*Ruth wrote this on February 5th while we were in England.Today we discovered clotted cream. It's a specialty here in Devon, UK. The name says it all - as in the way my arteries feel. We had it on raspberry pavlova (after a huge serving each of the best fish and chips yet) on scones later on in the afternoon when we got to our Bed and Breakfast, and on tiramisu for desert after our show in Torrington. They are going to have to roll us on out of this country...This tour has been amazing so far - we are having the time of our lives. It's the first time we've ever had road managers - our fearless drivers/agents/roadies/friends Ken and Charles from Emerging music have taken on the job and are wonderful to be around. I don't know that they were saying the same about us for the first week of the tour - every time we got in the van we were fast asleep within minutes and out until we reached our destination. Jet lag is real. But we're becoming more and more alive each day - Nicky and Annabelle are exploring the joys of British ale on a daily basis now, and that's always a good sign. I enjoyed whiskey for the first time ever the other night - don't know if that's a good sign or not.We've seen some beautiful countryside - just driving around this country can be a breathtaking experience. That, and you see a lot of sheep. We drove up and down the M6 about 8 times and by the end we knew the sheep by name. We had two days off up in the Lake district where Charles and his partner Nolene live. Charles took us to see an old stone Circle, exploring the shops in Keswick (which he regretted instantly, judging by the look of boredom on his face while we tore them apart), for a lovely walk along the edge of Derentwater, and on a murderously difficult uphill hike where we were rewarded by the view of Keswick and the surrounding hamlets in the valley.Tomorrow, Ken and his partner Sue, also of Emerging music, are taking us on a walk along a beach in Cornwall and to see an old timeless fishing village called Clovelly.It's crazy to think that it's actually coming to a close in a few days. So far it's been one of the best touring experiences we've ever had. And I haven't even mentioned the audiences...we've played for several sold-out crowds, and, contrary to what their quiet behaviour during the show might suggest (we now have a better understanding of 'the British Reserve') they have all been very appreciative of our music. (Thanks to you dedicated people who followed us around to more than one show!) We also played on the Bob Harris show, which by the way will air on BBC Radio 2 on Friday the 11th at midnight. You can tune in on the internet by going to the BBC website and looking up 'Bob Harris', and, if you miss it on Friday, it will be up on the website for a week after, so you have lots of chances to hear it.~ Ruth