26 September. Near Newbury

After breakfast George left to pick up our hire car.  Nothing is ever simple - he just missed the bus to the rental place, finally got there to be told he was in the wrong place, should have been back at the airport.  Another long story short, was able, by long negotiation, to get a car from there but would have to wait half an hour or so. That didn't happen, and anyway the car ordered would never have fitted in our very large suitcases so he did an upgrade & finally arrived back at the hotel at 12.30 by which time I had read and re-read all my emails, talked to 2 of my 3 daughters, checked out the Brownlow fashions and some of the counting, completed over a dozen Words with Friends games and played solitaire!  

So we load up the MANUAL Nissan X-Trail and set off on what should have been a quick trip to Newbury via Oxford.  With me driving.  We had GPS but still managed to end up back at the passenger drop-off point at Heathrow Terminal 2.  Not hard to do that.  Just ask us!!!!!

Finally out on the motorway, 15 or so miles towards Oxford when George realises he's left his passport and all the money & documents in the hotel room safe!  I take some responsibility as while I was wasting time doing all that stuff on the computer I could have been collecting these documents but I was honestly not sure why he  was so long and how I could contact him. The GPS lady then had us on every round-a-bout in the UK - getting back to the Novotel was a nightmare. 

Arrived in Oxford around 3pm - George a bit peeved that he didn't get to go into 'the university' - I said 'it is all university, George, where would you start?' Anyway, we stopped for a snack and decided to head for Newbury.  Too late to look at any Cotswolds towns today.  I might come back one day and do a Trafalgar Bus Tour.  LOL.  

We are now settled in at the Mercure Newbury Elcot Park Hotel - rather a grand old mansion in the countryside with very much a horse theme.  Saw a cute pub three miles back and may try that for dinner. 

Well we did go back to 'The Halfway Hotel' for dinner. A beautiful old pub named because it is halfway between London and Bristol and was a stagecoach stopping place years ago.  The pianist played on a piano 110 years old, I guess quite new for England!  We each ordered pork ribs - a big mistake as enough food for 6 people! Have brought some back to our hotel for lunch tomorrow. 

Culturally we have done nothing yet - haven't had time. Maybe tomorrow!