Time To Say Goodbye ....... Parting Is Such Sweet, Sweet Sorrow.

As promised, first thing this morning we finally found a church that we didn't have to book to visit, to light a candle for all those loved ones who couldn't be with us on our wonderful, wonderful Oxford adventure......

...... to wit, the Church of St Mary The Virgin, let's just say, it did not disappoint.

It had everything, dating as far back as the 10th century, with a tower (that did have to be booked), humungous and very beautiful stained glass windows, stunning gothic architecture, a canopied pulpit, a balcony, memorials to many to really take in, engraved lists of saints and martyrs and the most glorious, rich, wooden panelling and ornately carved pews  .....

......  it was well worth the wait ........

.......... especially with its additional abundance of candles and votives .........

..... a breath-taking and sublime final place to end our journey .........

....... before having to sadly bid a heartbreaking farewell to our beloved Jan the Fan, something we had all been dreading.

It goes without saying that it was emotional .........

...... very, very emotional .....

....... with long hugs that none of us ever wanted to let go of, with promises that we would do it all again, hopefully next year, when we said we might venture up to Newcastle and perhaps revisit nearby Durham, before sadly we knew it really was time to pull ourselves away, so that Jan The Fan could start her long journey home and us walking to the station, parting was such sweet, sweet sorrow ..........

There was very little, if anything said between us on the train back home to Evesham, just eyes dabbed and tissues blown heavily into .......... we had been on the adventure of a lifetime .........