prior to this having been hindered by lines of steep hills, namelythe North Downs and the Greensand Ridge. Crossing these natural barriersnecessitated building several tunnels as well as a number of deep cuttings.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7EZ-SQSH8tOnvbPC6O1C2HHne9rDhEzkfTbuPyAknqLqFygvblNrG5 Ax7PQ00lfGucoqPb80oUEmlSjmtsdBQnzg5Rxd9y1xYkTGxQaX g3qLWFv6s8TkVoSa29boakUiOhZeI-SBmV1AU-5can01qcTA9BJyVizdlf00WnI5Iwn5eLN7KMtmNKdzmD8/w400-h240/IMAG0940.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7EZ-SQSH8tOnvbPC6O1C2HHne9rDhEzkfTbuPyAknqLqFygvblNrG5 Ax7PQ00lfGucoqPb80oUEmlSjmtsdBQnzg5Rxd9y1xYkTGxQaX g3qLWFv6s8TkVoSa29boakUiOhZeI-SBmV1AU-5can01qcTA9BJyVizdlf00WnI5Iwn5eLN7KMtmNKdzmD8/s2592/IMAG0940.jpg)
When I first moved to Tonbridge in the mid 1980’s, the linetowards Redhill was operated by diesel multiple units (DMU’s for the train anoraksout there), but a few years British Rail finally found the funds to electrifythe line, a move which provided a seamless link into the rest of the South Eastrail network. As well as a busy line inits own right, the link between Tonbridge and Redhill, serves as a usefuldiversionary route, which is particularly useful when engineering work istaking place on the line that runs through Sevenoaks.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5bNYX-Zhh7fsDkgakRiMx0YnEDQTY7MA4593UuigxPlTe9EpkMy_6kzO 12k3YUfILpnAyMZlPFZ2UOh_CORspc9ldJikxv6DCvg6qPcljy e4aJa31mngwJ1bLDzEzTdgmxu85fd4GkZR1Y5W9lmgh8oirOpk BfBKf5l308ct1lLjkrqPRGsJ155H_g2U/w400-h193/Closed%20LBJ.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5bNYX-Zhh7fsDkgakRiMx0YnEDQTY7MA4593UuigxPlTe9EpkMy_6kzO 12k3YUfILpnAyMZlPFZ2UOh_CORspc9ldJikxv6DCvg6qPcljy e4aJa31mngwJ1bLDzEzTdgmxu85fd4GkZR1Y5W9lmgh8oirOpk BfBKf5l308ct1lLjkrqPRGsJ155H_g2U/s3443/Closed%20LBJ.jpg)
Even before electrification I became quite familiar withthis line, particularly during the early days of my involvement with West Kent CAMRA.The railway facilitated evening visits to pubs, such as Little Brown Jug (https://www.thelittlebrownjug.co.uk/),opposite Penshurst station, as well as for visits to pubs in small town ofEdenbridge. If we were feeling really adventurous, we’d continue to the end ofthe line at Redhill, where the Home Cottage (https://www.homecottageredhill.com/), a large Victorian pub belonging toYoung's brewery, served as the ideal meeting point for joint socials between WKCAMRA and the local Reigate & Redhill branch.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRg1VGRn8qhZ1CUoFZifqKr_e0Ccvbjb_gqd_5fwLLXv 96ZsIqHQSLYh1__b-KyqYOzvLqoOanDB7A1k7kidGAimx7q6eXzHlkvPCaNoZfD8DHD Z1YtEcCKiLd1hyphenhyphenrSYQgZPqHkQb-TvbP1iS57TtDNnnIpM2cMsiAQ0ZqXUkGKwJNOAtynXp9YSzPVD k/w400-h213/Home%20Cottage.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRg1VGRn8qhZ1CUoFZifqKr_e0Ccvbjb_gqd_5fwLLXv 96ZsIqHQSLYh1__b-KyqYOzvLqoOanDB7A1k7kidGAimx7q6eXzHlkvPCaNoZfD8DHD Z1YtEcCKiLd1hyphenhyphenrSYQgZPqHkQb-TvbP1iS57TtDNnnIpM2cMsiAQ0ZqXUkGKwJNOAtynXp9YSzPVD k/s3223/Home%20Cottage.jpg)
I made a return visit to the Home Cottage last year, whilstwaiting for a connection back to Tonbridge. This was after completing a sectionof the North Downs Way. The Tonbridge-Redhill line proved especially usefulwhilst walking other sections of this long-distance footpath, along with the westernextension of the line towards Guildford.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRXy2gfYAsWKKNVYT23BbwMlLTynyjqYv5tjNh2mLYdj nHDJzW0cYjyCD7Sn1GbxF5zxvMXl3OCXXQWyBnnsfvcfgZthqW 35RMQ3CvrIOF4CD493Z1rkAvqp3w71fUhpVfq5oWN94m9hgUqz PvUtuHbNUIUX3YPVcNMQftkQ2f_ix6RFABH3akM0NHxo4/w400-h296/Water%20Tower.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRXy2gfYAsWKKNVYT23BbwMlLTynyjqYv5tjNh2mLYdj nHDJzW0cYjyCD7Sn1GbxF5zxvMXl3OCXXQWyBnnsfvcfgZthqW 35RMQ3CvrIOF4CD493Z1rkAvqp3w71fUhpVfq5oWN94m9hgUqz PvUtuHbNUIUX3YPVcNMQftkQ2f_ix6RFABH3akM0NHxo4/s2451/Water%20Tower.jpg)This section, known as the North DownsLine, is still awaiting electrification,
