South Perrott

This morning was not awesome. We visited several different shops but still couldn't manage to track down a camera charger. It turned out not to be the worst thing, though, because it was so foggy earlier that we couldn't see more than about 10 meters in front of us. The largest downside to our failed attempts at locating the charger is that it put us behind schedule for lunch. We were meant to pick up William's Granddad and Nan for lunch right at about noon. We didn't end up getting there until 12:10, which, as a result put us ten minutes behind schedule to meet up with the rest of his family. Definitely a faux pas, I know, but I didn't think it to be a catastrophic error.

I was wrong.

Being ten minutes late meant that the pub sold out of roast before we could order our food. I did not live through the war, so I never experienced Keep Calm and Carry On in its original form. However. I think I witnessed a very close second when four people in our eight-person party were forced to choose another item from the menu at the last moment. I sank very low in my seat as word spread down the table that we had missed the roast. Will blamed our tardiness on a broken-down lorry on a roundabout which did, in fairness, slow us down. But the ugly truth is that I did it. I made us miss the roast. The truth is out now, and it is a huge burden lifted off my shoulders.

An interesting thing I've noticed about pubs here is that many of them allow dogs inside, at least in certain areas. Will's Nan brought her dog Sasha in with us, which was new phenomenon for me. Sasha handled the whole thing much better than Charlie would have, in that she only barked twice and spent most of her time sleeping on the floor under a chair. This does explain a lot about dinner last night. A women in the pub for dinner had a black lab with her. I remember thinking that it must be a service dog, right up until she tried to leave and the dog became very distracted by locating potential scraps on the floor. And the bar. And the laps of the patrons. I did think that it was surprising behavior for a service dog. Much less surprising from a civilian dog.

Aside from the roast snafu, lunch was very nice. I got the chance to spend time with Will's Granddad and Nan, Aunt Kathy and Uncle Brian, and Grandma Marina and Bernard. I've learned that being the butt of nearly every joke is something that happens to William pretty much no matter where he goes or with whom he interacts. So I'm really not sure why he isn't used to it by now! Besides having a nice break from being Will's constant ego control, it was really nice to hear about past visits to the UK and some family history. It was also enjoyable to watch Brian attempt to send texts from Will's "email watch." Sadly, none of them went through because of Will's cellphone plan (or lack thereof), but I'm holding out hope that they will send once we return to Texas.

Still stuffed from breakfast, I opted for a bacon and brie sandwich, thinking that something lighter would be a good choice. I had obviously forgotten that a single rasher of bacon is enough to fulfill one's meat requirement for a month. I may have committed too thoroughly to eating traditionally while I'm here. The food is delicious, but so heavy. I think the only time all day that I'm fully awake is just before breakfast. Once I've eaten my first meal, half of my body's energy is committed to digesting and my brain is left to do what it can. So if you notice typos of other nonsense in my posts, please know that it isn't the jet lag or me being an idiot (probably). Just blame it on the bacon.

There are two main reasons that we drove all the way out to Winyard's Gap for lunch. Both of them involve being able to look out over the valley. Instead of a beautiful view of the local farms, I got a beautiful view of traditional English fog. Don't ask for pictures, it's a sore subject. I'm told I missed something spectacular. The view from the pub was a bummer to miss, but I've scene so many beautiful landscapes since I've been here that I don't think I will miss it too much. What I am more sad to have missed is the view of one specific farm. Near to the pub is a farm called Axnoller, which is where Will's Granddad was born. The farm has since become an events center for "weddings 'n' shit" as Will so eloquently puts it, so we couldn't have actually gone onto the farm, but there is apparently a nice view of the land from the hill above. You know, when there isn't apocalyptic fog filling the valley. Adding insult to injury, the fog started to burn off just as we gave up and began our return to Illminster.

There were two sights that I did get to enjoy during our adventure. The first was trees that were very different from those we had seen so far. I had mentioned to Will earlier in the trip that I had expected the woods to be Disney princess kind of woods and the ones we were experiencing were a little...scrubby. The trees we drove past today changed all that. They grow very, VERY tall and so thick that they are able to join together over the road to form a tunnel of sorts. I've since learned that it makes sense for the landscape and the trees to be outstandingly beautiful, as we were in a region that is classified as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. As far as I understand, an AONB is a bit like a historical district back home. They're beautiful to visit and very unpleasant to living or owning a business in. There are requirements for what materials can be used to complete repairs and what flora and fauna can be interacted with.

The second lovely sight was Sasha resting her head on my lap on the drive back to Ilminster. She's no Charlie, but she's a pretty decent Bandaid.

This afternoon, the quest for a camera charger continues this afternoon, followed by a trip to St. Michael's Church and a different The George Pub in a different town. So many Georges, so little time...

In case you're interested in Axnoller Events Ltd for you wedding and/or shit: https://www.axnoller.co.uk/Read more