We actually arrived at  Stansted by coach from Windsor, although cheaper than the train it took hours due to the time we were on the road - Friday evening traffic - it reminded me why I don”t bother driving into London!

From the airport we booked a cab to the hotel from their taxi reservation desk, which was very efficient. We also booked our return to the airport for a 5.15 am pickup…. ho hum!

So we walked out, jumped into our cab and off we went. On the way we were discussing whether we should actually get a slightly earlier cab so as we were getting out at the hotel we asked our driver if he could change our pickup time.

His reply just made me burst out laughing, he said “No, because it won”t do me any favours!” I could not believe it, he worked for an organisation where they were all in contact with the booking system, they had logo”d up cars and although he was obviously self employed, he was in no mood to do the slightest thing to help us unless he had some personal gain in it!

My instant reply to him was “yes, I agree with you, it will not help you but it would help us”, he mumbled something and drove off.  We rebooked our cab ourselves!

Let’’s just hope our taxi friend had a better end to his day as I”m guessing it must have been a rough day up to that point. Personally I just loved his reply, short, to the point and totally truthful.

This also gives me a chance to thank all of our guests in 2007, we have enjoyed your company and  in fact there were a remarkable number who I really enjoyed having a chat with over breakfast or at check in.

Remember, if you have an interesting job or pastime, why not TELL me about it, don”t wait for me to find out, after all, I can”t interrogate ALL my guests to find  out what makes them tick!

Lets hope 2008 is a good year for everyone. In particular I hope that there is major progress in Iraq and Afghanistan,  that the current problems in Kenya resolves itself peacefully and we can find a more peaceful resolution within ALL the religions of the worlds. Not too much to ask for I know, but I”m a realist and like to look at the positive things in life.

All the best to everyone in 2008

Paul

We also lost bookings because of this as I”m sure other places did. So it did have an effect on Windsor although not a major one.

I am hoping that when Rita stays in Windsor she will call in as she has some old photos of the house as well as helping me fill in a few more details.

Well in due course Rita did in fact call in. She had discovered a few more facts, unfortunately her grandmother was not born here but she did live her. She gave me a few copies of pictures taken outside the front of the house with her grandmother and her mother as a baby.

The front wall had iron railings which have long since disappeared. This in itself is an interesting story as during the war all the railings across England were removed as part of the war effort to use the raw materials for bombs - in fact most of the iron was unusable and was just dumped, but thats why as you walk around the streets in most towns you see low walls with no railings!

But still Langton House had a very busy summer. We have been full most of the time and have really enjoyed meeting all our guests. As usual it was great to see some of the more familiar faces who have been before, but equally good to meet new people.

As I went into the show my first thought was how big it was. I never really expected it to be quite as large, covering more ground than I was able to walk in the time I had.

The main arena is the obvious focus point for the show. There were many events going on it seemed all day long. I was just in time to see the world famous White Helmets motorcycle display team from the Royal Signal Corps. For a totally none horse event there was a packed crowd watching a stunning display that I remember last seeing when I was a very young boy walking around the Aldershot Army Show.

Next up was the Shetland Pony Grand National. A fantastic fun event, where the children racing these beautiful little animals really took it seriously. No quarter asked or given!

There was a lot to see outside the main arena with a couple of other show areas. I saw the carriage driving event, which is mainly out in the park but comes into the event area for a tight and twisty obstacle course that was truly amazing to watch these horse drawn carriages zooming about in such a small area. Excellent and captivating to watch. Prince Philip has long been an avid carriage driver and has participated in this event for many years, and yet again he was in this years event, although I did not personally see him this time, I have actually seen him training out in the Great Park on many occasions.

A tented shopping area with more things for you and your horse than I even knew existed. The colourful pink flowery horse coat took my eye, but for all the wrong reasons. I only hope the horse that goes into that has no issues with his/her sexuality!

There were jewellery stands, coats stands, photo stands and a food court.

Loads of food stands were all around the show, so no excuse for getting hungry. The only problem was finding somewhere to sit and eat.

Many years ago the show was held in the public area of the Home Park. But after a particularly rainy show the ground was so chewed up by horses and vehicles the council had to spend thousands of pounds and no end of time to return it to the use of the rugby pitches.

Would I go again? Definitely YES. But next time I will make sure I have more time there and the sun must be shining to get the most out of it.

She asked how far it was to the church in the High Street - I said about 10 minutes walk.

She asked if it would take longer in high heels - I said the last time I did it in heels it took allot longer! I had to laugh, I mean, I don”t even own any high heels!

I wonder if she will call back to book the room ……

So onward towards summer and some good hot weather!

Getting myself all prepared for my charity run on the 31^st of December, roped in a friend to give me a bit of support and just hoping its not raining too much on the day. I can’t believe the weather is so rubbish right now, not our usual freezing situation and by far too much rain! I don’t mind the cold or the wet, but the two together is just no fun!

Its just early January now, the run is over and I raised over £400 for charity. It was a really tough race and I was so glad to get it over with, far too slippy for a fast time and it was a bit like running in sand!

The B&B is a little quiet now which is quite nice as it gives us a break and a chance to do some of the decorating around the place