Happy Adventures
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
Welshie Big Adventure in England
Since both of our daughters are either employed in their first jobs or attending medical school, they can't spend much time with us in the UK. Sofie is the first to come and see us on our Welshie Big Adventure. Her visit was filled with happy adventures and I'm glad she came.
We Need to Watch Fewer Crime Dramas
A miscommunication on the arrival time of her flight from Chicago into Heathrow led Brian and me into full-blown panic attacks.
We drove into London the night before she arrived because her flight was to arrive at 8:53 AM. Getting to the arrivals area with plenty of time to spare, we watched the board to make sure the plane had arrived on time. Seeing that it had landed and deplaned, we waited excitedly to see her.
After waiting for about forty-five minutes, and seeing no Sofie, I began to panic. Well, if I am being honest, I began to panic about twenty minutes prior to that. I’ll summarize what happened next, though the drawn out version is more fun to tell.
I went directly into the Arrivals area and was met by Security. I told them our daughter had not arrived and asked for help. That officer took me to a phone in the baggage claim area that connected me directly to Immigration. The lady who answered the phone took down my description of Sofie and came back a minute later saying there were no American’s in custody.
It took Brian going to the airline counter after I tried to get information there to finally get the news we needed. Sofie was on a later flight and was still in the air!
When we finally ‘reunited’ I hugged her long and hard. She told me to stop binge watching British crime dramas and perhaps start reading again. I think that might be a good idea.
Blenheim Palace
With only a couple days in England, I wanted to make sure that Sofie got a taste of local life, a dose of history, and a bit of glamorous living.
To satisfy the history and glamorous living boxes, we spent a day at Blenheim including the additional tour of the Duke’s private rooms. The additional tour was worth the extra couple Pounds.
Sadly for photographers, the castle is covered in scaffolding because of extensive renovations and repairs. While this is wonderful for the longevity of the building, it really detracted from the beauty of the rooms on public display.
The visit to the Duke’s private living quarters was free from scaffolding and repairs. There were only fifteen of us on the tour and Charles, our guide, was delightful. While not allowed to take photographs, it was fun to glimpse into the personal space of Winston Churchill’s relatives, including the current Duke.
During our visit to Blenheim we had a decent lunch at the on-site cafe and then strolled around the grounds enjoying the sunshine. There was something for everyone to enjoy on this visit.
One of my personal highlights at Blenheim were the ancient oak trees. According to Blenheim, they hold the largest number of ancient oaks in all of Britain.
Seeing these massive old trees made me reflect on the history they have witnessed throughout their lifetimes.
Rollright Stones
On our way home from Blenheim, we drove past the Rollright stones we visited earlier in our stay. Brian reversed off the road and onto the grass so that we could take Sofie to see the megalithic stones.
As we reached the King’s Men, a large circle of ancient stones with lichen growing over many of them, Sofie marched around the circle counting the stones. Another woman visiting the stones was intently resting her hand on each stone and whispering something to herself. I confess I am curious what she was whispering.
The last time we visited here, there were two men at the King’s Stone taking readings around the stone. They told us that there was an energy force emanating from the stones. I wanted to believe them, but when I witnessed one of the two holding a rod and ‘locating the energy field’ I realized it was likely a hoax.
As the man walked back and forth I saw him subtly move his finger so that the rod fell down towards a spot on the ground. It would be interesting to know if any of you reading this have experienced the energy field at the King’s Stone at Rollright.
Burton-on-the-Water
We brought Sofie to Bourton because it is such a pretty little village, and I knew that she and her dad would enjoy visiting the British Auto Museum located there.
While Maisie and Winston trolled for food on the ground, and I supervised them, Brian and Sofie wandered around the seven display rooms admiring cars.
After our tour we walked along the Windrush River. Winston angled to jump in after a duck that swam along next to us but carrying a wet dog home in the car didn't sound too appealing. Sofie and I saw a couple of trout in the river which reminded us both of Michigan.
Cotswolds Farm Park
Our daughter expressed a desire to visit the Cotswolds Farm Park to see the animals and have a chance to feed baby sheep and goats. It was not something Brian and I planned to visit, but since she asked, we readily agreed.
Sofie clearly takes after me, since I was in heaven feeding the lambs at our cottage in Wales, and she had a great time feeding them here.
It wasn’t the best weather to wander around the property, but having a chance to feed the animals and see the joy spread across her face was worth it. Hearing the bleating of the lambs reminded me of the call and response from the sheep and their babies at the farm.
I remembered hearing the babies yelling for their mums and the deep responses from the parents munching away in the same field. Seeing the babies tear off towards the call is a sight to behold.
I will confess we did feel sorry for all the babies we saw. They were separated from their mums and I felt their calls sounded rather panicked. Hopefully, after the park is closed, the babies are reunited with their missing parents.
Maisie’s Birthday Party
Sadly, Sofie had to leave before Maisie’s birthday party on Sunday. As she reclined on her bed snuggled up to the heater we all sang her happy birthday. My sweet pup turned ten years old, and while she's still up for a good walk and a bit of play, she is showing signs of preferring a warm bed and a Cwtch.
Birthdays are best shared with friends and family so I invited any Welsh Terriers and their parents living within a drive of Stow-on-the-Wold to come for a walk and lunch in town. Several people indicated they would attend, and the fickle English weather proved to be in our favor.
Meeting at the picnic benches outside of The Bell, the dogs sniffed each other while the humans said hello. Once everyone had arrived we set off for a leisurely walk, sniff, and chat. Maisie and Winston both enjoyed the outing and I had fun connecting with new and old friends.
Only a couple skirmishes took place while sitting around the table at lunch. Putting several Welsh in close proximity, and then adding random dogs passing by at close range, is a guarantee to get the dogs barking.
The Week’s Summary
Summing up the past week is easy - fun plus a large dose of family time. Sofie shared in our Welshie Big Adventure and we enjoyed every minute she was here. Experiencing Eurovision, seeing Blenheim, and feeding the lambs and goats together was the perfect mix of activities.
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