Southampton bound!

We left home at 8.30am this morning and drove down to Southampton to see Mike and Abbie. We had been a bit worried that the traffic would be heavy as Cowes Week was taking place on the Isle of Wight, but we only encountered jams at the usual place, as we went onto the M3.

We had a cuddle with the cats and I took a photo of Trixie in her hiding place!

Hugo was gorgeously soft and cuddly, and it was great to get a cat fix!

I had booked a table at The Fox and Hounds in the New Forest town of Lyndhurst, and I was looking forward to showing Sophie this region of the UK. As we drove towards the town, we could see the famous wild ponies of the New Forest in the distance. The area was very popular with walkers and the car parks were full of vehicles, which wasn't a surprise seeing as it's the school holidays.

Luckily, we bagged a space in a large car park in the middle of Lyndhurst. Keith, Mike and Abbie went straight to the pub while Sophie and I visited a couple of shops. The first, a place specialising in wooden products, was lovely, and I bought a wooden spoon and a key fob for our patio doors. Sophie spotted a beautiful pair of wooden earrings and a coaster for Laura with the figure of a Dachshund engraved on it.

After a quick visit to an antique shop next door, we joined the others and had a drink before lunch. Our table was at the back of the pub overlooking the gardens and the place was pleasantly busy with lots of dogs about. We ordered our main courses - chicken schnitzel for three, and steak and kidney pie for two - and had a couple more drinks. It was a Fullers pub so at least Keith and Mike were happy with the beer!

Non-alcoholic for once!

The food was very good and I enjoyed a dessert of Eton Mess, which was delicious. It was lovely to relax and have a good chat!

Mike and Abbie wanted to go to a pub in Southampton after the meal so we headed back a different way to avoid roadworks, and took the M3 into Southampton. We parked the car again and walked across the road to a craft beer bar (the one with the skateboards) and sat outside as it was a lot quieter, even with the traffic going past. It was a bit breezy but sunny as well!

We had one drink and then dropped Mike and Abbie back at their flat. We just had time for a quick cat cuddle again before setting off home.

The journey back was not bad at all and we were home for 7pm. It was lovely to relax, have some cheese on toasted cheesy bread and look forward to a lie-in tomorrow!