My FIL has been in the hospital for a few days and most of these photos are on the drive into Bath to bring him home. Since then he has been back in again and we hope that possibly he will be back home again tomorrow. It has been a very difficult few days and very little time for photos and blogging.
Returning from the hospital the sunset was behind us.
I popped into Devizes before leaving and this is the indoor market...
and this is the outside market. It has been a market town for many 100's of years.
Cheery daffodils.
Pansies.
Primulas.
The Raven at Poulshot where we met friends for lunch. We thought we would have to cancel but we could only pick FIL up late afternoon...
Inside.
Driving to Bath I was reminded how many hedges there are in the UK.
Passing a pub - note the red phone box; yes they still exist here and some in working order...
a few houses en route...
Note the cones on the right of the road - it looked like the road had collapsed!!
Driving through Bathford...
Roadworks in Bathford...
Bath - this is Camden Road...
Bath - Julian Rd - My Mum's cousin used to have a shoe shop here. He had known Nigel for years via the Bath Car Club, and when Nigel moved to Africa in 1981 he arrived with my phone number - the rest is history
Bath - residential houses, Camden Crescent.
Best wishes for your father-in-law, but I am sure at his age illness strikes hard. Despite being busy, Diane, you provided a great series of pictures, giving us a real feel for the countryside. There may still be many hedgerows left but in some of the areas I have visited they have been obliterated to make way for industrialized farming. Wildlife suffers greatly when these shelters are reomoved and biodiversity takes a huge hit. Stay well and say hello to the guy you met one the phone lo those many years ago!
ReplyDeleteThanks David, apart for anything else I have had a couple of days not well and stil feeling a bit queasy! Nigel also is very uptight and understandably so, it is a long story best left untold. He says hi though to you. FIL should probably be back home again tomorrow but we will only find out mid afternoon. Bath is not the best place to drive in the rush hour!! Maybe in Somerset there are still hedges as I noticed quite a lot, but maybe because the GPS took us the back way!!!! Bonne journée, Diane
DeleteAs always I love all the pictures. I wish your father-in-law a lasting recovery.
ReplyDeleteThanks Emma, at 97 years old recovery is slow sadly. Keep well Diane
DeleteThe flowers are beautiful. Lovely houses and view from countryside. Stay strong and well. Hope your FIL gets well soon.
ReplyDeleteThanks Nancy, there are some lovely winter flowers around. We hope all will improvevery soon.
DeleteBath is such a pretty city Diane, but not as pretty as your French home and definitely not as welcoming when over-run with tourists! Hope FIL is doing better.
ReplyDeleteGrace I agree, Bath is over-run with tourists and it seems that English is not heard often there!! Give me France anytime. Take care Diane
DeleteHi Diane, I was just thinking about you today and wondering how things were going?
DeleteGoing very slowly!! SIL is planning to arrive 28 Jan and we leave 29 Jan should be home weather permitting 30th. Snow forecast though so we hope not too much!! Cheers Diane
DeleteI'm so sorry to hear that your father-in-law has been hospitalised, Diane. I hope it gave you a little respite from caring for him at his home. I'm also sorry to hear that you managed to catch a bug which laid you low for a while. It must have made things very difficult for you.
ReplyDeleteThe name Bathford rings a bell with me - I seem to remember, many years ago when I used to pass by Bath on business, I used to go over a toll bridge at Bathford to avoid Bath itself. It was very quaint, with tolls taken by cash in hand. I may have been in a different place however - it's easy to confuse places one has been on one's travels!! ;-}
Take great care. My best wishes to you and Nigel - - - Richard
Hi Richard, It is a struggle here at present and I have picked up a bug which is making me feel awful. Nigel spoke to the local surgery today and they said it could last for 7 days, I am now only on day 4!!
DeleteRe the toll, Nigel says there was a small toll bridge in Bathampton somewhere which maybe the one you are thinking of, he said he will look it up.
I hope all is going well for you and the family. Take care Diane
Bathampton Toll Bridge is an arch bridge in England, carrying a minor road across the River Avon near Bathampton, to the east of Bath. It is a Grade II listed structure. The bridge was built of Bath stone by Hickes and Isaac in 1872, for the Bridge Company Turnpike Trust.
