Category Archives: summer

Our Expat Summer ’13

Kisses on the Avon River as we pulled our two kayaks together close for a photo op.

Still cannot believe we have been married for ten years

This is it. Though autumn does not begin for another twenty one days, this is our last weekend of summer. My husband has been back to work since our 10th Anniversary trip and this week my kids go back to school. While both my sons and my husband and I are glad to have a new school term starting, it makes me a bit sad to know that summer is coming to a close. However any sadness is overshadowed by the immense thankfulness I have for what a great summer it has been. Not counting the week my boys and I spent at the Jersey Shore last year with my family, it has probably been 2007 since the four of us have really experienced and loved every moment of summer.

All the family dramarama stayed stateside and our entire vacation in Wales was but perfection, including our Vow Renewal. We got to experience a lovely two days in London with my mum and sister, a city the three of us have not all been at together since we lived in England back in the early 90’s. Another ‘this is your life’ moment was when my mum and I got to show Ryan and my sons the city of Oxford, the place where I was born during my father’s second out of three tours stationed in England. The rest of our summer has been filled with country walks, picnics in the park, kayak journeys on the rivers and canals around Bath, and enjoying food and drinks at our favourite pubs.

With summer getting ready to be behind us I can now count out the rest of the year by upcoming events and birthdays through the last four months of 2013. It really surprises me every year with how fast the months go by and this year is no exception.

Q: What has been your favourite thing about this summer

and what are you looking forward to in the last third of 2013?

Summer Fete in Bathford, England

Summer Fete in Batheaston

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Yesterday we attended our second fete for the Summer season and it will not be our last. Though we almost feared the weather would have ruined this gem of summers in Great Britain. It was set to begin at noon but we did arrive until three because of the pouring rain. Miraculously the rain stopped and we were able to spend the last hour of it partaking in all our favourite fete activities. There was drinking of Pims, letting the boys spend pocket money on activities, checking out the goods for sale, and the eating of cakes and ice cream. The only thing we missed out was on a delicious bowl of strawberries and cream. However in its place we got to watch a Maypole dance with local school children. If that was not enough dancing for my boys, they also got to partake in dancing to Gangnam Style. I left with a happy family, a full belly, and a camera filled with documented memories and a nearly dead battery. All in all it was a lovely village fete and I look forward to our next one in two weeks time. If the photos below are not enough to get you to a summer fete this year, I took two videos posted to Instagram as well. To which I have to say is a new feature I highly love. However since they do not allow embedding of videos yet, insert shameless plug to follow me on Instagram here.

*Images original to A Compass Rose blog by Bonnie Rose Photography

Monkton Farleigh Manor – Fete

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Yesterday we returned to Monkton Farleigh to go to the Summer Fete at the Monkton Farleigh Manor. You may remember our beautiful country walk in Browns Folly and Monkton Farleigh last weekend. It was another gorgeous day with lovely warm sun and gentle english breezes to accompany the day.

Maddox had the ‘class pet’ home for the weekend. So Mikey, the monkey, got to come along on our country walk to Monkton Farleigh. He even got to enjoy swinging on some trees in the forest of Browns Folly and was gracious enough to let me photograph the moment for Maddox.

For it would not be odd at all to see a monkey swinging from the vines in a forest in Somerset, no?

This was actually a photograph on our walk back at the end of the day out, retracing our journey to return back home. I want to say it is about an hour walk from our home outside Bath into Monkton Farleigh. While it could have taken much less by car, we really enjoy our country walks through the villages, countryside of sheep, woodland forest, and colourful fields. So much we would miss if we had a car.

We were greeted by music when we arrived at the Monkton Farleigh Manor which gave my experience of this fete as very posh. The manor house alone with the gardens and fountains would be a dream location to live in my books. Many people showed up, but it was not so overly crowded that it made in unenjoyable. The boys even ran into several classmates from their school.

The lush purple lavender hugging a sundial and the on looking gardens from the manor. This was the view Ryan and I shared while we sat and enjoyed our cream tea and cakes on the lawn. Lush indeed! There were lots of stalls set up with either things to sell, like the five books for a £1 that I partook in, and things to eat. We enjoyed cream tea and cakes not once but twice, ate hot dogs, and almost had ice cream but they ran out by the time we managed to get around to that stall. All in all it was a perfect day and a perfect location for a summer fete.

What summer event in England would be complete without Pims? They actually ran out and the long que of us waiting for our Pims stood patiently until they were able to replenish their stock. It then sold out again in no time flat. I am certainly not surprised.

They boys were each given a few quid to spend where they liked. Maddox of course went straight for a hot dog and some ice cream before partaking in the waterballoons.

Ronan surprised me with how well he did in this ‘break the plates’ activity. He was spot on with every single throw and broke something on every ball except one, which instead of shattering china bounced off. He and his classmates then all had water balloons and were chasing each other through out the gardens. When their ballons all broke they resorted to cups being filled by the fountain and dumping them on each other. It was about that time we decided to walk home. Stop while you’re ahead, yeah?

My favourite part, aside from enjoying this wonderful afternoon with my family, was seeing the horses. There were two in the field in front of the manor and they kept running together around the field. They were so beautiful and I only wish I could go and ride with them.

Of course I made Ronan take our photo in front of the gardens before we left. It was a beautiful day and I wanted to remember every moment of it.

Q: Have you attended a Summer Fete in England or else where in the world this year yet?