You snatch me up and drive me before the wind;
    you toss me about in the storm.

Job 30:22

Sunday was a travel day. We didn’t have all that far to go, but English roads being what they are on the weekends, we were glad we gave ourselves an extra hour and a half wiggle room to make the ferry from Southampton to the Isle of Wight.

We dodged most of the rain, and the hour-long ride was cold and blustery enough to underline the fact that the Solent (the strip of English Channel/Atlantic Ocean between England and the Isle of Wight) is one of the breeziest places in the British Isles.

After we disembarked it was just a short drive to find our guesthouse in Cowes, and we settled in just a short walk from the heart of the old town and the marina.

By the time we were ready to head out and find something to eat more rain had come in, and the scene was classic British “brollies up”. We splashed our way down two or three terraced streets before turning into the old High Street where the lights were just coming on and the restaurants getting ready to serve dinner.

We stumbled into a wonderful venue, where we enjoyed a long, relaxed feast in perfect ambiance. The food was prepared and presented beautifully, and the service exceptional. Thanks to The Coast for a first class dining experience.

Tomorrow we have tickets to visit Victoria and Alberts’s Osborne House estate, then we plan to walk some of the spectacular coastline.

Meanwhile, while Rebekah and I have tried to keep away from consuming day-to-day news, we are very conscious of the pain our hometown of Raleigh is experiencing. Please be assured of our love and our prayers – Derek and Rebekah