The other obsession

So, it's the time of year when my mind goes to Heritage Weekend/Ride and Stride, and churches I would like to visit or revisit.

I got the list of churches up, and JOols asks, what day is it this year, remember we're going to Tuscany.

And sure enough, the main day is when we should be driving from the South of France into Italy to our apartment. So, for the first time in about 15 years, no riding or striding for me, and that means we will also be away for the second weekend of Heritage Weekend(s).

I will survive.

But here we are something like 15 years into the project, yes, 21st July 2009 is when we visited Postling for the first time. And in that time we have visited about 400 churches, in must be something like 800 visits, maybe more with the closed ones too. And here in east Kent, just really Broadstairs, Margate and Sandgate to do, then there are some urban churches in Canterbury, Medway Towns and Maidstone and Tonbridge, then west Kent.

I have done a few west Kent churches this year, calling in on seven on my way back from the Isle of Wight, but having watched a vdeo on the best Kent towns, I see Edenbridge is somewhere we need to go, as is Chiddingstone and Lamberhurst. And that's off the top of my head.

This year we have visited: Minnis Bay, Westerham, Brasted, Sundridge, Ide Hill, Otford, Kemsing Offham, Shipbourne, Plaxtol and Dode, so not a bad return for a year whch activities have been curtailed by various health problems.

Gives me something to do in the autumn and winter, I guess.

In other words, I am not going to be so driven to do something each weekend, or that is the plan. I think a trip to west Kent for some of the above churches in the next couple of months, when the weather is good, but other than that, chill out some. COming with the end of the Orchid Project, and the under thirteen months until retirement, I might be looking for some new obsession to fill my time.

But we shall see.