something that is unlikely to happengiven the fragmented nature of the rail network, and the botched privatisation designedfor the benefit of shareholders, at the expense of passengers and rail workers. Diesel, or not this section of line was very useful towardsthe end of my NDW, as it allowed me to access various stopping off points alongthe way, at remote stations such as Betsworth and Gomshall, as I walked towardsthe penultimate section of the walk, between Guildford and Farnham.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfuQPewNpb7EBi6w8O3W0RKbDP99pW_Gki4AxrjdluhW gMKhyphenhyphenyar5u_hSVL-4xFSxTShi60ial3EKet0T3M8npK7tTHRu2oy06Hkc1tevjW6Es WFBi0SS7vaqO9mBSbZT1sLFN7W8Oc-wYYup7xKoqR9gUm4mDvNTYsZwhzTgki1ASdG354E4t0XeWqYk/w400-h225/Queen%20Mary%202.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfuQPewNpb7EBi6w8O3W0RKbDP99pW_Gki4AxrjdluhW gMKhyphenhyphenyar5u_hSVL-4xFSxTShi60ial3EKet0T3M8npK7tTHRu2oy06Hkc1tevjW6Es WFBi0SS7vaqO9mBSbZT1sLFN7W8Oc-wYYup7xKoqR9gUm4mDvNTYsZwhzTgki1ASdG354E4t0XeWqYk/s4000/Queen%20Mary%202.jpg)
I’ve finished at work now until after our holiday, whichmeans three weeks away from the office. I’ve had to work like a Trojan gettingeverything up to date before turning the expansion project I’m involved with,over to colleagues. They will then look after the next phase and take care ofmy responsibilities during my absence. Inthe meantime, I’m off for some last minute shopping, before making a start onthe packing, so that’s all for the time being. Follow Blog via EmailClick to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
More... (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2023/09/letting-train-take-strain.html)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2vbNMXnv_AESAS8hA1uAMLIV_5DKZ0t5v4_dVlL5EoE hri1FLqFLGM3KGub7JkCe3O98T5PkZiEOnq-GJBh4rKNoTgG2uvyoWHaETjI3xCAbI2qxr7J1lhtOg4jaLxF4y ww6g5WYsAW2PlWlXfmVuw5JkQkU3__Ah7anxprq5dKoZPPJ-swN-5vAdXOk/w400-h316/Skoda%20Octavia.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2vbNMXnv_AESAS8hA1uAMLIV_5DKZ0t5v4_dVlL5EoE hri1FLqFLGM3KGub7JkCe3O98T5PkZiEOnq-GJBh4rKNoTgG2uvyoWHaETjI3xCAbI2qxr7J1lhtOg4jaLxF4y ww6g5WYsAW2PlWlXfmVuw5JkQkU3__Ah7anxprq5dKoZPPJ-swN-5vAdXOk/s2895/Skoda%20Octavia.jpg)
After eight days with my car still parked at the local Skodadealer, and no update either as to what the fault might be, I remain car-less.It's like having your arm chopped off, but with the weather remaining quitemild and with not much rain either, it hasn't been that much of an issue. Havingsaid that, I remain unimpressed with the service I’ve received from this maindealer, and whilst I won't embarrass them by naming and shaming, their currentstaffing issues must be similar to our own. This seems to be the way of theworld at the moment.
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These past six days I've been travelling to and from work eitherby train or by a mixture of lifts from son Matthew or from a colleague. I've quiet enjoyed travelling in by train, andwalking to and from the station at either end means I’ve easily clocked up10,000 steps a day. The train ride itself is pleasant as well, although somewhatconfusingly, the station at Chiddingstone Causeway where my company is based,is called Penshurst despite the village of that name being a couple of milesaway.
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Penshurst station is only two stops from Tonbridge on theline towards Redhill, and because I'm going against the flow of commuting traffic,the trains are not too crowded. When they pull in at Tonbridge station eachmorning, before making the return journey to Redhill, the sheer volume of schoolkids they disgorge onto the platform has to be seen to be believed.
