My World - England III

Wells is officially the smallest city in England and the only one in the county of Somerset. It is a very pretty and busy medieval market town at the foot of the Mendip Hills, dating back to Roman times.

 
 
Wells Cathedral was started in 1180 and completed by 1306, and is one of the most impressive Cathedrals in England. I also think it is one of the most beautiful and could spend hours just looking at its splendour.

The West Front is one of the most important and grandest in England and includes 300 of the original medieval statues. When you first walk up and see it, the detail is really quite breathtaking, even when you're English and used to ancient buildings.

All the original buildings around the Cathedral have been retained and make for an impressive walk up from the Market Square. The archway you can see above in the corner is an original Penniless Porch and is at the top of the Market Square next to The National Trust shop.

As the sign indicates it was built in around 1450 by a Bishop and it was where the poor would sit and beg for alms (money) from passersby.

Wells is blessed with wonderful old architecture everywhere you look and still holds an outdoor market in the square twice weekly. If you ever make it to England, I would highly recommend a visit.

More on the interior of Wells Cathedral next week.

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My World - England II

The Diocese of Sherborne Abbey was created in AD 705.

The immediate area around the Abbey has many Middle Age buildings and structures, it's very impressive.

The architecture shows many different styles, but all of it is beautiful.

This is the south quire looking to the west and the font visible is medieval.

The roof of the nave is the earliest, and claimed to be the finest fan vaulting in England.

The Great West Window at the end of the nave was made by eminent stained glass artist John Hayward and was dedicated in 1998 by The Queen.

The main quire itself is very beautiful with medieval misericords, a painted ceiling and glorious coloured glass. With it's candlelit atmosphere it just feels like a special place.

There are many lovely things to see, I especially enjoyed these old flags, but could find no explanation for them.

This is one of a few smaller chapels open to view and for prayer.

If you look at the differing window styles on the upper and lower levels in this picture, you can clearly see where the Abbey ajoins what All hallows church a later addition in the 1400's.

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Home is where the heart is...

I am now home in Okieland and what my trip back to England taught me is, home is most definitely where the heart is and my heart is with the Hubster here.

I spent Christmas at my dad's on the edge of the Peak District in Derbyshire, a truly beautiful area of England. The snow was bad there too, but with the rolling fields and dry stone walls abounding, it just made it all even more picturesque.

My dad's dog Ellie had a smart coat to go out for her walk in and it was definitely needed!



This was the depth of the ice on one field we traversed across very carefully!

It was nice to go back for a visit but I will never feel like England is home again, I am certain of that. As we came in to land in Chicago they showed a 'welcome to America' video for visitors and it just lifted my heart with pride and happiness to be back on American soil.

And now I am back to school which has been crazy the first week back, and life has returned to it's normal busy but happy routine.

Happy New Year to y'all!

Pretty but a pain!

A typical English church, this is why I still haven't got used to going to church in a modern building that's warm, carpeted and offers facilities!

That's Andy Williams shivering in the snow, the other Andy Williams, my brother.

Aaah it's been great to see the return of a British icon!

The only reason we have managed to get out and about, my brothers old Pickup he bought just to cart off trash and building supplies from his renovation. His main car has been superceded by this with it's 4WD!

Family dinner last night, Roast Lamb which I have missed.

Picture Book England

Well the snow just keeps on coming down and so about all we can do is take a walk around the village. We already had 5 inches when I took these pictures and today we have had another 4 inches, with more forecast.

But I am in a picture book English village and so everywhere you look is gorgeous.



And although all this snow is a pain, it does make everywhere look even prettier! 

 I am really not sure whether many of my plans for my time here will happen. But I am with family, we are warm and stocked up well.

 We also have plenty of things to entertain us and the temps aren't bad compared to what I am used to, so I am happy to go out and walk for fresh air.

We don't have to get anywhere else for Christmas now, we do need to get to a local farm for the Turkey, but my brother has a 4wd and so he can get about.

Now I am off out with a snow shovel to see if I can help clear a path out with the car!

Misty my brothers cat may have the better plan though!

British eccentric sighted!

Day 2 back in Blighty proved to me that British eccentricity is still alive and well, this was the Postman (Mail Carrier) in Yeovil today, he even obligingly posed for me. Mind you if you willingly leave the house dressed like this and wander down the High St (Main) for all to see, you're probably not shy!

