Just had a lovely weekend, went to one of my favourite places with one of my favourite people, the lovely Mr. Matthews. We went for our dose of Christmas cheer.
I've posted about Christmas at Clearwell before. It's an underground cave system in the Forest of Dean. Each year they deck it out with a Christmas story. They even had a brass band playing. It's beautiful.
This year's story was about The Perfect Christmas Tree. A family find it in the woods and try everything to dig it up and take it home, but it won't budge, so eventually they take Christmas to the tree.
Most of my photos came out really fuzzy, like the silver mines. But here's a few that survived.
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| Creepy Mine Shaft |
I search every year, but they never have a present with my name on it :(
Ahwell. Came away feeling all jingly bells. Headed off to Tintern to search for food at the pub opposite the abbey, but they'd stopped serving. Didn't matter as we found a tea shop next door and tucked into a large pot of tea with Welsh rarebit.
Then had a bit of a panic.
We'd come down the Welsh side of the Severne to get to the Forest, only we needed to cross the toll bridge to get back to England. Dan took a train to Gloucester, where I collected him at the station, but we were headed back to Bristol for a night of gosine (gossip + wine).
Only neither of us had any money, so ended up driving round Chepstow in the dark looking for a cash machine and a place to park. We arrived right in the middle of some tribute to Glen Miller (think it might have been the turning on of the Christmas lights...).
It was a little traumatic.
Especially when we got to the bridge and realised our daft mistake...
... you pay to get in to Wales, not out.
Doh!
I felt like such a prat. I lived there for three years, I'm amazed I forgot.
So, we put our money to good use buying Casillero del Diablo cab. sav. and Dan cooked nommy lasagna, which we ate whilst berating X-Factor with flatmates Matt and Steve.
Lazy morning this morning, followed by the bizarre introduction of cinnamon and raisin bagels to sausages... oddly, it works.
Lovely weekend had by all.
This looks so campy and brilliantly done! It's definitely gone on my bucket list (mental). Also, I feel your pain on the mix-up. I've done things like that *forehead smack* but thankfully, yo've got someone to share it with and laugh over it with. :-) Cheers for the introduction to Forest of Dean/ Clearwell.
ReplyDeleteWe went today prepared with spare labels so that the children with unusual names I'd brought could find a present with their name on! I sneaked them onto presents without being noticed! Better getting it wrong on the bridge that way than thinking it was the free way and finding it wasn't - I always worry about what happens if you get caught out without any money!
ReplyDeleteWe went today prepared with spare labels so that the children with unusual names I'd brought could find a present with their name on! I sneaked them onto presents without being noticed! Better getting it wrong on the bridge that way than thinking it was the free way and finding it wasn't - I always worry about what happens if you get caught out without any money!
ReplyDelete