After a great deal of faffing around

The very nice doctor in Blisworth declared me fit to drive BUT on condition I gave a (Tony Hancock equivalent) armful of blood and allowed myself to be fitted with a 48hour blood pressure monitor. The reason for the latter being that my blood pressure was ridiculously high in the surgery. There was, however, a very good reason for that in addition to what Sue, NB Indigo Dream would call 'white coat syndrome' (you know it matters so you get stressed and up it goes)
I arrived at the surgery at 10.40 for an 11.00am appointment as I new I'd have to fill in their 'temporary resident' form. This I did and the receptionist duly entered the details into their computer. All went swimmingly until we arrived at the address of my 'temporary residence'. NB Matilda Rose c/o Grand Union Canal wasn't doing it, even after I managed to whistle up a post code (meanwhile the doctor is calling me through - it's 11.05). Various authorities were called up from admin and, even when I suggested we used my daughter's address as she is fairly local, 'the system' didn't seem to want to know. By this stage the doctor had called me 3 times before giving up and carrying on with her list. Eventually someone managed to get something (I've no idea what) to accept and I was allowed to go through and wait for the doctor. Arrived 10.40; left 12.30 - high blood pressure mmmm not surprising really.
The reason for officially 'getting my licence back' after the mini stroke was that we felt that the only way we can deal with Mum's health issues on the East Coast is to buy a car temporarily. I hhadn't bothered to do anything about it previously as I'd had no need to drive.

Fed up with bureaucracy, we decided to walk across the fields to the little village of Ashton. The footpaths were lovely and mud free until we reached this dressage and livery yard. The last 2 fields before reaching the road contained their horses which had reduced the footpath to a swamp deep enough to swallow Baxter and Muttley.

 They very kindly said we could go through their property and down their drive into the village - talk about room for a pony!

 All of these buildings belonged to the site plus, of course, a menage

 Ashton church

 The pretty 'Post Cottage'

You can just make out part of the old moat that used to surround the Manor House

 Last but not least The Old Crown; closed all day on a Monday but plans to walk across for lunch later in the week if they are dog friendly

Still out of focus, but getting better - they've eaten their way through 3 fat balls and a container of peanuts in less than 48 hours - they clearly know that the bad weather is coming and we too have to make a decision in view of the forecast: up the locks before Monday's closures or stay where we are near to the services at the bottom. It's definitely turning; the wind was Easterly and evil when I walked the dogs today