A HUGE ROUNDABOUT

After last night’s concert, my body was sore and wracked with pain. Man, I’m getting old for someone who acted about a third of her age the night before.

The lads were up and getting ready for school with Sam & Ben making our lovely cups of coffee and tea. Punctual on arrival, Sir Richard greeted us in the morning with a map of England detailing our trip from here to Stonehenge and Bath. I peered over his shoulder as he described going south to Stonehenge and back north to Bath like an oversized loop (or a letter 'J' per Miki).

After feasting on heaping portions of French bread and crumpets, and we headed out to the mystifying Stonehenge towards Amesbury. I decided to take backseat again to recuperate and conk out for 2 hours. Because Ching’s got an IQ of a billion, she’d adapt quickly in navigating these blasted English road maps to ensure that Richard stays focused.

When I finally woke up, it was pouring cats & dogs and we were milling in and out the roundabouts somewhere in Amesbury. Because we got sidetracked, Richard pulls into a gas station (an unheard feat in America - men to stop and ask for directions!?) while Ching asked some cute bearded chap for driving directions. Their banter was quite amusing. Here’s how it went:

Ching: Excuse me, can you please tell me how to get to the Stonehenge?

Bloke: What? WHY on earth would you want to visit there? (Flirts)

Ching: That’s because we have a meeting with a Druid up there. (BIG grin)

Bloke: (Laughs) Okay, go down the road and the 3^rd exit on the roundabout…

I roared in laughter over the remark on the Druids. At least someone's done her homework!

More roundabouts. Ugh. We spun around the damn rotary a few more times and still couldn’t get to our destination. Asked another couple for directions and reeled around some more. I should’ve continued snoozing since it appeared that we would never escape the wrath of these horrendous roundabouts. Plus, you would think being no more than 5 miles from the famous site that there’d be a sign or two posted??

When Ching caught sight of the road sign, we breathed a sigh of relief knowing that we getting just a smidgen closer to our target. At this point, we hit complete grasslands with sheep grazing everywhere. With a big-ass sign on the left hand side indicating an exit, guess what? Richard blows right by it and we could see the fallen stones behind us..OKAY! WE’RE HERE, BEEN THERE, AND DONE THAT! NOW LET’S HEAD ON OVER TO AVEBURY!

It was then Ching and I realized the dude wasn't particular in reading the signs (like the Richard I married), he simply DRIVES. Either it has something to do with driving on the left hand side of the road or the signs being too small, Richard tends to purely gun the engine and go off somewhere based on his voided instincts.

So, he brazenly made a U-Turn to get our asses over on the opposite side of the road. Upon reaching our destination, the rain clouds from Brum followed us all the way here and the winds were gusting to 20 mph. After warming up a bit in the gift shop, we braved the cold again to pay tribute to these ancient and enigmatic structures.

Ching gave a brief synopsis of these Stones while I was simply “soaking” up the environment. Miraculously, the wind and rain had stopped just in time for us to take some serious footage. I left the premises rather giddy and open-hearted.

So…onwards to Bath! When we pulled out of the carpark, the sun had shone brightly and the birds were chirping happily away in what was formerly an ashen sky. What a cruel trick! Bad, bad hair day for me..

The roads leading to Bath were breathtakingly beautiful. The areas we passed by were surrounded by farms, verdant green pastures, brilliant flora and deep foliage which cast a spell to all who exercised the power of vision. The vast grasslands were in a bright hue of lime green with livestock grazing in its own peacefulness. It was lovely and serene. I felt exceptionally fortunate to have been able to feast my eyes upon such an exquisite, yet tranquil landscape.

The trip to Bath was surprisingly seamless. From the moment we entered the wet city, I was undeniably floored with my mouth gaping open (again – I did the same when I saw Roland last night). Awestruck, we arrived to the most gorgeous city in Britain. Without paying any attention to the maps in hand, Richard drove right into the heart of the city and parked the vehicle without a hitch.

This was the easiest trip we had thus far. Famished, we hunted up and down the streets of Bath looking for some decent grub. When we passed by a place called “MOGERS”, Ching turned to us saying, “How come Frommer’s didn’t even recommend a place like this?” Since she was suffering from hunger, she didn’t see the words “Solicitors” underneath “MOGERS”. Her delirium caused her to presume that it was some posh pub. LOL!

The neighborhood was posh and stunning. The buildings lining up the hilly streets exuded their antiquity while a colorful array of modern and quaint shops furnished customers with their unique merchandise. Every little thing looked wonderful, whether it was a church, a bench, a croissant, a kiosk or even bath soap. For the first time in a long while, I completely unzipped my mind to be ‘one’ with this amazing ambiance. I died and went to heaven that day.

