Author’s Note: I stopped blogging regularly in 2020, but now in 2023, I am using Google Photos and Google Maps timeline to recreate a post about what we were up to each month!
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When we first moved to Wales in August, they weren’t even requiring masks or social distancing anymore. But as winter crept in and Covid numbers crept up, restrictions returned. There was an official lockdown that was scheduled for 23 October to 9 November (to include Halloween, Guy Fawkes Day, and Remembrance Sunday, all times when people might gather.)
So Joel and I continued to go on lots of walks to get ourselves out of the house. I’m a sucker for a good walk along the river while the leaves turn colours.
On one walk we parked at the grocery store we usually went to (Lidl) and wandered till we found a cool old bridge to cross.
It gave us views of the river and another cool old bridge, one that doesn’t quite make it over the water anymore.
Guy Fawkes Day, also known as Bonfire Night, apparently passed without comment this year. I have no photos of anything on that day! We might have done an at-home viewing of V for Vendetta but three years later I no longer remember!
I do have a few photos of Remembrance Sunday, which was on the 8th this year. The public observance was limited to 50 people which was mostly just the vicar and the bare minimum of military personnel. It was meant to be broadcast online so we had plans during our Zoom worship to watch the online service. Unfortunately, the weather was absolutely awful that day, and I don’t know if it contributed to the technical problems, but we ended up with video but no sound. So we all silently watched it together on Zoom.
Later that day we took a walk down to the war memorial so I could take a few pictures of it covered in the poppy wreaths.
I also took a close-up picture of this absolutely gorgeous rose with water drops.
On the 10th our Welsh lockdown was over, and I was feeling cabin fever so we decided to go for a drive to find somewhere new to walk. Turns out we accidentally broke the rules, as we crossed from Wales into England without realising it, which was not allowed at the time. Whoops! We really just barely went over the line and stopped when we found this pretty old church to explore. The Church of England (for the most part) keeps all of its buildings unlocked so you can go in and pray at any time.
Sometimes these open churches will have ways for you to donate money with a card, instead of just cash. Our practise is to always donate this way if they give us the opportunity!
On Friday the 13th, I found what may be the greatest charity shop discovery of all time - my new favourite Christmas jumper! Just look at this beauty! It’s Christmas, it’s T-Rex, it has actual jingle bells sewn onto it. I love it and strongly hoped I’d actually get to wear it to a Christmas party this year (spoiler alert: I didn’t.)
A day later I finally purchased a British necessity - rain boots! With all the walking we were doing, through soupy, muddy fields, these were an absolute must-have. And I love polka dots!
One of the items sent in a care package by mom is something she calls a “kitchen stole.” It’s meant to be like the dish towel thrown over the shoulder thing, but it sure does look like a stole! It’s super cute but not very practical for me, I need a real apron if I want to protect my clothes.
Then there were more walks with more sheep...
And more incredible views!
Around this time I got a wild idea (as I often do) that I wanted to teach myself to play piano. On a chance, we asked on Freecycle if anyone had a keyboard they wanted to give away…and someone did! It was just gathering dust in their attic and they were willing to give us this perfect condition Roland keyboard for absolutely free. What a find! I definitely go through stages with actually using it or not…but it is still sitting right next to me in my office as I type this in 2023.
And then it was time for Thanksgiving! This was our 3rd Thanksgiving in Wales, but the first one where we didn’t get to host anyone. We weren’t officially under lockdown anymore, but gatherings were definitely discouraged. Still, I tried to make it as festive as possible, starting with some Thanksgiving nails.
I made homemade cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. As I was getting started on the pie Wednesday night, I realized that I did not have a rolling pin. I called up a church member who lives just a few doors down to see if she had one I could borrow, and she did. So thanks, Kay!
Since it was just the two of us, I cooked a turkey crown instead of a whole bird. And thanks to my newly discovered enjoyment of roasted brussels sprouts, we had those for the veg instead of the hard to find ingredients for green bean casserole. I had a box of Stove Top my mom sent from the states and made Joel his favourite sweet potato casserole. It wasn’t quite all my favorites (no corn pudding!) but close enough.
The next day I did make my traditional Thanksgiving Pizza!
On Friday we got a surprising notice in the mail - even as foreign residents, we are allowed to register and to vote in local elections in Wales! How cool is that! We immediately registered and looked forward to exercising our vote the first chance we get.
And then, just like that, the first Sunday in Advent was upon us. We returned to in-person worship…for now…and the church was decorated beautifully.
Overall it was a pretty chill month, with the first half on official lockdown and none of the usual holiday celebrations we would have. But we were safe and healthy and happy, and doing our best to keep our neighbours the same.
XOXO, Bethany