Tag: england

Everyday life, Thoughts, Travel

Autumnal outlook

by wattleandash3 Comments on Autumnal outlook
Autumnal outlook

Living in the U.K. has definitely taught me about living more seasonally.  That natural rhythm of change every few months is so evident, that you can’t help but adapt to it too.

In Wagga Wagga, where Adam and I lived before moved to England, there were four seasons, but autumn and spring often arrived in short bursts, breaking up the hot and cold weather. Here it’s more gradual and the seasons are given the opportunity to ‘breath’ a little more, so you get to learn the nuances of each quarter of the year…

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Food, Local sights, Travel

The fruit farm

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The fruit farm

Just like clockwork on the first of September the air had the slightest chill in it to welcome the arrival of autumn. It was hard to believe a few days prior England had recorded its warmest bank holiday weekend in decades.  A joyful hurrah to summer.

I love autumn. It’s my favourite season and already a few trees around Malvern have started to turn yellow and red, readying themselves for the cooler months ahead. In those last hazy days of warmth though, Adam and I took my family and his sister Alex to a local fruit farm for a spot of picking…

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Food, Local sights, Travel

Broadway

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Broadway

For many visitors to the U.K., a trip to the Cotswolds is a must. It’s quintessential England – rolling green hills, small villages made up of stone buildings, and bucolic pubs full of ales, sleeping dogs and pork scratchings.

The very far eastern reaches of Worcestershire lie within the Cotswolds, so a few months ago Adam and I decided to hold off day-tripping to the area until my family arrived so we could all go together…

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Everyday life, Local sights, Travel

Worlds colliding

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Worlds colliding

For the entire time Adam and I have been together we’ve existed in these two separate worlds.  Our life in Australia and our life in England – distinct from one another, but each containing family and friends whom we love. The arrival of my family in Malvern has been a little surreal for Adam and I.  Our two existences are suddenly colliding and it feels a little strange to be walking around Malvern with so many Aussies in tow!

We spent our first full day together taking it easy around town…

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Food, Thoughts, Travel

The welcome hamper

by wattleandash7 Comments on The welcome hamper
The welcome hamper

In a few hours time my mum, dad and brother will land in England. Fairly soon after Adam and I announced we were moving to Worcestershire, my family decided they would come and visit us in the English summer. After so many months of talking about the trip, I can’t quite believe it’s almost here!

It’s been around 10 months since I’ve seen my parents and closer to 11 months, my brother. Although we call and text on a regular basis, it’s still not quite the same as being able to talk face to face.

They’re splitting their time between Malvern and travelling around the U.K. so to help them get over their very long journey and to welcome them to our little part of Worcestershire, I’ve made up a small hamper…

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Everyday life, Local sights, Travel

The common

by wattleandash2 Comments on The common
The common

The old saying goes ‘Never judge a book by its cover’, but I’ll admit I’m occasionally guilty of that. The Malvern Common sits between the township of Great Malvern and the suburb of Malvern Wells, in an area called the Lower Wych. It’s a big tract of open land, that’s hugely popular with dog owners and I drive/walk past it on an almost daily basis. I’ve avoided heading to the common for months because it always looks so busy and generally I prefer solitude on my walks, but the other day I decided to go and explore it for myself.

I was pleasantly surprised…

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Local sights, Travel

The Tudor house

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The Tudor house

Love him or hate him, King Henry the VIII, certainly played a huge part in English history.  I knew of him, but it wasn’t until my first trip to the United Kingdom in 2010 that I learnt more about him, his wives and his legacy. That holiday sparked an interest in the Tudor era that I still retain (and a bit of a crush on Jonathon Rhys Meyers and his depiction of Henry in The Tudors television show :)) and I’m always keen to learn a little more.

So the other day I made the short train journey north to Worcester to Greyfriars’ House, a Tudor era National Trust property, in the city centre…

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Everyday life, Local sights, Travel

Holywell

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Holywell

One of Malvern’s great claims to fame is its abundance of natural springs and the ‘healing’ benefits that water apparently brings. It’s what saw Malvern grow from a sleepy hamlet to a thriving town in the 19th century.

As I’ve mentioned previously, there are wells scattered all over town and residents and visitors are free to go and fill bottles whenever they wish. One of the most famous  wells, is Holywell – what’s believed to be the world’s oldest water bottling plant in the world!

Holywell isn’t too far from where Adam and I live, so I decided to base one of my ‘summer wanderings’ on a visit to the well…

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