Pub Pups

 I did rally despite the head cold.  Bill and I hit the road Saturday morning for the first of what should be many jaunts to Kent - the south east corner of England.  We didn't make it very far but it was great to start exploring a new area of the country.  First stop was lunch in Westerham since we were headed towards Chartwell, the family home of Winston Churchill.

Of course the pub was full of Winston with plenty of quotes and pictures on the wall.  One of my favorites:  

Lady Astor: "If you were my husband, I'd poison your coffee"

WC: "If you were my wife, I'd drink it!"

 We love the fact that you can bring your dog into the pub here.  This shot is especially for Christin who would love sitting here watching the pups go by.

 Like many British villages there are also back alleys and walk ways to get around.  The passage from the car park goes behind some houses and through a church graveyard. 

Chartwell was our first real destination for the day and...the house was closed!!  I don't know how I missed this on the website.  I've come to realize that almost all of the National Trust houses are closed in January and February, when most do "essential repairs".  The grounds and shop were open and as well as an exhibition on Winston's lineage (father British, mother American) that was interesting so we did stop and take a look around.  It was hard to read the names on the Family Pet Graves below but one was Winston's dog Rufus.  Rufus was a Poodle - not a Bulldog despite the fact that Churchill is often associated with the more jowly breed.  The pub also had a story that Churchill was watching Oliver Twist with Rufus and covered the dog's eyes when Bill Sikes is about to kill his dog saying "Don't look, dear, I'll tell you about it afterwards."  ( I think I may have learned more about Winston in the pub than I did at Chartwell!!)