After such a sleepy start to the day you can’t really be expected to leave the house much before 2pm and several cups of hot strong tea. It was, I admit, a nice day when I finally left the house and the cycle ride into town was marred only by the constant rattle of my dilapidated bike. This spurred me into action and I made my way straight to Station Cycles to get it fixed. Two weeks is long enough to put up with any such persistent clattering. Such nice people in there – a few moments and a few quid later and the bike has stopped groaning and moaning and was good to go again. Ahh it was so peacefully riding after that.

Met up with Kate and popped into Fitzbillies for a nice cup of hot choc. So great to see the place back in business and given a nice brush up! Read more about the revamp here.

After Fitzbillies you feel almost honour bound to pop to the Fitzwilliam so I did nip in to have a quick gawp at the Lacemaker. Very nice it is to on the third viewing.

As the Church of St Mary the Less was open I stuck my head round the door and then walked out of town past the evensong at Church of St Mary the Great. For some extraordinary reason it started raining unexpectedly on the way home and I was only just in time to save my washing and get myself inside before it pelted it down.

There is nothing as good as the smug feeling of getting out of the rain after a cycle ride home. It’s almost as good as a lie-in.

Monday evening I met up with Moragh and spent the evening supping wine outside the cinnema on Linnégatan and chatting about everything that has happened over the last two years. Two years ago the area outside the cinema was a bit of a building site but you can now sit outside under huge white umbrellas. The outside bar gives the place an oddly temporary feel and the clientèle tend towards the alternative – maybe it was this or perhaps it was the rain that started as we sat down but I almost felt myself at a festival drinking there. It was good to catch up with a glass of something sitting outside – rain or no rain – you’ve got to take in the summer as soon as it starts.

Today Cheri, Janne, Samson and I enjoyed a fika together in a new French cafe on Linnégatan in good old Swedish style – kids, coffee and chat! Melody Bakery is in a conveniently located spot near the Hempkop. It has a warm friendly feel, modern decor and whole lot of food to nosh from sandwiches and salad to cake. We sat in the window supping lattes and munching bowls of salad, cheese and olives , holding the door open for Mums with pushchairs and smiling back at the friendly cafe staff. After we strolled through Haga stopping at toy shops and antique shops and enjoying the afternoon sun. I’ll be sad to get back on a plane to England tomorrow.

For anyone planning on coming out to Gothenburg this summer – here are a couple of websites for all those who like me enjoy Sweden in English!
www.thelocal.se
www.monthly.se

The queues outside St Peter’s Basilica were too much for my feet and I sought refuge in Castroni – where I stood by the bar and had an un-classy and childish 1pm cappuccino. The shop is delightful grotto of edible treasures.

You can hardly miss the Mausoleo di Adriano or the Castel S. Angelo la Mole next to Vatican City – a 2nd century Rome mausoleum for Hadrian – him of the wall. It was converted into a papal fortress and boasts beautiful 15th century frescos, fantastic views of Rome and my favourite a room with the hugest chest I have ever seen – one can only imagine it stuffed full of papal gold. Apparently there is a secret passageway that leads back to the Pope’s digs. Nowadays I guess he keeps his treasures in the Vatican or a Swiss bank account.

We passed through a metal detector and smiled at the museum staff with their Italian flag trainers to walk around the an exhibition at the Piazza del Tribunali – it was all in Italian so for us it was all in pictures.

We headed across the river to see the Mausoleo di Augusto – a mini version of Adrian’s Mole that you can’t yet go in and walk around and we stumbled across the Museo dell’Ara Pacis. It’s a beautiful marble and glass modern sort of building which houses the incredible Ara Pacis – an alter of peace constructed by the emperor Augustus. It’s quite extraordinary to think that the carvings of beautiful white marble are about 2000 years old.

On the way to see the Caravaggios at the church of Santa Maria Del Popolo we passed by three other churches and the delightful identical twin churches (spot the little differences) in the Piazza Del Popolo. The Piazza Del Popolo was a popular dropping off point for those on their Grand Tours of the C19th and that made us think of home and dinner.

On Saturday we drove to Attingham Park to have a look at the C18th Regency house that is undergoing a massive renovation project. We had the opportunity of looking round gratis as it open to the public as part of the annual Hertiage Open Days fun.

