We are officially one month in to our new life here!! And unfortunately for us, the time has flown by (I would assume this would be “fortunately” for family and friends that miss us!)
Within the first 2 weeks of us being here our good friends, Nathan and Andrea (and Baby W) were our first visitors. They were taking a Babymoon in London and decided to end their ‘moon with us up North! While here we all took in the sites of the awesome city of Chester. Secretly, it was on my list of places to see and everyone was on board when I mentioned ‘Medieval Walls surround city and Roman Empire still evident’. Our first stop was this gorgeous Cathedral dating back to AD900. Apparently prior to that, tradition has it that a church of some sort stood on the site during Roman times. It was a little overwhelming to walk around and really think about how old it really was, the history it’s been apart of, those buried there and the lives associated with it.
Chester Cathedral
Nathan, the awesome map reader that he is, next directed us to the partly excavated remains of what is thought to have been the country’s largest Roman ampitheater. Andrea and I played gladiators…because that is what you do with a pregnant lady! HA!
The Warfels in the Roman amphitheater!
We then went off to find a “Wall” section to walk on. I guess the whole circuit is 2 miles long, but we focused on a short section near the River Dee. Needless to say, for the history buffs in our group, it was an awesome visit. Matt, Sarah and I will definitely go back to explore the medieval castle and hopefully walk more of the city walls! We feel that this is such a cool place to go with visitors as well…hint, hint!
The Roman Wall and the Eastgate Clock (erected to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897.)
Our next visitor was our cousin, Abby…she has been in Spain for the past year and travelled up to London for a week. So, she hopped a train to hang out with us (okay, Sarah) for a day! We headed over to Brockhole Nature Reserve to play outside since it was nice and bright (that’s the word for sunny according to the weather folks over here.) It had great walking trails and playgrounds, a pond with a floating structure that had a nice cafe and boardwalk, among other fun things to do. Abby’s visit was too short, but we were soooo happy to see her and spend time with her. (If she wasn’t heading back to the states this week for good, I’m sure there would have been a visit to Spain to see her!)
Abby and Sarah at the playground!
Loves!
As for our day to day…things are finally feeling normal. We’ve been so blessed with great neighbors. Our immediate neighbors are police officers, Steve and Louise, with 2 little girls, Lucy and Olivia. Louise doesn’t work through the week, so she has taken it upon herself to drive me and Sarah around and point out things for us to do…within walking or bus distance. She’s also introduced me to quite a few mum’s around the area, so I’ve been invited to ‘drinks and snacks’ on a few occasions already! (In the states, we would call them play dates for the children, but it truly is more for the moms!) She has truly been a Godsend for me–and Sarah.
We’ve also had a Girl’s Night Out as well–you know they are good women when they suggest it for a weeknight! HA! Here’s your neighborhood gossip…apparently the pub we went too, The Stretton Fox, is the place where people who are having affairs meet up. It’s right off the highway and kinda out in the middle of nowhere. Awesome food and drinks though! It was a nice break for this momma; cocktails and grown up conversation.
For those of you that know Matt and me pretty well, I would say that we are pretty laid back people that don’t get riled up over most things. Well….our daughter….apparently has patience issues. Crawling is so 3 weeks ago. She’s pulling herself up to everything and cruising from tables/chairs/etc., but when she runs out of room or can’t ease herself back down to the floor, there are screams of frustration- apparently we are at her beck and call. She’s doing great though with only a few falls, bumps and bruises.
Look what I can do–although I’m stuck!
Coming up? I learn to drive on the wrong side of the car, on the wrong side of the road, with the stick shift at my left. Bonus: I don’t kill anyone! Matt’s first multi-day trip…do Sarah and I survive?
Tea and Riverbiscuit 