My oh my. Our second week has flown by. It’s Monday the 17th of March and I am way behind on the blog and I can only say, I’m sorry. It has been a busy time and only now am I beginning to get into the groove of being over here in the UK. I am working hard to catch up on the blog so I can get back to daily posts or every second day at least. Bare with me as I recap the first two weeks of our trip over the next few blog entries.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day and Happy 35th Birthday to my dear Hanna in Canada!!!!

Since leaving London, we have visited family, seen some of the Cotswold countryside, been to Manchester and back and last Monday at 2pm, we picked up our campervan, our home for the next almost 4 months and have just had our first week on the road. We are excited and so grateful to have had the time with Christine and Seb and to get rested, fed (Seb is a fabulous vegan cook), connect with family and get organized for the trip ahead.

March 3d – Monday

On March 3d, we got up early and got a bus to Waterloo station and a train to Paddington station. That is the succinct version of our little commute. Add a couple of bad decisions including getting off at the wrong bus stop and taking the wrong train and it added an extra 1/2 hour to the journey. We had plenty of time though and arrived at Paddington Station at 7:30 am for our 8:30 am train. I did a bit of a comedy routine coming out of the tube at Paddington. Instead of leaving the station out of the bigger gates with all my luggage, I decided to go through the regular one. I got the suitcase through in front of me but the backpack I had on my back got stuck on the arms of the gate. So there I was, unable to move, with everyone coming out of the tube, passing by me and Guy up ahead in disbelief. The attendant had to come and rescue me and politely directed me to go through the bigger gate next time. Once freed, Guy and I both had a good laugh for a few minutes. It was a classic moment, one which you would have to witness to fully feel the humor of it. There is no photo of this moment:)

It was a relaxing train ride from Paddington to Cheltenham and once out of Greater London, the views were of the countryside and little bucolic villages were a pleasure to see. Cheltenham is in Gloucestershire and it is known as a spa town. Mineral waters were found there in the early 1700’s and people have flocked to the healing H20 ever since. Cheltenham is also right on the edge of the Cotswolds, an area of gentle rolling hills and storybook villages with cottages made of the famous Cotswolds stone found in the area. This yellowish stone made of limestone is “a variety of sedimentary rock that is usually composed of calcium carbonate derived from the skeletal remains of long-buried marine organisms.” (https://www.elysian-estates.co.uk/origin-cotswold-stone). Fascinating!!! Those sweet cottages made from the golden hewed stone are so delightful to see.

Christine was there waiting at Cheltenham Spa train station when we pulled in at 10:30am. It was so great to see her after 3 years, since she and her sister Diana visited Gibsons to see their mother Anne.

We dropped ours load of luggage off at her home and then headed up into the hills for a pub lunch and then walked along the canal where Christine has for years volunteered to help clean up the canal.

We also explored around an old church and graveyard nearby.

That night, Seb, Christine’s partner, cooked a wonderful vegan dinner. I’m wracking my brain to remember what is was but it was so good. We actually enjoyed vegan meals our whole week with them. I tend towards vegetarian food and Guy has it once and awhile when I cook meat free dinners. Vegan food is kind of pushing it for Guy but he didn’t mind it because it was delicious. And we are both healthier for it!!!

March 4 – Tuesday

Christine invited an old family friend who happens to live in Cheltenham over for coffee. It was so nice to meet Caroline Davis, as Anne (Guy and his 3 sisters’ Mother) spoke about her often. Anne roomed with Caroline’s parents in her 20’s in London. Later when Anne had her 4 children, Caroline was old enough to come and help them as an au pair in Nova Scotia and later in Belgium. It was interesting to hear some things about Guy that Caroline remembers, for example how he used to stare at bushes looking for bugs and birds and butterflies and anything that moved. Anne always kept in touch with Caroline’s parents and Caroline. Now Christine and Caroline see each other often for visits and so the family connection continues.

After our visit with Caroline , we met Christine’s oldest daughter Lottie for lunch and got to behold sweet little Emelia, Lottie’s new baby. After lunch Guy and I lobbed around Cheltenham seeing the sites while Christine did her shift at the local art Gallery.

That night Seb’s family came for supper and it was great to meet them. It was shrove Tuesday so Christine served pancakes drizzled in lemon juice for desert.

March 5-  Wednesday

We headed out for a walk midmorning in the countryside just near Christine’s house.

The early day sunlight on the fields was glorious. Christine wisely had on her wellies. Guy and I had not yet had the chance to buy them so we were in our hiking boots and runners respectively. Cheltenham had had a lot of rain previously to our arrival so the fields in some spots were a muddy slog. My pristine new black shoes had a wedge for support. Unfortunately, the design encouraged mud to form around the shoe, gradually building up to as if I was wearing small snow shoes. I was already wearing my better trousers (best not to say pants as we call trousers in Canada;) as we were going out for lunch later, and these snowshoes kept flipping mud up on the back of my trousers. We were all slipping and sliding a bit along the walk then Guy slid into a young nettle patch, got stung and was sore and itchy until the next morning. Christine remained unscathed proudly in her wellies. It hasn’t rained here yet since we arrived so wellies not totally on the radar yet but I’m sure they will be needed in the future.

After we cleaned up the mud and beautified ourselves, Christine drove us to a pub about a half hour away from Cheltenham. We met Cathy and Paul and their son Edward for a pub lunch. Cathy is Guy and his 3 sisters’ second cousin. Cathy’s mother was the cousin of Hugh (Guy’s dad) and his twin Ursula. Cathy’s father and Hugh and Ursulas’ father were brothers. We enjoyed seeing them and hope to catch up again before we fly home.

That night, Christine and Seb cooked for a crowd. Christine’s girls and their partners and baby Emelia (four months old) came for dinner. A good time was had by all.

 

March 6 – Thursday

Guy got up and pruned Christine’s apple tree. He still loves to keep a hand in, even when on holiday.

Then the three of us headed out for a joy ride to see some Cotswolds villages. We first visited Bourton- on- the- Water, a lovely little bustling village with the river Windrush running through it. It was busy with tourists but still enjoyable. Guy went to the old car museum and Christine and I wandered around checking out the thrift shop and walking the trail alongside the water. It was sunny again that day but a little cold. It truly is a magical setting and a step back in time.

The next town we visited was Broadway. We wandered the streets, Christine bought a strainer (or a new hat:) in a thrift shop and then headed into the 600 year old Lygon Arms Hotel for an afternoon drink and tea.

On the way back to Cheltenham, we happened upon an estate with a church and graveyard attached. Christine loves visiting graveyards like I do so we wandered through. It was fascinating to see the old graves and wonder about the peoples lives. We found a spot under the trees where we were able to peak into the grand property the graveyard was attached to. The garden with a pond was massive. Kudos to the owner of the estate for hanging a Ukrainian flag.

It was a stellar few days with Christine and Seb and family.  The weather was excellent and we have lots of nice memories to fuel us forward in our journey.

Next stop, Manchester.