Back in the summer my friend Deb, her daughter Bel and I took a day trip to visit the WW1 war graves in Belgium. It was a truly moving and thought-provoking day and the experience will live with me always.
However, the day wasn’t without a light-hearted side too. Being committed chocaholics, we were literally like children in a sweet shop when we encountered the Grande Place in Ypres. One shop in particular caught our eye and we entered to be overcome by the most glorious aroma of chocolates. Laid out before us in the shop and high-ceilinged, ornately-decorated room behind were chocolates and more chocolates. All handmade, there were chocolates with liqueur fillings, chocolates with creamy fillings, chocolate tablets pressed with designs of daisies and roses, chocolate truffles, chocolate praline shells, the selection was endless.
Monsieur Vandaele in his chocolate shop with Bel and myself (far right) looking as if I had a mouth full of chocolate!
Carl Vandaele, the chocolatier, offered samples and we tried very hard to make decisions about the chocolates to buy to take back home with us! In the end I brought back selection boxes for Frank and the lovely ladies at the Abbey Business Centre. All the way home I was tempted to open a box but didn’t, thinking that Frank would be sure to share his gift with me.
In the event, Frank declared they were the very best chocolates he had ever tasted and I was very lucky to get a look in!
by Gill on December 1, 2008
Driving for long periods, interjected by short spurts of energy whilst loading up or unloading does not make for the healthiest lifestyle! Not to mention the chocolate bars bought at the checkout to soften the shock of the cost of diesel when filling up our vehicles!
I have a couple of ways of counteracting the unhealthy diet and stress involved in driving on today’s busy roads. Check out the Chef on the Road café at Redhill Aerodrome for a beautifully cooked, delicious full English breakfast – I recommend their Full Monty, comprising just about everything right down to Black Pudding and 2 rounds of toast.
This sets me up for a long day on the road or, at weekends, a well-deserved treat after a round of golf. Tucked away overlooking the green runway at Redhill Aerodrome, the Chef on the Road is a well-kept secret serving delicious, wholesome food. And, for the brave amongst you, you could always toy with the idea of a flight in a Tiger Moth!
To counter my stress levels, I have regular reflexology sessions with Georgina Wills – based at the Chevington Chiropractic Clinic just outside Bletchingley. Not everybody fancies the idea of their feet being handled but Georgina’s confident touch makes my feet putty in her hands and there is absolutely no sense of feeling ticklish. Your feet just lap up being pampered and you come away feeling as if you are walking on feather pillows. Of course, not only are your feet rested and relaxed, the process of reflexology addresses the well-being of your whole body.
by Frank on October 27, 2008
