Our England Trip, 2018

I know, I know.  That was a long tome ago, but in my defense, I did do the post of the BIG birthday meet-up with fellow Shutterchancers (SCers) on our last full day, 3 September, at Croome Court.  As you may recall, the timing of that trip related to granddaughter Hailey's due date, 4 September, the day we flew back.  Lucky for us, she didn't make her arrival till the 12th.

Anyway, it's time to finally show what ELSE we did that trip, starting with Astrid's 64th birthday the day we arrived, 24 August.  What follows is the Facebook account of those days, often by both of us:

Once again, Lisl and Michael were our gracious hosts in Bath for the week.

Lisl had commissioned a magical unicorn cake for a surprise birthday party, 

joined by Chris and Jackie.  Talk about a sugar blast!

That sugar blast was Friday.

On Saturday we joined Lisl and Gaye for a pre-walk in Kilmersdon for their walking group

the following month.  Planning ahead, in other words.  And we were the lucky ones to tag along.

Guess what Kilmersdon is known for?

It's supposedly the "home" of the Jack and Jill nursery rhyme!

The next day was a stay-at-home day, rest-up Sunday,

 when Lisl treated us to tagliatelle, garlic bread and a hard cider.

[Astrid's collage]

Monday we visited 3 churches, 2 of which were open,

including this All Saints Church in Alton Priors from ca.1000.

We had actually visited it a couple years earlier but loved seeing it again.

The second church we visited was the St. Bartholomew Church in Corsham, mid-12th century.

Local folklore says Flemish weavers from Belgium had fled here from Catholic persecution.

I have seldom experienced the sense of misericordia as I did while there,

something I'll never forget.

On Tuesday the 28th, we met up for a walk in Bristol with other SCers, 8 of us altogether.

First line of business was an "elevensie" with scones, clotted cream and jam.

It's one of the things I most love about England, believe it or not!

This was our 3rd Bristol walk led by Lisl, this time through St. Anne's Wood and Nightingale Valley.

We called it our mini-meet-up (before the big-birthday one for Chris on September 3rd).

Here we all are, up close and personal!

The usual suspects are (l to r): Lisl, Astrid, 

Chad, Norma (Chad's wife) and Ginnie, Chris,

Bill and Alan.

On the way home from Bristol to bath, Astrid sat on top of the double-decker bus.

[Astrid's collage]

Have I ever told you how much Astrid and I love English pubs!

While Lisl stayed home on Wednesday to prepare a Hen's Lunch (!) for the next day, 

Astrid's Big-Bro-Chris took us to Sherborne to see the Abbey.

But first, we ate lunch in a pub, where I struck up a delightful conversation with this couple.

I fell in love with the gent...and his Oxford shoes!  More English you cannot get!

This was the Abbey we had come to see, with history back to AD 658.

While walking back-n-forth to the car, Astrid snapped these images in the market town.

[Astrid's collage]

Thursday was Lisl's Hen Lunch...a chance for us to meet some of her friends.

OMG!  Talk about a FEAST.  Definitely not a lunch.

Jane was the one who won the prize from the garden but for what, I don't remember!

On Friday Lisl picked up her elderly friend, Hugh Soar, 

to join us for a lunch in an Avon Valley Railway car. 

Hugh is a world-renown author of books and articles on archery, particularly related to the long bow.

At age 92, he is still sharp as a tack and continues to publish, even in American archery journals.

After taking Hugh back home, Lisl took us for a nice walk around Winsley.

Just what the doctor ordered after too many days of eating up a storm.

This is what Astrid saw.

[Astrid's collage]

On Saturday, Lisl and Chris took us for a parish walk around Wellow, 5 miles south of Bath.

Over hill, over dale!  We ate our picnic lunch at a long-barrow burial site over 5,500 years old!

Can I ever get my head around a place that old???

What I didn't mention is that while in Wellow, before starting our walk,

we first stopped to see the St. Julian's parish church from 1372.

The center image is at 1200 mm from where we sat at the long-barrow for lunch.

See why we have grown to love England...and our friends!

[Astrid's collage]

We rested on Sunday before our BIG meet-up on Monday.

And rest we did!

During those rest times, I saw Astrid knit for the first time!

She had already made the pink sweater card for when Hailey was born later.

Now she was knitting booties for her.

[You already know that she also knits fishermen sweaters!]

And lest you forget, that Monday, 3 September, was the BIG MEET-UP with 27 of us.

These are friends most of us have known for over 10 years.

Do you know of any other photoblog that has that kind of community?

Last but not least, here are 7 of the 80+ super-sized Minerva Owl Sculptures in Bath,

seen while driving from here to there throughout the week.

A charity auction of the owls on 17 October raised £140,000.

How fun and wonderful is that...all of it, from beginning to end!

See why I had to get it recorded here before too much more time flew off the calendar.

