Meeting Other Bloggers, Part 2: Three Times A Lady

We drove on uncrowded, sunlit roads through the heart of the English Shires until we were travelling through country which was at first familiar and then well-loved as we reached the place where we chose to settle after we left university: Hampshire. We couldn’t resist turning off the main road just north of Winchester and taking a little detour through the village where we had once lived.

The A272 between Winchester and Petersfield is a delightful drive, if you’re not in a hurry. We weren’t. We were driving behind a van that was driving even slower than we would have normally done, which was fine because the slow pace gave us time to appreciate the scenery. The road mounted hilltops, giving panoramic views of the surrounding country before diving down to quiet villages nestling in lush valleys, all bathed in golden afternoon sun.





I had suggested the Red Lion as our rendezvous with Lady In Red. It lay in the sort of area where I knew, from her writings, that she lived and it had struck me as a cosy, welcoming pub last time we had been there but then there are so many excellent pubs to choose from in that part of Southern Hampshire. We weren’t disappointed. It is a justifiably popular pub, but divided up into small, intimate sections, with a separate restaurant and a large garden with a view out over the South Downs. It was here we sat, sipping our drinks, when LIR showed up. We recognised each other straight away. She was, after all, wearing red and we hit it off right from the start. That’s the thing about meeting other bloggers for the first time, you’re never total strangers to each other. You know at least a little about each other. There is common ground and a shared secret. Like Trixie, LIR is easy to talk to and once we had gotr the formalities out of the way, like how to pronounce Heather’s (real) name properly, we talked about all sorts of things, not least the tribulations of bringing up teenagers, especially teenage boys.

Lady in Red has already covered our meeting in her own blog, and so much better than I could do. I will just say that the time simply flew past. There was so much to say and so much that had to be left unsaid. We had a few drinks, we had a meal, and it was a delightful evening in charming company but eventually we could no longer forstall the inevitable; we had to be on our way as we were expected in Bournemouth that evening. We left together and the first part of our respective routes was the same. Then, with a final parting wave, Lady In Red veered off the Motorway at her turnoff and we drove westwards into the gathering night.