We had one of those egg stalls near us last year.
Proper organic eggs with all their imperfections.
£2 for half a dozen.
Robbing bstards put cctv on it, needless to say it didn't last long.
We had one of those egg stalls near us last year.
Proper organic eggs with all their imperfections.
£2 for half a dozen.
Robbing bstards put cctv on it, needless to say it didn't last long.
I'm amazed that the egg place keeps doing the honesty thing. I'm sure some get pilfered but they must consider it worth while. Usually the flock of hens is out in the field nearby that would have warranted another pic, but it has just tipped down with rain all day and the hens must have been inside somewhere.
We headed up to Priddy for lunch. Priddy is right up in the Mendips and undoubtedly a centre for inbreeding in times gone by. It's also a centre for caving on the Mendips and I'm sure the Tham Luang cave rescuers based in Bristol and South Wales will be well familiar with the Priddy pubs.
Despite appearances, the pub is called The Queen Victoria Inn. They make some effort for Christmas - a kind of Gingerbread House theme!
Complete with a bottle snowman...
And a bottle Christmas tree...
But of course what these pubs are all about is on the inside. This is one of the things I really miss about living in the UK.
And a bar! Butcombe is a local brewery and they make beer to die for.
4% strength is prefect for me. I can happily have a pint with my lunch, or if I'm out for the duration I can drink all day without losing it. 6% just cuts the night short for me as I only seem to have one drinking speed.
Proper pie! A pet hate of mine is those meat stews with a silly pastry hat. I went for the steak, Butcombe and mushroom pie... and it came... with PEAS!
What a lovely lunch! Wife, daughter, sister and niece! Shame I was driving.
And when we left the outside lights were coming on! I reckon if we'd waited another hour for it to get dark the pub would have looked quite magical for the kids.
But bollox to that, I was driving and the cider was calling!
A slight detour on the way home to take in Cheddar Gorge...
Followed by some evening 'me' time. What's that saying about pigs and shit!!?
Last edited by Mendip; 20-12-2019 at 03:14 AM.
^ Just brilliant stuff Mate.
Really enjoyed reading this thread.
The Bottle Snowman/Christmas Tree made me smile.
Those Cheddar Gorge pics are fantastic.
Good to see you haven't given up on the peas !
MERRY CHRISTMAS to you and your Mob
^^ The pork pies, cheese and Branston Pickle!
Note to self: I am definitely going home for Christmas next year!
Looks like a lovely part of the UK, thanks for sharing.
Mendip, its nice to see those honesty boxes. Have quite a few round my way for Vegetables, Honey and Eggs too. Usually with the veg it says pay what you think is fair.
You carnt take the Manchester out of the lad
Yep, very nice indeedy.
Great pub, but the presentation, ffs -
Now, these kinda simple pleasures cannot be underestimated:
To be fair, your day has pretty much summed up most of my last stay in the UK which was great (pub, food, local views and a bit of stuff...). Daughter looks very happy, enjoying herself which is great to see.
Cycling should be banned!!!
Post #102.
Nice.
Cheers to you and yours,
HNY.
Looks great, nice thread. Looking forward to some pub-grub and British goodies in a week and a few days. Now the 14 hour Aeroflot economy fest is another matter entirely.
Great pics and narration, Mendip. Out of greens.
Whenever I come back the initial novelty of being able to walk into any small supermarket and buy good cheese, pork pies, back bacon, cider, sausages, etc etc etc ... means that I'm just permanently stuffed for the first couple of weeks. I've found the novelty does wear off and I'm usually off the pies by the third week. We shall see!
The daughter wants to move to UK permanently, but she thinks living here is holiday every day and always Christmas. I'd like to see what having to go to school on a dark February morning in gale force winds and driving sleet would do to her opinion of Somerset!
I thought that pie was the bestest food pic I've ever posted! What more can I do? Drape tinsel on the chips? BTW, the family are starting to take the piss out of me for taking pictures of food... that's what this forum has done to me.
