Strawberries and Tea

Sunday 21 June - After the excitement of Ascot Ian and I took it easy on Sunday. We met up with some friends in the afternoon to go to a garden party. The event was held at Emmaus house, a not-for-profit organization which helps the homeless. Their offices are located in Clifton and have amazing gardens. The party was part of a fundraiser and far exceeded my expectations. There was a small croquet pitch set up. We played a rather haphazard very unofficial game which was a lot of fun. We also perused the stalls selling local crafts, second hand books, and a few raffles and games of chance. We then walked around the gardens. There were some very lovely roses as well as an impressive vegetable garden, a zen garden and a topiary garden. To finish off the event we had a cream tea for four including various sandwiches, cakes, scones and some really delicious strawberries. Despite the overcast, grey weather and a few drops of rain we had a lovely time.

Horses, Hats and Hullabaloo

Saturday 20 June - A day at the races! A friend of ours gave Ian and me tickets to the exclusive Royal Ascot races, a week long event of horse racing and socialising. The event is broken up into three areas silver ring, grandstand and royal enclosure. Silver ring is general entry, grandstand has a dress code of smart wear and the royal enclosure has a dress code of mourning suite for gents and specific dress regulations for ladies. The event is best known for its amazing and unusual ladies' hats. We saw a number of fantastic as well as outrageous hats and fascinators (anything smaller than a hat usually a headband, comb or clip adorned with feathers or flowers. We were lucky enough to be in the grandstand area which is separated from the silver ring but mingles with the royal enclosure so we were surrounded by smart dresses and immaculate suits. We arrived by 11 to get a parking space then walked to the racecourse to explore. By 12 we were quite hungry and made our way back to the car park for a picnic. We were unprepared for the seriousness of Ascot picnics in the car park as many people had set up tables and chairs, some even had tents or marquees and most had champagne and fantastic picnic food. We enjoyed our more humble picnic in the car then made our way back to the grandstand. The day officially begins with the arrival of the queen by horse drawn carriage. She comes from her home at Windsor castle, proceeds up part of the race track and into the parade ring. We saw her from quite close in the parade ring. Shortly after the Queen arrives the races begin. There were six races on the day. We placed small bets on most of the races which made the race that much more exciting. Between races we meandered around the grandstand area taking in the hats, drinking champagne and picking horses for the next races. Our friend Tom gave us a tour of the grandstands and watched some of the races with us. After the last race flags on songbooks are handed out and everyone gathers round the bandstand where there is a sing along. It was a very surreal experience to sing along to Sinatra's "New York, New York" with a crowd of Brits all waving the union jack. At the end of the day Tom took us to the town of Windsor to see the castle and quaint town. We walked along the waterway with its famous swans (that only the queen can eat, I'm not sure why she would want to) and glimpsed Eaton college. We had dinner in Windsor in the old converted railway station before dropping Tom off at his parent's home in Ascot and driving back to Bristol.

Bath from Above

Sunday 14 June - After our long bike ride on Saturday we decided to prevent sore muscles by going for a long walk. We drove to The University of Bath and from there began the six mile hike known as the Bath Skyline walk. This trail takes one through fields and forests and intermittently presents one with amazing views of the city and surrounding countryside. Some of the trails were well defined while other meandered through thick trees or overgrown fields. It was a perfect day, blue skies and warm but not too hot. We walked to sham castle a lovely castle folly which is only a facade of one wall but it can be seen from Bath City centre. We also took a rather strenuous detour to visit Prior Park Landscape Garden which features a lovely Palladian bridge (one of only four in the world). The park also has a sham bridge and serpentine pool, including ducklings, and some lovely forest paths. After exploring the park we meandered back to the skyline trail and made it back to the car park. Overall, a very physical weekend but quite enjoyable.

On the Road Again

Saturday 13 June - After a leisurely morning around Clifton we decided to stretch our legs by going for a bike ride. We chose a trail near Severn beach that would only take us about 4 miles to get to. The route itself was a 12 mile circuit with some hills. However, on the way there we found that a small section of the road was closed for construction which meant a 4 mile detour. On our detour we discovered a charming old church with a lovely churchyard full of a variety of roses in bloom. We were entertained by a number of cows in the adjoining field as the played with a traffic cone. We enjoyed our ride along the beach and winding through some small country roads through marshes and farms despite the occasional light rain shower. However, as the route back took us aimlessly through a number of industrial parks and we had to back track when we hit the detour from the other side, we ended up taking the train home from Shirehampton as it was getting on 8 o'clock and we weren't sure how to get home. Although it was probably the same length as the Bristol to Bath route we took early there were a lot more hills and a lot more turning around to retrace our route which made it feel like a much more strenuous trip. We had a big dinner and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Bristol to Bath

Saturday 30 May - While strolling around the shops in Clifton village Ian and I found a used bike for Ian. Since it was such a lovely sunny day we decided to spend the afternoon exploring the Bristol bike path. Initially we intended on just going for a short ride to try out Ian's new bike, but once we had started we found the path pleasantly flat and easy going and the weather so fine that we went all the way to Bath. It was amazing to pass right through the middle of fields. The path was built on an old railway line and the remnants of platforms making charming rest stops. At a couple there are ice cream and drinks stands and at one an old depot still stands which serves sandwiches and other food. At one point the path goes through a long tunnel which is a strange experience, it was quite dark and the air was very chilled. Once in Bath we parked the bikes and took a walk around the city center. Then we biked up to the park and had a wander through the botanical gardens. Then we made our way back to the bike path and started the trip home to Bristol. The only difficulty on the ride was the myriad of bugs, mostly in the shady areas that with which we were pelted and our clothes were peppered with them when we got home. The path itself is 16 miles one way and Ian figures with the extra riding to and from the path we biked about 35 miles. We were definitely a bit sore the next day especially our bottoms but it was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon.