Friends

This week has been an exciting one for us with meeting friends and having the pleasure of their company on our island. It started on Saturday when two girls who were doing a 26 mile sponsored walk on the island on Sunday came to stay the night to get an early start. We had dinner, watch Eurovision and had fun and thank you to them for doing a walk for the Earl Mountbatten Hospice on our island we are very grateful.

On Sunday morning after they had gone we quickly changed the beds in the spare room for the arrival of a VIP guest, none other than @hi_im_monkey (Monkey) who Leroy and Henry visited in Dallas last month. Although we have known him for nearly 10 years I had never met him in the fur before (or terrycloth in his case) so I greeted him with a big hug! to welcome him to our home.

On Monday Leroy took him out and about around our town of Ryde. First them went for a walk to Quarr Abbey but stopped off on the way to look at Holy Cross Church in Binstead which is a 13th century church. They both wanted to look at the saxon carving above the gate.

It is small like they are and very high up so they had to be held up to be pictured with. I think it looks about like them but without the bow tie or surfy hoody!

The grave yard of the church has some interesting old graves including smugglers so they thought they would have a look at some of them. They were fascinated by this very old one although the writing was too worn away to be able to read it clearly so we don't know who it was.

They sat very quietly and respectfully and thought about all the people buried in the very old grave yard.

They did take Monkey into the church to look around but they could not take pictures there as it was a very holy place. Next they set off on their walk again to get to Quarr Abbey.

Quarr Abbey was originally founded in 1132 but was destroyed in the disolution of monastries in England when Henry VIII closed the monastries and destroyed the buildings. The first thing we showed Monkey was what is left of the ruins of the old monastry at Quarr. Henry and Monkey had their picture taken with the ruins behind them.

Looks like Henry VIII did a pretty good job of destroying it doesn't it!

When they arrived at the new abbey, built between 1907 and 1910, the first thing they saw was the piglets on the abbey farm. Some of them came to talk to them.

They were very sweet piggies and lots of them!

The abbey's style is moorish expressionist and it is a very handsome building. They took Monkey around the abbey but again couldn't take pictures because it is holy. They had dinner at the abbey but apparently it was so yummy they forgot to take pictures! Trust Leroy feeding his face!

The Isle of Wight is famous for sailing but they were a little surprised to find a boat in the abbey garden as there was no water! Leroy and Henry thought it would be a good opportunity to show Monkey the ropes though and that is exactly what they did.

After that they travelled back home by bus and wanted to take Monkey on the chocolate tour of Ryde on the way home. The Chocolate Apothecary on the seafront was so crowded they couldn't breath let alone take pictures. Straw Bonnet in Union Street was closed so they couldn't go and look at their chocolates but Thorntons didn't let them down. They had tea there and look what Monkey and Henry got up to while they were there!

I'm sure Monkey is cuddling those chocolates! Well wouldn't you!!

On Wednesday it was my turn to get out and about with friends. Henry (@henryandfriends) came over to see us and go for lunch. I took Snowdrop who was sent to me by @RetteKaninchen sent, with me so she could meet Henry. It looks as though they got on well!

We went to Olivos in Union Street which @MrsFiddlesticks and @Tim_Kirby liked when they visited the island. I had a pizza I needed to check it out to see how they made theirs so I had a good look at it first to get their trade secrets.

I think it is different to mine by just as nice. I met Henry's new brothers Marmite and Aubyl for the first time. Marmite likes pizza so we shared it because it was very big for us at lunchtime.

Marmite and I did not drink that class of wine you can see behind him that was somebody else's honestly!! I don't think we ate much of the salad either pizza was enough for us.

Then it came to pudding time, they didn't have a banana split but they had a very suitable pudding for me with bananas, banoffe pie is a great pudding for baboons! Snowdrop has got used to bananas since she came here so she and Henry shared it with me. Marmite and Abuyl shared a different pudding with a waffle that looked nice as well.

So you can see that we have had a great week of friends this week and that is fantastic cos what is better than friends. Leroy and Henry also had a great time meeting @pinkbunny, who is lovely, last month so all in all we've had a great time with friends lately. I hope we meet more of you in future and see some of you that we have met before again, but even if Leroy or I don't meet you you are all our friends and that makes us very happy!