Pulteney Bridge, Bath.

The Roman Baths (after which the city takes it’s name)
Bath Abbey pictured in the background

Oh to be in a Jane Austin novel!

Winkworth Arboretum (National Trust)
Surrey

I received a cheeky email today asking me when I was going to get my camera fixed and post something on my blog. Thanks Dan, hint taken.

As the last entry was such a cliff hanger (She’s leaving Scotland… where is she going?!), I suppose it’s best to explain where I am and exactly what I’m doing.

I moved to London over three months ago and have since been learning web design, which has been a challenging and frustrating (though very exciting) project. I’m deeply afraid of becoming a computer geek, but at the same time can’t help but get excited about coding (oh dear!) and find it difficult to interact with the outside world whilst sitting at the computer.

Luckily, I haven’t been staring at the computer for the entire three months, I’ve also been enjoying a lot of local history as Oli and I have ‘National Trust’ memberships. To explain: The National Trust is an organisation that preserves historical building/environments- whose members are (stereotypically) fuddy-duddy old couples who go for a day out, look at the historic sites (“oh Mildred, isn’t that clock LOVELY”) and have a cream tea (Tea, Scones, Jam and Cream) before heading home… Its very British and quite quaint in its own way… and frightening as Oli and I have (on more than one occasion) talked about clocks and gone for a cream tea.. AHH!

The pictures shown above were taken at Winkworth Arboretum, which is probably my favorite National Trust property so far. We went there at the start of Autumn when the leaves were just beginning to change to brilliant reds and yellows. Now the leaves are crinkly (it’s time to get out my boots for some serious leaf-kicking and crushing!) and the days are getting colder and shorter which means winter is coming, beckoning my thermals from the cupboard…

Which brings me to the prospect of Christmas in London- the lights are already going up in the West End and of course, there are advent calendars in the shops. Tony (Oli’s Dad) bought a Christmas pudding today, (though I can’t imagine it lasting until Christmas) and again I’m hoping for it to snow. Unlikely, I know: but with all this climate change going on, I feel there is a distant chance.

And then I will build a snowman and we will fly to the North Pole and Visit Santa Claus…. Yes, I feel there is a distant chance!