Monday 30 July 2012

summer holiday 2012 - final installment

I promise this is the final installment!  I wanted to record this holiday but there are so many photo's. 

beautiful Berkeley Castle 


and gardens
 


the most amazing purple roses


and guess who we saw there?  Guess who was sat at the next table having lunch in the garden?

Helen Folasade Adu OBE, better known as Sade
 
google image

I'm sure she lives in a time machine because she certainly didn't look any older than she did in the 1980's - she is beautiful.

We're now onto the last few photographs - little incidental photos that don't mean much to anyone else but capture the moments of pure holiday relaxation - they make me smile.

flowers in our cottage bedroom 

 

the clock in the living room where I sat quietly stitching, no tv, no chatter, just me and the tick-tock


the scrummy ploughman's lunch at Chipping Sodbury


 and MrG's delicious barbecued piri piri chicken - mmm.

 

Sunday 29 July 2012

summer holiday 2012 - 3rd installment


Off to Bristol for the day.  Another scorcher of a day - we certainly picked the right week to enjoy the summer sun.

 

yes for more shopping but also... 

 

 a trip around ss Great Britain


SS Great Britain is a museum ship and former passenger steamship.  She was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the transatlantic service between Bristol and New York.  He also designed the Clifton Suspension Bridge (as seen in first photo).


summer holiday 2012 - 2nd installment

Do you know who lived in a house like this?


William Shakespeare, no less!

 

Stratford upon Avon is the birthplace of William Shakespeare.  He grew up here and also spent the first five years of married life here with his new wife, Anne Hathaway.

 

I would have liked to have looked around the house and gardens but it was soooo busy.  It was quite tricky getting these photo's without having a stray tourist in shot.  

Anyway, I should mention that on our journey down to our holiday cottage we stopped off for a night in Stratford upon Avon followed by a day in the shops!

Me being me (a bit of a cheapskate) I booked us a room at the Premier Inn.  It was just a 'stop-off' on our trip so we didn't need anything fancy but I must say that I was impressed.  I think it must be a new Premier Inn - I don't know how long it has been open but everything was immaculate.  Our room was clean and bright and right on the canal side with a row of brightly painted barges parked up outside our window.   We had a full English breakfast in the stylish restaurant - it certainly set us up for the day and we didn't need to eat again until our evening meal! 

There are some lovely shops in Stratford - Vinegar Hill, Aspire Style, White Stuff to name just a few.

The very first thing I saw when I walked into White Stuff was this beautiful purple leather handbag.  I walked around the store with it over my shoulder and then when it was time to leave I just knew I couldn't leave without it - I know it's going to be a good old faithful favourite! I love it.

 
 


Saturday 28 July 2012

Summer holiday 2012 ~ 1st instalment

Just back from our summer holiday.  This time we visited the Cotswold's.  We hired a lovely holiday cottage deep in the countryside.  

Hiring a holiday cottage is part of the holiday for me it's not just a base.  I love to experience 'living' in a different house for a week or two.  This one was beautiful - a very tasteful cottage with the most amazing gardens.  

Although the cottage was in a quiet and picturesque valley it was an ideal base for our shopping expeditions!  Bath and Bristol were within 20 miles and there were so many quaint little villages to explore.

I read the visitors book in the cottage and so many people had walked for miles, cycled for miles and enjoyed being out and about in the countryside.  We enjoyed the countryside but didn't take part in any strenuous activities - we loved relaxing in garden and we loved the shops! 

Sitting out in the garden was entertaining.  A green woodpecker came down into the garden each evening (we have a great spotted woodpecker that visits our garden at home but we hadn't seen a green one before) there was a kingfisher, swans and ducks on the pond, and early morning MrG saw a muntjac deer.  One evening we heard a strange whooshing noise and went outside to see two low flying hot air balloons - the whooshing noise was them turning on the flame to rise above the trees. Another night the Red Arrows flew past!





Thursday 12 July 2012

MissG is 15 today

Our littlest is not so little any more. 


 She turned 15 today.

We celebrated with lots of birthday presents


and a meal out at the local Pizza Express 

 
and her friend May made her a marvelous Mario cake