#88 July 9, 2022 Nomad Diary. Tunbridge Wells Church. New Friends. Dover Castle. Tonbridge Airbnb Hosts Cook a Fabulous Dinner.

Saturday Activities. We stayed in Tonbridge today.  I had an hour phone call with our daughter-in-law Erin, and a few minutes with Eric and their baby Owen. Owen is looking and listening while on the phone call even though he's just 10 months old. We did some laundry, and this includes having time for air drying on a rack. It takes longer than a dryer, but it is an energy saver and doesn't heat up the room. We ate at a Thai restaurant for lunch that was pretty good. We got a loaf of sourdough bread baked in a shop that is inside a 14th century structure. The sourdough was chewy with loads of large air pockets and a deep crust!

Week's Highlights. 

Sunday. We walk about 15 minutes to the train station, get our prepaid tickets and take our first train ride our UK journey. 

At the train station in Tonbridge.

We went about 10 minutes to High Brooms in Tunbridge Wells. We arrived and walked about 5 minutes to the church building for worship.  Darrell had contact with a member named Paul. People came along on time and we met each one through the morning, 15-20 in all. At the conclusion of a Bible study, communion, sermon and singing the group asked and agreed with Darrell's consent that he will preach next Sunday. 

Margaret and me. She is 85 and happens to know members of our church group who I also know in Alabama! 
Margaret asked us to her house for lunch. She made a pot of tea while her daughter Hazel and friend Jill prepared the meal. 

Margaret and Hazel.

Margaret behind her house. I'm in the garden taking her picture.

Margaret's garden. 
We enjoyed lunch together dearly. They also invited us for lunch next Sunday.

Monday. We spent some time doing life! Our DDP yoga morning routine each is a challenge in our small space. Lol. We enjoy sleeping without an alarm as a retirement benefit. Darrell works often on our logistics. He's better at getting our travel coordinated. I am able to search for properties to stay at and usually be able to assess our comfort level versus the offering. It takes us both especially when we are tired to read and think about details that are important for us. We walk 15 minutes downtown, eat lunch, shop and walk back. We like our stay. The weather is 60ish degrees F and pleasant.  

A breakfast in our airbnb. Poached eggs, sourdough toast, currant jam,avocado, berries, and coffee. 

Tuesday. We ride 40 minutes to Maidstone on the local bus. Paul, from church meets us and drives us to Dover Castle, then to St. Margaret's Beach and the cliffs of Dover. We spent 3 hours at the amazing Castle. Used for 700 years! It's massive. 

A side view and a small canon.

Wide view within outer bailey walls.

From the beach.

White cliffs. Paul in red shirt. 

Wednesday. Dinner with our hosts Mick and Sizeni.  They have been married for 4 years and have an interesting stories of how they each lost their spouses and years later decided to look for a spouse and found one another.  They are members of a local church and as they tell of their challenges, they include their faith, prayers and God's goodness and faithfulness to them through their lives.

Thursday. Another sunny day! After lunch we ride the train to Royal Tunbridge Wells. 

Park in Tunbridge Wells 

Big tree

Walk around the town that was established in the 1600's and enjoy the old architechture and two town parks refurbished from the past, have tea at a department store and dinner at Wetherspoons chain.  

An old building in Tunbridge Wells. 

Walk a couple of miles to the church for evening Bible study and meet again with those we will see on Sunday.

Friday. Darrell is looking for more pet sits to fill in our calendar.  I changed the linen and accomplished getting a duvet cover on and off!  It brings memories of my passed on friend Stephanie who explained to me how to do this.  She made chores fun and liked to tell her travel knowledge with bubbly giddiness as she spoke with a British accent to instruct me on how to get the duvet cover onto the inner fluff filling.

Tonbridge Castle 

Darrell in the museum display at the castle 

View from Tonbridge Castle looking toward the Motte (an original defensive Hill built before the castle).

Nomad Notes. Taking time to exercise, meditate, read and pray in God's Holy word, accept the joy and goodness in this life.  Look into others eyes and listen to what they are telling me in their experience, accept, respect, be me. Ask for contact information from each person who I have sharing moments with. Take and share pictures and thank-you's back asap. Breathe in deeply and exhale completely.

We arrived at our nomadic life decisions together through a process of years. Including our prior experiences with moving households often, and enjoying new places, discovering and learning. As we were preparing for retirement, we asked ourselves how and what we wanted our life to be. We want to travel and experience people and places in ways that are new for us. Mostly without a work time schedule calling us back. We designed for ourselves a way that we could live and travel without the responsibility of owning a house. We made choices about living in airbnb's and other rental properties as our home spots for our travel. We decided on calling ourselves Nomads because it is a current popular term for people who live moving from place to place and it suited us. 😎