Holiday Over

It has certainly been a strange few weeks. Holiday it might have been, and Christmas and New Year, but we haven't done a great deal. The weather and the snow in particular, has meant that we haven't been out and about as much as we would if the weather had been better. Being cooped up in the house hasn't exactly helped. I'm not a great one for sitting about indoors for days on end. As a couple Carol and I like to get out and visit places. We're members of the National Trust and have also been members of English Heritage and something called the H.H.A. (Historic Houses Association). Once you join these organisations you can visit these places free. It makes a great day out and means you don't pay for entry. When we were H.H.A. members, for example, we went to Blenheim Palace near Oxford. Normally single entry is around £15 each (I'd have to visit their website to find out the actual current entry price per person.) so, to get in free after being H.H.A. members meant we saved something like £30. Over a year we can visit more than enough properties to make it worth our while being members of these organisations and cover the cost of membership. At the moment most of these properties are closed, although some of the English Heritage sites do remain open throughout the winter months, but, generally, National Trust properties close around October and re-open in the spring.