Our friends from Ballon arrived early Saturday evening after a rather eventful journey and were greeted at the Village Hall. The evening was spent with their family “twins”.
The highlight of the Sunday was a visit to Sandringham to see the Queen’s residence there. After a traditional English Carvery lunch, the afternoon was spent visiting the House, Gardens and Museum at Sandringham. This was followed by a brisk session of “Retail Therapy” in the souvenir shops! After a tiring day the evening was spent quietly with their hosts.
On Monday the morning and afternoon was spent with their families preparing for the gala evening at the Village Hall. After a meal of Lincolnshire sausages and mash and the usual speeches, everyone was entertained by the music and songs of Haydn Clark and his daughter Megan. Our French visitors were very impressed by their performance as were we all.
On Tuesday the coaches headed for Melton Mowbray where the families were free to roam around the Market and Shops. Some people took picnic lunches whilst others introduced their visitors to the joys of an English pub lunch (not forgetting the local brews). Most families took their visitors to see a demonstration of the art of pork pie making and introduced them to the delicacies of this quintessential English dish. Several pies were seen being wrapped up for the journey home. After returning to Billinghay the evening was spent with the families although most people took the opportunity to visit one of the local eateries.
Our visitors departed early on the Wednesday morning for their long journey back to Ballon.