This weekend we went to Wales. Ann had invited us over for the weekend to do some sight seeing, see her new house and meet up with some fellow kiwis from the Office of National Statistics. We drove over on Saturday morning and enjoyed driving over the bridge as visibility was a bit better than last time and we could see some of the river below and the other bridge. We continue to be amused by the toll on the bridge which is £5.10 and so everyone hands over notes and the guy on the toll has to give us all change! Anyway, 10 pence does add up with the number of cars that travel over the bridge so it is probably worth it from the cost perspective.
Anne has a lovely little place in Newport. A very similar design to the house we are living in but quite a bit bigger. She has a little outdoor area and had bought some tables and chairs for us to sit out in. So, we lunched outside and enjoyed the sunshine. Over here many of the rental properties have everything including kitchen utensils and so you don’t need to pay a lot to set yourself up. She has nice furniture and a very comfy bed!! Anne suggested we explore a castle so on the way to one we found another and never did get to our original destination. Caerphilly Castle was crowded as it was the day of the 'Big cheese' festival – hundreds of people out enjoying the sunshine after all that rain. The castle is a ruin and fascinating and stood in the middle of a fair ground with food stalls and ferris wheels, archery displays and people in period costume. The tower is competing with the Leaning Tower of Pisa for ‘how far can I lean before I fall over’ award as the ground is clearly subsiding under it. In NZ it wouldn’t have survived with earthquakes but actually it looked as though it would continue to lean for many years longer. On the quieter side of the castle people were fishing in the muddy moat and I continue to wonder if they eat what they catch (if indeed they catch anything)– one day I will ask. I have just realised that we took no photos of the crowd, intent on taking photos of the castle with as fewer people as possible in it. Pity really because you would have seen a crowd of English enjoying themselves on a summers day.
After picking up Lyn (another kiwi statistician) from the railway station we headed down to Swansea – apparently a lovely little seaside resort – but the rain began once again and it hid all vistas of the scenery, sand and sea. We had dinner in a pub in Mumbles (suburb of Swansea), hoped that the rain would stop so we could walk along the wharves but it didn’t – so Harry and I decided it is on our ‘must go back there on a fine day’ list. It isn't too far away from Bristol so could easily be a day trip.
I have recommended to Anne that she starts a bed and breakfast especially for kiwis but I don’t think she is going to oblige. After a substantial breakfast I got a lovely phone call from my Mum, Mike, Sharon and Becks and had a long chat to them. After that we met up with Elspeth and Keith who live in a cottage in Wales (photo of their little house without Elspeth and Keith - they seemed to escape our camera lens - theres always another time!!) and went for a lovely wander up a canal not far from where they live. The path was muddy, but it was so much fun walking along the scenic route, around puddles and squelchy mud. At one point a number of canal boats were lined up waiting for someone with chain saws to come and remove a branch from the canal. Went into the oldest pub in Wales 'the Skirrid' for lunch. We sat outside oblivous to our muddy clothes and shoes and enjoyed dinner and dessert with a large group of Australians. Keith mentioned that the pub used to be the court house and in the cellar prisoners waited while they were sentenced. After lunch I went and saw the beam where people were actually hung inside the building. It has certainly made me think about the not so romantic side of our history - and even though the food was nice I think it would take quite something to get me to eat in that pub again!!
Anne has a lovely little place in Newport. A very similar design to the house we are living in but quite a bit bigger. She has a little outdoor area and had bought some tables and chairs for us to sit out in. So, we lunched outside and enjoyed the sunshine. Over here many of the rental properties have everything including kitchen utensils and so you don’t need to pay a lot to set yourself up. She has nice furniture and a very comfy bed!! Anne suggested we explore a castle so on the way to one we found another and never did get to our original destination. Caerphilly Castle was crowded as it was the day of the 'Big cheese' festival – hundreds of people out enjoying the sunshine after all that rain. The castle is a ruin and fascinating and stood in the middle of a fair ground with food stalls and ferris wheels, archery displays and people in period costume. The tower is competing with the Leaning Tower of Pisa for ‘how far can I lean before I fall over’ award as the ground is clearly subsiding under it. In NZ it wouldn’t have survived with earthquakes but actually it looked as though it would continue to lean for many years longer. On the quieter side of the castle people were fishing in the muddy moat and I continue to wonder if they eat what they catch (if indeed they catch anything)– one day I will ask. I have just realised that we took no photos of the crowd, intent on taking photos of the castle with as fewer people as possible in it. Pity really because you would have seen a crowd of English enjoying themselves on a summers day.