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This is because the town is a centre of educational excellencewith two girls grammar schools (equivalent), one boy’s grammar, plus two otherschools, one for each sex. One of those is Eileen’s old school, which hadsomething of a reputation, back in the day, plus the comprehensive whereMatthew spent six years of his life, getting up to mischief and not reallylearning as much as he should have done.
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So speaks the judgmental parent, butagainst this background, it’s small wonder that property prices in the area areso high. Trains on the Tonbridge-Redhill line operate on an hourly basis,although at morning and early evening peak times, there were two services everyhour, in both directions. This works out fine for work, but even so, I'mlooking forward to the return of my vehicle, when we return from holiday.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVXGMrODdXFPXcbezzMb871BCFBLkEibWvzNj6iQaVHo 8cqEb9od01LDEdNFvFkLE6mYBaOhZaEWEtY6hWOAZwYnpZqtZP bTArEAqaw9ujQgtRd7dlWg5E4XLPex6tWCAzTkg3ITOXqCmpH5 Kd0RNmCLRBtx-wPkC17drXxrR9ePm6p_qY4owYPgww6qM/w400-h225/View%20towards%20Redhill.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVXGMrODdXFPXcbezzMb871BCFBLkEibWvzNj6iQaVHo 8cqEb9od01LDEdNFvFkLE6mYBaOhZaEWEtY6hWOAZwYnpZqtZP bTArEAqaw9ujQgtRd7dlWg5E4XLPex6tWCAzTkg3ITOXqCmpH5 Kd0RNmCLRBtx-wPkC17drXxrR9ePm6p_qY4owYPgww6qM/s3264/View%20towards%20Redhill.jpg)
Now for a few interesting facts about this rail line, whichforms an important east-west, cross-country link. The railway between Tonbridge and Redhill was part of the original line from London to the Channel coast and after followingthe course of a natural gap in the chalk hills, to the south of the capital asfar as Redhill, departed from the mainline and turned east towards Tonbridge,Ashford and ultimately, Folkestone. It wasn'tuntil the 1870’s that the more direct route north-west, via Sevenoaks was opened, itsconstruction prior to this having been hindered by lines of steep hills, namelythe North Downs and the Greensand Ridge. Crossing these natural barriersnecessitated building several tunnels as well as a number of deep cuttings.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7EZ-SQSH8tOnvbPC6O1C2HHne9rDhEzkfTbuPyAknqLqFygvblNrG5 Ax7PQ00lfGucoqPb80oUEmlSjmtsdBQnzg5Rxd9y1xYkTGxQaX g3qLWFv6s8TkVoSa29boakUiOhZeI-SBmV1AU-5can01qcTA9BJyVizdlf00WnI5Iwn5eLN7KMtmNKdzmD8/w400-h240/IMAG0940.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7EZ-SQSH8tOnvbPC6O1C2HHne9rDhEzkfTbuPyAknqLqFygvblNrG5 Ax7PQ00lfGucoqPb80oUEmlSjmtsdBQnzg5Rxd9y1xYkTGxQaX g3qLWFv6s8TkVoSa29boakUiOhZeI-SBmV1AU-5can01qcTA9BJyVizdlf00WnI5Iwn5eLN7KMtmNKdzmD8/s2592/IMAG0940.jpg)
When I first moved to Tonbridge in the mid 1980’s, the linetowards Redhill was operated by diesel multiple units (DMU’s for the train anoraksout there), but a few years British Rail finally found the funds to electrifythe line, a move which provided a seamless link into the rest of the South Eastrail network. As well as a busy line inits own right, the link between Tonbridge and Redhill, serves as a usefuldiversionary route, which is particularly useful when engineering work istaking place on the line that runs through Sevenoaks.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5bNYX-Zhh7fsDkgakRiMx0YnEDQTY7MA4593UuigxPlTe9EpkMy_6kzO 12k3YUfILpnAyMZlPFZ2UOh_CORspc9ldJikxv6DCvg6qPcljy e4aJa31mngwJ1bLDzEzTdgmxu85fd4GkZR1Y5W9lmgh8oirOpk BfBKf5l308ct1lLjkrqPRGsJ155H_g2U/w400-h193/Closed%20LBJ.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5bNYX-Zhh7fsDkgakRiMx0YnEDQTY7MA4593UuigxPlTe9EpkMy_6kzO 12k3YUfILpnAyMZlPFZ2UOh_CORspc9ldJikxv6DCvg6qPcljy e4aJa31mngwJ1bLDzEzTdgmxu85fd4GkZR1Y5W9lmgh8oirOpk BfBKf5l308ct1lLjkrqPRGsJ155H_g2U/s3443/Closed%20LBJ.jpg)
