Good Bye Great Britain

Well, we've finally made the big move back across the pond.  We decided it was time to be closer to friends and family.  We'll miss tea and scones, early springs and days out at the National Trust as well as all our British friends, but we're glad to be home and starting a new chapter in our lives.  

Food and Friends

Sunday 3 March - As part of our farewell to England we wanted to visit the Barleywood walled garden one more time and eat at the Ethicurean.  We invited Nat and Tom to join us there for Lunch.  We had a lovely meal and a nice time enjoying the scenery and catching up on all the gossip with Nat and Tom.

Sunday among the Snowdrops

 

Sunday 17 February - We had a car for the weekend and decided to get out of Bristol and have a relaxed and impromptu day. We wanted to go to The Ethicurean for lunch and take a drive around the Chew Valley but unfortunately the restaurant was all booked up. So we decided to take a drive to the Cotswolds. We thought it would be a pleasant and scenic drive however most of the trip we were steeped in fog. However, on arriving in Painswick the fog had mostly lifted so we decided to visit the Rococo garden, famed for its snowdrops as this is prime snowdrop season in the Southwest. We had a lovely time wandering through the woods and seeing the swathes of crisp white snowdrops. After meandering through the gardens we drove into Painswick proper and had a lovely pub lunch at the Falcon. Then it was a quick walk through the churchyard (famed for its yew trees) and around the town before heading back to Bristol.

West Country Wandering

Sunday 27 January - Today we drove to Lacock. We walked through the town and out into the fields. The nearby river and fields were flooded from recent rain and snowfall so we didn't do our usual long loop through the fields. Which was good since despite the sunny weather there was lots of chilly wind. We went back to the village to poke around the shops. We ran into some friends of Sam and Jez and had a chat before trying to find a place for lunch. Our Usual haunt was closed and everywhere else was full. So we drove to Bradford on Avon and had lunch at one of our regular restaurants there. Afterwards we drove down to the canal and went for a walk along the footpath, unfortunately we got caught in a hail storm and headed home wet and a bit battered.

Bumbling around Bath

Saturday 26 January - We took a family trip to Bath. Luckily the sun was out and we were able to meander around and visit some of our favorite shops. Despite the chilly winter weather and some recent snow there were some nice floral planting,as always, around the city. After some leisurely strolling around we made an effort to visit Sally Lunn's for tea but were put off be the queue. We fed Mathis at a Starbucks then tried the tea shop again with no luck, so we tried Brown's but struck out again when they took over 30 minutes to get our food and we had to leave without eating as Mathis was getting fussy for his nap.

Snowy Seaside

Sunday 20 January - With a rental car for the weekend we drove over to Clevedon, to eat at our new favorite restaurant, Tiffins. The food was excellent as expected and the the establishment is very baby friendly which helps. After lunch we went for a walk along the seaside. The town looked very picturesque covered in snow tapering down to the pier.

Bristol under Snow

Friday 18 January - We had a snow storm Thursday night and so woke up to a winter wonderland. Of course the city came grinding to a halt, the roads weren't plowed and half the shops were closed. I took Mathis for a few walks out and about so he could enjoy the snow. He really liked it but I'm not sure if he liked the lovely scenery or the fact that it was a bumpy ride.