Today's goal was to avoid death. Yes, it was a lofty goal, but one I thought, with hard work and disciplined focus, I could achieve. Let me remind you that in the UK they drive on the "other" side of the roadway. (Previously, I said the wrong side but I was corrected to say the other side because it was much less offensive...) now, I am not driving in the UK, but I am walking about in the cathedral city of Exeter. [Tangent here, so skip to the end of the bracket if you'd like: Apparently, it is quite a distinction to be a City, and a cathedral can be one of the things that can be shown that makes the area worthy of the distinction that can only be granted by the reigning monarch. In fact, in the UK there are only 69 cities as of 2014 (thank you Wikipedia)]. Since Exeter has been around, oh,I don't know, for 2016 years--give or take a couple of decades--the streets are a bit narrow. The cars literally stir the air next to you as they pass by. And they are coming from the direction opposite than I am expecting so I pretty much spent most of the day being startled by the car coming out of "nowhere." Thankfully, the innate genetic reflexive "mama seatbelt"--you know, the straight arm swinging out horizontally barring further forward movement of the neighboring person--is alive and well in Libby. She saved my life several times-and we found Depends disposable underwear on offer, so the rest of the trip should be without further embarrassment. (Just kidding!)
This morning we had a lovely brunch date with a Kansas City native now living in Exeter who has been a big help to my big Jayhawk birdie. She and her fabulous husband have made sure that Libby did not fall off the face of the UK, helped get bedding and other necessities, and today she even drove us to Powderham Castle utilizing the "other" side of the road. It was a little surreal--like having a self driving car--so I kept one eye closed. 
Her lovely husband, an Englishman, gave me a proper goodbye saying Cherrio when we parted ways. I felt I was in a Colin Firth movie, and I kept waiting for Daniel Craig to show up in a tux. (As long as I'm dreaming, I'll dream big!)
There was no lightening and no thunder, but we did have a proper rainstorm with actual drops of rain as opposed to the drizzle and fog that is more customary of English weather. Of course, Libby and I both left our umbrellas at the flat, so we made due with our jacket hoods. Earlier, weather.com had warned of a "wind disruption," which made me giggle. I'm not entirely sure what that means, but I do know that had we remembered our umbrellas they likely would have ended up in the rubbish bin anyhow.
The raindrops blew across the estate of Powderham Castle is great sheets. It was actually a sight to see, and thankfully we saw it while on tour in the inside. It is quite a lovely Castle, and older than the USA! So let that sink in for just a bit. It's been in the same family for 28 generations and the Courtenay family still lives in about a third of the building. The property came into the family in 1325 and the castle was begun in 1361. 
It has secret doors and passage ways but unfortunately, I was not allowed to take pictures inside. But they have a Facebook page, so have a look there.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Powderham-Castle
The estate sits next to a deer sanctuary, but the smart animals were taking cover somewhere out of the rain so we did not see them and did not go looking for them. But here is a web photo I found of the little cuties.
To return to Exeter we road a double decker bus; it was very fun and very British! That big bus on those narrow streets was a carnival ride-or as close as I'd like to get to one for a good long while. After that excitement, we stopped by the Old Firehouse for a bit of resuscitating--and cider. (The Old Farmhouse is a local pub-and for Harry Potter fans, is said to be the inspiration for the Leaky Cauldron.) Devon (the county in which Exeter is situated) is known for its cider, so Libby had a sweet one and I had a dry one...and neither had bubbles. They were much different than the cider in the states and I liked it better.
My beloved Jayhawks play tonight, however, it will be at 2:30 am my time (which is 30 minutes after day light savings time begins here tonight-not sure what that will do to the jet lag as I am struggling to stay up until 8 or 9 again tonight.) I will be cheering them on though, in my dreams and my KU Tshirt! RCJH all the way from Exeter, England and with my big Jayhawk birdie!
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