August Bank Holiday Weekend

Every August bank holiday the Franks family get together.  This year everyone descended on Nanna and Grandad's Little House in Westbury.  As we live in Shepton and not so far away we didn't stay over and travelled up each day.  Friday everyone came with a share of the Mediterranean food, unfortunately we had to go about 9:30pm to get Oscar home but had a super time.

On Saturday we went to Stonehouse, Stroud, to visit a couple of friends, Justin and Jenny, who have moved in there.  Oscar and their son, Alfeo, got on really well as in a similar age group; hopefully we'll be able to spend more time with them as they are a really interesting couple and Oscar can get to know a friend outside of his nursery group.

Justin, Alfeo and Jenny.

Saturday late afternoon and we went back to the Little House to see how the Franks were getting on.  In advance of the barbeque dinner half had gone to Longleat Safari Park with the little ones and the others out locally; when they returned they came bearing helium animal balloons that terrified Oscar.

On the Sunday we returned again for a big breakfast and to see everyone before they all departed back to their homes; it was a shame that we didn't get to spend so much time with them as usual but look forward to the next visit for the Westbury Music and Arts Festival!

When we left we found that Dom had, kindly, tied a huge helium giraffe onto our car before leaving; fortunately Oscar has now overcome his fear of crinkly floating animals and says good night to the giraffe who is still floating on his bedroom ceiling! (one night it will probably descend on him and terrify him once more!)

The Shepton Show (aka The Mid-Somerset Show)

This was our first year to go to the Shepton Show.  It's a large, free, show very similar, but on a smaller scale, to the Royal Bath and West Show.

Not as many tractors as at Yesterday's farming but the Ferguson club had a wonderful line up.

Some fantastically smoothly running steam engines were on show

Oscar was very keen on the Owl but, perhaps sensibly, scared up close.

We were impressed at the quality of the show jumping

Yesterday's farming

It's been some time since the last update so here's the first of the catch up posts: Back on 20 August my mum, Christelle, came to stay with us, we whisked her off straight from the train to a show on Gilcombe Farm in Bruton called Yesterday's Farming.

It was an interesting show, unfortunately the weather was against us but did let off as we were unloading the car and getting ready.  It specialises in past farming equipment, traditions and breeds.

It had possibly the largest collection of tractors that I will probably ever see.  Oscar was overwhelmed and didn't want to leave the tractors.

The very small steam engines were fantastic.

Oscar was very happy to see the tractors in action

Attempts to get everyone in shot failed, as is the norm with my mum

There were plenty of other attractions at the show, we watched a very interesting heavy horse demonstration and there were a large number of stationary engines.  Hopefully we'll be back again next year!

Eli and Klaus's visit

Klaus and Eli, our Austrian friends that Nicky met when working in Uganda, visited us from 27-30 July.  It's already some weeks since so, although I've not enough time to write much, I thought it best, as apparently pictures speak a thousand words, to at least put a post up with the pictures on.

Nicky drove to London to pick them up and took the opportunity to stop in Avebury to see the stone circles at dusk

Cheddar Gorge

Look Oscar came too!  After the climb up from the road we stopped for a lovely picnic to take in the views

Off we go again for a walk along the North side of the Gorge

I don't know if I look like this all the time but there's a lot of photos where I've got the daftest expression on...

We walked back along the road, the sheer rocks were rather striking

Oscar kept insisting that we wonder off into the gaps in the rocks

View Cheddar Gorge North in a larger map

Off to Lyme Regis

Time to get on the road!

Oscar really loved playing on the pebble beach

Stone mid flight

Woah Oscar, that's some kick!

Oscar and Nicky had a bit of a paddle

Watching the sail boats bob by.

Lyme Regis was pretty hilly...

Wells

I think this is called Abbots Close

This is the spring that Wells gets it's name from

Here's a panorama of the Bishop's palace and moat

On the last afternoon I went with Klaus and Eli for a short run up the hills into Ham wood via the old railway tunnel at Windsor Hill

View Windsor Tunnel Into Ham Wood Loop in a larger map

Now we'll just have to look forward to visiting them in Austria (where I can stuff my face with Mozart chocolate balls when we do!!!)

Nanny Glynis' Birthday

To celebrate Glynis' Birthday we visited Glynis, Louise, Mark, Luke and Owen.  We had a very nice time indeed, they had put on a great spread of cold meats, cheeses and nibbles; not forgetting the Birthday cake too!

Owen's growing so fast he played with Oscar for a really long time, Oscar was really happy to see all the toys and got to play with Owen's matchbox cars and trains.

Mark went to collect Luke from school, which was the last day of term so Luke was pretty happy about that.  He's got a super Kawasaki bike that Mark's been teaching him how to ride and also a fun singlespeed, downhill type bike with knobbly tires that he showed me some tricks on.

Yes it is a Postman Pat Transformer!

Oscar got to race around on Owen's Tractor and Trailer!

Oscar as beside himself with excitement at Owen charging backward and forward on his toy car.

Nanny with all her grandsons

Not everyone sat on the same sofa for the group photo at first....

Forgive the multiple pictures but you can never seem to get everyone looking forward at the same time

Cley Hill

This weekend walk was to Cley Hill, Wiltshire.  It's a iron age hill fort (again), it is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI or triple S I) with many different plants growing on the thin chalk soil.

Yes, I'm going to carry Oscar up that....

Superb view (don't forget to click the image to get a larger picture)

Oscar really loved running around on the summit

There were lots of ant hills/mounds with a striking variety of flora growing on them.

View Cley Hill in a larger map