Weir Cottage

Past Exchanges and Non-Exchanges!!

We have successfully exchanged 18 times before and would not mind revisiting any of these places.  We remain in touch, indeed friends, with almost everyone with exchanged with.  Many we have seen again here in UK or there as our travels cross.

Follow the links to see our past exchanges.  As I have compiled this - looking at the pictures from our albums - I can't help feeling old.......uggggggh!

Also various hospitalities in both directions.  This first occurred in 1994 when Lynn and John Busenbark came to visit from Phoenix.  Since then we have been there a few times and them here most years on their way to or back from an exchange.

   Bill (shown here in a pub on Poole Quay) who came to visit for a week in June 2000, September 2001 and February 2002, May 2006 (yep, he likes England and we like seeing him). Lee, Bill's wife has visited and grown up children, too.  With utter sadness I have to say that Bill died suddenly in May 2007.  Richard (see below) and I went to his 'Life Celebration Party' and we will always be close to the family and Bill will remain on the site as long as the site itself remains up and running.  I am so glad Lee has come to visit twice since 2007 and most recently Sept 2009.

   Bill and his new English friends enjoying a drink in a country pub.  We had gotten on so well in talking about a possible exchange he came on over to say hello!  On 16 March, 2001 we all invaded him and most years since.  In fact we are all back and forth quite frequently but never actually exchanged.  Bill & Lee are just the nicest people.

For several years I corresponded with Keith from up-state New York but never managed to exchange.  So how great it was to hear that Keith and Cathy would be coming on their honeymoon to UK and then on to Ireland where they had an exchange.  This meant they came for a weekend in September 2003 and, at last, we met.  The picture below is of Keith and Cathy on Gold Hill, Shaftesbury and of Keith, Theresa and Shane at The George pub on the river in Fordingbridge.  Gold Hill and The George are elsewhere on this web site.  We got on so well that weekend we were sorry to see them set off for The Cotswolds, Wales and then across the Irish Sea:

  <<<Keith and Cathy on Gold Hill and us having a pint at The George>>>...so hope we will be able to visit them in USA before too long....and we did in October 2004 combining this with an Ottawa, Canada exchange (follow link for pics).

In 2004 we were approached about an exchange in Western Australia but we couldn't do it.  In the event John & Jacqui made alternative arrangements not that far away from here and we suggested they look us up.  This they did and they came for a couple of days in July 2004.  We had a great time and they particularly liked the Horseshoe pub's rather unusual ambiance! Here are the pictures, Richard and Jude joined us:

<<<John at the bar.  <<<All of us.  <<<Jacqui, Theresa & Jude

and all of us drunken blokes doing our Skippy impression>>> (second and third from left is Greg and Dave Laity the thatchers).  In April 2005 we visited them and we saw the once more in December 2006.

For a couple of years or more we had corresponded, and become friends, with Nancy & Dan in Austin, Texas.  For one reason or another we never did get to do the exchange but happily for them they did get one in Yorkshire in October, 2007.  As we had only recently moved to Weir Cottage and have work-in-progress we had to pass on doing a back to back exchange but they did come to visit for a week before flying north for the exchange.

We enjoyed having them here and below are some pics taken the day they left:

   Breakfast of 'famous toast'...