After a satisfying meal at some restaurant chain (Litten Tree or something?), we headed into the heart of the city and to cover more ground. Although we didn’t really have a set agenda for Bath, our aimless path somehow led us to the Roman Baths. Once again, this was another effortless attempt to reach a destination without appearing like a bunch of lost retards.

Like the Stonehenge, the Roman Baths is an ancient historical site to be appreciated and to be captivated in. Considering what technology was in those days, it is positively astounding how the temple was constructed surrounding these phenomenal hot springs which were thought to be the work of the Roman gods. The dedication and worship makes the site sacred and would even lure you into believing the water’s curative powers. No, I wasn’t going to dive into the water and make myself look like some attention-starved schmuck, but do check it out if you ever see Bath.

The Roman Baths

Here' s great shot with a rainbow over the steaming spring.

For sure, my 3^rd UK trip will consist a week in Bath.

When I hit the gift shop, I was adamant about buying souvenirs for Bath. Being a huge soap fanatic, I purchased a box of soap made in Bath. I know, I know…kinda corny, but it smells lovely! Well, it was acutely obvious to everyone how much I loved Bath – either I couldn’t shut up about it or my jaw was open throughout the entire trip.

When we left Bath (boo-hoo), it was rush hour and stuck in traffic. Yuck. Here's a lovely snapshot of how the buildings are lined up...

Then Richard decided to pull out of the stagnant road and drove off. I assumed he knew what he was doing and dozed off again - Zzzzzz.

I woke up about an hour later, with Ching and Richard in a rather heated conversation. For whatever the backwards-assed reason, Richard somehow veered off course and drove BACK to the Amesbury/Stonehenge!! He took 361A which was going the opposite direction of our ultimate destination! Groggy as I was, I couldn’t believe what he was trying to do especially since he planned to drive back north from Bath to Brum – after illustrating the directions on the map earlier this morning. Supposedly we were going in the shape of a loop, but at this point, he was going in a DOUBLE loop. OY!!!

Well, after a few attempts, he finally got us back on M5 to Brum. I conked out and woke up just as we entered Tamworth. Interestingly enough, I seemed to conveniently wake up whenever we neared our destinations.

After a few lunar eclipses, we arrived home almost 10PM - it’s considerably pathetic since we left around 6:30PM. I felt awful for Sarah & Andy since they prepared an authentic English roast dinner for us and waited eons for our return! Furthermore, Ching wanted to make her Chinese dishes since it was our last night with the Ridgards!

Once again, our beloved chef feverishly plows away at the kitchen to bring her recipes and ideas into fruition. Remarkably, her dishes came out great even after compromising a ton of ingredients and techniques. Because we ate terribly late – midnight – I could only eat small portions of their roast dinner and of Ching’s cooking. Nevertheless, Andy had the biggest thrill of all, he was able to learn how to make them and enjoyed them immensely.

I have to give Sarah credit for trying…she’s picky to the bone and you couldn’t force her to try something even if you threaten to cut off her toes and fingers. Although the lads had gone to bed, they enjoyed the leftovers the following day. During our conversations, we reviewed the methods regarding the construction of these dishes as well as the invitation cards assuring that they could replicate our efforts after we leave.

Two nights ago, Sarah & Andy dug up all of their craft materials so we could put our creative hats on to assist designing their wedding invitations for their handfasting ceremony. With some glue, dried rose petals and golden threads from old window sheers, Ching devised a totally organic theme to coincide with this beloved ancient rite.

Me? I busy playing with her rubber stamps and ink pads to come up with colorful backgrounds for the cards. Sam caught on and began make a few of his own on white paper. Later, Sarah wanted us to continue with these abstract pictures so she could scan the designs as brushstrokes for the Blends.

[I have a 'thing' for stamping and as a kid, I had a special collection of Hello Kitty rubber stamps. Because you tend to share things you enjoy most in life with your best friends, I sent her a similar set and she's been hooked on since. It's all my fault! And...I'm still rubber stamping!]

Interestingly enough, she called them ‘Samdalin Grunge’! Initially I thought it was some special technique, but the term was coined by Sarah to give the brushstrokes a title using our names - Sam + Linda (Dalin)! Someone still remembers how I used to sign off as Dalin or Adnil since I was very much into anagrams. Jumbles anyone?

Boy, the babes in us crawled out this week! We even went through all of Sarah's and Andy's pictures during high school a few nights ago! OY!!!!