My fledgling National Trust membership has been getting quite a bit of exercise over the past couple months. Between trips to Anglesey Abbey and Wicken Fen, I've had more than my fair share of tea and scones. Last weekend, I had the chance to add yet another property to my list, Wimpole Estate in Royston. A short fifteen minute drive from Cambridge takes you to some gorgeous countryside, formal gardens, and the obligatory country house.
With temperatures across Britain set to break record highs, Jeremy and I decided to try to survive the heat by renting a car and driving to the seaside town of Hunstanton on the Norfolk Coast. I can't claim responsibility for this brilliant idea. Jeremy came home from a long day at work last week and made the suggestion that we treat ourselves to a day at the beach. I couldn't agree fast enough.
I stood at the till at the visitor's centre at Anglesey Abbey for the fourth time about to pay my entrance fee when I decided enough was enough. I couldn't just stand there — again, waiting in a long line to pay the entrance fee for a fourth time. I had to do it. It was time. Time to make the commitment to becoming a full-fledged National Trust member. I requested a membership form, paid my annual fee, and that was that. I was now a member of a ruthless gang of tea drinkers and scone consumers; a gang of picnickers and walkers; a gang of tourists to historic houses and areas of natural beauty.
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