Week of 20 August – Mottingham

Upon our return, we found that Lilly, the Gerrard’s cat, had been quite sick while we were in Glasgow.  So, Monday afternoon, Amy and I took her to the vet via bus.  She wasn’t seriously ill, but got a shot and a couple of prescriptions.  One of the neighbors picked us up and brought us back home.   Most of this week was just sitting back and enjoying each other's company, and doing for chores around the house.  We also did some extra relaxing - especially Amy and the pets!

(I think Amy has Chelsea's favorite spot.)

(Lilly is ready for Amy to wake up.)

We had  some visitors, cooked some interesting meals, took some walks, etc.  It was a really nice week, so far.  Then, on Wednesday, I proposed that we take a trip up to Norfolk to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham.  Katarina had never been there, and I hadn't been back since 2010.

I had considered before starting this vacation that I might want to go there, and maybe even rent a car - which is definitely the best way to get there, especially with a wheelchair!  It was recommended that I find a car with an automatic transmission - one less thing to think about while driving on the other side of the road, etc.!  It turns  out that most Brits drive manual transmissions, and the rental companies only stock mid-size cars with automatics.  We're talking over £120!  It was time to get back to driving a "stick"!

I spent Thursday morning finding a car to hire.  It turned out that this was just before a "bank holiday" weekend, and cars were in short supply!  None of the lots near us on the south side of the Thames had any cars.  The closest was at Waterloo Station!  Katarina, Steven, and I took the train to Waterloo and found the Alamo/Enterprise lot.  There was a waiting line.

We checked if the wheelchair would fit in the boot, and it did.  We got a Renault Captur ...

( ↑ internet photos ↓ )

... a 4-cylinder diesel with a 6-speed transmission!  And a built in SatNav!  All we needed to do was head south - back to Mottingham.  Oops!  I made a right turn instead of a left - and headed right across the Westminster Bridge, at 6:00pm, in rush-hour traffic!

Yep.  That's the one.  I did manage to get in the right turn lane before getting to Big Ben, turning onto Victoria Embankment (A3211) to get to another bridge to head back south.  Needless to say, it was an interesting first hour of me driving the England!

It took a while to get used to, but I really enjoyed it.  It's been years since I drove a stick.  I miss it.

I think we're ready for the 3-hour trip to Walsingham tomorrow!