The Sights of Brighton

Sunday 28 July - Since we had the car and were in the areas we decided to finally visit Brighton, a place I've wanted to see for awhile. We parked near the Royal pavilion then made our way to the pavilion grounds we walked around a bit then gave Mathis a feed and change before we did a tour of the Pavilion interior. The Decoration in the Pavilion is spectacular, my favorite room was the dinning room which has a massive chandelier held by a huge dragon. We had lunch in the Pavilion tea room which overlooks the garden then made our way to the famous Brighton Pier. WE walked to the end of the pier and then went to the beach to see the 1800's carousel. We took a photo of Mathis on one of the ponies before heading back into town. We stopped for coffee and a cookie and to feed Mathis again before getting back on the road for the long trip back to Bristol.

A Wedding among the Vines

Saturday 28 July - Drove down to Fareham for Emma and Dave's wedding. Despite leaving extra time for a pit stop we barely made it to the venue on time without stopping. However, after all the chaos of getting there we had a very nice time. The ceremony was in an old fort on the ocean in South Hampton and the reception in a tent in a vineyard. The weather was perfect, sunny but not too hot and the vineyard was a lovely location. There was a bouncy castle, padded jousting and twister along with games and toys on every table. We stayed until after the fireworks then spent our first night away from home with Mathis at a Holiday Inn.

Painswick Poppies

July 22 - With Marty visiting to see Mathis we decided to go on a trip to the Cotswolds. We stopped first at the Painswick Rococo Gardens where there were lots of flowers in bloom. Ian and Martty wandered around while I enjoyed the scene and fed Mathis. From Painswick we made our way to the Slaughters where we had lunch at the old mill cafe followed by ice cream. Then it was over to Bourton on the water to window shop and walk along the streams before heading back to Bristol.

Back at the Bristol Zoo

July 17 - We took advantage of some dry weather to visit the Bristol Zoo. Since mom bought us a membership we went and got our membership cards then wandered around. Quite a bit has changed since I last visited, with new exhibits and animals in new locations. We enjoyed the reptile/amphibian house and watching the seals. There were lots of baby animals including tapir, meerkats and monkeys. We had a nice visit and managed to head back home just in time to miss the rain.