My friend had a bit of a nightmare getting to my village from the Czech Republic, what with delayed planes, a broken Underground and a lack of taxis at the very last hurdle…but arrive he did, in the early hours of the morning, instead of the evening, and headed to his hotel, agreeing that we would meet the next morning. Me, though, I had to go to work regardless. By the time I got home, Gary had wandered down to my home, Ani had already trained him in the niceties of ball-throwing and the right place to scratch her back, and he and Stuart were well on their way to being friends.
For the first few minutes, things felt a little weird… Gary is someone with whom I talk with the ease of long friendship, yet he is also a person I had met only once before, and that briefly. Five minutes later, that no longer mattered and we were just old friends catching up.
The long-weekend that followed was a delight. We took Gary to a number of places that featured in The Initiate, the first book Stuart and I wrote together. Gary had read and reviewed it years ago and was almost as excited about it as we were, so it was good to be able to share some of the places that had set us off adventuring.
We visited our rainbow chapel and delved into its mysteries. We ate lunch amidst the ghosts in the graveyard of a Templar church. We lingered over cider in the sunshine, watching the kites wheel overhead and lingered even longer over the dinner table and into the morning.
The following day, we went underground, into the chill of the Hellfire Caves, exploring the story of Francis Dashwood and adding our own theories to the speculation of what was really going on with the notorious Hellfire Club. Then headed to Hughenden, to visit the strange, ornate church on Disraeli’s estate.
For our last day together, we drove out to Uffington, in search of a stone we had never found, a white horse and a dragon… and the ancient peace of Wayland’s Smithy. From the very first site to the last, there was magic afoot.
There was laughter, comfortable, companionable silences and long, involved discussions. Stories were swapped and remembered and memories made. Our final dinner was enlivened by the realisation that Gary was actually on the restaurant menu and our final evening ended reluctantly, much, much later.
It was a good weekend… and I hope our next meeting will not be quite so long in materialising 🙂
Sue Vincent's Daily Echo 
So pleased it all worked out and you had such a wonderful time. There’s something as special about companionable silences as there is about falling into easy conversation.
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Yes, there is… and the quality of a silence says a lot about any relationship. It was a brilliant weekend 🙂
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It really does sound like a lovely weekend, Sue.
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It really was, Robbie 🙂
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Sounds like a great meeting of like-minded friends. I love when that happens. The Portobello sounds like something I would love to eat.
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It was the ‘Gary’ on the menu that tickled us 🙂
But yes, it was a superb weekend, Darlene 🙂
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I love when that happens. We took my dad to Uncle Herbert’s Fish and Chips on a vacation once. His name being Herbert, he thought that was cool and took a paper placemat home as a souvenir.
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I think I would have done so too 🙂
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It sounds like a great visit. Being so close to Europe does make visiting back and forth a lot less of a strain. Right now, no one wants to come here — and who can blame them?
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I had to laugh at that one, given the nightmare journey gary had getting here… and the exorbitant price of travel here too. 🙂
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Reblogged this on anita dawes and jaye marie.
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Thanks for sharing, Jaye x
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good friends, good company and good food.Who could ask for more?
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Wine and cider? But we had those covered 😉
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It is always a pleasure to spend time with real friends 💜
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yes, it is 🙂 x
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You sure do know how to entertain your friends, Sue. It sounds like a lovely weekend of visiting while exploring and musing. I’m glad Gary wasn’t really on the menu! 🙂
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It was wonderful visit, Diana, and I was so glad we finally had some time. That menu, though, had us in stitches 🙂
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You find such fab places !
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We seem to, Michael… a matter of luck and a little guidance 🙂
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What a perfect weekend with an old acquaintance who became a friend and shared your travels and discoveries. Nice! 🙂
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It was indeed, Jennie 🙂
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I’m glad it all worked out, and you were able to enjoy your visit together.
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So am I, Tori, it was touch and go for a while 🙂
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Sounds like a fab time Sue. Okay, I need to know how to ‘Gary’ bake something LOL 🙂 xxxx
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Apparently, Gary is a kind of vegan cheese 😉 xxx
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Lol, I would probably love that! 🙂 xxx
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We certainly enjoyed it, even though we didn’t taste any 😉 xx
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🙂 😉
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