Christmas Present

You may be wondering Christmas?? Well last Christmas I was given one of those gifts you are never expecting, that sweeps you off your feet, and onto a cloud. I was bought by my younger sister, the gift of a weekend away with my children spending time with her, so we could relax as a couple.

Last weekend was the arranged weekend, which she even managed to arrange the most heavenly weather. Our location was Chepstow.

So after a day at work we met on location to drop off the children, and booked in for the weekend. http://www.hotelchepstow.co.uk/page/hotel/
We had a meal in their restaurant and retired ready for another day. After seeing a outline of the flood light castle from our room.

The morning brought blue washed skies and radiant sunshine, and a glorious view of the castle, and the river at the end of the car park.

We decided after a hearty breakfast to walk around the town, find somewhere for supper and then head off into the Wye Valley. We chose to try the http://www.limetreecafebar.com/  as we had read reviews online about it.

So we set off to http://www.tintern.org.uk/abbey2.htm . What a monster of a ruin! The sheer scale as you came along the road to the village, Wow is all you could say. Many photos of this will be uploaded to my flickr account in the next week. http://www.flickr.com/photos/46322746@N07/ It was well worth a visit, even if it was a little too sunny for photos. Forming large shadows and light streamers through windows.

A meander through Monmouth lead us to Symonds Yat http://www.wyenot.com/yatrock.htm A quiet place with breathtaking views, and swarms of bird watchers looking for falcons nesting on the cliffs.

You could be mistaken for thinking you are on top of the world.

The Lime Tree was pulsating rapidly with energy, as we spent time laughing together and enjoying the time to window shop into other people's lives. Another beautifully crafted meal was eaten.

On Sunday we drove  to Lydney. But on the way we found http://www.tauruscrafts.co.uk/

A labyrinth of crafts trying to use recycled items.

Watch out for more on Taurus crafts.

So on to Lydney, to find the harbour, and water the ever lasting calming natural element of our planet.

On to Usk to walk the river, and to find signs of spring. Enjoying the summer like weather, before meeting up for a meal with my sister. To collect the boys and start our journey home.