Sorry to have been MIA for a bit, but this has been an insane month, so I'm just now getting time to sit down and corral my thoughts.
About a month ago today, we landed in London, and then caught a plane to Manchester. We were headed to Blackpool, where Lovely English Lass' mother and father, Ma and Pa Lass, own a hotel. It was much colder than in SA, but we were happy to be there and looking forward to the adventure.
After getting the rental car, and driving from Manchester to Blackpool, with a stop at a services for the bathroom and a Starbucks (Which they don't have in SA) we sat down to rest at the hotel.
For a confession, I have to say that I very much feel at home in the UK. When I moved to London it was the only place outside the US where I said I could definitely live. (And then I went to Bruges, and said the same thing, but I digress...)
After a few days in Blackpool, we then drove to Bath to see family friend Bec and her lovely daughter Em who live in Bath in Southern England. Bath is a city where LEL has decided that when we leave the nomadic lifestyle we currently enjoy, we'll probably settle there. It's a lovely city, with great charm. Not only does it have all the convenience of a big city, but has still kept its independent stores and vibe to it. What a great place, and we loved our two days there. It was nice to see Bec and Em, and to tour the Roman Baths, which we hadn't done yet, and just to see this very cool place. While there I had a job interview via phone, which I still haven't heard about, but it was a great time.
We then returned to Blackpool for Christmas, and got to see LEL's older brother and his family, which was nice. Crazy Little Man got to run around with his cousin, K, and Lovely Little Girl was happy talking to the guests of the hotel. We also go to go to a place called Botany Bay, which is just about one of the strangest but awesome experiences you'll have at a shopping place. It's located in an old Cotton Mill, and is very eclectic. It's located near Wigan, so if you're in the area stop by.
Between Christmas and New Years we went to Edinburgh in Scotland. None of us had ever been to Scotland, so this was a real treat. Driving there was even better as we drove next to the River Tweed, and through many little villages. Beautiful country, and I'll post pictures sometime soon.
I really liked Edinburgh. However, the weather the first night was horrid. Cold and windy, we couldn't hardly do anything at the Christmas Market, so we had dinner and returned back to the hotel. The next day was nicer, so after breakfast, we did the hop on hop off tour, which is really a great way to see a city. We did the whole tour first, which didn't take that long, and then got off where we wanted to. Stopped near Greyfriars Bobby's statue. We also found a haberdashery, and LEL bought a very nice bonnet that made her look like a Bronte Heroine. I bought a pair of cufflinks made from watch parts. Later we bought the kids some tams (LLG's is Pink, natch, and CLM has Blue and Green.) We also went to the Camera Obscura and World of Illusions, which the kids loved and we quite enjoyed as well.
We then returned to Blackpool for New Years. Pa Lass' band was playing at the hotel for New Years, and everyone had a great time. We then spent the next two days playing with our other nephew, Jumpy, and our niece, Gray. Jumpy wasn't feeling well, but still seemed quite a lovely little guy. Gray loved running around with CLM and LLG, and everyone was getting along.
Then, all too soon, it was time to fly back to SA. Return the rental to Manchester, get a flight to London (eat at Wagamama's in Terminal 5, which I loved) and then catch a flight back to SA. It's been very busy since we got back, and everyone has returned from holidays, so Jozi is once again a teeming metropolis.
There's a lot I didn't get to talk about, but it's time for work again, so off to the day job. Hopefully this new year is a good one with exciting times, and a good onward for me and the family.
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