Yesterday we took the “Scenic Drive” around the Lake District. Nobody told us it was a white knuckle drive on roads too narrow for 2 cars at a time. Any time a car is coming in the opposite direction, one driver has to pull as close as possible to the hedgerow or stone fence while the other squeezes by. And the roads had more blind twists and turns per mile than I have ever seen. I was lucky enough to be in the back seat while Mary drove and Elaine navigated. A hair-raising adventure!

But it was well worth it! We drove past Crummock Water to Buttermere, a small but picturesque village and lake, where we ate at the Skye Farm Tea Room and walked the 4-Mike path along the lake. (The path, too, was considered “easy,” but required walking on wet, stony parts and through an unlit tunnel full of water before getting to the “easy” part.) I think the English are a hardier breed than we are.

After treating ourselves to ice cream, we drove to the village of Grange, where almost all of the buildings are built of the local slate from the nearby Honister Slate Mine, then came back to our comfy home by the river to have wine on the patio.

We have been eating well. For lunch, I had Yorkshire pudding stuffed with roasted beef, over mashed potatoes, and for dinner there was Hungarian goulash. Who knows what the choices will be tonight?

I have been collecting pictures of signs I like, ones that I think reflect the English character. So I’ll end with a sampling: