The sunshine was glorious as we set off on our journey to Harrogate. On the way we stopped off at Woodhall services to purchase sandwiches for an in car picnic. Afterwards we passed through some lovely autumnal areas and saw a red kite riding the thermals. We arrived in Harrogate in the early afternoon and checked into the the Yorkshire hotel which was a quirky experience. We had to move the car to a space that wasn’t already allocated.

After unloading the car we walked into town. It was rather chilly compared to home and we soon headed back to the hotel to enjoy the champagne and chocolates that Mr C had secretly arranged.

Whilst sipping the bubbly, I took the opportunity to do some colouring in my ‘World of Flowers’ book. I am taking part in Johanna Basford’s ‘30 Days of Creativity’ to coincide with the publication of her new book. Unfortunately my copy of the book didn’t arrive in time for day one so I had to improvise.

In the bar before dinner, we were told that our card should have been registered on arrival at the hotel. Mr C headed to reception to sort it out and came back with a birthday card from the hotel.  The receptionist that showed us to our car parking space had asked how long we were staying for and was it a special occasion.

For dinner I chose ‘ultimate chicken Kiev’ with German potato salad and dressed leaves. The food was excellent and the staff friendly and attentive. The bar area had a comfortable atmosphere and I enjoyed watching the bar staff mixing cocktails as people came and went.

Our destination for the day of our anniversary was Forde Abbey, a place that we had not visited before. Our journey there was quirky – there were many sudden junctions and eroded markings and, for some reason, the SatNav has changed the way it navigates saying bear left/right when the junction is a left/right turn and when it states turn left/right it should say bear left/right. I upgraded to the latest map a couple of days before we travelled, before this the bear/turn directions seemed more accurate.

The gardens are wonderful and the architecture of the house and former Abbey interesting. A lovely herd of Ruby Red Devon cows were in a field just outside the boundary fence. The spectacular Centenary Fountain is the tallest powered fountain in England. We enjoyed lunch in the walled garden, sitting outside the undercroft. I chose cherry cake; it just had to be done. The staff were so happy to have recently opened and enjoying the visitors’ return.

On our way back to the hotel we detoured to Cerne Abbas to see the newly chalked giant on the hillside. We then visited the village to find the Holy Well and the Preaching Cross that are located within the burial grounds. The Holy Well was lovely and peaceful, although another couple followed us into the space so we left them to it. I had hoped to return after they had gone but that was not to be because, as we retraced our steps past the Holy Well on our way to find the Preaching Cross, the couple were still there and, to my dismay, clambering over the well. We visited the garden of St. Mary’s church but sadly did not have chance to visit the church as time was getting on.

When we arrived back at our hotel room we found that the pre-ordered champagne and box of chocolates had not arrived. Mr C had to chase it up and when our order arrived it wasn’t exactly presented in an elegant way. The box of chocolates turned out to be four chocolates served on a bed of small pebbles. Not exactly what we had in mind.

We dined in the hotel, choosing the tasting menu option. The speed of delivery was much better than our previous occasion when we were rushed through the meal before we had chance to savour the wine that accompanied the dishes. However the final dessert course failed to be delivered until the wine waiter came back to check if we had enjoyed our experience and noticed our untouched wine glass, spare cutlery and the absence of a dessert plate.

We enjoyed my 60th birthday meal so much we decided to repeat the menu for Valentine’s Day.

The weather was hot and sunny so instead of our planned visit to Dorchester, and after stopping to photograph the Cerne Abbas Giant, we headed to Lulworth Cove. We climbed to see the view of the cove and the Stair Hole rock formation from above.

After elevenses, we drove to Durdle Door where we walked down to see the view of the rock formations. We regretted not taking a picnic with us which would have been enjoyable on the beach if we had carried on down the steps to the cove. The wind was quite wild, blowing the chalk everywhere, and at one stage setting me off sneezing.

Following the bracing walk we set off in the direction of Dorchester looking for a suitable place for lunch. We stopped Craigs Farm, Osmington which has delightful farm shop with a tea room that serves sandwiches and cakes. I opted for coconut and lime cake which was delicious. At this point we decided that perhaps there was not enough time to get the best out of a visit to Dorchester and flexed the plan again. We thought that a stately home would fit in nicely with our morning’s activities.