After picking up Lyn (another kiwi statistician) from the railway station we headed down to Swansea – apparently a lovely little seaside resort – but the rain began once again and it hid all vistas of the scenery, sand and sea. We had dinner in a pub in Mumbles (suburb of Swansea), hoped that the rain would stop so we could walk along the wharves but it didn’t – so Harry and I decided it is on our ‘must go back there on a fine day’ list. It isn't too far away from Bristol so could easily be a day trip.
I have recommended to Anne that she starts a bed and breakfast especially for kiwis but I don’t think she is going to oblige. After a substantial breakfast I got a lovely phone call from my Mum, Mike, Sharon and Becks and had a long chat to them. After that we met up with Elspeth and Keith who live in a cottage in Wales (photo of their little house without Elspeth and Keith - they seemed to escape our camera lens - theres always another time!!) and went for a lovely wander up a canal not far from where they live. The path was muddy, but it was so much fun walking along the scenic route, around puddles and squelchy mud. At one point a number of canal boats were lined up waiting for someone with chain saws to come and remove a branch from the canal. Went into the oldest pub in Wales 'the Skirrid' for lunch. We sat outside oblivous to our muddy clothes and shoes and enjoyed dinner and dessert with a large group of Australians. Keith mentioned that the pub used to be the court house and in the cellar prisoners waited while they were sentenced. After lunch I went and saw the beam where people were actually hung inside the building. It has certainly made me think about the not so romantic side of our history - and even though the food was nice I think it would take quite something to get me to eat in that pub again!!
Up the road from Elspeth and Keith’s is a little historic church built hundreds of years ago. Lovely intricate wood work in the ‘Screen of Jerome’ which separated the ‘sacred’ part of the church from the less sacred. A little terrier dog followed us up the road and his legs and tummy were covered in mud. Outside the gravestones were sitting at various slopes and where they had fallen the parishioners have made a footpath around the church.
On the way home we saw a sign that said Christchurch and another that said 'Roman Ruins'. We stopped in Christchurch and sat looking over Newport with a cup of tea and muffin and then went to the ruins. I said to Harry wouldn't it be funny if they were the same ones that we saw last time - and guess what - our only excuse is that we came from a different direction!! We did see the barrack house this time which we missed last time so it was worth the trip. I've put a photo in it cos in one of those barracks 100 men lived. Outside were big round ovens and a toilet block with running water.
At work today a girl commented to another ‘you have a tiefling’. We both looked at her as we had no idea what she was talking about. It apparently means ‘thread’ that usually hangs down. She told us some other Cornish sayings such as ‘flasket’ which is a washing basket and a ‘frail’ which is a cloth shopping bag. Hasn't English changed over the years?
This lunchtime Harry and I went to a historic house built in the 1700's. The Red Lodge has had a number of renovations but the most beautiful thing is the huge intricately carved oak panels that went from floor to ceiling.
On the way home we saw a sign that said Christchurch and another that said 'Roman Ruins'. We stopped in Christchurch and sat looking over Newport with a cup of tea and muffin and then went to the ruins. I said to Harry wouldn't it be funny if they were the same ones that we saw last time - and guess what - our only excuse is that we came from a different direction!! We did see the barrack house this time which we missed last time so it was worth the trip. I've put a photo in it cos in one of those barracks 100 men lived. Outside were big round ovens and a toilet block with running water.
At work today a girl commented to another ‘you have a tiefling’. We both looked at her as we had no idea what she was talking about. It apparently means ‘thread’ that usually hangs down. She told us some other Cornish sayings such as ‘flasket’ which is a washing basket and a ‘frail’ which is a cloth shopping bag. Hasn't English changed over the years?
This lunchtime Harry and I went to a historic house built in the 1700's. The Red Lodge has had a number of renovations but the most beautiful thing is the huge intricately carved oak panels that went from floor to ceiling.
No comments:
Post a Comment