The pictures in this issue are of Ashton Court Estate in Bristol. I'll share more about that in a minute, but first, I have a few other updates.
Firstly, I am moving on Saturday, 1 November. Not sure how I am going to work out all of the details to be ready for a move, but I guess I'll figure it out! "Packers" [not the Green Bay type; they pack meat, not clothes] are showing up at 730 am on Saturday, and yes, I will be South of London all day Friday m
aking a trek back to Bristol on Friday night a necessity. This will be fun!Also on Friday, it's Halloween. Halloween is not nearly as big here in the UK as it is in the US. I have picked up a few things. Firstly, 99% of pumpkins in the UK will be turned into Jack O Lanterns for Halloween. By the way, this photo is not exactly Halloween, but a friend of mine sent it to me and I thought it was hilarious!
Secondly, Halloween is believed to be rooted with Samhain (pronounced Sah-ween), a Celtic celebration that marked the doorway int
o the second season of the year, the dark [the light season, Beltane, is on May 1st]. The date marked the beginning of winter. Since they were pastoral people, it was a time when cattle and sheep had to be moved to closer pastures and all livestock had to be secured for the winter months. Crops were harvested 
and stored.
o the second season of the year, the dark [the light season, Beltane, is on May 1st]. The date marked the beginning of winter. Since they were pastoral people, it was a time when cattle and sheep had to be moved to closer pastures and all livestock had to be secured for the winter months. Crops were harvested 
and stored. The Celtic day began at night, in dark silence comes whisperings of new beginnings, the stirring of the seed below the ground. The most magically potent time of this festival is November Eve, the night of October 31st, known today of course, as Halloween.
Okay, back to Ashton Court Estate in Bristol. It is the UKs third busiest country park. It's 850 acres of woodland and grassland and a mansion, of course. Once the gracious home of the Smyth family designed by Humphrey Repton just two miles from the centre of Bristol. Look at the size of the oak tree I had the girls sit under so you could see the "scale" of how big it was.
On the estate's higher ground there are two 18 hole golf courses with views across the city. Orienteering, mountain b
iking and lots of other sports and outdoor activities are catered for with special trails, and there is plenty of open space for family games and picnics, walking and wildlife watching. The estate is a venue for large scale, keynote annual events such as the Balloon Festival, Community Festival and Kite Festival. I missed the Balloon Festival in August of this year because it rained ... the ... whole ... weekend. I couldn't face standing in the wet grass to watch the balloons not take off.
iking and lots of other sports and outdoor activities are catered for with special trails, and there is plenty of open space for family games and picnics, walking and wildlife watching. The estate is a venue for large scale, keynote annual events such as the Balloon Festival, Community Festival and Kite Festival. I missed the Balloon Festival in August of this year because it rained ... the ... whole ... weekend. I couldn't face standing in the wet grass to watch the balloons not take off.
There are a lot of kids on the ground with these skate boards with big wheels that they ride down the hills, through the grass. It looked like fun.
There is a deer park on the grounds that has been there for over 600 years. There are Red and Fallow deer
. We were able to get up close and personal with some Fallow deer that have beautiful racks!
. We were able to get up close and personal with some Fallow deer that have beautiful racks!The dogs and I spent a Sunday there a coupl
e of weeks ago on [probably] the last fall day of the year. It was beautiful! Lots of open space. A little bit of forrest. A bunch of dogs. And a bunch of kids. There was a group of six-year old girls playing by the mansion as we came down the hill that were taken by Misty. They thought Allie looked weird with her blue and brown eyes, but they liked Misty, "she looks like a wolf". I know that they were six because they asked how old the dogs were and when I told them Allie was six, they all chimed in, "I'm six!".
e of weeks ago on [probably] the last fall day of the year. It was beautiful! Lots of open space. A little bit of forrest. A bunch of dogs. And a bunch of kids. There was a group of six-year old girls playing by the mansion as we came down the hill that were taken by Misty. They thought Allie looked weird with her blue and brown eyes, but they liked Misty, "she looks like a wolf". I know that they were six because they asked how old the dogs were and when I told them Allie was six, they all chimed in, "I'm six!". 
