7 April 2011
A visit form Susan, Kristie, and Stephen
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10 April 2011
A very sweet goodbye from our church
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12 April 2011
Fun in April
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15 April 2011
Weekend trip with the Faulkners
We spent a wonderful day with the Currate at St Michael All Angels and his family. Bruce, Ann, Ben, and Josh have been such a blessing to us during our stay.
16 April 2011
Wales & Tintern Abbey
On Saturday morning, we left for a weekend trip that would send us through Wales and the Cotswalds toward our final destination in Stratform Upon Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare. As we departed the West Country, we came upon a "boot sale" and had to stop. This is bascially the US equivalent of a yard sale but each person simply sells their items out of the boot (trunk) of their car.
We were all excited as we crossed the Severn Bridge, left England, and entered Wales. Immediately we noticed that all road signs were in both English and Welsh. Our first stop in this region was Tintern Abbey. This ancient ruin was simply magnificient. There were still very major parts still in tact and it was easy to imagine monostic life here as it was lived hundreds of years ago. The girls really love the old ruins becasue they can run around, climb, and play hide-and-seek. We stayed at the abbey longer than we expected and enjoyed the sheer scale of it along with the beauty. The girls finished our visit by rolling down a soft, grassy bank.
As we drove from Tinturn Abbey to our next stop (Wigmore Castle) we looked for a picturesque spot for a picnic. The country side was so lovely, we really could have stopped almost anywhere but landed in a quite spot along a river (and next to a playground). The girls always enjoy it when there is water around.
16 April 2011
Wigmore Castle
After lunch, we made our way toward Wigmore Castle. This one of the castles/families which is in Rachel's family history so we were eager to see how the castle looked and reclaim our inheritance. We walked up a narrow path to the top of the hill. We all got excited when we caught the first glimpse of the entrance and gate.
The castle was very much a ruin and we got there about 5pm so we had the property entirely to ourselves. It was so much fun exploring the grounds as we each picked out what would be "our room." Rachel found a little nook for a reading room and the girls each picked out where their bedroom. Since we were the only ones there, it was easy to imagine that the grounds and castle were really "ours."
Poor Frances got nettles on her hand, so in all of our photographs she is either holding or looking at her hand. I suppose there is always a cost for exploring.
17 April 2011
Birthplace of William Shakespeare
On our final day, we visited Stratford Upon Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare. There were some entertaining street performers in Stratford as well as some theatrical performers at Shakespeare's home. They performed scenes from Romeo and Juliet, MacBeth, and Much Ado About Nothing. The girls loved watching their performances.
We also visited an Old Roman Villa which has the largest in tact mosiac in all of England. They were rennovating the main mosiac so we were unable to see it but it was still a good visit.
24 April 2011
A Glorious Easter Sunday
We began our day with a breathtaking sunrise service in Somerton. Alan presented a beautiful message and then we all gasped as the first rays of light appeared over the horizon. A family in the church hosted a breakfast for everyone that included coffee, tea and bacon.
After the service, we went to a National Trust property just a few miles from our house called Lytes Cary. It is a beautiful historic home and garden. They had an easter egg trail so we walked through the gardens, followed the trail and decoded the "secret message," and then toured the house. It was an amazing spring day that made the gardens all the more lovely.
After our visit at Lytes Cary, we visited another nearby National Trust property called Tintinull Gardens. We had a picnic in a quiet field near some sheep and then strolled through the house and gardens. We played a ring toss game and Margaret made her name in the grass with flower petals. For the girls, however, the most amazing part of our visit were the tadpoles. There were several ponds with hundreds (or thousands?) of tadpoles which the girls were able to scoop up in their hands. Frances informed us that this was "the best day of our whole trip."
After returning home, Margaret and I walked around Somerton taking some good-bye photos of the village that has been our home for 6 months. We passed Emma B's coffee shop, the antique store, the grocery, the library, and, of course, St Michael All Angels Church.
25 April 2011
Picnic with Alan and Sandy
We spend our last outing with the Vicar, his wife, and their two daughters (their son had to work). It was a wonderfully restful day in which we first visited a farm that rescues Exmoor ponies. The girls loved seeing, petting, and feeding these hearty mountain horses.
We spent the remainder of the day at a prehistoric stone bridge called Tarr Steps in Exmoor Forest. We played in the creek, had a picnic, and just sat and talked for about 5 hours. Charlotte was the first to slip in the creek, followed by Frances, Margaret, and me (Gary). Frances was quite proud of getting my fall on film. Alan and Sandy have been so good to us during our stay and it was wonderful getting to know their two girls better.
