Browsing Bradford

Saturday 27 October - Ian booked a car for the weekend so we decided to enjoy the sunny autumn weather by driving over to Bradford-on-Avon. We wandered around some of the shops and then When Mathis was ready for a feed and we were ready for lunch we stopped into a new deli/cafe, the grumpy badger for a lovely lunch followed by coffee and cake. We walked along the river and browsed at a few more shops before strolling along the canal tow path, heading towards Trowbridge. Along the way we followed a blue heron, who seemed a bit disturbed by the pram because he kept flying a few hundred feet upriver each time we approached. After a reasonable stroll in the chilly sunshine we made our way back to the car and back to Bristol.

Along the Leafy Trail

Thursday 18 October - After our visit to Donna and John's farm I was invited to come back and go for a trail ride with Donna and Katherine. I chose Thursday and couldn't have picked a better day. The sky was sunny and blue and the temperature was just right. Mid-morning I made my way over to the farm where we got the horses ready and then took off for a nice long ride through the woods, across streams and through fields. We had a most relaxing time enjoying the autumn foliage and the lovely weather. It was a wonderful way to revisit some of my childhood stomping grounds as well as some of the trails around my parent's house and to really take in an autumn in New Hampshire.

The Farm Life

Monday 15 October - Taking an opportunity to get Mathis on a horse for the first time, Randy and I took Mathis to the farm of family friend's, Donna and John. We got to show Mathis their 3 dogs, cat, chickens, chicks and rooster, turkeys and horses. We even got Mathis to sit on one of the horses, Pippin. It was refreshing to be on a farm again with all the relaxing hustle bustle of the animals and that particular farm aroma. There were 16 adorable chicks which were grey, black and silver, a lovely combination. The dogs were happy to run around and keep us company as Katherine (Donna and John's daughter) showed us around. The turkeys were quite friendly, although one was a little too interested in Randy and Mathis so we didn't hang around with them for very long.

Trails and Toadstools

Thursday 11 October - After a busy day trying to get a copy of my birth certificate, We went for a relaxing walk through the woods with Randy. We followed some of the recently finished Strafford conservation trails. On the way to the trails we saw a young fawn in the woods. Along the trail we saw woodpeckers and some vultures as well as lots of autumn flora like acorns and toadstools. Mathis really seemed to enjoy the time outside and looking at all the falling leaves. Looping around the pond we had a decent walk but Mathis was definitely getting heavy towards the end as he was getting tired.

Piles of Pumpkins

Friday 5 October - We went for a drive to Coppel Hill farm to get some gourds and pumpkins for mom's window boxes. We had a lovely time looking over all the gourds and introducing Mathis to the farm animals (horses, turkeys and goats). We forced Mathis to wear his pumpkin hats and sit among all the pumpkins so we could get some cute photos, but he wasn't too pleased about the whole process. We left loaded down with pumpkins.

Enjoying the Autumn

We arrived in the US after a surprisingly easy plane journey. Mathis was a star on the ride over, there was no screaming and he charmed all the passengers around us. It was lovely to be back home this time of year, the foliage was stunning and I really enjoyed just driving around and soaking up the autumn atmosphere.