Meeting New Acquaintances

Welshie Big Adventure

Winston enjoying an evening out at the pub.

I purposely chose a small village to live in because I wanted to immerse myself in the community.  Meeting new acquaintances is part of the fun of traveling.

Going to the pub that first night, attending church on Easter, and walking around the town, all provided an opportunities to introduce ourselves.

Our kids generally groan when we all go out for a meal together.  Brian and I love to chat with the waitstaff and any patrons around us.  Here in Tregaron, we stick out like a sore thumb when we open our mouths.

Having Winston and Maisie here does confuse people a bit.  It is not common to fly your dogs to the UK, so people generally assume we live somewhere other than Tregaron, but they can’t quite figure it out.

“Where are you from, then?” is a common question we get when we go out with the dogs. That question opens up at least a possibility of continued conversation.

The current U.S. political climate is also something people want to talk about.  We try to limit these discussions because we came to Great Britain to learn about Britain, not discuss our politics.  But I will say that all the people we have met are well-informed and do have opinions about what's going on around the world.

Both of us currently have head colds so we were taking it easy at home after going for a lovely short walk during the afternoon.  If you are going to be ill, this cottage is a beautiful place to be.  With sheep and lambs bleating all around us, Karen’s fresh honey collected from bees on the property, and BBC quiz shows to watch, we are all set.

Around 5:30, Brian said to me, “Let’s go to the pub for a drink.”  I put on some shoes and socks, to The Talbot.  We brought Winston with us since he was eager to get out.

As we sat at the bar chatting with a local farmer about sheep and cattle, Winston was a good boy, sitting quietly on the floor.  We decided to stay for dinner, and when we moved to a table, Winston curled up between us on a bench and slept.

While at dinner, we met an 89 year old former local opera singer who sang for Jimmy Carter and his family at the Talbot Hotel in 1986. We also met a woman named Caroline who works at the college in Aberyswyth, and several other gentleman.  Everyone had ideas about where we should go, and Caroline gave me her number so that she could take us to see the bluebells blooming in the hedgerows.

Our kids may think that we are too chatty, but that willingness to speak with anyone can make a trip an adventure.