We have had a rather quiet week. The long awaited ICC World Cup match in Bristol and a day exploring our county town, Dorchester were our only outings.

Saturday was clear, sunny and very warm for the cricket. The organization was a credit to Bristol with buses lined up to transport us to the stadium from the designated parking place. At the stadium again there were lots of volunteers to help with any questions and direct people to their seats. It reminded us of the amazing Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006. Of course the crowd were supporting Afghanistan and gave Warner and Smith a rousing reception when they came out to bat. It was all pretty good natured though. Again, buses were lined up after the game to take us back to our cars. We had a great day arriving home, still in daylight at about 9 pm.

Dorchester is the county town of Dorset. Dorset residents will proudly tell you that Dorset has no cities and no motorways.  No wonder it is so gorgeous and tranquil. The centre of Dorchester has been sensitively developed keeping a feeling of being in an ancient town while providing the requirements for modern life. Lots of interesting restaurants including quite a few Indian restaurants and shops.  This surprised us as we had been commenting recently on the lack of ethnic diversity in the south-west. In Crewkerne it is actually a surprise to see a person of a different ethnicity to the majority. We spent some time at The Keep Military Museum which was small but very interesting telling the stories of the regiments of Devon and Dorset.

Jim is still going to the gym faithfully and spending his leisure time doing jigsaws, tending his garden and going fishing in one of the three dams and ponds at Nightingale Farm. Phoebe, the Labrador accompanies him everywhere. We buy his jigsaws from the local op shops and will return them there.

I have been researching our travels and reading. I have also watched some great French Open tennis as it is at a compatible time. Hope you will all stay up to cheer Ash Barty on in the final on Saturday evening Australian time. It’s a long time since we had anyone in a Grand Slam final.  Go Ash Barty!

The only other event this week was a much needed hair cut for both of us.

We are packed and ready to go on P&O’s Britannia tomorrow afternoon. We will be travelling through the fjords on the west coast of Norway visiting Stavanger, Flaam, Olden and Bergen. We’ve booked a shore excursion on the famous Flaam railway and a trip to a glacier in Olden. Looking forward to a week of fabulous views, great food and fun. No doubt we will have a million photos to share when we get back.

Have a great week and we’ll speak again soon.

Love to all from Jim and Frankie