A short train ride of about 40 minutes brought us to Reigate in Surrey, where Jenni’s cousin, Kim was waiting for us. He drove us to their home where Gill was waiting for us with some delicious homemade pumpkin soup.
Of course it was much warmer in Surrey than it was on our sojourn to northern climes, thank goodness.
Jenni had not seen her cousins for about 12 years, and Rick had never met them. So, this was a great opportunity to get together.
We also got to meet their four gorgeous grandchildren, produced by daughter, Kristy and son, Christopher.
When Kristy came over with the children, we all went to a National Trust Park at Box Hill. Great views of the surrounding countryside from there. My photos were really dark – overcast day, so here are some better ones.
Kim has two brothers, Russell and Nick, and a sister, Debbie. Nick was away on a cruise or something, though Kim had arranged for us to get together for the day with Debbie and Russell, as well as Linda, Russell’s partner.
When we were kids, we spent quite a lot of time together. Their mother is my Mum’s sister. Though they lived in London. and we travelled around with my Dad, we spent many weekends together when they came to visit. Since then, whenever Jenni visited England she always got together with them.
Debbie and Russell live in Portsmouth, so Kim had arranged for us all to meet at Petworth House, a National Trust property, that was about equi-distant between the two places.
It was fascinating to learn afterwards that Petworth House was used as the location for several movies. including scenes in the recently released movie, “Napoleon”. The House itself was built in the late 17th Century and is packed full of exquisite art treasures, collected by its various owners.
We all had a fun time together at Petworth House and afterwards found a nice cafe for lunch. Then we bid a fond farewell to Russell, Linda and Debbie before heading back to Reigate.
Our final day with Kim and Gill was spent discovering Reigate which, it seems, is quite an ancient town, first mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086.
We stopped to have some coffee at the Old Town Hall, which is now a coffee shop, and you can sit outside in summer months. It was too chilly for that while we were there, though.
Reigate is surrounded by some beautiful gardens that we were able to stroll through, and here are some shots of the Priory Garden.
There was once an ancient Castle in Reigate, dating back to the 11th Century. While there is no longer a castle, the castle grounds have been converted to be a public park, and well worth the effort of a stroll.
And so, after a great dinner with Kim and Gill at a local restaurant – very delicious, too – it was almost time for us to head back to Florida.
The next morning, Kim took us to Gatwick Airport, which is only about 15 minutes from where they live, and we caught a National Express Bus to Heathrow Airport for our flight home. Two very happy travellers.
