Royal Star Arcade, Maidstone

Ian and Margaret travelled back to Shropshire today but before they went I took them into Maidstone to show them the town centre. They were impressed by the parts they saw - Fremlin Walk, Week Street, the newly paved High Street and the Royal Star Arcade as shown here. You can see them in this shot walking away from the camera. I tried to capture the symmetry of the building which was converted from the old Royal Star Insurance Company offices which became redundant.

I have to say that the town centre did look good in the bright sunshine but the golden box on the end of the museum didn't impress Ian either. I've often run down the town in my blips so it was good to see it through the eyes of a newcomer and pleasing to have someone talk it up. I heard recently that Maidstone was one of the top 50 towns to visit in the UK. Just think what it could be like with a little application!

We enjoyed another cup of very good coffee at Pop's Cafe, quite exceeding anything that the big coffee chains can offer. Pop's is in a conversion - it was the Leeds Provident Building Society and had lain empty for several years before being brought back into use.

Ian and Margaret had a good journey back to Shrewsbury, negotiated the Northern Line from London Bridge to Euston, managed to find a seat on the train to Birmingham and caught the connection to Shresbury without any problem.

Good to have them down, they enjoyed their visit and we're looking forward to the next time.

Meanwhile, a few chores and other, more pleasant activities in the afternoon before going for a blast at the gym to work off the worst excesses of the last few days.