Snowy England

So I am here in snowy England, the latest snow arrived early this morning and we are due to get dumped on again overnight!

This is the view from my beautiful attic room at my brothers home, I have huge picture windows facing east and west giving me glorious views across open Somerset countryside.

My flight was long, cramped but smooth and I may have slept for an hour and dozed for a little longer on and off. I managed to stay awake all day and evening after arriving and went to bed at 10:30pm. I was wide awake at 3am and starving hungry, so I snacked on some Chex from my bag and opened the window and admired the view at night. I read for a little and went back to sleep at 4:30am and my brother woke me at 8:45am. So I seem to have already converted to Brit time and feel great!

Yesterday I got to hug my 89yr old Nana and have a Marks & Spencer Prawn Mayo & a Minced Pie for lunch at her house. My mum picked me up from the airport and then my brother and I headed down to his some in Somerset. When I got here my dad and stepmum had just arrived and I met my brothers lovely other half for the first time. We had a lovely homecooked dinner, relaxed and just enjoyed each others company.

I have already had a bacon sarnie for breakfast and some Galaxy chocolate, so life is REALLY good! I have to say although I really didn't want to leave the Hubster alone for Christmas, I am already having a wonderful time and it's great to see all my family.

We had plans to go out and around today but it's snowing and as we all know, England grinds to a complete halt with a bit of ice and 2 inches of snow!! In fact my brothers partner just arrived home after spending 90 minutes trying to make a normally 40 minute journey to work. He has given up for the day due to black ice, and yet the roads don't even have snow on them at the moment. Utter madness as far as I am concerned, but that's the British and their snow paranoia for you lol!

Up, up & away!

Well I am headed to the airport for the long journey back to Blighty for Xmas.

I got all of my 'to do' list done just about and my suitcase scraped in under the 50lb limit by a measly .02 lbs. The last time I flew the limit was 70lbs, now it's 50lbs and no doubt in a few more years it will be a ridiculous 40lbs! How they expect you to get clothes, gifts, toiletries, the weight of the case and various essentials in for under 50lbs blows my mind!

I have been trying not to breathe in at work for days as a nasty stomach bug circulated around me and I think I remembered everything.

So I need good vibes and a few prayers please for a safe and hopefully sleepy journey at around 7:40pm CET today, as I wave 'adieu' to the States for a fortnight.

Next post from Blighty!

Countdown...

Things I still have to get done by Tuesday night include:

Find the pack of Christmas cards I know I have somewhere here and get them addressed. So if you usually get one from us and you don't this year, please don't take it personally!

Laundry.

Decide what clothes to take, and as usual I will take too much!

Work.

Attend the School Christmas program.

Get the tyres on my car aligned.

Try not to contract either stomach flu, pink eye or a recurring virus that are all raging through the school right now!

Grocery shop.

Round up the video camera, netbook, mp3, Kindle, numerous chargers, the plug adaptor, decide whether to take all my camera lenses or try to whittle it down and maybe regret it later!

Sort out my quart sized bag of liquids for security.

Pack my suitcase, carry-on and handbag for the maximum of ease.

Unpack them then repack them at least twice!!

Wash my warm coat.

Have a test run of the Tylenol PM I intend to take, so maybe for the first time ever I will get some sleep on a flight!

Try not to worry, stress, get anxious about the flights - I HATE FLYING!

Try not to get anxious about making the journey alone, I've done it before but it's been 5 years!

Round up all essential paperwork.

Ensure I have all gifts for friends and relatives with me.

Send contact details to various friends in England.

Clean the house.

Lavish love and affection on the Hubster and the 'girls'.

Load Skype on my netbook so the Hubster and I can keep in touch visually.

Decide what to wear on the flight for comfort, sleep (fingers crossed), warmth and to not resemble a bag lady upon landing. Not much to ask then!

Pedicure.

Get cash and sort out credit cards I need to take and not.

And what have I done so far.....

Cooked meals for the Hubster and stocked the freezer for the entire time I'm gone.

Had brief moments of looking forward to being back in England - before guilt at leaving the Hubster over Christmas, stress at going alone, worry about everything takes over again.

Tried to keep underwear, printer cartridges and shoes to the back of my mind!

Got myself up to date at work.

WORRIED!!

