A country carnival

Back in November The Boy and I went on our annual pilgrimage to Somerset for carnival.

Now, I know this post is late, and I know it's hardly worth posting now that so much time has passed but you know what? I don't care so I'm going to post this anyway.

I love the floats and every year just gets better and better, here's some pics of my favourites from 2013.

We headed down on Thursday evening for a three day break with The Boy's family, which I usually class as the first activity of the Christmas lead up, even though it takes place in mid November.

Friday was Wells carnival so we all wrapped up warm and picked a spot close to a pub for refreshments but also close enough to the carnival route to provide ample viewing. I obviously insisted The Boy buy me a balloon (I'm a child at heart).

On Saturday we celebrated Gerald's birthday with a trip to a local restaurant where much merriment ensued, finished off with cocktails and dancing in The Boy's parents living room - you just can't beat a night spent with family, even if it does leave you a tad worse for wear the following morning.

With a raging hangover we then enjoyed a Sunday birthday buffet followed by a trip to see Grandad and Philly, and getting the coach back to London on Sunday evening.

It was a wonderful weekend and nice for us all to be together again, the perfect start to the Christmas festivities.

Children of the revolution

Although it was my first week at my new job, I took Friday off for a prearranged double whammy family gathering in Somerset.

The Wells carnival is a favourite event for The Boy and I (having not missed one in three years) and this year it was time for my parents to finally see what all the fuss was about.

After a jam packed day in London on Thursday (nine store visits and a trip to the DC) we hopped on a coach (the pro list for getting a car is growing longer by the day) and headed for Hampshire for a one night stay in Titchfield with my parents. Goats cheese salad (alas no picture, I was too hungry) and wine awaited us, followed by an inevitable nap on the sofa for me. I love being home, surrounded my my family and our wonderful, clutter filled house.

Friday dawned with an early morning dentist appointment for me before we set off for Shepton Mallet. We took a lunchtime pitstop at Street where I picked up a cheeky Whistles treat and indulged in a Toffee Nut Hot Chocolate (non-coffee drinkers out there, believe me this is amazing) and arrived at The Boy's parents around 4ish. Just in time for cottage pie and a natter before the action began.

The carnival over the past few years has been notorious for bad weather and this year was no different. Thick fog made driving conditions pretty interesting and halfway through the procession the rain began to fall. But nothing could put a dampener on our enthusiasm and we remained steadfast in the market square to watch the floats go by. Some of my personal favourites featured polar bears, a Disney theme, snow machines, "Children of the revolution", a rather creepy Christmas tale, and of course, middle-aged men dressed as women - basically it was right up my street.

You can find out more about the Somerset Carnivals here, or watch my video below for the kind of thing you can expect. It's important to remember that in most parts of the country these husbands/fathers/brothers would spend their evenings sat in front of the TV, not customising what is essentially a tractor and trailer and learning a dance routine. 

One word: Amazing.

A weekend in Wells

A couple of weeks back The Boy and I took advantage of a rare free weekend when we weren't going to a hen do/stag do/wedding and headed to Somerset to visit his family for a few days. 

We don't get down to Shepton Mallet as often as I'd like (due mostly to the extortionate cost of the train or the bus-coupled with my general hatred of National Express) but when we do go, it is always a truly relaxing couple of days which leaves me wanting to return ASAP. 

On this particular weekend we all headed out to town for a walk in the sunshine and to check out the Swans of Wells, a public art event to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the city of Wells.

Those of you who read this blog regularly will know how much I enjoyed the Easter egg hunt that took place in London this year, the sense of fun when having to search for something and the delight at finding something unexpected certainly makes for a fun day out. So, naturally the idea of a Saturday morning stroll around Wells (a beautiful place as it is) whilst keeping a look out for a flock of swans designed by local artists was right up my street.

We started off in the churchyard and were soon spotting swans everywhere we went, each one more beautiful than the last. I loved so many of the designs and inevitably took far too many photographs but here are a selection of my personal favourites - I particularly enjoyed the "Queen of Shells" by Candace Bahouth, see below.

The idea behind the Swans of Wells is the display of 60 beautifully designed and decorated 5ft swan sculptures in and around the town, one for each of the sixty years of the Queen's reign. Taking place for just three months this summer, you can still catch the swans in and around Wells until early September, when they will be displayed as a flock in the grounds of Bishops Palace before being auctioned off for charity on September 29th.

We spent a couple of hours ambling around the picturesque city, popping into the odd shop and sampling the tasters at the local market (where I demanded The Boy buy me a chocolate brownie), before taking The Boy's Grandad out for lunch. It was a lovely morning, followed by a delicious meal in a local pub.

As much as I love a wedding, it was really nice to get the chance to spend the weekend relaxing with family, particularly as the day was followed by an evening spent in the sunshine in the back garden drinking a glass of Pimms - bliss!

Find out more about the Swans of Wells here.