The final days

All good things must come to an end and our UK journey was nearing the finish line.

For our last few days, we visited, shopped, ate and packed.

One last trip we took was to visit Taunton, to walk around the town and stop in at St Mary Magdalene church to capture its beauty.

 I just loved the etched glass door

 The ceiling is one of the finest I have seen in a church

 Even if one is not religious, these stained glass windows are breathtaking

 We stopped at Bills Restaurant for lunch, and for a chain restaurant, it was very good.

Garlic king prawns

Crispy duck salad

Sheppard's pie

Crispy cod burger

 Just so you don't think we are absolute gluttons, stuffing ourselves for each meal, what follows is the next evening farewell pub evening with Aunt Shirley, Christine and David, after packing for our voyage home.

Ham, mushroom and leek pie

Fish pie

A big thank you to everyone who wined, dined, entertained, visited and put us up for 3 weeks.

We will miss you all.

A little History

My father's side of the family comes from Bridport,

 located in Dorest, UK. 

 In fact, my Great Grandfather was the Mayor for 2 years during the 1930's.  He decided to build a new house for his family, on a piece of garden at the back of his father's home. 

Through a piece of luck, my Aunt Shirley was able to chat with the current owners who invited us to visit their home

 to see what it looked like now.

The back of my Great-Great-Grandfather's house,where the garden once stood

The front of my Great-Grandfather's house

 The original fireplace was untouched!

Even though the original piece of land was used mainly for the house, there still was room for a lovely garden.

After a pleasant visit we headed over the Burton-Bradstock to have lunch at what was once a pretty run down hotel that hosted a family reunion back in 2005.  It is now all tarted up and is called The Seaside Boarding House

They have a wonderful menu...

...where we dined on cauliflower-hazelnut soup and grilled mackerel

The view overlooking the beach was breathtaking

After a satisfying lunch, we headed to West Bay, where my Dad and Aunt spent many a happy summer.  The cliffs of the Jurassic coast were magnificent.

The harbour bustled with colourful boats.

  No matter which way you looked the views impressed!

I can't believe that my UK holiday is soon over.....

Welcome to Downton Abbey

I can't begin to tell you how many times I have watched all six seasons of Downton Abbey, so was super excited when my Aunt Shirley game me tickets to go with Trish to visit Highclere Castle, (where  it is filmed), for my birthday.  I had a vision of arriving and being met by the butler Carson......but alas, bubble burst, I stood in line for 45 minutes with all the other fans, awaiting my turn to get in.  Camera in hand, I was crushed again to find that no photos were allowed inside.

So trying to make the best of it, I took some outside shots and bought the 'book'. I'll share some pictures of the inside of Highclere taken from the book!

Coat of arms under each window

Getting ready to walk through those famous doors...

It was a real treat to walk the same halls and stairs as my favourite characters.  Thanks so much Shirley!

After our morning visit, we had another treat.  We met with an old friend from our high school years, who had moved back to England.  I saw him a few years ago, 

but Trish had not seen Simon for over 40 years.

The food at The Yew Tree Pub in Highclere Village, where we had lunch, was fabulous.....the best fish and chips so far...

 ...and the burger was delicious

A bonus on the way home was a 'Stonehenge drive by'....

What a wonderful day.

The Jurassic coast coming up...

Another birthday celebration

With me living in Canada and most of my relatives living in England, my aunt used my recent birthday as the perfect reason for a family reunion.  Aunts, uncles, cousins and my sister,

 all gathered for an, albeit rainy, afternoon.

I won't bore you with a ton of family snaps, 

but just share a few memories.

All the cousins

What beautiful ladies

My sister, Trish

Uncle Andy and me

And now, for the 'piece de resistance'......a groaning table of food.

 The wonderful birthday cake was made

 by my cousin's wife...thanks Julia!

Thanks so much, Aunt Shirley, for a stupendous day!

Come visit Highclere Castle, ('Downton Abbey') with me....coming up.....

Welcome to Somerset UK

As you might already know, my father was born of British parents, so I have many relatives in England, who I try to see as often as I can. 

I hadn't been for 2 years,

 so was really looking forward to a family reunion.

After delayed flights, we finally arrived a few hours late, but just in time to go for dinner to, ironically, a friend of my sister's Trish, who is the owner of the lovely converted farm in France where her birthday 'party' was held last year.  Even more coincidental, is that David lives 5 minutes away from my aunt.

He has a lovely home....

 ...and treated us to a superb dinner.

Cold salmon & tabbouleh salad

Chicken in a cream sauce

What a a lovely way to welcome us to England.

A party and family reunion coming up!