2 March 2011

A Visit from Dear Friends

Seldom a week has gone by during the past 4 months in England that we have not said, "Philip and Lanier would love this." They have really introduced us to the West Country and have been here many times (so we won't pretend to be the experts). We have been eager to share our little town and friends with them and words really cannot express our joy when we looked out the window and saw them drive through the gate. They stayed with us for 10 days and it felt like only 2 days.

We were able to share our antique store, the southern coast, long walks through the country and, of course, tea. They also graciously took our girls on outing 2 days allowing Rachel and me to have our first time alone since October. We also had the joy of celebrating Philip's birthday here in England. Thank you for visiting and we already look forward to next time.

5 March 2011

Corfe Castle

We spent a beautiful (though windy) day at Corfe Castle near the Southern Coast of Dorset. The castle is a large ruin that sits majestically atop a hill and overlooks a small village. We loved climbing through nooks, doors, and windows and had fun imagining what events occurred there 100's of years ago. The castle was in tact enough to remind us that "castle life" was far from romantic.

5 March 2011

The Southern Coast of Dorset

After spending a few hours climbing around Corfe Castle, we drove toward the coast. Rachel and I both admitted feeling like children when we topped a hill and had our first glimpse of the water. The Channel was strikingly blue and the cliffs were dramitic. We parked at Lullworth Cove and hiked up a short hill which overlooked the cove. From there, we hiked another mile or two toward a famous landmark known as the Durdle Door. We all loved walking down to the water and the girls and I even got our shoes wet (might have been a bad idea with a long hike back to our car... but you only live once).

We also had the pleasure of seeing the sun set over the water as we were leaving although that meant a one hour drive back in the dark. In these small villages, when it gets dark it is really dark. No street lights and few cars but many many stars. Philip and Lanier led the way driving and we all made it home without any wrong turns (well, maybe one missed turn).

11 March 2011

Knightshayes Court in Devon

On Sunday, we visited another National Trust property near Tiverton. One of the finest surviving Gothic Revival houses, Knightshayes is a great example of eccentric architect William Burges. The house was built for the grandson of pioneer lace maker John Heathcoat, and overlooks the location of the factory which moved to Tiverton in 1835. The mill is stil in operation today.

The estate includes a huge vegetable garden, charming stables, and intricate gardens surrounding the house. We visited this property with Philip and Lanier. We were able to tour the first floor of the house which was richly appointed. It was clear that architect William Burges was most known for the design of Gothic Cathedrals.

If I have more time to write about this visit, perhaps I can explain why Rachel was laying down on the parlor floor with guests and staff looking on in bewilderment. We all had a good laugh for a few days.

12 March 2011

A Visit from Rachel's Family

Rachel's family arrived Saturday, March 12 to visit us in Somerton for about 4 days before going to London for 1 1/2 days. We've been eager to share our experience with Steve, Dianna, Joseph, Aunt Barbara, Aunt Elaine and Uncle Alan.

Steve and Alan were both brave. They rented cars at Heathrow and drove every day. This is not for the faint of heart for driver or passenger. One passenger says "you're too close to the cars coming at us" while another passenger simultaneously says "you're too close to the side of the road." The truth is, both passengers are correct... there's just not much room on either side.

Rachel and I helped everyone decide what the best things to do/see might be. They were able to fit quite a lot into just 4 days. The excursions included the following:

• Sunday: church followed by a visit to the southern coast (and a view of the Cerne Giant)
• Monday: Bath and Cheddar Gorge
• Tuesday: Wells and Glastonbury
• Wednesday: Montacute Estate and the afternoon in Somerton

I think everyone enjoyed seeing how they make cheese in Cheddar Village (along with tasting samples). They combined quite a bit of hiking into each visit as well, so they really earned the fish & chips take out one night.

We also played cards almost every night (of course). Some things never change and are fun regardless of the continent you are on.

20 March 2011

Day trip to Dunster Village and Dunster Castle

Dunster castle is about one hour north just on the edge of Exmoor National Park and also on the northern coast. We really decided to go here on a whim since we happened to have a car for the day. I'm not sure if I enjoyed it so much because it was sunny and warm, or because the landscape was simply gorgeous for the entire trip, or because we had no agenda. Whatever the reason, we all had a truly wonderful time.

