Easter happenings

We have been so blessed to have two sets of friends be willing to drive all the way to Wales to spend a weekend with us. Each group has brought us treats and taken us out for a meal and we have felt so loved and overwhelmed by their kindness and generosity.

We were lucky enough to have some old friends come to stay with us for Easter weekend. Cindy was my first roommate in college and Matt was Spiderman's roommate on our overseas exchange programme in 1990 that set us on the path to living in the UK. I was also a bridesmaid in their wedding. We were also really lucky to have their 15 year old son Addison come along. If you need any help with technology, you only need to ask a teenager.

They are American, but Matt is in the navy and stationed near London. It was a rather long drive for them as it was Easter weekend and everyone else seemed to share the idea of driving somewhere. They arrived, slightly weary on Friday night bearing an enormous box of food. All kinds of treats and snacks we could use for picnicking over the weekend. What a blessing!

We ate chilli and cornbread and then retired to the living room to chat and catch up. Addison and I had a very interesting conversation about dubstep ( a type of electronic music) and we spent the weekend with me listening to recommended selections and discussing them. It was fascinating and his passion for it really made me listen with different ears. Previously I might have dismissed it as noisy and bleepy but with his guidance I could hear and understand the "science" behind it.

We were also blessed with *gorgeous* weather all weekend. Saturday we drove to the nearby Botanic gardens and had a lovely walk around. We ate a delicious picnic and then hiked in the woods to see a manmade waterfall that was breath-taking. The best bit for me was the fact that an episode of Doctor Who was filmed there (The Waters of Mars with David Tennant as the Doctor)


the bio-dome
 

I resisted the urge to become a possessed water monster and drool water in a creepy way.

 

There was also a cool snake-y water feature that ran down the path.

 

Saturday night we went out to our favourite Chinese restaurant for a meal. They were very generous and paid and we were very grateful--especially as the food gave us enough to take home and have for another meal. Thank you guys!

 

Easter Sunday we went out to Llansteffan and walked along the beach as the tide went out spying all sorts of crabs and other sea beasties and beautiful shells. Thank goodness for wearing my old black trainers as the sand was quite squishy and I nearly lost a shoe! Plugging up the hole with glue seems to have worked and now I have a pair of "messy" shoes. Hoorah!

 

Then we hiked up an extremely steep hill and ate yet another delicious picnic in the shade of an old Norman castle. Again, the weather was gorgeous and we were all rather hot and sweaty and puffed out by the time we carried the food up the hill.  Spring is definitely here!

  

We came back home and I cooked us soup and homemade bread (they raved about the bread and you will too. Stay tuned for the recipe) and we watched lots of silly videos of guys blowing up stuff on youtube.

 

Lastly, they tried to teach us how to Skype! Again, call a teenager when you need help with electronic stuff. Addison showed us how to set up an account but he thinks we need a lamp as our camera is not great on the tablet and we come out very dark. Like a shadowy, sinister Bond villain. But hopefully soon we will have it up and running and be able to do it.

 

They skyped their son John who is at University in Texas and it was bloody amazing. You know when you were little and you thought Captain Kangaroo was REAL and LIVED in your television and you could see him and he could see you? (maybe that was just me) but it was like that. Seriously.

 

I was hoping Addison would be able to help me with my camera skills, but alas we ran out of time due to learning to Skype. There is always next time!

 

It was a terrific weekend of catching up on old times and getting to know an interesting teenager with sun and warm weather and wearing purple tissue crowns and sharing dreadful jokes.

 

Plus they left us some food--a huge jar of peanut butter and some blue corn crisps and salsa and a huge jug of apple juice.  Hoorah!

 

Thank you friends for coming all this way, and driving back on a bank holiday Monday when everyone else was coming back from their holiday and clogging up the roads making your journey extra long.

 

Diolch o gallon! (heartfelt thanks!)