The Parks of Bath

Since it was such a nice day and it was still early afternoon we stopped in Bath on our way home from Bradford on Avon. We did a tour of three lovely parks in Bath starting in Sidney gardens, followed by a park near Henrietta Mews and finally making our way across town to the Botanical gardens. There were swathes of daffodils and bloom as well as neatly planted beds of primroses and hyacinths. The Magnolia trees were budded with some blooms while most of the ornamental fruit trees were in bloom. It was a very relaxing afternoon.

Soaking up the Sun

Saturday 26 March - We took advantage of the warm and sunny weather and hopped on the train to Bradford on Avon. It is a favorite town of mine to visit because it is quite picturesque and very relaxing. We wandered around the streets visiting shops and stumbling across a craft fair and an antiques fair/flea market. We had lunch at a little cafe with outdoor seating which offered good, home cooked food, featuring vegan options. After lunch we wandered up to the weaver's cottages to sneak a peak at all the pocket gardens overlooking the town. Then it was back on the train toward Bath.

Before the Bluebells

Sunday 20 March - To take advantage of the fantastic weather Ian and I rented a car and drove to Prior wood for a nice walk. We were hoping that the bluebells for which the wood is known for would be in full bloom, but alas we were far too early as there was not a bluebell flower in sight. We did have a very enjoyable walk anyway, we saw lots of yellow and white flowers, some butterflies and lots of sunshine, an excellent way to spend a Sunday.

Breathtaking Brecon Beacons

After a quick late lunch in Shepherds we did a bit of a whirlwind tour of Hay-on-Wye then made our way to the Brecon Beacons. Marty only stayed with us for a short while before turning back to the base but Ian, Jean-Louis and I made it all the way to the top and returned in good time before the sunset. The views were stunning and well worth the steep climb. Then it was back in the car and back to Bristol.

Ledbury's Painted Past

Friday 18 March - Another adventure with Ian's parent's, this time we took a more familiar route and headed north west. We stopped first in Ledbury, a charming market town with lots of nice shops and lovely parks and historic buildings. We wandered up the cobbled street to the church, then back down to the high street. On the way we stopped into the council offices which were open to show the amazing painted room. The council building is an historic building and the painted room was discovered while doing restoration work. The whole room would originally have been painted in imitation of hanging tapestries and these paintings date to the mid 16th century. The paintings that exist today cover most of the walls and are representative of a knot garden. The colours were still lovely and vibrant and the representations of flowers quite quaint. We had an interesting explanation of the room and the buildings history then wandered around a bit before heading out of Ledbury and carrying on towards Hay-on-Wye.

The Coast and the Castle

Tintagel is a charming Cornwall village best known for its famous castle. The castle is said to be the birth place of King Arthur, and the stunning views and dramatic setting of the castle certainly lend to the romantic atmosphere. Part of the castle, the gatehouse is on the mainland while the banquet hall and other buildings are on an island connected to mainland by some narrow steps and a small causeway. The island part of the castle was closed by the time we arrives but we enjoyed the view and wandered from the site of the original gatehouse to the nearby church. Once back in the village of Tintagel we had cream tea at a pub, it was pleasant enough to eat outside in the sunshine, then made our way past the meandering and crooked Tintagel post office back to the main road and heading towards Bristol.

Up-Along, Down-along

Wednesday 16 March - Our first outing with Ian's parents was a trip down to Devon and Cornwall to visit a few of the places that Marty and Jean-Louis had visited on prior trips to England. A four hour drive with lots of haze and clouds meant that we missed a lot of the beautiful Devon views. Our first destination was the small harbour town of Clovelly. Clovelly has been almost unchanged for decades. It is built on hillside so steep that cars can not traverse the climb. All supplies are brought in and out of the village by sled or donkey. Following the cobblestone main street down the hillside brings one to the tiny sheltered harbour at the base. We had a good wander around the village and met a number of village cats. Back up the hill and out via the visitor's centre we hopped back in the car and continued south to Tintagel.

Homecoming and a Country outing

Sunday 13 March - Ian arrived home an hour and half earlier than expected so I was barely out of bed when he arrived. We had a nice breakfast together than used streetcar to go to a garden centre in Keynsham. We picked up a few plants for the balcony only to find the car had a flat tire. Ian adeptly swapped the flat for the spare and we were on our way. We decided to take advantage of the sunny weather by exploring. We stumbled across a very quaint farm shop. There were lots of pigs about as well as some goats, rabbits, geese and chickens. After visiting all the animals we picked up some supplies from the shop and meandered back to Bristol where we did a few errands then made our way to Kings Weston house for some coffee and cake and a nice walk around the estate.

A hop into the hoop

Friday 11 March - A few days before Ian gets back from Bahrain, I'm kept myself busy by taking an aerial hoop workshop. A lot of the moves and principles are similar to anti-gravity yoga so I had no problem with the height, inversions or balance but the hoop was a lot more physically demanding and rough on the hands. I had to stop due to ripping skin off both my palms. It was an interesting time but I was sore for days after.

Bristol In Bloom

Over the past few weeks spring has begun in Bristol. There are very few crocuses this year but the daffodils have been up and blooming for weeks.

