{Posted from} Home: Hello November . . .

Thursday, November 6, 2025

Hello November . . .

It's been a while since I've added a note to my little blog.

We've had a very busy and blissful few months.

August was filled with visits from friends we hadn't seen in a while, grandson sleepovers

and a craft show.

And then . . . my husband and I set off for the most incredible August - October vacation.

We started in Quebec enjoying a few beautiful days before we set sail visiting ports in

Baie-Comeau *Gaspesie * France * St. John's Newfoundland* Iceland *Ireland * England.

I was so excited to see my BFF since we were babies and spend time together. A 65-year friendship is something to celebrate!!

Once in England, we booked into our hotel which would become home for almost two weeks with the most gorgeous view of the Bristol Channel.

Day 1 we walked along the Southwest Coast Path & had our first (of many) English breakfast and fish and chip dinners.

With our friends as our tour guides, they had lots planned for us to see with stops at tearooms & cozy pubs in between!

Dunster Medieval Village, Castle and Gardens *. They made sure we received the Dunster Water Mill stamp which is known to be one of the most gorgeous of the National Trust stamps.

Lynmouth which they call the "Walkers are Welcome" town. Here we walked the beach looking for beach glass and hag stones.

At Exmoor National Park we were greeted by wild goats who were very comfortable walking beside us, making this Capricorn girl (the goat) very happy. I felt an instant kindship;-)

Bossington Hill, part of the Devon National Trust was absolutely beautiful with fields that reminded me of a patchwork quilt with its various shades of green.

As luck would have it SAW - Somerset Art Works was taking place. With artists map in hand, we went about seeking out artists who generously opened up their homes/gallery/studio for visitors.

The West Somerset Railway was near our hotel and there was a Watchet 1940's celebration happening. People were dressed in their 40's inspired clothing, there was music and dancing and so much fun.

Selworthy Woods was beautiful with its thatched roofed yellow cottages cared for by the National Trust. After our woodland walk we stopped off at Periwinkle Tea Room (how precious is the name?) and while sitting outside with our pots of tea and scones we had a little visitor. The sweetest little English Robin was beside us picking up bits of scone crumbs. Be still my heart!

Bishop's Palace and Gardens, a medieval palace in the heart of Wells is magical with palace, chapel and 14 acres of gardens to explore. I had seen Bishop's Palace on the news a few months before our holidays. Here they have the famous bell-ringing swans which we were lucky enough to experience. Because they are not on a fixed feeding schedule (they get fed when they ring the bells) not everyone who visits will see this most magical moment!

I was able to get photos and a video ... I was very surprised at how steady my hand was as I was so emotional .... a day I will always remember. My heart was filled with such gratitude & happiness.

A visit to Helwell Bay, we went fossil hunting. I felt like Mary Anning, the fossil hunter as I explored the bay for fossil treasures.

Stourhead was another beautiful visit, this time with grazing sheep beside us.

Before we knew it, it was time to head back to Southampton and board the Queen Mary 2 to sail home.

Ports along the way took us to New York * Halifax Nova Scotia *Saguenay *

One of the absolute highlights was being able to visit the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and see the display of not only many pieces of Maud Lewis' original artwork but her home!!

Along with the Bishop's Palace bell ringing swans, this was also on my "bucket list" and another emotional moment.

Our cruise port was a 10-minute walk to the Art Gallery.

*I'm still organizing photos from our trip, but you can see a few that I've posted on my IG account*