Even before electrification I became quite familiar withthis line, particularly during the early days of my involvement with West Kent CAMRA.The railway facilitated evening visits to pubs, such as Little Brown Jug (https://www.thelittlebrownjug.co.uk/),opposite Penshurst station, as well as for visits to pubs in small town ofEdenbridge. If we were feeling really adventurous, we’d continue to the end ofthe line at Redhill, where the Home Cottage (https://www.homecottageredhill.com/), a large Victorian pub belonging toYoung's brewery, served as the ideal meeting point for joint socials between WKCAMRA and the local Reigate & Redhill branch.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRg1VGRn8qhZ1CUoFZifqKr_e0Ccvbjb_gqd_5fwLLXv 96ZsIqHQSLYh1__b-KyqYOzvLqoOanDB7A1k7kidGAimx7q6eXzHlkvPCaNoZfD8DHD Z1YtEcCKiLd1hyphenhyphenrSYQgZPqHkQb-TvbP1iS57TtDNnnIpM2cMsiAQ0ZqXUkGKwJNOAtynXp9YSzPVD k/w400-h213/Home%20Cottage.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRg1VGRn8qhZ1CUoFZifqKr_e0Ccvbjb_gqd_5fwLLXv 96ZsIqHQSLYh1__b-KyqYOzvLqoOanDB7A1k7kidGAimx7q6eXzHlkvPCaNoZfD8DHD Z1YtEcCKiLd1hyphenhyphenrSYQgZPqHkQb-TvbP1iS57TtDNnnIpM2cMsiAQ0ZqXUkGKwJNOAtynXp9YSzPVD k/s3223/Home%20Cottage.jpg)
I made a return visit to the Home Cottage last year, whilstwaiting for a connection back to Tonbridge. This was after completing a sectionof the North Downs Way. The Tonbridge-Redhill line proved especially usefulwhilst walking other sections of this long-distance footpath, along with the westernextension of the line towards Guildford.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRXy2gfYAsWKKNVYT23BbwMlLTynyjqYv5tjNh2mLYdj nHDJzW0cYjyCD7Sn1GbxF5zxvMXl3OCXXQWyBnnsfvcfgZthqW 35RMQ3CvrIOF4CD493Z1rkAvqp3w71fUhpVfq5oWN94m9hgUqz PvUtuHbNUIUX3YPVcNMQftkQ2f_ix6RFABH3akM0NHxo4/w400-h296/Water%20Tower.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRXy2gfYAsWKKNVYT23BbwMlLTynyjqYv5tjNh2mLYdj nHDJzW0cYjyCD7Sn1GbxF5zxvMXl3OCXXQWyBnnsfvcfgZthqW 35RMQ3CvrIOF4CD493Z1rkAvqp3w71fUhpVfq5oWN94m9hgUqz PvUtuHbNUIUX3YPVcNMQftkQ2f_ix6RFABH3akM0NHxo4/s2451/Water%20Tower.jpg)This section, known as the North DownsLine, is still awaiting electrification,
something that is unlikely to happengiven the fragmented nature of the rail network, and the botched privatisation designedfor the benefit of shareholders, at the expense of passengers and rail workers. Diesel, or not this section of line was very useful towardsthe end of my NDW, as it allowed me to access various stopping off points alongthe way, at remote stations such as Betsworth and Gomshall, as I walked towardsthe penultimate section of the walk, between Guildford and Farnham.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfuQPewNpb7EBi6w8O3W0RKbDP99pW_Gki4AxrjdluhW gMKhyphenhyphenyar5u_hSVL-4xFSxTShi60ial3EKet0T3M8npK7tTHRu2oy06Hkc1tevjW6Es WFBi0SS7vaqO9mBSbZT1sLFN7W8Oc-wYYup7xKoqR9gUm4mDvNTYsZwhzTgki1ASdG354E4t0XeWqYk/w400-h225/Queen%20Mary%202.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfuQPewNpb7EBi6w8O3W0RKbDP99pW_Gki4AxrjdluhW gMKhyphenhyphenyar5u_hSVL-4xFSxTShi60ial3EKet0T3M8npK7tTHRu2oy06Hkc1tevjW6Es WFBi0SS7vaqO9mBSbZT1sLFN7W8Oc-wYYup7xKoqR9gUm4mDvNTYsZwhzTgki1ASdG354E4t0XeWqYk/s4000/Queen%20Mary%202.jpg)
I’ve finished at work now until after our holiday, whichmeans three weeks away from the office. I’ve had to work like a Trojan gettingeverything up to date before turning the expansion project I’m involved with,over to colleagues. They will then look after the next phase and take care ofmy responsibilities during my absence. Inthe meantime, I’m off for some last minute shopping, before making a start onthe packing, so that’s all for the time being. Follow Blog via EmailClick to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
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