We looked to see what was nearby and settled on Athelhampton House and Gardens. It is a delightful property which we both thoroughly enjoyed. The gardens were relaxing after Mr C had needed to take a phone call regarding arrangements for my aunt’s funeral.

Returning to our hotel room, I was surprised to find champagne and chocolates waiting. Mr C had organised them because it was our anniversary. We sat and enjoyed a glass of bubbly and one or two chocolates before it was time for me to wash the chalk dust out of my hair.

We dined in the hotel opting for the Tasting Menu accompanied by a flight of different wines to compliment each of the dishes. The food was delicious and so was the wine. Our only complaint was that we were rushed through the courses. As we had finished one course and were savouring the last of the accompanying wine, a new glass of wine arrived followed by the next course. We did point out that we would like to slow down a little but still the courses kept coming meaning that we did not have enough time to savour the wine and fully appreciate the splendour of the dishes.

I  arrived home this evening with thoughts of cooking this evening’s dinner and plans for the weekend ahead. I had only been home a few minutes when Mr C came to sit with me, after a few minutes he started to study a piece of paper. I enquired about what he was looking at and he gave an enigmatic reply; a recipe. After further discourse it transpired that he had found a suitable recipe for an impromptu celebratory dinner and that he was going to cook it!

Earlier in the day he learned that he had got promoted at work. Congratulations Mr C

As Mr C started to cook dinner I enquired if he would like a pre dinner sherry, he didn’t seem too keen on the idea. I wondered why until he confessed that he had put a bottle of Champagne in the fridge in the anticipation of the good news.

The meal was Parmesan Chicken with Mushroom Wine Sauce, hasselback potato and broccoli. It was delicious.

Then Almitra spoke again and said, And what of Marriage, master?

And he answered saying:
You were born together,
and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when the white wings
of death scatter your days.
Aye, you shall be together even in the
silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

Love one another, but make not a bond of love.

Let it rather be a moving sea between
the shores of your souls.
Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous,
but let each of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone
though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping.

For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together, yet not too near together.
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress
grow not in each other’s shadow.

On Marriage, from The Prophet.
Kahlil Gibran

The castle gates remain closed until 10 o’clock so after breakfast and checking out of the hotel we visited a small garden next to the lawns. By the time we had finished in the garden it was still to early for the gates to be open so we took the long way round to visit the Russian Doll shop and a second hand book shop, only to find that the shops didn’t open until 11 o’clock. I did however manage to replace the wash bag I had ruined due to leaving my shampoo bottle open on our journey to Lincoln.

We didn’t want to wait until 11 so we made our way back to the car, through the castle grounds. We then said goodbye to Lincoln and set off towards Newark to visit the National Civil War Museum, which we found very interesting. After visiting the museum Mr C set off into town in search of a cook shop which we failed to find. This left us with time to visit the Parish Church of St Mary Magdalene which we found to be quite stunning inside. After the visit it was time to return home to unpack before getting ready to go out for an evening meal to celebrate our anniversary.

As it was a Monday night not many places were open so we went to a local pub carvery where I chose turkey which was delicious. After the meal we returned home to enjoy a glass of champagne on the patio in the warm evening air, watching the sun go down. A perfect end to a lovely weekend.

A perfect end to a lovely anniversary weekend break. We were gifted with perfect weather to enjoy the occasion

The weather was gloriously sunny as we drove through the Shropshire and Herefordshire countryside for our overnight stay at Colwall village. When we crossed over the border into Herfordshire I noticed an abundance of Mistletoe in the trees. I can’t remember the last time I saw mistletoe growing in the UK and I have never seen so much before.

We arrived at the Hotel, Colwall Park just after one o’clock which was perfect timing for our lunch time cream tea which was part of the Valentines package which we had booked. After lunch we checked into our room to unpack our bags. When we made the booking we were advised that only one room was left and that it was a suite. When we opened the door to the room we realised that it was the bridal suite, it was very nicely appointed and had his and hers wardrobes. Handmade chocolates had been placed on the bed and the table a bottle of Champagne was sitting in a bucket of ice, glinting in the sunshine. The latter had been ordered by Mr C. We moved to the Champagne to a cool corner of the room and set off for a nearby craft village where we spent a couple of pleasant hours.