DeleteThat's the one I was thinking of. Thank you, Nigel, for refreshing my memory, and thank you, Diane, for the update. I hope that you are now recovered, Diane - best wishes - - - Richard
DeleteI am so happy to have found your amazing blog today. I have never had a budget for traveling and now that we are retired and living on less, it's not even a dream, any more. Thanks to sweet bloggers like you, I can travel on line and I do so enjoy tagging along and seeing the beautiful countryside. There is a part of me from my great grandfather's genes that loves the UK. He was born in Leeds and later moved to the Isle Of Man before coming to the US.
ReplyDeleteYour newest follower,
Connie :)
Hi Connie thanks for the visit and very kind comment. You will find very few posts on the UK, we are only here at present looking after my FIL. We live in France, and generally my posts are about France or other places we might visit, but I hope that you might find them inteesting as well. Take care and look forward to your other visits. Diane
DeleteI love, love, love that first photo! What a creative shot.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I was pretty plaesed with it 😊 Cheers Diane
DeleteI am so sorry you're going through this yet glad you can get out occasionally to see friends. Especially friends that got you two together.
ReplyDeleteThe friends we met for lunch were people that Nigel used to work with. My Mum's cousin who owned the shop which I just thought was a point of interest sadly departed this world a few years back. Hope all is well with you, Diane
DeleteLove the mirror shot!
ReplyDeleteSending good thoughts to your FIL.
Thanks something a bit different! Keep well Diane
DeleteSad to hear your FIL is not well. You have grabbed some interesting shots of the towns and villages in that area.
ReplyDeleteDiane he came back home today and seems to be OK despite the hospital having lost his glasses !!!!! The Optician is on to it already. Thanks for the comment. Hope tha ankel is doing well, t'other Diane
DeleteIm sorry your FIL is not well Diane. Hope he feel better soon .Like always yours pictures are really beautiful!! Love these flowers ! take care!
ReplyDeleteThanks Gloria, he cam back home today so fingers crossed. Hope all is well with you Diane
DeleteHi Diane,
ReplyDeleteSo your feeling was right...
I hope Fil gets better real soon and I hope that you and Nigel are fine.
Your shots are lovely but that first one of the sunset in the mirror is quite original!
Warm hugs and enjoy the week end if you can...
I am always right sometimes LOL. FIL is back home today so we hope all goes well this time!! I was quite pleased with that sunset in the side mirror 😉. Looking forward to getting back home, it has been extremly difficult. Take care and warm hugs from the UK. Diane
DeleteHoping FIL is doing better. After spending a tad over 2 weeks in the hospital with mom I can say, it wears you out. Beautiful pics. Maybe one day I can visit across the pond and see sites like this on my own.
ReplyDeleteHi Pam, hope all is well with you now, it is a very tiring business looking after the elderly we have decided! Take care Diane
DeleteI do hope your FIL is getting better.
ReplyDeleteLove your reflection sunset shot! That is an awesome photo. I could even imagine that it was taken our here as the horizon is flat. Not many of your photos I think that way!
There are some flat areas in the UK but, in fact Bath was just behind us and that is very hilly. I just caught a flat spot I guess. Hope all is well Diane
DeleteI hope Fil gets better real soon and I hope that you and Nigel are fine.
ReplyDeletehave a great day
Thanks so much. We are all on the mend but it is slow!!! Keep well Diane
DeleteHope FIL will feel better soon.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos, Diane. Thank you so much for sharing with us photos of the interesting places you visit.
Hugs, my friend.
FIL is very up and down, as I type this it is a bad day! Thanks for the kind comment, keep well Diane
DeleteIt's sad news about your FIL and I can well understand what Nigel is going through. I pray that FIL will be strengthened and Nigel given comfort and peace also. It's good you are both there despite the hardships. Your photos are gorgeous. I'd love to visit Bath someday.
ReplyDeletePenny, Bath is a beautiful place but sadly over run with tourists. It is not at all like the place where we lived many years ago!! Take care Diane
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