West to Aslockton

'One day before we start to head in the direction of home in Norfolk.  Just a short ride to the small village of Aslockton 13 miles to the west of Grantham.    There were chores to be carried out in town after a most pleasant breakfast at Red House.    Not carrying many clothes does require a discipline in getting things washed and clean.     I located  a laundrette but found that the soap powder machine was out of order.  I went out in search of a general stores. Got the washing on the go and then down to find the post office to send a package to my son Thomas in Leeds.  Even here they are getting rid of people and putting in machines.  Very infuriating I must say.   What about the jobs?    We used our free morning to catch up on contact with base. When I retuned from my domestic duties RD was in the process of justifying his spending on the telephone with his  finance office.  He was struggling;  receipts, receipts?    I was not there when he covered the justification for the increased spending on lighting eqiupment at Maplin. It has done the job though!   Time came to pick up the bikes from the hotel and head out.  Richard managed to drop a clanger when he asked the manager of the guest house to thank her mother.    It was not her mother,  it was her sister.  Slight mix up on my part on our  exit from Grantham.  Road options out of the town are limited and we were forced to use the A52 for four miles. Not a pleasant or safe experience.     Took a right turn to Bottesford, a quiter and more peaceful ride through to Aslockton.   Bumped into a group of cyclists who ensured that we were going in the right direction. One rider escorted us all the way to the church hall in the centre of the village and agreed to attend the evening  show.   Having talked up the performance the pressure was on to deliver. Not a problem for the artiste. We were  welcomed by David, our host who was shortly joined by his wife Sue on  her bike carrying a cake!  What a welcome to the Thomas Cranmer centre named after a famous son of the village. Cranmer was the reformation Archbishop of Canterbury  under Henry VIII eventually excecuted by the fiercely loyal catholic Queen "Bloody" Mary.   Down to business and setting up for the evening in this modern village church hall.      Set up was, as usual, swift and efficient like a well oiled machine. Sue and David took us to their home for supper and a wash and brush up.  A lovely dinner.  This was the third visit to the village for our solo guitarist. The evening was sold out and this lifted the spirits of our man from Shoreham.   Would there be enough room to get them all in. More chairs were required. What a problem to deal with!   Fitting everybody in meant a slightly delayed start. This all helped to build the atmosphere.  Mr. D rose to the challenge and the expectation. This was reflected in the cd sales in the interval. We even sold a T shirt or two or was it four?   One member of the audience was attending on the recommendation of somebody who had seen the show in Minety.  That seemed an age ago.    The second set of the evening was brought to an end with Django Reinhardt's version of Honeysuckle Rose. This was not enough for the enthusiastic audience who demanded more. The artiste came back to the stage  to deliver his popular working of Tubular Bells.    A fine ending to a perfect evening.  Pack up, clean up. We left our bikes in the church under the care of the good Lord for the night.   We might be needing some help tomorrow who knows? The forecast was not good and we had a long ride into Norfolk heading for Fakenham.   David and Sue drove us to their home.  Delightful snack, cheese and biscuits sitting outside on a summer evening.  Bed and sleep. Many thanks to all.