By the time we had returned to the hotel the Champagne had chilled to the perfect temperature and we enjoyed sipping it whilst relaxing with a good book. I also enjoyed a soak in the bath before getting ready to go down to dinner. There was a nice atmosphere in the restaurant and we enjoyed the food off the special Valentine’s menu. There was a slight hiccup when it came to dessert, the waiter got confused and brought us the wrong menu not once but twice which made us smile. After we had finished our meal we sat in the hotel bar until it was time to retire for the evening.

14th February 2016

We were even later for breakfast this morning but when we arrived we were greeted with ‘Good Morning, would you like a glass of Champagne, it is a Belgium custom’. It would have been rude to refuse such an offer, and as luck would have it, strawberries were also available on the breakfast bar. Their tastes complemented each other perfectly. After the strawberries, I had cheese and continental breads. What a great start to the day

After breakfast we made our way through ‘De Langste Dag 2015′ street fair (which were told, whilst dining the previous evening, is a festival with shops displaying bargains on street stalls and  artists performing in street theatre) towards the train station to visit Brussels for the day. Buying a return ticket from the machine was quite simple and we were even recommended a cheaper option, weekend ticket for consideration.

Once in Brussels we took a few minutes to get our bearings and make our way to the Grand Place. On our way there we came across the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula so we spent some time inside. We then continued to the Grand Place to try and locate a waffle cafe that we had enjoyed on a previous visit to Brussels. During our search, we ended up by the Mannequin Pis who was dressed in a Napoleonic uniform quite fitting for the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. We located the waffle outlet and found that it had changed from the quaint cafe we had found on our previous visit to a fast food (waffle) outlet. The waffles were excellent although there was a bit too much chocolate for my taste.

After lunch, we headed back to the Grand Place where we lingered to take a few photos. As we did so we could hear music and banging of drums. We thought it might be some sort of demonstration marching just outside the square. As I waited for one last photo of the entrance to the town hall without people crowding in front of it, the sound of music and drums entered the square behind me. I noticed they were re-enactors of the Napoleonic period. They proceeded to march round the edge of the square and through the town hall archway. I  suspect they may have been part of the official 200th anniversary celebrations, especially as there were a few police officers nearby moving some daft members of public out of the way of the procession.

After this unexpected bonus we made our way towards the Royal Palace, taking in several viewpoints along the way. These included The Albertine, The Musical Instruments Museum and the Place Royale which we initially thought was the Royal Palace. On closer inspection we found the Place Royale building was the church of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg in front of which is the statue of the first king of Jerusalem setting off on the first crusade. We then located the Palace which was just around the corner. After viewing the outside of the palace we made our way back to the station through the Royal Park and, as we neared the Cathedral, I enjoyed the sound of the Cathedral bells  heralding the start of a church service.

We didn’t have to wait long for our train back to Leuven. We were able to enjoy Leuven’s longest day celebrations (‘De Langste Dag 2015′) as we walked from the station to the city centre. We really enjoyed the street artist entertainment which included two strange pseudo-strippers wearing skin coloured body suits with accompanying hair; they were darting through the streets pretending to be embarrassed by their ‘nakedness’. However the stars of these shows were the fabulous dinosaur puppets strolling through the streets, feeding from the trees and bending their heads down to engage with the crowd. At one point a dinosaur head bumped against my head so I bent down to let it pass by. The dinosaur had other ideas and put its head on top of mine so that I could not move. The operator of the dinosaur head was grinning at me. At this moment Mr C’s camera decided to have a flat battery so there are no photographs of the moment.

We stopped in the square for a drink and soaked up the lively atmosphere and enjoyed a bit of banter with the proprietor  of the beer shop whilst purchasing Waterloo beer and a commemorative Waterloo chalice, before returning to the hotel to freshen up before dinner. We chose to return to a restaurant that we had previously dined in and it was just as good as the first time we ate there.