Valentines Day In Bahrain

Monday 14 February - Ian had the day off from work because of the possible protests. We had a nice breakfast on the balcony. Then Ian took me to the spa for a facial and manicure. After a nice lunch together we got bored of avoiding the outside world and went to the Manama souk. Unfortunately most of the shops were shut up but we did find one little Aladdin's cave of a shop where we found quite a few souvenirs. As we were leaving the police were preparing for the protests, lining the main corridor into the souk in full riot gear. We left the souk at 3.30 just as the protests were scheduled to begin, we never saw any protesters. We stopped at the little cafe where we had dinner the first night (a regular haunt for Ian and his coworker Paul) and had a final strawberry juice followed by a stroll along the promenade before heading back to the hotel. Later that evening we had a fantastic meal at the Ritz's Indian restaurant, Nirvana. The food was great, there was live traditional Indian music and a rose and candies as a parting gift. A really lovely evening (an no sight of protesters there or on the way home).

The Market in Muharraq

Sunday 13 February - Ian had to work in the morning so I spent the time relaxing and enjoying the sunshine. When he got home and had lunch we made our way out to Muharraq, the old city of Bahrain. Our first stop was the Shaikh Isa bin ali al Khalifa house, the former home of one of the kings which has a wind tower, the traditional method of keeping houses cool (the precursor to air conditioning). We were lucky to get in as Ian had tried a few times and never found it open. We tried the door but it was locked, as we were walking a way a soldier opened the door and after some miscommunication he decided to let us in to wander around. The house was much larger than it looked and was a bit of a labyrinth despite be based around open courtyards. We luckily found the entrance once more and made our way to the souk. The souk in Muharraq was much better than the Manama souk, more fabrics and haberdasheries. I had an excellent time picking out different ribbon and odds and ends before we made our way back to the car.

Plenty of pottery

Ian had visited these potters on his first visit to Bahrain and taking a single tantalizing if blurry photo. I was determined to visit them when I came and I was not disappointed. Pots, bowls and plates were stacked everywhere in boxes, on shelves and even in old bath tubs. It was a lovely sight. There are two shops/factories and we had a good wander through both admiring all the lovely ceramic work.

History along the Highway

From the Barbar temple we drove to Ali to see the famous pottery there. Along the way we passed some of the infamous burial mounds that can be found all across the country. Some have been moved, excavated or demolished but there are still hundreds that remain relatively undisturbed.

Crafts in the Countryside

Saturday 12 February - Our first activity today was to visit the National Museum which was quite nice considering the size of the country. The most entertaining parts were the recreations of everyday life, complete with fully costumed mannequins ( I especially liked the souk display with all the various shops one might find). Ian's favorite aspect was the aerial view of the country which occupies nearly the entire floor of the ground floor space. Then we drove to Al Jasra to visit the handicraft centre, we only got slightly lost but nearly drove to Saudi Arabia. It was a lovely building with a central courtyard garden surrounded by small workshops which demonstrate various native crafts such as weaving, pottery, boat building and chest making. We meandered through all the exhibits then did some shopping in the gift shop. We then drove to the nearby beach to admire the turquoise water and the view of the causeway to Saudi Arabia. We then tried to find the weaving centre but had absolutely no luck finding it. We managed to find the Barbar temple where we stopped to wander around the ruins.

Tree of Life

From the Animal park we made our way through the deserty bits of the island to the tree of life. The tree is a very old acacia whose water source is unknown. It is the only tree as far as the eye can see and is one of the national symbols of Bahrain. We had a good luck around and enjoyed the views of the desert before driving around a bit just to explore and to try to get to the coast to watch the sunset (unsuccessful) before heading back to Manama and our seafood feast.

Animals in the desert

After dropping off the fish at the hotel we grabbed some fruit and snacks and headed south the Al Areen animal park. There we saw a number of colourful and impressive birds including pelicans, flamingos, cranes, storks, ibis and a variety of ducks. There were a number of local animals which seemed to largely comprise a variety of goats. We also saw a momma camel with her baby and a rather friendly young camel who charged us when we didn't have any food to give him. We wandered around the different habitats then took a mini-bus tour around the safari-like grounds of the park. We saw a number of ostrich running around loose (in fact they seemed to prefer walking on the roads to walking on the sand) and a number of gazelle and deer in pens.

Fruit and Fish

Friday 11 February - My first full day in Bahrain was a busy one. First order of business was to visit the fruit and veg market and the fish market. The fruit and veg market was held in a big warehouse where the produce can be kept cool in the summer months. It was a bit overwhelming but we picked out some nice clementines and figs. The fish market was amazing and I happily spent an hour or two wandering around and snapping photos. There were some beautiful tropical fish in vibrant colours as well as unusually shaped fish. There were crabs and shrimp and funny looking lobsters as well as small sharks and squid. It was a very interesting place and many of the fishmongers were happy to show off their wares and have their pictures taken. We picked up some squid some lobsters and some shrimp for dinner.

Taxi, bus and plane to Bahrain

Thursday 10 February - It was an early morning as I had to get up before four to catch a taxi to the Bristol bus station. From there it was a 2 hour bus drive to Heathrow airport and then a 6 hour flight to Bahrain. It was already dark when I arrived but it was wonderful to see Ian again. We drove through parts of the capital to get to the hotel where he is staying so I saw lots of the skyscrapers lighting up the night sky as well as palm trees ornamented with Christmas lights. We had dinner at a small cafe which included some delicious strawberry juice. Then we took a trip to the mall to wonder around before returning home for some much needed sleep.