Charlecote

Today, my grandparents took Mhari and I to Charlecote Park, a National Trust property. National Trust is a charity to which people donate big manors.  The Trust looks after the manors and puts museums in them, they also do parks and stuff. The House was very interesting, built in Tudor times but with Victorian decorations. It was very interesting to see how people lived back then. One of the most interesting rooms was the drawing room, which was where Queen Elizabeth I slept when she stayed there. There are no photos on our computer yet, but you can Google Charlecote Park if you want.

After Charlecote Park, we went to the local organic garden store, (my grandparents are avid gardeners), which happened to be the birth place of the organic gardening movement. So we went and looked at their gardens.

Then finally we saw the house where my Dad was born in Binley Woods near Coventry.

Coventry

Yesterday we visited Coventry, the city where my dad was born. Coventry was bombed very badly during the Blitz because of its major role in building planes and ammunition, so therefore downtown Coventry was built in the 1960's and is impossible to navigate. Around the city centre is a treacherous ring road and in the middle is a giant car-free maze of malls and markets. We made our way through Coventry Market and various other malls before we found the main attraction of Coventry Cathedral. It was really interesting because the old cathedral was badly bombed during the war and they decided that instead of rebuilding the old one, they would leave the ruins for symbolic reasons. Then many people from around the world including Germans donated money to build a new one. They held a big design contest and asked lots of different artists to help build a new cathedral.  The result is a cathedral which has got the worlds largest tapestry and a stained glass window voted best in Britain. We didn't actually go in because it was really expensive, so we went to the free Herbert art gallery and museum, which was  good also. Although there was one exhibit that was just a giant dimly lit room full of close up shots of gorillas and other apes faces, I didn't like that one because it was really quite scary and I think I will have nightmares for weeks now. (Unfortunately, we forgot to bring the camera so you will have to make up the photos in your head).

Today we went to the allotment again, and then we went for a walk around Leamington Spa. we went to the Jephson gardens and drank the salty spa water.

Allotment

We are at my grandparents house now, yesterday I did homework all day because I hadn't done any yet. I started a project on Isambard Kingdom Brunel, a famous British engineer. It is an interesting project, but I'd rather be outdoors sightseeing.

The previous day we were at my grandparents allotment. An allotment is a plot of land you rent, so you can grow plants on it. My grandparents grow all their fruits and vegetables on it. When we were there we picked about a sack and a half of potatoes, my dad picked two buckets of plums, and we also got some berries, some tomatoes, and some squash. It's really quite a good deal, you get tons of cheap food, you eat well, and you get exercise too.

Narrow boat

I have just spent the last 3 days on a narrowboat on the canals of Northamptonshire, with my Aunt Diana, my Uncle Nick and my cousins Adam and Daniel.

The boat was really long and narrow and named Andean Goose.

 Some of the best bits of narrowboating are, the locks, which help you go up and down hills,

 going through a very long tunnel,

driving the boat, and walking along the side of the boat. On the last day we nearly had a disaster, we went too close to shore and grounded the boat, the boat started to tip over, but thanks to the skill of our skipper, my Uncle Nick, we managed to get her off quickly.

Bristol

This post is really late because I had no Internet access, but here it is.

Today we spent the day in Bristol, a beautiful city. We got to see the Clifton Suspension Bridge,

 the S.S. Great Britain,

and take a ferry along the River Avon.

Bristol used to be England's largest slave trading port so while we were walking to the bridge we got to see all the posh slave-traders houses. My Horrible Histories book about the British Empire said that every brick in Bristol is tainted with the blood of slaves.

The S.S. Great Britain was amazing because, when it was built, it was the largest and most influential ship of its time. For example it was the first ocean liner to use a propeller instead of paddles. One of the most amazing things was how small the berths were.

My Dad is now too fat to fit the narrow bed.

Bath and Glastonbury

We have been staying with my Uncle Peter and my Aunt Angie for the past two days and we have been having a great time. The first day we went to Bath, which is an amazing city full of history.  First, we wandered around the city taking in all the amazing Georgian Architecture (My favourite part of the city).

 King's Cross

Then we had lunch at Marks and Spencers, and finally we went and saw the Roman baths which were pretty cool (and my sister's favourite part).

The next day, we went to Glastonbury to see the Tour of Britain (a cycling race). We got there really early so we had time to wander around Glastonbury and climb up Glastonbury Tor. Glastonbury is a very alternative town.

