A Wintery Walk

Sunday 29 January - Continuing our weekend pattern of going out to tea rooms for lunch, we drove to Bradford-on-Avon for lunch at the Bridge Tearoom. To work up an appetite we walked along the canal tow path admiring the canal boats along the way before heading back into town for lunch in the cosy Bridge Tearoom. We had a light lunch followed by some delicious cake and tea. Then, despite the cold we did some more walking around the village and visited the weavers cottages to admire their tiny pocket gardens before heading back to Bristol.

An Afternoon in Bath

Saturday 21 January - I had to go into bath to get some supplies at my favourite UK fabric shop, Country Threads. We rented a car to avoid the hassle and discomfort of the train journey. We had a little trouble with parking in Bath, which can always be a challenge but we managed to find a spot in the end. We had lunch at Wild Cafe then I popped over to the shop while Ian moved the car. After a successful shop we used the remaing time to visit the recently opened Holburne Musuem. We had a nice time perusing the collection which includes some fine painintg, ceramics, silver and tapestry. My favoutite Items were the unusual silhouette portraits painted on glass.

Sunday Tea

Sunday 15 January - Since it was a sunny but chilly weekend we decided to venture outside Bristol. We rented a car and drove out into the Wiltshire countryside. We stopped and had lunch at the Tollgate Teashop, outside Bath. We had a lovely view of the surrounding hilly farm land while we ate lunch and then enjoyed some tea and cake.

Home for the Holidays

Dec 23 to Jan 3 - Ian and I were so lucky to be able to spend the holidays in the states this year. We Spent Christmas in New Hampshire with my parents where we ate way too much food, lounged about, did lots of shopping (mostly for baby and maternity clothes), and visited with family. For New Year's we went down to New Jersey to stay with Ian's parents. We went into the city to visit with Ian's sister, husband and two daughters as well as his Aunt and Uncle visiting from Florida. New Year's eve we drove to Newburgh New York for some fun with the Gardnertown polo club. Ian got to play two chukkas thanks to Duncan and I got to pick-up, throw-in and tap the ball around. We had an excellent time but were a bit sore for the next few days. Then it was back to New Hampshire before flying back to the UK from Boston. An excellent but all too short trip.