Vintage in Vogue in Chipping Sodbury

Saturday 14 November - Ian and I rented a car since I had the entire weekend off and since we needed to get to Swindon for a dinner party. We took advantage of the car in the morning by going to a vintage and antiques fair in Chipping Sodubury, a medieval market town not far from Bristol. Despite the storm weather of rain and wind we made promenaded up the town to the village hall. We had a good time looking at all the vintage christmas decorations, paper, fabric and other nick-knacks. Afterwards we checked out the local market and walked along the canal (which was near flooding from all the rain) before taking a leisurely drive through the countryside back to Bristol.

Graduation

Friday 13 November - It finally happened, only 9 months after I actually finished my coursework, I've officially graduated from UWE. The ceremony took place in the Bristol cathedral and was not too prolonged taking only about an hour for the speeches and reading of all the names. I was the only one present from my course. Afterwards we enjoyed some champagne and cakes at the alumni reception in a very lovely marquee erected just outside the cathedral. Ian took some photos of me in my Master's degree robes before we celebrated with more champagne at home followed by a nice meal at the Glass Boat.

Giselle

Friday 6 November - I've been dying to see the ballet, probably because all the Christmas decorations make me think of the Nutcracker, but as that is not playing we went to see Giselle at the Hippodrome. Performed by the English National Ballet it is considered one of the greatest tragic romances in ballet. Giselle is a young country girl with a poor heart, her mother fears that dancing will kill her. She falls in love with an aristocrat who has disguised himself as a local farmer. When his true identity is revealed and the fact that he is engaged giselle dances herself to death. In the second act giselle joins the Willi, the spirits of virgins who have died for love. The Willi capture young men lost in the forrest and force them to dance to death. Giselle saves her aristocratic lover from the Willi queen when he goes to mourn at her grave. It was an amazing performance (overlooking the cringe-worthy fall of the queen of the Willi in one of her solo dances) with a lot of synchronized dancing of the Willi (about 20 ballerinas). The music was lovely and the costumes were also impressive, a very enjoyable evening.

Birthday stroll at Kings Weston

Saturday 31 October - For a nice activity on Ian's birthday we took the train to Shirehampton than took a leisurely stroll around King's Weston House. It was a lovely sunny fall day and we enjoyed the scenery and the autumn colours. We had a nice little lunch at the tea room at King's Weston House before walking back to the train station and heading back to Bristol.

The Avon in the Autumn

Saturday 17 October - It's that time of year again, time to visit Bradford-on-Avon. Well I imagine any time is a good time but it just so happens that its been about a year since we were last in that lovely village. We took the train to Bradford after a nice breakfast of pastries and lattes (courtesy of our new nespresso machine) and a stop at the Clifton farmer's market. It was a lovely day, a bit chilly but sunny. We arrived in Bradford and followed a nice walking route, stopping in shops along the way. At 2 we interrupted our walk for a hearty meal at the Bridge tea house, then continued on seeing the sights and visiting shops. We bought a few nice souvenirs and had a lovely time exploring the village and revisiting our favorite spots (Ian's being the canal lock where we watched a canal barge use the lock to go further up the Avon).

Cardiff: Wales Ho!

Saturday 10 October - Now that we are without a car we are limited to bus/train travel. We used this as a opportunity to finally visit Cardiff. Only about an hour and a half train ride away, Cardiff is the capitol of Wales. It was surprisingly similar to Bristol in that it has a lot of shopping. However, there are quite a few more arcades, including the cardiff arcade which had an impressive selection of butchers and a very nice fishmonger. Unlike Bristol, Cardiff also has a castle and this was our first stop of the day. The castle grounds include the ruins of a norman keep atop a steep hill and complete with surrounding moat. There is also a victorian manor house and a victorian recreation of a roman gate and enclosing stone wall. The Keep offered superburb views of the city and surrounding countryside. The Victorian manor was amazing intricate. Inside were lovely stained glass and faux stone walls, to give the feel of a medieval castle with all the comforts of the Victorian age. An intricate Arab room had complex vaulted ceiling and intricate tile work. The banquet hall was ornamented with murals, carved animal heads, a wooden vaulted ceiling with angles and stained glass. My favourite room was of course the library with its ornate bookcases, featuring unusual animals carved at the corners like platypuses and beavers. I was also jealous of the desks in the library which had built in heaters. After thoroughly visiting the castle, we had a nice pub lunch outside where we could watch all the shoppers. We walked down to the bay and watched some of the boats come in before heading back to the the train and back to Bristol.

Glastonbury

Saturday 22 August - Ian and I decided to spend our last weekend together, before I fly to the states, by visiting Glastonbury. Normally a place we avoid at all costs during the festival season, we thought it would be safe to visit now. Our first stop was the farm museum, which had some charming displays demonstrating country life and the development of farming and farming equipment. From the museum we made our way to the famous abbey said to have been standing in 600 ad, all that remains are some picturesque ruins. These are housed within a lovely walled park, a charming place to stroll around or relax (assuming you can avoid the weirdos trying to pick up 'vibrations' or lying on the ground to absorb the energy of the place). Legend has it that King Arthur and Queen Guinevere were buried here, there remains being discovered in 1191. The pond on the grounds holds some massage fish which rival those at the Bristol zoo and some entertaining ducks. We were pursued by one onto the middle of the bridge to be fed rather than join his compatriots swimming in the water below. After the Abbey we walked through town and scaled the steep hill to the infamous tor (hill). Atop the hill is St. Michael's tower which offers a stunning view of the surrounding countryside. Evidence of people on the tor dates back to neolithic times. It was called the Isle of Avalon by the Ancient Britons as it was then surrounded by fenland (wetlands) and was effectively an island at the time. The tor and the surrounding area are steeped in an aura of mystery relating to the legend of King Arthur. We didn't feel any deep mystic forces but we enjoyed the scenery and the lovely day.