My stay so far has been great, but cracks are forming... The UK seems addicted to watching crap on TV in the evenings - I can't do that and have always gone to bed early. Not easy with so many family crammed into the house. Now, at 5am we're wide awake, partly through being early risers and partly through jet lag. The daughter's driving me nuts... trying to keep her quiet this early so as not to wake me mum and sister's family!
Another problem developing... we're crammed into one bed in a small room (my old bedroom!). The wife has asked me to lay off the rough cider and take the side of the bed next to the window - fair enough really it's getting unbearable, but me poor daughter is stuck in the middle - lose lose for her!
the daughter will be better off in England in the long term, she will adapt quickly, and more opportunities for her when she is an adult
but you need to move out from that charming little village first, it's dreadful for long term stay, go to a real city
It's constantly in the back of my mind...
At the moment she's getting a good education with UK curriculum at an international school. Further education in the west should always be an option... if that's the direction she takes. That's peace of mind for me. The schooling's expensive, but nothing like the expense that getting back in the UK tax system would be.
And yes, the villages are lovely, but living in one is very different to an afternoon visit!
- I agree that, longer term, the best place for your daughters education is in the West.
- But that may not agree with your wife's desire to live in the West (cough (no fucking way))
- And, also importantly, your tax status.
I'm going to assume that your beautifull daughter is a dual citizen?
My Boys are, and I teach them to be, just as proud of being Thai as the culture of where we live.
We work hard on the Boys being bi-lingual ... they understand almost all Thai, but speak little.
Which, BTW is being put to the test as they are in Thailand ATM.
Just food for thought.
I'm jealous of where you are now, what you are up to ... but not your current sleeping arrangement ... that sucks!
If you can afford international school fees here that would not be the case. But if its a financial strain and breaking the bank I agree. 3 of my best friends are moving back because of this. One with a two year old the other 7 year old twins. Primary schools are fine anywhere in the world but after that.......
^ AO ... fair comment ... but 'education' can surpass the school fences.
Critical thinking, a Western perspective.
The freedom of living in Thailand.
Maybe combining the best of both worlds?
There's lots of considerations.
I'm very happy with the education my daughter is getting. My main concern is that it's 'too' good, in a way. Very pushy and test orientated, but maybe that's everywhere these days. I think her education is probably of a higher standard than she would get in state education in the UK - although that's very variable depending on the individual school (the catchment area for good schools in the UK now has a significant bearing on house prices).
The school fees are expensive, but doable for one child. Although, the worth of the pound has had a significant effect on this over the past few years. Personally, I think the long term future for the pound is OK. The problem with getting into the international system is getting out again. You get trapped, with year on year increasing prices. My daughter's Thai is very week compared with other 8 year olds, but her English is way superior. It would be hard for her to ever leave the international system if we stay in Thailand. She is at an Anglo Singapore school, and they are certainly taught critical thinking (she runs rings round my wife!).
My 'beautiful' daughter (and thanks for that Dave!) has tri citizenship. British, Thai and Australian (although I keep quiet about the Ozzie one!). My wife has Australian citizenship through naturalisation - which makes travelling to the UK very simple.
If I returned to the UK to live, all of my earnings would be subject to UK tax. That would have a huge impact on finances.
One other more unique consideration... generally, offshore workers live where their partner comes from. I am away from home for six months a year, and regardless of my wife's reluctance to move to the UK, I think it would be asking a lot to ask her to move to somewhere she has no friends or contacts, and then for me to disappear to work for a couple of months. That's just the way it generally is when you work offshore, whether married to a Thai of another Brit. (just a shame she comes from Korat!!!)
And... do I really want to live in the UK? I'm not keen on Korat, but... I have got very used to an Asian lifestyle after 20 years of Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand... (I'm pissed off with the weather here after just 3 days of continual rain...)
Let's see how I feel in a couple of weeks time.
And finally, Dave, my sleeping arrangements are fine. After a few pints of rough cider I've been told I snore and fart... doesn't really bother me to be honest. Extend your sympathies to my wife and daughter instead!
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