Category Archives: bath

Cookie Class at Coffee @ Camden

Coffee @ Camden, Bath

Last month we surprised my sons with a special Saturday activity, a children’s cookie class at Coffee @ Camden in Bath.  You might remember my blog post from Coffee @ Camden on my day date there last year.  The owner, Sara, specializes in amazing and delicious cupcakes which are perfect for birthdays, weddings, holidays, or those ‘just because’ moments. While we were not having cupcakes on this day, my sweet tooth was not disappointed. Continue reading

Double Rainbows – Bath, England

Double RainbowDouble Rainbow

On a country walk recently it began to rain for a bit on our way back home. With our rain jackets and wellies we did not let a little rain spoil what had already been a wonderful afternoon in the English countryside. Upon entering our town we were greeted with an amazing site of a double rainbow. I have not seen rainbows like this, so vibrant and beautiful, since we were living on the island of Oahu in Hawaii.  I loved photographing rainbows when we were living the island life.  Since my father’s death in 2008,  seeing a rainbow has always reminded me of him and his Aloha spirit. He had been on my mind so much during our walk and in my family’s conversation that day.  As a Third Culture Kid (TCK) in our expat life, feeling so connected to my dad in the country where my life all began feels like the closest thing to ‘home’ that I can describe.  The previous rainbows that we have seen in England in the past year have been on our 10th Anniversary Vow Renewal in Wales and when we returned to Bath with my mum after our summer travels in August.  In a way I feel like he is watching over us.

Double Rainbow

 From my Ohana to yours,
may this week be filled with wonderful reminders
of just how wonderful and beautiful life is around you.

Q: Have you ever seen a double rainbow? Do you connect on a personal level with them too?

* Photography by Bonnie Rose Photography © 2007 – 2014 All Rights Reserved | http://www.bonnie-rose.co.luk 

1 Year Anniversary in Bath, England

1 Year Anniversary in Bath, England

A year ago today we moved up from the area of Brighton to Bath in Somerset, England.  Two days before Christmas and we were already to start celebrating the holidays properly. It had been a long end of the year as our family had been separated by distance of continents and seas since July.

My husband and I had been job searching for months.  In the beginning of December 2012 my husband with his new masters degree got job offers in London and Bath.  A two day trip to Bath and my husband knew London had been pushed out of the equation.  He had fallen in love with the beautiful historic city with is close proximity to picturesque countrysides and storybook canals. We could now finally live in a much bigger place (a two story with stairs!) than the normal tiny UK flats.  We basically had two weeks between the acceptance of the job to find a place to live, get moved out of our current location, and organize my family in the US to get their plane tickets.

On the 22nd of December my mum flew with my sons to London, who had been staying with family stateside since July.  Although we were schedule to move out that day, we ran into a snag with our less than organized moving company.  With plans to now move out the next day we camped out in our boxed up flat in Brighton while my husband (already in Bath, having signed the new lease) camped out in our new place with out us and our stuff.

On  the 23rd of December we finally managed to get moved out of our flat. Long story short not all of our belongings made it due to the worst moving company experience I have had in my 30 years of life that includes not living in one place for longer than three years at a time.  While some of it was able to be acquired day later with an additional car trip, we had to part with many belongings and furniture that just did not make the cut (RIP my beloved US sewing machine). That evening after traveling by train and taxi my mum, sons, and I arrived at our new place in Batheaston just as the last of our stuff was being uploaded by the moving company. While we had unopened boxes in just about every room, we searched for the ones I had labeled with christmas trees. These contained all our holiday decorations and gifts needed for Christmas.  These were the first boxes we opened in our new place as we were excited to celebrate Christmas together.

The next day on the 24th of December my sister arrived from D.C. just in time for Christmas Eve.  My dad, up in heaven, was with us in spirit. It was time to officially start our family Chrismukkah!  We celebrated our reunion with our kids, my husband’s new job, and our new place with a Christmas ‘at home’ with our visiting family. Our first Christmas in Brighton had been very special with our sons as it was our first English Christmas together.  This year in 2012 it was a holiday filled with thankfulness and blessings for all we had in our lives, including the people we cherished most.

My favourite memories from last year were with my entire family playing bananagrams in the dining room, eating my family’s traditional christmas cookie ‘carmelitas’ that my mum had made, drinking wine my sister (a level II sommelier) had chosen, and with the view from our window of Solsbury Hill (in reference to the Peter Gabriel song) with the many white sheep that dotted the green quilt work fields around us.  This was pure bliss.

I am so thankful for the past year and for spending a full year with my family all together these last 356 days.  After being a military family, I am thankful for this amazing lifestyle of being able to be constantly around each other through out the months of the year.  It has been a really wonderful first year in Bath, England. With Christmas just two days away it is hard to think of anything I could want from Father Christmas. Aside from more time with my father or having my sister and mum here of course.  Life is about family for me and so from my family to yours, have a happy Holidays!

*photography to Bonnie Rose Photography © 2007 – 2013 All Rights Reserved

Christmas Market in Bath, England

Bath Christmas Market

One of the things I have been anxiously awaiting to visit this holiday season is a Christmas market.  We went to the German Christmas market in London two years ago and came home with the fondest Christmas memories. I do not think we will get to London this year but it was our first time to check out the Christmas market in Bath, England.  We moved to Bath on the evening of the 23rd of December last year and had just missed the opportunity to visit it before closed for the holidays.  Days before the market was ready to be opened we were seeing all the signs of it being set up around the Bath Abbey.  From what I had seen online I did not think it would be as big as it was and the stalls seemed to fit every little alley, nook, and cranny around the Roman Baths area in town.  We even found glühwein to keep us warm as we enjoyed the evening of holiday cheer.  I will say there were quite a lot of people also enjoying the holiday cheer as the crowds were thick.  It did not stop us from having an amazing time and even meeting some great people.

