Return to the Wallingford Museum

We decided to return to Wallingford to complete our tour of the museum. As I mentioned before, there are some nice applique pieces there and this time I got photos. We had intended to walk around the castle grounds, but it started to rain so we put that off again.








We strolled around a French market in the square--good practice for our trip to Paris. All sorts of lovely artisanal foods--cheeses, meats, honey, breads, pastries. Pretty tablecloths, quilts, pillow covers in French fabrics. One vendor was more Turkish than French; we treated ourselves to some Baklava.
























There were several very cool-looking Citroen 2CV6's in the parking lot, adding to the French flavor of the experience.

Gasoline (or petrol) prices

As gasoline prices approach $5 a gallon in Gualala, I feel it appropriate to comment on the situation in the UK. When we arrived, gas was £1.07 per liter ($8.13 per gallon). That same station now charges £1.20 per liter ($9.12 per gallon). An increase of £0.01 per liter (7.6¢ per gallon), the minimum increase, is taken in stride; in the US we’d be going out of our way to find a cheaper station with that difference. The British have been living with high gas prices for a long time and have adjusted to it (gas prices are higher than ours mostly because of higher taxes).

They have adjusted in several ways. First, they buy smaller cars (this also helps when driving the narrower roads and maneuvering into tighter parking spaces); a 2.0 liter engine is about the maximum for most people. Wealthier drivers who like a BMW or a Mercedes can get smaller models from the manufacturers who make cars especially for this market. Even the Japanese cars have special models for the UK.

Second, many of the cars use diesel. Even though diesel fuel is more expensive, the mileage attained by these cars makes it worthwhile. These diesel cars are not yet eligible for import into the US but should be soon. You don’t see many hybrids over here, at least not yet.

Our neighbor recently sold his Land Rover that got 19 mpg and bought an Audi station wagon 1.9 liter diesel, and claims to be getting 62 mpg!

Even with the recent price increase in the US, we still have some of the lowest gasoline prices in the world (with the exception of the oil-producing countries). We can’t wait to get home to our cheap gas.