All My Pictures are Huge

Greetings and Happy Monday from Sussex County in the U.K. I must admit with the fact that we are in quarantine (no one is sick - just protocol for entering the country) combined with the country being in lockdown - I wasn't 100% certain it was Monday until I saw the little kids passing the house on their way to school this morning! 

I decided I'd go ahead and share some pictures from the walks around town we took over the weekend. Due to the rules currently in place, the only options we have for "doing things" are to talk walks around the town but happily, the town my sister lives in has plenty of things to look at and see - so that's just fine! After our flight arrived at Heathrow on Thursday we made our way to Bury St. Edmunds with a quick stop at the Starbucks before we arrived at my sister's house!

We walked along streets filled with quirky and quintessential British homes... everything looks like it has been pulled from a child's storybook or the history lessons you've read about time and time again with a little lean to each house, windows that were mullioned and Tudor style as far as the eye can see! Sadly, all the shops were closed because the lockdown started the very day we arrived - so it was just a bit of window shopping.

There is a beautiful Abbey in the town that has beautiful and expansive gardens - we only managed to pop into the gardens for a short time because the sun sets here around 4:30 and the garden gates close at dusk. There are ruins from the original Abbey and of course - the absolutely beautiful Abbey that now stands. I also snapped a shot of the The Angel Hotel covered with vines... a favorite spot of Charles Dickens and recently used in the film The Personal History of David Copperfield.

Close to the exit of the gardens was the most lovely English Rose Garden with walls covered in vines and leaves - it was the most picturesque sight - like something out of the Secret Garden. I know - I'm getting a bit poetic with all my descriptions but then again, it's hard not to! Everything just feels like it has such history and a story attached to it! 

Seriously - aren't the vines along that wall the most lovely thing? It was so nice to be able to wander through the gardens with my Mom and my sister... my sister that I haven't seen since January 2nd because of all the crazy COVID business! 

Amazingly I was able to stay awake on Thursday until almost 10 in the evening and then slept like a log all night, waking shortly after 8:00! I'm also pleased to report that I haven't really struggled too much with jet lag - not sure if that's just that I've been drinking a lot of water or simply a miracle - but I'll take it! Friday dawned bright and sunny and I couldn't resist snapping pictures of some of the fabulous little homes on our walk around the neighborhood!

2 Metres = 6 feet you guys! Make sure you keep a safe distance when out and about! I couldn't resist snapping a picture of my feet with the friendly little reminder outside the local Waitrose (which my Dad calls Westeros...cue the laughter). 

After a lazy morning on Friday and lunch, my younger sister and I decided to walk the 1.6 miles (not sure how many kilometers that is guys...) to Nowton Park and it was the most interesting walk! We passed detached homes, flats, roundabouts and my personal favorite - two fields filled with sheep! We didn't spend too much time exploring the park but we did discover that someone had built a jolly fort in the trees and couldn't resist snapping a picture before turning around for the return walk back to her house!

After just a little time back at the house, my Mom and I set out on a short walk around the block (or some of the blocks, I guess). We made our way through the streets, down to the Abbey and back around in a big square to my sister's house where we ordered take-away from the Giggling Squid - a nearby Thai restaurant! We stuffed ourselves with Pad Thai, Sticky Chicken, Satay and Money Bags - all so very yummy! 

I leave you with a snap of me in a traditional English phone booth and the delightful bag from the Giggling Squid - filled to the brim with delicious Thai food! All's well here across the pond and I have plenty of pictures to share in the days to come! 

And if you're wondering why I'm mentioning that my pictures are huge - I'm blogging from my sister's computer and uploading pictures with a blogging app that apparently, once uploaded this way cannot be resized. Oh well - giant Britain pictures for all!