England 2016: The Bristol Walk

So, back to the part of England (in September) when we weren't in Cornwall but in the Bath area with our friends Lisl and Michael!  (You didn't think I was finished with England, did you?!)

The day after we arrived at the Bristol airport (and were picked up by Chris who took us to Lisl's home), we took the train back to Bristol from Bath and spent the day on our Bristol Walk #2.  In 2014 we had taken Walk #1 with Lisl and Chris (both from our Shutterchance photo blog).  There are several Bristol walks and by the time we're done, I'm guessing we'll hit them all.

This time there were 6 of us, all Shutterchancers, meeting up at the Bristol train station.

Chris, Lisl, Alan, Bill, Astrid and moi.  I bet you recognize them by now.

First order of business was a koffie break near the train station before heading out by bus.

Thanks to Chris for the overview.  A good way to start the day.

In 2014 we had gotten as far as the Clifton Suspension Bridge, where we started this walk,

with the River Avon spread out before us.

It was a totally different perspective, viewing it this time from atop the cliffs.

Lo and behold, as we walked along the fence, someone spied her:  The Matthew.

We had seen her in the Bristol harbor in 2014.  This time she was giving a local tour 

in that very moment!  If we had been there too early or too late...we would have missed her.
Coming, coming, gone.

It was our packed-lunch time...the ladies on one bench and the gents on another.

(Don't ask me how that happened...except that Lisl had packed the lunches for the gals.)

Then off we went, away from the river, to continue our walk.
What a motley crew (and, yes, I speak for myself).
It doesn't take much to make us happy, does it!

Look at these family estates in the Sneyd Park suburb on the fringe of Clifton Down.

At this point we crossed the street and continued down the Pitch and Pay Lane.

It's an interesting story about when Bristol was infested with the plague in the 17th century

and how the villagers/farmers quarantined themselves from being infected.

Did you see the church spire in that last collage?
It's the St. Mary Magdalen parish church of Stoke Bishop, from 1860, with spire added in 1872.

Sadly, it wasn't open, but we all had a good time outside, taking it all in.

Not far away was this adorable "hobbit-like" cottage.
How can you resist it?

Then it was along the Roman Way by the River Trym.
What kind of boat is that?  The Orange Submarine?

Did I mention that we walked and walked and walked?
Lots of chances to catch up on each other, in groups or two-by-two.

Over the river and through the woods!

And finally at the point when we'd see the Grand Finale of the day!

The Blaise Hamlet!

It's composed of 9 small cottages around a green...

with a sundial.
"It was built around 1811 for retired employees of Quaker Banker and Philanthropist
John Scandrett Harford who owned Blaise Castle House."

OMG!  What a way to end our long (almost 5 miles) walk.

Did I mention we picked up "conkers" along the way?
And then left them at the bus stop for the kids before heading back by bus to the train station.

Bristol Walk #2 is now under the belt!
Totally worth it, too.  THANK YOU, Lisl, for being our guide along the way.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Lest I forget,
HAPPY THANKSGIVING
to all my American family and friends!

St. Mary Redcliffe Parish Church, Bristol, England

As promised, here we are at the end of our England 2014 trip, after 10 full and glorious days in May.  Besides a meet-up of 21 photobloggers, we spent overnights with 3 separate couples, all of which I've told you about already.

Today, I close this Great Adventure with the St. Mary Redcliffe parish church in Bristol, England.  For how much we both love churches, both large and small, it seems appropriate to finish here.

For one thing, you can't miss it with it's 292-ft spire!

It's apparently the 3rd tallest of all England's parish churches.

Built from the 12th-15th centuries, it's been a place of worship for 800 years.

Queen Elizabeth I said it was "the fairest, goodliest, and most famous parish church in England."
Thankfully, it narrowly escaped destruction from bombs in WWII.

 When you can spend a lot of time in the entrance alone, that tells you something.

In fact, it tells you a lot!

As you know, I always head straightaway to the nave.

Then I look up to the windows and the ceiling.

And then down to the floors.  I'm never disappointed.

Always look up; always look down...and see what you catch in between.

I told you I've started collecting church cushions.  This is why.

The altar, the choir, the brass lecterns...all of it.

But this time I totally missed the pulpit and the organ.  How did that happen?!

Maybe it was because I got caught up in the Chaotic Pendulum!

I watch this and stare every time.  Who thinks these things up?
(too bad the sun was so bright)

"Through Journey into Science, we offer a forum for the whole community to come together to discuss, wonder at, question and think about the issues advances in science and technology are raising for our world."

Amen.  Selah.  So be it.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

We can hardly wait to go back to England again, hopefully two years from now, if not sooner.
(Next year we already have two sets of people coming to see us here in Dutchland.)

Thanks to all who made this another trip of a lifetime.  You know who you are!
And thanks to all of you who have come along for the ride.