London: Arrival

On Sunday, we had lunch at the Prince of Wales with the family, and then spent time with Dean, Jenny and the children at Nan and Pop's house. That evening, it was time to pack up.

On Monday morning, we gave kisses to Nan and Pop, and took the train into London to start our short 43-hour city break. We had two things solidly on the agenda: a play booked at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, and tickets to the Tower of London.

We found our Premier Inn, in a fabulous spot near the Thames and the Globe, and dropped off our big suitcases. Then, we wandered around for a while. 

On our wanders, we found the Golden Hinde, the replica of Sir Francis Drake's ship, so we bought tickets and went aboard. 

We learned the replica was constructed 50 years ago using the old, original shipbuilding method, and, like its predecessor, successfully traveled around the world. Stace remembers seeing it with his Pop when he was a boy, when it docked in Cornwall.

There were informational signs and activities for kids, and you could imagine what it might have been like to be a 16th century sailor (no thanks!).

Stace and Cora continued their longstanding argument over whether Drake was a pirate, or privateer, or if privateer was a synonym for pirate. A fellow visitor overheard and said she was a history professor, and he was indeed NOT a pirate. 

Then, in the next room, a sign labeled Drake a pirate. We got a laugh.

London is an amazing city. Maybe we were just in the best parts, but it felt safe, and every view was pretty.

Here, we were walking across the Millennium Bridge toward St. Paul's Cathedral.

Without prearranged tickets, we weren't able to go inside, but seeing it outside was special in itself.

Cora managed to get on WiFi and looked up "boba near me," and successfully navigated us to a boba shop. The girls were very happy to have their favorite drink, for the first time in two weeks. It's not easy to find in Somerset, but boba is all over London, we discovered.

Across the street was a fancy little bakery, where we got sausage rolls.

This bit of Southbank history - the remains of the 12th century Winchester Palace - was preserved near our hotel. Truly a great place to explore!

Saturday Special

We were honored to be invited to the wedding of our friends Jason and Marisa, and partially timed our trip to be sure to be in town. Marisa's dad, Andy, was a special friend to Stace for many years, and he visited us multiple times.

Here's Stace in his snazzy new suit, and me in a dress I've had for, ahem, many years.

The wedding was inside at a lovely hotel in Sidmouth, on the coast. The view included this thatched roof house and the ocean.

The most unique wedding cake I've seen! Alternating "layers" of pork pies and cheese rounds, with a variety of chutneys and spreads. There also were brownies and fruit, for those with a sweet tooth.

The food at the sitdown lunch after the ceremony, and the hors d'oeuvres during cocktail hour, were outstanding. What a treat!

It was very nice to meet and chat with the family and friends, too. 

Marisa and Jason had a live band playing for the disco/reception, and a caricature artist! It was fun to watch him work.

The whole event was so special, and we were so happy to be included.

Sidmouth has a great high street, with lots of shopping and food/drink. Stace and I got there early enough to walk around a bit, getting another coffee at an ancient coffeehouse, and going in some antique stores. The tag on the coat above said it was a WWI Royal Flying Corp officers coat, with a price of £650.

Meanwhile, Sue and Gord, Cora and Violet, Dean, Jen and Olivia went to Lytes Cary, a stately home in Somerset, just off of the Fosse Way, with this lovely chapel.

The estate features 8,500 acres and an extensive art collection, including artifacts from Egypt. The family enjoyed their day together there.

Friday Fun

On Friday, Stace, Vi and I went to a dairy farm near Somerton to get more raw milk. At home, we can buy raw milk at Sprouts, but it's very expensive. Here, you're actually looking at the cows you're getting your milk from! It's pricier than conventional milk, naturally, but much more affordable than in California.

When we showed up, we weren't sure where the fridge was to buy the milk, so we were wandering a bit. The farmer said hello, and gave us an impromptu tour - what an amazing setup for his cows! 

Everything is automated and monitored, and very, very clean. I didn't have my phone (camera) with me so I didn't get photos of the milking we watched. But later I snapped this of the calves. 

Another highlight - Violet spotted a fox!
 

Later on Friday, we picked up Palmers Fish 'n Chips and took dinner to Dean's house. We enjoyed seeing Livy's collection of animals - bunnies, guinea pigs, a hamster, and frogs.

This little cutie is a cross between a domesticated rabbit and a wild one.

Frogs!

It was a nice evening together.

Dunster Castle

On Thursday, we made our return to Dunster Castle, for the first time since 2016.

Stace, Sue, Violet and I made the trip, while Gord helped Dean with a work project. We had a great time! 

It's the details - like this gorgeous carved wooden staircase, and the ceilings.

These chairs caught my attention - the carved oak Flemish backs are from around 1600, and depict the stations of the cross. The seats are from 1830.

These 17th century leather hangings were especially intriguing to Violet. They told the story of Cleopatra and Antony.

Every room told a story, and featured beautiful furnishings.

I glanced up at one of the portraits and thought I was looking at my grandpa!

We got coffees and scones and had the best view for our snack, including a robin on the adjacent wall.

 

We walked the grounds, which include a lovely creek.

We then walked into the nearby medieval village, which is just stunning. I'd be happy to stay a night here someday.

We walked into several shops, including this Medieval Gallery, where you can buy an 800-year-old sword that would likely have been used by knights in the Crusades. Eight thousand pounds!

Tidbits

 Stace and I went into Yeovil on Monday, to get him a dress shirt for the wedding and handle some banking at the NatWest there. 

While we were out, Sue and Gord took the girls to the Treasurer's House in Martock, a tiny National Trust place that has limited hours because it's still a private residence. 

They also went over to Montacute House, and had scones.

On Tuesday, Stace and I went to Langport with Sue and Gord, and had lunch from this great little bakery we discovered the week before. We enjoyed our meal by the river - the weather has been amazing!

On Tuesday evening, we went to Karen and Martin's house, where she made dinner for us and we enjoyed catching up.

Here, Violet is showing Karen some of her recent digital artwork.

On Wednesday, Stace and Cora went for bike ride in the morning. Later, Stace, Violet and I rode to Mulcheney, to the pottery gallery. We then drove to Martock, to see the art gallery. Stace got some new prints for our dining room walls. We then went into the precinct, and found this fluffy, friendly tortie.

We also got treats at the Bakery Roy-Al, a Martock favorite.

Here's something you definitely don't see in SClarita - a pony and trap going along the main street.

In the afternoon, Stace and I walked to Auntie Doreen's house, and then she took us to a car and tractor show at a pub in Langport. We met up with the family and had Greek food from the on-site food truck.