We then moseyed on down to Ludlow with Jon to go to the famous food festival. It was pretty crowded but there were enough alcohol tasters to get most of us through the day. The festival is held in the grounds of the ruined castle and for those brave enough you can climb up the tower and survey Shropshire and all the marquees! Ludlow is seeped in history and has over 500 listed buildings in the town so it’s a delight to walk around. We went down to look at the The Feathers Hotel parts of which date back to 1619 and just outside the castle is a magnificent medieval merchant’s town palace with wooden winding stairs and low ceilings that we got to peek in as it was in use as a space for a variety of stalls and shops selling arts and crafts. It’s currently up for sale so if anyone has the money they should consider helping to preserve it. We walked through Broad Gate – the only surviving C13th town gate of the once fortified city and down to the river. I spent the whole time wishing I’d remembered to bring my camera. We stopped for coffee in Bakers Of Tower Street and supped it on their lovely roof terrace.

On Sunday I toured Shrewsbury with the family and took in the castle with Laura’s tower at the top – a tower built by one of the castle’s occupants for his daughter. I was shown many little medieval courtyards and side streets as well as the old school that Darwin went to which is now a used a library. I passed the drop stone that Darwin pondered over and visited the Unitarian Church he went to with his mother. I went to look at the gravestone inscribed with the words Ebenezer Scrooge – used in the film of a Christmas Carol – before admiring the round church. I then walked through The Dingle – a sunken flower garden in Quarry Park and then down through the rest of the park to see the statue of Hercules restored in 2004. We just happened to catch the British Driving Society’s procession of 20 horse drawn carriages through the park which was great fun – the carriages had come all the way from Attingham Park and were to go back there although some of the tiny little ponies looked like they’d never make it.

The thing that struck me about both Ludlow and Shrewsbury was how proud the towns were of their old buildings and how well things had been preserved. It’s truly a haven for all those who love looking at old buildings crooked and leaning all wooden beaned and wattle and daubed out over the streets.

While I was taking in beautiful old Shrewsbury; Jon, Tim and Mum took turns to canoe up the Severn in Jon’s inflatable canoe which ensured they were all soaking wet in time for dinner.

I met up with the Humanists at CB2 again for the Cappuccino Club which is now such a success. I found them inside among the bookshelves and had to face up to the official end of summer. I guess the leaves will be falling soon. I should get out and about with that camera of mine. I’m already making plans for the long winter. Having discovered that Tesco Clubcard vouchers can be used for Open University Level One courses I’m planning to sign up quick sticks. Just need to decide what to learn. If you’re bored I really recommend studying with the OU. Their course material is of a high quality and it’s much easier than you’d think to study on your own.

To ignore the November blues I’ve just signed up to do the National Novel Writing Month and so now I can’t wait for winter!

I’ve been doing a tiny amount of writing over the last month as work has been consuming vast chunks of my days. In an incredible show of support Mum, Jon, Sim and Tim have all been working hard decorating the flat and it’s now a veritable vision of new curtains, cream walls and polished floors. The ’70s wallpaper has gone and the smell of new paint lingers. I’ve supplied cups of tea, dinners and a hint of a tint of help but have to confess without them the wallpaper stripper would probably still be in its box. Talking of which I owe a big thanks to Elly who kindly lent me the machine and who braving the rain clouds hosted a delectable charity tea party in her garden yesterday. Thank you from my walls and my tummy!

On Friday some of us from work went for lunch at The Punter where they still do a great £5 lunch on weekdays. The food there is amazing. It totally spoils you for eating elsewhere. It is by far the nicest pub in Cambridge.

Yesterday I lunched with Alex and Mike at the Patisserie Valerie and we were lucky enough to get the comfortable chairs by the windows. I happily munched down the croque monsieur with a pot of tea and would recommend the food there. The place is manic on a Saturday, huge queues and hungry people. Cambridge is in desperate need of more lovely cafes. Please come and open some!

Web work continues apace. The new computer is so lovely that I think you all deserve to see a picture of it. I’m planning to change the Gunns Apartments site and give it a new look and have made a few changes to Sheffield Massage but I’m hoping the new project will be for our writers’ group – so watch this space.

After chilling out in the garden at Citdines we headed back into town to the Musée De L’Ancien Eveché where we borrowed free audio guides in English and wandered around. This time we went underneath the old palace to see the remains of the Roman wall and the 4th century Baptistry which you can see marked out on the pavement in front of the museum and the cathedral.

If you’re looking for a quiet spot in Grenoble to drink tea and surf the web then check out or Grenoble Life which as a review of some of the good places to get wifi.