Taking a Bath and Looking for Wales: Bryce's first lesson in homonyms and homophones

5 May- 7 May, 2012

Explaining to a two-year-old that we're going on a trip with Grandma and Papa to see Bath and Wales is confusing.  Nevertheless, we piled the 6 of us into a minivan (or people-mover as they like to call it here) and set off on a road trip to show the boy what I couldn't quite articulate in words.

Driveby of Oxford after a traffic jam.  Straight to Bath to meet Uncle Robert & Auntie Steph!

Toddlers are so well behaved on car journeys when they are two rows of seats away and being read to by Grandma constantly!

About to take the plunge at the Roman Baths in, um, Bath.

Jude & Rob & Bath Abbey

Bryce actually tuned into the adult audio tour.  Career in archaeology to follow.

Pub lunch #542

View from the front of the tour bus

Brilliant yellow rapeseed fields aplenty!  (That's canola for all you Yanks!)

H-H-Help!!!  Look out!  It's the new Severn Bridge!

Castle driveby #1-- Raglan Castle

Our accommodation on Werngochlyn Farm.

"Stable Cottage"

Dad asked me to take a photo of this key because of its size.  After a year in England, I've learned that alas these keys are not obsolete-- in fact, we have several keys in our house that look like this: shed, garage, other shed, back door...

Stable cottage was indeed a stable in its past life!

Checking the chickens

Even the goat looks at the camera...

Eeyore!

And my hedge obsession continues...  (to be continued in France...)

Snugglin' with my Papa

To the Castle!  (Caerphilly Castle to be precise)

Now that's a moat.

Prince Bryce-The-Wee, heir to...

King Robert-The-Great!

Awwww, extended family!

A real-life trebuchet. 

The red moon on a romantic late-night stroll with Ste.  We walked down that hedged lane in the pitch black with only bats for company.

Freshest eggs in Abergavenny!

Soldier time!

"Downtown" Abergavenny during vintage car show

Ste dies and goes to heaven when we stumble upon this...

Bond Bug

Shopping for a treat for Brycie

Michael Caine would be proud

Happy Days!  (bribed Bryce with a new vintage Welsh toy bus)

J&R at the H&C

Eew!  All this time I thought it came from barley!

Decisions, decisions...

Hen & Chick at the Hen & Chicken

This photo does it no justice.  Sticky Toffee Pudding.  AKA STP.  (with custard, of course)

Just a random castle, as you'd expect when driving through the English countryside.

Baddesley Clinton, National Trust site and Medieval moated manor house.

Our halfway stop on the drive back to Cambridge.

Awww

Awww #2

Be still my bleating heart!

Fearnley Family

The hole where they hid Jesuit priests!

The moment just before Bryce ran to chase the ducks, slid in the mud, and bit it.

Muddy bottom!

Castle driveby #2- Kenilworth