Pillars of the Earth Workday.

 

My husband Steve and I do enjoy listening a good audible book. It had been something of a tradition during our many years working, training and relaxing together. We both love to hear a good yarn well told.

Many years ago, when we were first together, there was no such thing as audio books and on the many very long drives around Europe in our truck, that meant that I would sometimes read to Steve while he was at the wheel with me by his side. On those work days where we would be travelling in the truck to Germany or Holland or Switzerland we would listen to the radio and when I was not glued to the map navigating our route, no satnav either in those days, so I might read a few chapters of whatever book we had chosen to help pass the time as we ate up the motorway miles on our way to whatever client we had antique furniture to deliver to or to collect from to take back to the UK or often both, a delivery out and collection to bring back.

 

Yesterday Steve had a full day of collections to be picked up for a container load going to Tasmania and we are presently deeply engrossed in the 41-hour audio book Pillar of the Earth by Ken Follet, and it has been slow progress with us only listening at dinner time and on short journeys. The plan for the pick-ups was, the get up at our usual running time and leave the house at 5 am getting a good start on the day before the traffic built up. Our first stop was a small auction house in Yeovil in Somerset. On the way there we passed Stonehenge that I always feel is a bit of a treat no matter what time of the year. No time so stop and walk around the ancient stones though, this was a work day. We made good time and arrived, a little before they opened but once somebody arrived, we were quickly loaded and away.

 

 

On the next stretch of our day we passed Glastonbury Tor another of England’s favourite tourist spots on our way to the fabulous city of Bath that was plagued with road works and diversions everywhere but following the road closure signs, we also gained a good close viewing of the famous Royal Crescent, build between 1765 and 1775 and looking as picture postcard elegant today as it was then.  

 

 One more stop in Hungerford on the way back and we were home, eleven hours after we started and heard 9 hours of our audiobook. 17 hours to go to the end!