Monday 10 October

To Metroland to see some old acquaintances

We took Chiltern Trains from Marylebone to Rickmanworth to visit Jean Hardwidge (nee Ogden) who lived next door to me in Orpington.  Wendy and Julian Hale drove over from Tonbridge to be there also.  I haven't seen any of them since at least 1965 and possibly earlier.  There was a great deal of catching up to do and we hope it won't be so long next time.

A half-hearted attempt had been made to improve the look of the castings at Marylebone

We had lunch in the Bedford Arms http://www.bedfordarms.co.uk/ where we were fortunate to be seated on our own in the cocktail lounge.  I had an excellent Ploughman's lunch and the Bedford steak and ale pie was also very well received.  One of the beers on tap was a Courage Directors' bitter which can be hard to find. The Bedford Arms is in the village of Chenies, which, although very small, has another pub.  

Courage Directors' Bitter is alive and well in Buckinghamshire

It was easier to take a picture of the specials rather than to try and remember them

 The drive to and from lunch was through very pleasant rural Buckinghamshire.  The roads were very narrow and, at one point, the trees formed a tunnel through which the road went.  Jean has a beautiful garden with a pleasant pool and waterfall.  There is plenty of room for her two dogs to run around.  It was a great day and we enjoyed meeting Clare and Catherine for a great tea of salad and wine before returning to London.

The first train to arrive at the platform was a Metropolitan line service to Baker Street which served us well.  This was one of the older units which are currently being replaced by brand new stock.  The running gear needed some attention and the ride was distinctly lively when it was opened up on the faster stretches.