Author’s Note: I stopped blogging regularly in 2020, but now in 2024, I am using Google Photos, Google Maps timeline, and my old planners to recreate a post about what we were up to each month!
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At the beginning of August, I got to attend my first ever Hen Do! (That’s British for Bachelorette Party!) My friend Rachel was finally going to get married after multiple delays through lockdowns and we were all so excited and happy for her! On Monday the 2nd, we drove to Birmingham, where she first lived when she arrived in the UK (she’s also American) and where many of her friends still are. We stayed in an AirBnB, took a boat ride on the canals, and just generally had a ton of fun! I apparently didn’t take any pictures actually with the bride, but here is one of me and her friend Laura (also American!)
Then on the 6th, it was time for the wedding! I, again, did not take very many photos, but it was a fabulous wedding. The bride and groom made sure we always had plenty to do - there were outdoor games and delicious appetizers and drinks while they were taking photos after the ceremony. During the dinner, we played an American vs. UK quiz, which the American team won! The food was incredible and they even had a fire pit for s’mores! The best photo I took all day was of their wedding cake.
The biggest news of the month is that Joel passed his practical driving test! (On Friday the 13th, no less.) This was such a huge relief for us because now at least one of us was allowed to drive without another licensed driver in the car. Sadly, he still couldn’t count as the licensed driver for when I drove with my provisional license - that person has to have held their license for at least 3 years. Which, I get why they have that rule, to prevent a bunch of freshly licensed 18 year olds riding around with their friends, but in our situation it was so frustrating! Joel is obviously an experienced driver, and, he had the best knowledge of current rules and standards of anyone I practised with. Some of my church members passed their driving test 40+ years ago and while they are good drivers sometimes they were giving outdated advice. Anywho, one driver’s license down, one to go!
On the 18th, with a hot of the presses driver’s license in hand, we road-tripped up to visit Vince and Joan! This was our first time visiting them in their new home in Pudsey (near Leeds.) They showed us all around their new digs, including the Church of England church that Joan has chosen to make her place of worship.
It is a newer church, not one of the stone ones that has been around for centuries, but it has its own charm. I particularly love these stained glass windows.
Then we went out for dinner to a fancy-ish place that had a big marquis tent set up for “outdoor” dining - we were still in Covid-ish times after all!
The next day we took a little mini road trip through Yorkshire, first stopping in the adorable Haworth. This village is famous for being the burial place of most of the Bronte family, including Emily and Charlotte.
The village itself is adorable, containing all of that old-world English charm that you want in a village in the hills of the Pennines in West Yorkshire. It is a hilly place, with a steep incline from one end of the high street to the other.
I found myself particularly charmed by this little shop, The Cabinet of Curiosities. It looked and sounded like something straight out of Harry Potter.
After the village, we drove a bit more and then stopped for a lovely walk along a river somewhere. I couldn’t remember where it was, but thanks to Google geo-tagging all of my photos I can tell you we were in the Hebden woods, walking along a river called the Hebden Beck.
We drove home on Friday night, in part so we could spend the next day celebrating with Steve for his birthday. I think we went to his house and hung out with his family as well, but I didn’t take any photos so you’ll just have to take my word for it!
On the 24th, I was scheduled to take my practical driving test. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a disaster. The test was scheduled in Hereford, a town about a 25-minute drive from where we lived in Monmouth. The day before, we drove there to make sure we knew where the exam centre was located. However, despite our careful checking, we had it wrong! So the day of, by the time we figured this out and then booked it across town to the correct place, I was about 8 minutes late for the exam and the examiner cancelled it. So I didn’t even get to try! We went home and comforted ourselves with pizza for dinner.
Joel also immediately went online and booked me another driving exam (which was hard to do, it took hours to find a cancellation, otherwise they were booking months out!) There was one available the first week of September in a place called Llantrisant, about an hour and fifteen minutes away from home. So the next day we took a road trip to check it out, make sure we found the right place, and explore some of the roads I would have to drive. We also randomly stopped at the ruins of an old church.
Sometimes I like sharing not just the highlights of our lives but just the random everyday things, too. I took this photo on a Friday afternoon after (according to my planner) I had a funeral in the morning. I was unwinding by listening to music and reading on my Kindle.
The last Sunday in August was a “Fifth Sunday” (when there are 5 Sundays in a month instead of 4.) In one of the villages I serve, Trellech, they have a longstanding tradition of combining worship between the Methodists and the Anglicans on a Fifth Sunday. This was the first Fifth Sunday that we were back to holding in-person worship, so we combined for worship at St. Nicholas Church. The church building is absolutely gorgeous and dates back to around 1300. I felt so honoured to get to preach in a space with so many centuries of history! Rev. Tim played his guitar and Rev. Karen is modeling that we were definitely still in 2021 with her mask.
And that’s all she wrote for August of 2021!
XOXO, Bethany