Aaaaarrrrrrrrgggggghhhhh - stressed moi?!

Headed Home

Well in exactly a fortnight (2 weeks) I will be sitting at Dallas Fort Worth 'enjoying' a stopover en route home to Blighty for Christmas with the family. As usual I am not looking forward to the journey which is about 21 hours door to door and I hate to fly. This is a bad time of year for the Hubster to leave the business, so I am leaving him here to hold the fort and I will miss him. But I am looking forward to being back on English soil for the first time in over 5 years, in fact since I emigrated.

I am sure I will notice changes. I keep up with the news daily over there and so I have a good idea of how things are changing and not all for the better. I expect to experience some nervousness when in heavy traffic nose to tail at speed, but after so many years of zero traffic, it's going to be a culture shock re-adjusting!

There will be new homes to visit for family and friends and a ton of catching up to do. I am sure I will be taken aback by some changes and unsurprised by others. I will spend time with my almost 90 yr old Nana, one of the main reasons I am going now.

Things I plan to do that I have missed include: a day shopping in Bath with my mum, catching up with my dad and winding my brother up. A trip to the seaside to stand on the beach and smell the sea, maybe even dip a toe despite the cold as I have missed it terribly. A visit to Wells Cathedral for a Carol concert hopefully and a National Trust property to soak up some history and architecture. Sitting in a pub with a pint of Guinness and a roaring fire, and enjoying scenic old English villages.

No surprise that I won't be dieting whilst I'm there! I plan on eating everything I've missed as much as possible: a decent Bacon sarnie for breakfast daily, Indian Curry, Chinese Peking Crispy Duck, M&S Prawn Mayo sarnie, Sausages and Sausage Rolls, Lamb, Steamed Syrup ponge, Custard, Galaxy Chocolate, Brandy Butter and Minced Pies. Needless to say I am taking loose clothing!

So I am now 'officially' on countdown and hanging clothes ready to pack, buying last minute bits and bobs and spending time with the Hubster who will be 'Home Alone' for a fortnight. And now I'm off to buy a travel plug on Amazon!

I will blog from Blighty on my observations and with pictures whilst there.

My World - Taos B&B

I made a last minute booking through Expedia and we got a great deal at the San Geronimo Lodge in Taos for our visit.

It was just utterly charming and felt like home from the moment we arrived.

There are so many special touches that put it in a different class to your big name motels.

It was built in 1925 and was the first 'resort' hotel in Taos. The current owners took it over 3 years ago and have been renovating and improving since. It helps they are artistically inclined and have exquisite taste.

It is furnished in a relaxed, country house style with antiques and artwork throughout. The whole of the ground floor is open for the use of the guests, even the piano and a guitar, which the Hubster utilised.

Being a traditonal Adobe construction, there are many great features to enjoy. I fell in love with the blue sconces in this room.

It is just a Bed & Breakfast, but the breakfast is special. You eat here in the dining room and there is a different homecooked selection daily. We had their special recipe Blueberry Pancakes, Pepper Bacon and Baked Eggs which were all delicious.

The morning we were there, they had a classical guitarist playing a concert for the guests as they ate. But most mornings Charles the owner plays piano, he is an artist and did the paintings in this room. The one on the right here is of him and his wife on their wedding day!

The grounds are also lovely and there to be enjoyed. There is a pool, terrace and hot-tub for the guests and all the 17 rooms either have a balcony or terrace available for use.

This was our terrace outside our room, we sat here late at night enjoying the peace and a drink before retiring. The Lodge is a mile outside town down a quiet road, so there is no noise from the local area and views of the mountains all around.

We had an Adobe style gas fireplace on our room, plus the traditional thick walls kept the room at a comfortable temperature. We also had a great nights sleep thanks to the very comfortable bed.

The owners have put in some very personal touches. This meditation circle is one, the idea being you walk it's 1/4 mile length and relax. The sound of a creek next to it only adds to the atmosphere.

There is also a Prayer Path meandering through the grounds with stopping points all along it with positive words and a seat, to just sit and contemplate life.

We struck gold with the San Geronimo Lodge and will definitely return there in the future. If you are headed to Taos, we would recommend it without hesitation.

Now I want to live in an Adobe and LOVE this style!

Next week the Taos Pueblo World Heritage site.

To see some great sights around the globe or join in the fun, go to My World Tuesday