There has been a castle at the top of the hill at Dunster for more than 1,000 years. The Domesday Book records one on this location before 1066. At some point, the castle was purchased and turned into a country manor house. Some of these additions and renovations occurred during the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries.

We looked through the oldest parts of the structure at what they think were dungeons. We enjoyed reading about ghosts that have made appearances throught the years in the castle. After looking at the oldest parts, we were also able to go inside and look in the rooms of the manor house as it was 300-500 years ago.

One of the most remarkable features in the house is the ornate ceilings in many rooms. Several of these we made of plaster and horse hair and the detail is striking. At each of the National Trust properties, a host is in each room and these delightful people love giving out all sorts of interesting tid-bits of information. We spoke to a gentleman who told us all about the ceiling in the dining room and then spoke to a lady in the billiard room who enjoyed asking the girls questions. There was a gong in one of the rooms and Margaret pointed at it. Before I could tell her "Do not even think about touching that!" a gentleman handed her the mallot and said, "Have a go!" She did.

The views from every window in the castle were vast and dramatic. The northern side of the house faces the coast and it wasn't until we were at the top of the hill that we looked and realized how close we were to the ocean.

After staying in the house for almost 2 hours, we decided to have a cream tea in the village. We sat in a cute little cafe and sipped slowly as we spread more and more clotted cream on our scones. Yum.

Finally, we drove a short distance (about 1 mile) to the northern coast just so we could touch the water. Along the way, we all got interested in collecting shells and came back home with quite a nice collection.

23 March 2011

Paulo's Americano Circus

Posters went up last week announcing that "an American-style circus" was coming to Somerton. You know you're in a small town when:

• We walked to the circus (4 minutes) and sat on the fourth row up, center
• The girls and I saw two families we knew... one from Brownies and another lady we all know from the local grocery.

The girls have never been to a circus at home (except the acrobatics show at Callaway Gardens), so despite the fact that it was a fairly small scale show, we all had a great time. We could almost touch all the performers.  A number of times the performers chose volunteers from the audience to participate. We successfully laid low, although a couple of times other dads 3 seats over from us was chosen (close call).

My favorite act was the clowns.

25 March 2011

Weekend trip through Cornwall

On March 25, we celebrated both my birthday as well as the closing on our new house in Marietta. We left Friday morning and visited the following:

Friday:

Tintagel (supposed birthplace of King Arthur with caves that look suspiciously like "Merlin's Cave."

While in Tintagel, we had ice cream at a little shop. Rachel and I agreed the Blackcurrant and Clotted Cream was the best ice-cream we have had in our lives.

We stayed in a National Trust cottage in Cadgwith on the Southern coast of Cornwall. The village was a tiny fishing village near Lizards Tail which is the Southern most point of England. Our cottage dramatically overlooked the sea. We enjoyed walks along the Coastal trail.

Saturday:

Saturday morning, we drove the Land's End (which is, of course, the Western most tip of England). It was cool and windy, which made standing atop the cliffs all the more dramatic. We hiked for about an hour or two before departing.

Our next stop was Tinturn Gardens, another National Trust property. The gardens were beautiful and included a fun maze of cherry laurel. Charlotte was able to get through the maze first.

After leaving Tinturn Gardens, we drove through narrow road up and down hills on our way to St Mawes. This was a cute coastal village and we enjoyed driving onto the Ferry to get across the inlet at one point. The drive was quite scenic throughout the area. The girls had a fun time exploring the rocks and looking for shells.

Sunday:

We walked along the coastal trail in Cadgwith and showed Rachel the "Devils Frying Pan" so named becasue of the way the wave splash into the tiny cove.

We drove to Saint Michael's Mount on Sunday afternoon. This castle and estate is on an island and provided some spectacular views looking out over the sea. We saw the "heart rock" on the stone path, toured the inside of the house, saw an english robin up close, and discoverd the "secret room" in the house.

On our way home, we stopped at Lanhydrock. This is a beautiful garden and estate we have wanted to visit since we've been in England. We toured the house and especially loved the kitchen(s), the children's nursury, and the gardens. We finished our visit with ice-cream and cream tea.