July2008
On July 1st I decided to pay the balance of our cruise – it had been sitting there in the back account waiting for the deadline date, but I decided to pay it a bit earlier, just so I could have the warm fuzzy feeling that everything was paid in full! It was indeed a wonderful, warm and fuzzy feeling!
July the 11th was a very important day
– we broke through the 100 days to go milestone and hit the double digits. To celebrate this we had a double digit party! The girls made a Mickey cake,
and we had lots of American themed food and spent the evening listening to Disney music!
Now what of those plans to strike fear
and panic into the hearts of our fellow cruisers that I had hinted upon in the last installment of this epic - Avast me hearties - we be planning a raid on Somerset! Now whether this raid was to be a compete surprise attack, or whether we were to give our supporting cast some sort of warning was a matter still being debated. Any warning given to our unsuspecting victims was likely to trigger some urgent need for them to run for the hills as quickly as possible. However, I got to thinking that arriving unannounced on their doorstep may not be the way to go – so I began to drop hints during our conversations and before long they realised exactly what we were planning, and I was pleasantly surprised and even more relieved that they seemed to think it was a good idea.
We planned to leave home early on the Sunday and arrive as soon as possible after lunch, anticipating a 4-5 hour car journey. We pre-booked a campsite for 2 nights which was about 5 minutes drive away from Andy and Helen's house. On the Sunday we loaded up all of our camping gear into the car and set off early, stopping on the way for a breakfast of danish, muffins and coffee. The journey was uneventful and straightforward and we arrived not long after 2pm, checked in the campsite, which was very nice, and began to put up our tent, accompanied by the usual stress, trauma, and threats of violence and divorce which tend to be associated with DH and I putting up the tent.
Just as we were finishing the task, we noticed a couple approaching across the field (fortunately this was after the tent was erected, otherwise they may well have taken the running for the hills option!) and it was Helen and Andy! Introductions were made all round and we arranged to see them again a bit later as they had kindly arranged a party for us at their home.
We had a wonderful time at the party. We were introduced to Rachel and Bethany, Helen's brother and his wife and newborn baby, and the dog Amber. We were made to feel so welcome and it was as though we were all lifelong friends rather than internet friends meeting for the first time. It's amazing how the Disney obsession is such a bond between people, you have so much in common and so much to talk about! The kids all got on amazingly well and we had a wonderful evening. They had decorated the garden with a pirate theme and Helen had made a delicious Mickey chocolate cake.
We had some lovely food and a few drinks ( although I suspect DH had more than a few, judging by his inability to get in the tent without falling over later that evening!). We chatted away for hours, the kids played giant Jenga and seemed to be having a great time, and I even popped on our cruise thread and posted a message! It was a fantastic evening and we had a great time – thanks again everyone !!!
Sarah and Helen:
Rachel, Taryn and Bethany:
The following day we decided to visit Glastonbury, which is a mythical town in Somerset associated with the legend of King Arthur and Avalon. We wandered around the town, which was very scenic,
with lots of bizarre characters wandering round, and we had a mooch around some of the unusual shops which we found there – a lot of the shops were very mythical and witchy, and it was an experience in itself. We managed to buy two gorgeous corsets for Taryn and Louise, which they will be able to wear on Pirate night! We then had a picnic lunch at the base of Glastonbury Tor,
Glastonbury Tor
after which Tony and I decided to try and climb to the top of the tor, but typically the lazy kids could not be persuaded to join us. It was very tiring on the old legs, but we made it to the top and took some photographs of the wonderful views!
We then returned to the town and had another aimless wander just enjoying the unique atmosphere, we ate some delicious locally made ice cream, and then we returned to the campsite to get ready for our evening with Helen, Andy, Rachel and Bethany at the Italian restaurant.
We had another excellent evening with more delicious food and wine and fantastic company
. We then went back to Andy and Helen's house for coffee and desserts and more cruise conversations! Unfortunately it was all over too soon and we had to head back to the tent, ready to return home the following day.
The following day we packed up all the equipment and loaded up the car. We planned to drive home via Cheddar Gorge as this was something I had always wanted to see, so we headed up that way. We stopped in the Gorge for lunch, and the scenery was really spectacular.
We then wandered around the touristy shops which were located in the gorge, watched a local sweetmaker in action,
and ate some more delicious locally made ice-cream,
before jumping in the car to start the long journey home.
All in all we had a fantastic weekend – it was wonderful meeting Andy, Helen, Rachel and Bethany, and we all got on so well that I am now even more looking forward to our cruise knowing that we have such fantastic dining companions! (although I did check if were still linked when I returned home – I had imagined Andy and Helen sending an email to unlink us after meeting us in person!)
So that was our lovely weekend in Somerset!
I am afraid to say that because the weekend away involved lots of eating I declined to weigh myself at the end of this month – as I knew that I would have gained a few pounds – but my intentions were strong for August, and I planned to weigh in after about 2 weeks. Unfortunately I can report no further progress on the costume front other than the purchase of the 2 corsets for the girls' pirate costumes. I really will have to get my finger out in August and September, as I already feel that dreaded “last minute panic” feeling creeping up on me and I so wanted to avoid any last minute panic – with over a year in the planning you would think a last minute panic could easily be avoided – but prepare yourselves for the worst........I can “last minute panic” for Britain and despite all good intentions I don't think this trip is going to be any different!