A Birthday Trip.

 "I think I would like Breakfast at Jo's as part of my birthday treat," I said to Mr M as I passed him on the way to the kitchen.
"OK," he said, "get your shoes on and we'll go."
I love that. It is the main reason I am so careful how I say things because he would move mountains to get me what I want. I certainly never say "I want" unless I really really do. Now where was I? oh yes, going to Jo's for breakfast. It is a roadside cafe about 40 minutes drive away on the route leading North, between Monmouth and Ross-on-Wye. Breakfast was delish thank-you for asking, and then we headed north past Ross and heading sort of to Worcester but not on motorways. "Switch your camera on" he said as he pulled over and reversed into a gateway then drove back down the road the way we had come. "OK," I said as he found another gateway and turned us around so we were again heading north. Then he pulled over and whispered. "Take their picture before they know it is me." I looked across the ploughed field and there were around 50 pheasants in that field, stuffing their faces with seeds and stuff. I clicked the camera just once and immediately they all ran like the wind down the slope and out of sight. One day we'll get the perfect pheasant portrait.
Soon we were in a place with two names. The village of Staunton and Corse. There is a delightful garden centre there. We have been there once already this summer because I took a picture of the garden gnome there for the scavenger hunt - one of the pictures that has completely disappeared from my computer. Anyway we had a very nice cuppa there, even if Mr M did try to pour his tea all over the tray.


Next we went to one of those places that you drive through several times and always say "We'll Stop here one day," but you never do. Upton-on-Severn. We found a parking space close to the river and after watching the ducks for a while we took a stroll along the street and did a little Christmas shopping. We were very pleased with our purchases and managed to get them home unseen. Now the family will need to wait until December to see who we bought for.

A little way outside the town I spotted a sign for "Clive's Fruit Farm" with the apostrophe in the right place. I commented and Mr M said "Do you want to take a look?" now six months ago I would have immediately said "NO, no, it's ok." and we would have driven past because the anxiety I felt would have prevented me from going to a place I didn't know. On Saturday I said "Oooh, yes please!" so we followed the signs and found a lovely farm shop with huge fruit boxes full of apples and pears as well as vegetables and with bantams running between your feet as you sat outside the cafe to drink another cuppa.
We then headed for Oakchurch Farm Shop, which is between Hereford and Hay on Wye only we got side-tracked. Mr M carries a map in his head. He looks at the book or the google map and it is in his head so he knew we had to turn left at some point... he was a bit previous.
This gave us an unexpected tour through a delightful village called Dilwyn and then several other places before we skirted around Hereford and found the right road again. We got to Oakchurch and did a little more Christmas shopping and put the Brita water filters into their recycling box - this is the only place we know of that still has it. Then we came home.
Mr M set the tripometer when we left in the morning so we knew that we had done 200 miles for my birthday treat. It's a good job he thinks of driving as his hobby, leaving me to record it all on my blog and my scrapbooks - well, that's my hobby.
MR M has reminded me that before we went to Oakchurch we had a late lunch at the OK Diner in Leominster. That's why we were in that area when we had our diversion. Everyone knows that the OK Diner is the birthday mealstop of choice.... don't they?