Jamie periodically has to travel for work, normally it is
only for a night or two but due to bad timing and a conference in Seattle Jamie
will be gone for 2 weeks, including 2 weekends. So the weekend before he left
we wanted Saturday to be a fun family outing day and then on Sunday Momma
needed alone time and Daddy had the joy of all 3 kids on his own.
On Saturday we decided to go to Tintern Abby in Wales for
the day. We started out in the morning and as we got farther west the fog
started to burn off and the sun came out. By the time we got to Wales it was
gorgeous out, the sun was bright and it was actually warm. Jamie and I really
like the drive out to Wales we’ve done it twice so far. It is only 90 minutes
away and you drive through the English countryside, which is pretty, and then
cross over a big bridge as you enter Wales, Kellen likes the bridge part, as
soon as you cross over you notice there are more hills or small mountains. It
feels a bit more like home since England is so flat. It was only 11:30 or so
when we got there but with the kids we thought it would be easier to eat before
actually going into the Abby so that we could take our time and they could
play. That way I could also feed Ella and wouldn’t be stuck nursing in the parking
lot. We drove through the little village and didn’t see much other than a
touristy café so we decided to keep driving. The next village was really small
but there was a pub so we figured that would be our best bet, I jumped out of
the car and they didn’t open until 12:00 so we were out of luck. We had
resigned ourselves to the fact that we were going to be having lunch in a
crowded overprices café when I spotted a sign on the road for the Kingstone Brewery. This is out in the
country and surrounded by little villages so we were surprised to see the sign
and doubtful that it would work out but figured it was worth turning to see
what we could find.
We drove up a dirt road that was essentially all huge
potholes and pulled up to a shack like building that contained the brewing equipment
and then a questionable sign that said lunch and shop. I figured it was at
least worth jumping out to see what it was all about so I got down before we
unloaded the family. I walked up and the
first thing I noticed was that it was just a Mom, probably about my age maybe a
few years older, and she had kids running around and a baby in her arms. She
was chatting with a friend in the kitchen and said I was welcome to go into the
main store. When I walked in I couldn’t believe it. Inside the store was
awesome, she had a selection of local cheeses, meats, beers, a beautiful
display of veggies, it was a real life version of whole foods. The menu was
only about 4 items and I asked if they were serving lunch yet since it was
empty. She thought for a minute and said, “Sure, my bread just came out of the
oven so I can start now”. That did it for me, fresh baked bread and good cheese,
what more do we need?
We piled out of the car and the weather was so nice we sat
at a picnic table outside. Immediately the kids were playing and running
around, she had a whole group of kids of her own so it was totally stress free
to know ours weren’t bothering anyone. Jamie and I were laughing that Kellen
picked up a stick and Jamie started telling him to be careful and we look over
and her son had a full branch he was swinging around. We just ordered the ploughman’s lunch,
you see a version of this on most pub menus, it’s usually a cheese, bread and
meat platter. She mentioned that she’s experimenting with meat pies and did we
mind trying a few of those, which of course we were happy to do. Then the kids
got a homemade pizza. We figured we couldn’t go wrong by ordering some
basics. We ended up getting a table full
of fresh bread, a great salad with avocado, local cheeses, spreads and (sort
of) cold beer. The food was delicious, the beer was good, the sun was out and
the kids were happy running around. It was one of those moments where you sit
back and think, wow we are really lucky.
After our amazing meal we went down to Tintern Abby and it
was so much fun. The site is really well preserved so it was a lot of fun to
walk around and really be able to see how the building was used as far back as
the 12th century. Historic sites like these are getting to be family
favourites because they are interesting and educational for Patrick while also
being outside and easy to tour places for Kellen.
Knowing Jamie was going to be gone the 2nd goal
for the weekend was for me to get some alone time. If I’m not careful I can
find myself going quite a while without time to myself and I start to get a little
nutty. Sunday morning we had breakfast together and then I jumped on a train
and went into London for the afternoon. I can’t image trying to commute in
everyday but for a day excursion on the weekend I enjoy taking the train. It is
only 30 to 45 minutes depending on the train you catch so it’s nice to sit and
read both there and back. I got off and took the tube to the Southwark station
and walked to the Tate Modern. It
was really nice to be able to jump on and off the tube without worrying about
strollers or diaper bags.
I spent a few hours viewing the galleries there were some
really interesting exhibits. There were also a few that I just didn’t get but I
freely admit I am not well versed in modern art. There was a series on New
Documentary Forms that was really interesting, in particular a series on American
Power and a series on Lebanon.
The highlight for me was a series of work by John
Hartfield they were photomontages for AIZ (Arbeiter-Illustrierte
Zeitung, Workers’ Illustrated Magazine) criticizing the Nazi regime. Unfortunately
the images aren’t online but they were amazing and to think they were done in
Germany during such a dangerous time makes them all the more interesting.
We haven’t taken the kids to any museums yet because we
assume young kids will disturb others. I was amazed at how vibrant the museum
was. There were families with young children, there was an area for the under 5’s
to play. The museum was far from quite, people were talking and laughing, kids
were being kids, and no one seemed to mind. The lack of pretension was
refreshing. I actually got to sit and
have a long lunch out before catching the train back.
All in all it was a great weekend all around. It was also
the perfect example of what I love about where we live. In one weekend we were
able to drive through the countryside and tour a site that dates back to 1131
and the next day you are in the middle of London viewing modern art.
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