 The high street reeked of incense and there were lots of hemp products for sale.  On top of the Tor it was so windy that if you jumped, you would move about half a foot, and a couple times I was blown off the path. 

The bike race was amazing. It was a lot of waiting around, but when the cyclists came by it was thrilling. If you want more details follow the link to my parents' blog on the left hand side.  I'm sure my dad has a lot to say about it. 

Bradley Wiggins

Me and my dad on T.V.

Windermere

Well, today was our last day in the Lake District, and we decided to go to Windermere, which is a very Touristy town on the biggest lake in England. We drove to Lakeside, at the bottom end of the lake, and took a steamer to the town. We had a good time, and I had a delicious Yorkshire Pudding filled with chips(french fries), gravy and sausage (although I decided not to inquire about its health benefits). Anyways, we have now figured out how to get pictures on our blog faster, so here are some photos from our time in England (The Windermere pics are not uploaded yet so they will come later).

A praying sheep

Me, running in to the Irish Sea

My uncle's studio

Top Gear's studio (British T.V.)

Sand's of Duddon Bay

The Zip Line at Broughton in Furness

The Lake District

The taste of fish and chips lingers in my mouth as I write. We just got back from a day trip to Barrow-in-Furness, an industrial ship-building town up North. We went to the town museum, wandered around town and of course, we drove past a tiny yet bustling chippy and had to stop. The food was great and it was about as authentic as you can get. Anyway, the past few days we have been doing lots of hiking from our caravan in the Lake District and eating tons of Kendal Mint Cake. Yesterday we hiked up the Old Man of Coniston, a classic Lakeland climb. The view from the top was amazing although it was quite cold. The day before that we did an easy walk to the Swinside Stone Circle. It was quite cool but it was no Stonehenge. I think if I have the chance I will return to the Lake District when I’m older (although not for the hiking, but for the Kendal Mint Cake). I will post more photos when I have more prolonged time with Internet.

The Stone Circle

Our Caravan

It's cold up high

Mmmmm...

M6

Hello, I am writing this from the middle of an M6 traffic jam near Wolverhampton. We are heading North-West to the Lake District to stay on a farm for a week with my grandparents. I’m really looking forward to this because the landscape is amazing and the hiking is incredible, my sister is also looking forward to it because there are lots of sheep.

Well, the traffic is clearing up now that we are in the country, but it still feels as if we are driving down Portage Ave in rush-hour despite being in the middle of the countryside somewhere between Birmingham and Manchester. For lunch today so far I’ve had a Scotch egg (hard boiled egg covered with sausage and bread crumbs) and I think I might have a bag of prawn cocktail crisps, or maybe Worcester sauce ones, I haven’t decided yet.

I still do not really fully grasp that I am not going home for a year. It just feels like I’m on a holiday to visit my relatives. I miss my cats a lot, though I know that they are in good hands with my grandparents in Winnipeg. My home-schooling has already begun: I am learning lots of things, like the other day when my dad taught me to fold empty chip bags into origami triangles. I also learned that whatever you wear can be fashionable as long as you walk with an air of superiority and meet hostile looks with an expression that says, “Oh my gosh, what’s your problem?” So today I went the supermarket wearing a plaid dress shirt, gym shorts, hiking boots and wool socks pulled up high. So, look for hipsters wearing wool socks and gym shorts in the weeks to come. I highly recommend it as a Back to School Look as I assure you will be the coolest kid in the class.

Kidderminster

The other day we went to Cadburys (yes, chocolate) World with my aunt Mary, my uncle David and my cousins Reuben and Rachel. We had a great time and I’m not going to eat chocolate for at least a week now. At Cadbury’s, the samples they give are not mini, but full-size! And the chocolate they were selling at the store was really cheap, I bought 4 chocolate bars for about a $1.25. Some of the things we saw were tacky but it didn’t really matter when there was free chocolate to be had.

England

Hello we have been in England for about a week now and we've been having a great time with all my british aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents etc.

We spent the first three or four days with my dad's sister Helen and her family in Murcott near Rugby. We went walking a lot, drank lots of tea, ate lots of toast and saw some scary cows.

On Sunday we had a family reunion, then on Tuesday we left for my Aunty Mary's house and will be staying with her for most of the week we have been having a great time all week playing with her two kids, we went for a great walk up Clee Hill and hopefully sometime this week we will go to Cadbury World.

Clee Hill

Our rental car (nicer than the last I think.)

For more photos vist my parents blog.