At Ashridge Estate I meet a Blogging Friend

Hi! Everyone, I am back and I am glad you came over. Thank you so much for all the comments this last week while I have been away. I will be getting back to you in due course.
I never know whether to continue with the subjects I was posting before going away or the many new ones I have planned while away.
I think this time I didn’t even need to think about that as you will see.

While at my daughter Janie’s (From under the Maple) we visited Ashridge Estate. This magnificent varied estate runs across the borders of Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire along the edge of the Chiltern Hills. There are some 5,000 acres of woodlands, commons, and chalk downland supporting a rich variety of wild life and offering splendid walks through outstanding scenery.

Now here is the surprise

Barbara and Linds from Rocking Chair Reflections

How cool is that!

The Monument




We begin our walk to the bottom and it was really steep as we got further down

Linds home is approximately 90 miles from mine but probably only about 55 miles from Janie’s. Knowing that Ashridge was somewhere between the 2 I asked Linds if she would like to meet up.
Her immediate response was, “Meeting up would be fun”.
We already had in common the fact that we both went to sea with our husbands, so here we are together at Ashridge.

We planned to meet at the visitors centre tearoom so as the weather was good Alan and I were sitting at an outside table when I looked up and saw Linds in the distance walking towards us. I knew it was her immediately and waved, as she did me.
Although we have never met before it felt like we already knew each other.
The place we met was on a high ridge in the parkland so after a quick lunch we walked a very steep path through the woods, down to a pretty village, Aldbury, at the bottom.

The old village stocks

Every village has it's historical Parish church

Yes that is the top of the ridge over there

We walked around Aldbury taking photographs and chatting non-stop like we had done from the very beginning. It was interesting to see just how much we had in common.
So thank you Lindsey for agreeing to come, it was a pleasure to meet you and such a special thing to meet a fellow blogger.
It was even worth the fact that we had to do a 20 mile detour on the way there due to a road closure.

Alan hanging around while we take photos

Alan and Lindsey had plenty to chat about too, reminiscing on life at sea

We are on our way back through the woods now and it is amazing the different colour spectrum in such a short time

Something else we have in common

If you go to Linds blog you will think I am lying

She has Autumn decorations done by her sister who lives in Switzerland

I certainly have not seen this before in the UK but I did say I could see it coming