Homeward Bound

Random photo of a fairly cool ice-lolly. The weather during my stay in the UK has been incredible. Temperatures over 30c some days - even hotter than Kigali.

All of this came to an end yesterday as dad and Marilyn drove me to Heathrow. The clouds tumbled in and wet stuff came from the sky.

I think a lot of Brits breathed a sigh of relief. With our pasty skin and propensity for moaning, we're not built for long, hot summers. Actually, we're not really built for cold winters, too much rain or windy days, either. It's absolutely incredibly just how much British people can talk about the weather. There's about a half-hour segment on the news every night - first the local weather, then the national. It's considered a light entertainment break between Brexit debates - *yawn*

I spent my last night in a hotel near the airport. Lovely room, but spooky hallway. It had a little carpet divider halfway along, like on a ship, and it created the impression of a mirror, as though the other end of the corridor was just a reflection of my end of the corridor - only I wasn't in it. Weeeeiiiird.

I took my mind off things in the restaurant with a selection tray of desserts. 

The next day it was back onto Ethiopian Airlines and home to Kigali. It was a more pleasant trip this time as I only had a three-hour, instead of a seven-hour, layover in Addis. Just long enough to befriend a lovely Canadian-Congolese lady called Evelyn, who had originally gone to Canada as a refugee many years ago and now runs a wedding planning business. She was returning to Bukavu for her own sister's wedding.

Watched Cat on a Hot tin Roof (love Vivien Leigh), The Greatest Showman (again), and Murder on the Orient Express (Branagh makes a very passable Poirot), then flicked to the ending of Walk the Line and that dance at the party in The Sound of Music. Pleasant way to pass the time. Again, a noticeable difference between the international and national flights. The latter having no entertainment, no air conditioning, and insisting on keeping the lights on full even though it was gone midnight.

Touched down without incident, despite bad weather keeping us on the tarmac for an hour at Addis. Lot of clapping when we landed. All's well that ends well.

Moments with Mother

 

Had a lovely last day in the UK.  

It's been a great week. We discovered Fat Toni's Pizza, which makes pizzas bigger than your head...

Had a last pootle to Bourton-on-the-Water with dad to pick up some Cotswold perfume for mum. Stopped off for tea in a tea shop with lots of tea pots.

Then we met up with mum, Merrick, Aunty Patsy, my cousin Mary and her daughter Felicity on Thursday. Mary and Felicity were on their way from Market Harborough, near where mum lives, to  Swansea Gower, where Patsy lives, so we met halfway in Gloucester to celebrate mum and Patsy's birthdays.

Setting Up the Table with Marilyn

Gorgeous-smelling Rose for Mum

Patsy and Oaky Arrive

We gathered at the Brewhouse on Gloucester docks. They're a brewpub, serving their own beers. One of which is named after Simon Pegg, a famous resident of Gloucestershire. A favourable tipple. 

I hadn't seen my 1st cousin once removed (Felicity) since she was a baby. She's grown into a wonderfully bendy young lady.

 

We bonded over a shared interest in origami. She made the swan and I made the flower.

Stroll Along the Prom

How exceedingly British is this lovely little thatched cottage?

Delightful.

This is Cemetery Chapel in Clevedon, where we started our walk up through St. Andrew's Church and along Poet's Walk, where you can casually contemplate death on a beautifully sunny day. Aptly named.

Lychgate (or lich-gate), where you shelter coffins from the rain before a service.

The back of St. Andrew's Church is a huge graveyard looking out across the Severn towards Newport and Cardiff in Wales. Stunning place to be buried.

(panorama, click to enlarge)

(panorama, click to enlarge)

As with Frederick Dawson, Sarah Bale has her own bench - this time with an even more impressive view. 

Wales Across the Severn

A little further down, you come to this lookout.

View of Clevedon Pier

Then down towards the beach, where the old lido has recently been restored and people can be found swimming and kayaking. 

(panoramic, click to enlarge)

(panoramic, click to enlarge)

Fun and frolics to be had in the park, displaying the British love of whimsy with a miniature railway.

If you like bandstands, check out this book by Paul Rabbitts, documenting the history of bandstands throughout the UK and further afield.

Then it was on along the coast towards Clevedon Pier, opened in 1869.

We popped into Scarlett's Restaurant for waffles before strolling out to sea.

Frangipane Cake

To commemorate Marilyn's mum, Marj, they bought her a plaque on the pier. When they were refurbishing the pier. You could (and  think still can) sponsor a plank. Took a little bit of doing, but we found her.

(panoramic, click to enlarge)

Marj, Marilyn and Myself at Stanton Drew

There were all sorts of interesting engravings. One can only imagine the story behind this one:

"Shall we go for a walk along the pier, love?"

"Yes, why not."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then there was just time to pop down to the viewing portal below, where you can look along the underneath of the pier.