Here is Jill’s first report from England, which she sent on her Monday afternoon and which arrived in my U.S. email inbox on Monday morning:

“I arrived on Friday in England, with only an hour’s delay because of the volcanic ash. I landed at Heathrow and then took a train to Dorset to visit my brother, John, and his family for the weekend. They have recently finished building a new house and I was pleased to see it. Great location and a wonderful house! Then on Sunday, I took the train back towards Windsor and settled in to our home for the week, The Christopher Hotel in Eton.  We always receive a warm welcome in this small, old hotel, formally a coaching inn. Several people were due to arrive today, one day early. I have only seen two people of the five due and both of them were delayed (one for more than four hours) because of the volcanic ash. I went down to the showgrounds today, to the driving office, to pick up our tickets for the show and the Tattoo (which we will enjoy on Friday night). The horses are due to begin arriving tomorrow (Tuesday), and so I was glad to get in and out of the way before the mayhem! The weather has improved a little today and we saw the sun. It has been cold all weekend, colder than ususal.”