So exciting to arrive a t a new holiday home, all twenty plus of us! My four cousins and their family, and my family, what a houseful! This year, out twelfth we reckon, we are in Kent in a wonderful old property called Hoath House, which has a most interesting history which I’m looking forward to exploring! We don’t know Kent very well, despite my husbands ancestors living there as far back as the fifteenth century… in fact they may well have known the house we are staying in as they lived not far away!
I shall write more about Hoath House another time,… but I will just say that our bedroom was almost as large as our sitting room and dining room at home put together, and the bathroom (en-suite) was bigger than our bedroom at home. it was a gorgeous house, lovely, and we liked it so much we have booked again for next year!
We spent the afternoon moseying about, unpacking, getting settled, doing a little local exploration and getting dinner ready. Dinner was virtually the same as every first night of every year we have been on holiday… Powters sausages; the only difference was that this year we had them with mash rather than jacket potatoes.
As is customary, the children (the oldest is over thirty!) the children cleared away brought a selection of home-made cakes to the table instead of dessert. When the little children were in bed, some of us walked the mile to the nearest pub, the Rock, while others of us enjoyed catching up with all the family news over a glass of wine.
A great start to what will be a fabulous holiday – again!
Isn’t it gorgeous?!!
Lois Elsden 