We met up with a couple of Ryan’s work colleagues which made the night even more joyous as we could share it with family and friends.  Our christmas gift to ourselves was buying in on the 3 bottle deal at the hot sauce stand.  Since we love things spicy two of our three bottles was The End, the hottest one available and very tasty.  My kids fell in love with a stand that boasted tons of tiny figurines each with their own personality and character.  ‘Uncle’ Hugo bought each of my sons one for Christmas: Ronan chose a blue dragon and Maddox chose a black bat.  I got a chance to talk to the couple who were selling them who are originally from Australia but have been traveling over here.  While he drives she makes these creative figurines on a tray on her lap. I really loved all the Christmas ones she had available including the figgy pudding ornaments for the tree.

It was a lovely evening and I hope to keep checking back around the markets each time we are in town. There is something about being around the sights, smells, and sounds of Christmas that really put me in a great mood.

Bath Christmas Market

Bath Christmas Market

Bath Christmas Market

Bath Christmas Market

Bath Christmas Market

Bath Christmas Market

Bath Christmas Market

Bath Christmas Market

Bath Christmas Market

Bath Christmas Market

Bath Christmas Market

Bath Christmas Market

Bath Christmas Market

Q: Have you been to a Christmas market this year?

* Photography by Bonnie Rose Photography © 2007 – 2013 All Rights Reserved | http://www.bonnie-rose.co.uk

The Importance of Being Earnest – Bath Drama

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One of the fun things about being involved with a theatre group is attending script readings. Last night my theatre group, Bath Drama, had a rehearsed reading of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. As with the reading I was in last month (A Letter from the General), it was a rehearsed reading that the actors had prepared beforehand. Directed by Judith Howard, the cast of eight  brought the show alive with the farce and witty dialogue of Oscar Wilde.

The Importance of Being Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest

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The Importance of Being Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest

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The Importance of Being Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest

20131119-BRP_0405

“A trivial comedy for serious people. Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff are two men that are both pretending to be someone they are not.”

Q: “Have you ever read or seen the Importance of Being Earnest?”

*Photography belongs to Bonnie Rose Photography © 2007 – 2013 All Rights Reserved | http://www.bonnie-rose.co.uk

 

 

Bath Mozart Fest, Bath England

Bath Mozart Fest I
This weekend it was my husband’s birthday and we were ready to celebrate! The Bath Mozart Fest this year was going on from the 8th to the 16th of November.  My husband had already taken the boys the previous weekend to hear the choir at the Bath Abbey, while I was away for the day at the London Bloggers Tea.  They had such a great time that he wanted to go back for their last night on the day before his birthday.  The night’s performance was by the Hallé, held at the Forum close to the Bath train station.
The Hallé
Sir Mark Elder – Conductor
Jamie Phillips – Assistant Conductor
Alina Ibragimova – Violin
Mozart
Symphony No 38 in D major
K 504 Prague
Mandelssohn
Violin Concerto in E minor Op 64
Elgar
Engima Variations Op 36
The Hallé, founded in 1858, performs over seventy concerts a year in The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester and makes over forty appearances annually throughout the rest of Britain. This was our first time seeing them and I could not have chosen a better venue than the Forum in Bath.  Even with our seats at the top it is still a intimate enough venue that you can see the expressions on the musicians faces on the stage below.  I love listening to classical music at home but seeing it live is a whole another experience.  Watching the musicians play to me is like watching an orchestrated dance and it capturing my visual attention, my ears, my heart, and soul. Alina Ibragimova was captivating during the Mandelssohn on the violin.  The music and the way she played gave me the chills. I have to add that she performs on an Anselmo Bellosio violin of c. 1775, provided by Gerog von Opel.  The fact that she can play such music so well on an instrument older than the United States was exquisite. I know my lovely iPhone photographs cannot truly capture the evening we experienced but I hope you enjoy hearing about our past weekend here in Bath, England.
photo(6) Bath Mozart FestBath Mozart Fest Bath Mozart FestBath Mozart FestBath Mozart Fest
Bath Mozart Fest | www.bathmozartfest.org.uk
The Hallé | www.halle.co.uk
Alina Ibragimova | www.alinaibragimova.com
Bath Forum | www.bathforum.co.uk
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*photography belongs to Bonnie Rose Photography © 2007 – 2013 All Rights Reserved | www.bonnie-rose.co.uk

 

The Cosy Club in Bath, England

 This monday my husband had a vacation day off from work and so we had a rare day date while the boys were both at school.  Since we needed to go into town to run some errands we look forward to going somewhere nice for lunch.  We have both come here once before with other friends and this was our first time here together. I was looking forward to tea and cake, but we got swayed by the delicious looking options on the lunch menu.  Just another excuse to return for a heavenly slice of victoria sponge cake.  My favourite thing about being at the Cosy Club is the interior design and atmosphere inside.  Like the mix of grey concrete ceilings with sparkly chandeliers, the collage of art and mirrors on the walls,  the mix of primary colour choices with damask wall textures. It is a great place to stop in after a busy day of errands, shopping, or sightseeing in the heart of Bath. 

“Think gents club meets village hall meets cricket pavilion. 
Quirky, eccentric and playful the Cosy Club 
offers casual dining, drinking and lounging.”
Unit R4, Southgate Shopping Centre, 
Southgate St, Bath BA1 1AP
01225 464161
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Q: What is your favourite thing to order when you go to a cafe?
* Photography by Bonnie Rose Photography © 2007 – 2013 All Rights Reserved | http://www.bonnie-rose.co.uk