Hey y’all!! It has been a minute since we last blogged, and for good reason. The past two weeks have been absolutely jam-packed with wrapping up our dissertations, traveling to Somerset to celebrate Hebe’s 25th, cleaning and moving out of our flat, and couch surfing at the boys’ for a week. We’ll cover bday weekend shenanigans in this post, since moving house is a whole other story.
Tuesday August 20
Z: Catja and I got up and out of the house relatively early on Tuesday morning and headed into Central for a quick trip to M&S. We needed to get some flowers and chocolate for Hebe’s family as we are staying with them for a few days this coming weekend. As we wandered through M&S, we discovered that the bakery section is SO good. We stood there contemplating if we should get ourselves a treat…eventually landing on yes. Catja got a cheese roll and I got a half baguette. We parted ways outside and I traveled back home.
I was on a mission today to submit my dissertation. I got an email confirming I was good to go from my advisor this morning and once I got home, I sent it in. Yay! I am officially done with all my MA work!! I spent the rest of the day packing up my room.
C: I finished my dissertation draft (yayyy) so I went to the Serpentine Cafe in Hyde Park to proofread and edit outside of the house. It was a sunny but windy day, and I was freezing in the shade with my iced latte. So I eventually moved to the grass and warmed up in the sun while eating my cheese roll. After a bit more editing, I hopped on the bus back home, where I met an adorable dog and got some furry cuddles in. I eventually got extremely car sick (I think the lack of cars and driving in my life has made me extra sensitive to stop-and-go traffic) and tried not to get sick until I got home. Luckily, I survived.
As a fun treat, Zoe painted my nails to prep for Hebe’s birthday extravaganza. This is my favorite design yet! (Check them out in the album and hire Zoe for all your nail art needs). Later, I kept editing while Zoe sat on the floor and struggled to saw wood to make a picture frame. Carpentry is hard (Z: I may need to find another hobby).
Wednesday August 21
Z: I honestly have no idea what I did on Wednesday. Catja has a ridiculous picture of me with my laptop on my head in the living room, but other than that I think I just sat and pondered what to do with my life now that I have no dissertation to work on. Catja and I did have a riveting discussion about plantation weddings and whether or not people should have them. If anything, I am great at distracting Catja from her work.
C: Zoe successfully distracted me from finishing my dissertation by prompting an hour long discussion about the ethics of plantation/historical site weddings. But I finished editing so my diss is officially complete! Cue the ensuing paranoia that I forgot something or completely misunderstood the assignment.
Later, I met Anna and Jake at the pub for another pub quiz. We did our best, but a group of 3 Americans in a British quiz does not bode well for success. We struggled with British bank logos, but Anna and Jake killed it in the music round as usual, and I pulled out random knowledge, such as the facts that Cambridge had record high temperatures, Mary Earps is a badass, Shakespeare in Love was an Oscar-winning film, and Luxembourg looks like a mitten. We got last place, which meant we won a round of shots. We chatted with the manager and bartender for a bit before heading off into the night.
Thursday August 22
C: Zoe and I woke up bright and early to catch a train from Waterloo to Yeovil. I love a morning train journey to a new place, and I especially love learning about weird town names along the way, such as Templecombe (which Zoe and I initially misheard as “pimple pool” on the announcements). I attempted to submit my dissertation, but all of my Moodle pages were empty. My adviser was on holiday, so I emailed other professors, who said they were not sure what I should do. Ah well. More time to edit.
We watched the final wedding episode of Love is Blind UK and were literally on the edge of our seats in anticipation of seeing who would be jilted at the altar. Big drama, 10/10 recommend. Finally, we arrived at Yeovil Junction, where Hebe was excitedly waiting for us on the platform. We all hugged several times before Hebe drove us through narrow country roads to her gorgeous family home. I’m in love with her house and garden.
Z: After having some picky bits for lunch, Hebe lent us some wellies and we headed out for a walk with the Young’s dog, Foss. Catja and I admired the cute countryside houses, endless fields, and Lisa’s (Hebe’s mom) beautiful garden. It began to rain just as we reached the top of a hill, but none of us were complaining as we haven’t had rain in weeks and it made for the perfect walking temperature. We watched Foss as she ran through the fields and caught up on all the gossip from the last couple of weeks.
C: I love wellies. I feel powerful in them. I also love swinging over cow gates and through mud puddles. I’ve always been a city gal, but Somerset is showing me a good time. After a tour of Lisa’s huge vegetable garden, in which I sampled many a ripe tomato, we went inside for a cup of tea and a long catch up. After a delicious pasta dinner with the family, we introduced Hebe to Love is Blind and started rewatching the season with her. She’s also hooked!
Friday August 23
C: After a leisurely morning, Hebe drove us to Montacute House, a mansion built in 1598 from the iconic orange Ham Hill stone for Sir Edward Phelips, the prosecutor in the Gunpowder Plot trials. Girlboss screenwriter, director, and erotic novelist Elinor Glyn also lived here for a time as Lord Curzon’s mistress. But most iconically, Montacute was the inspiration for Tottington Hall in “Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit.” We walked all around the sprawling grounds, passing by cows, a very old ice house in a cave, a horse shaped swing that Zoe tested out, and the gorgeous gardens. We went on a tour and learned about the generations of problematic Edward Phelipses who lived here, and we admired the portraits inside the home.
Z: We hopped in the car after our historical exploration and drove to a small town called Sherborne. We were all a bit hungry, so we walked directly to the main street and searched for a little lunch spot. We found a lovely cafe, where we sat outside and ate sandwiches and french fries in the sunny weather. We then took a stroll around Sherborne high street, popping into some random shops before circling around to see Sherborne Abbey. The Abbey is a beautiful old church adorned with stained glass windows and historical military flags. The flags were torn and withered to a point where they were barely flags anymore, which made us wonder just how old they were. I stopped to read a sign only to find out that the flag above us was flown during the Battle of Waterloo and taken to the Occupation of Paris. The Duke of Wellington strikes again!
Saturday August 24
C: I was in the mood to feel like a Viking, so I asked Hebe if she would like to play with my hair and go wild. And wild she did. I had a stunning combination of braids and twists into a low braid, and I loved it. We went to the kitchen, where I finished applying to some jobs. The girls helped me make a Tottenham-themed CV to apply for a social media officer opening aka a dream job. While I was working, Foss cuddled with my shoe again, which I guess is a compliment?
Z: Luke, Ethan, and Callum arrived in the early afternoon. After a quick catch up, we all headed out for a long walk from Hebe’s house, through the fields, and to a pub that Hebe used to work at. It has been quite awhile since we were all together, so it was really nice to catch up on what everyone has been doing. The walk itself was very eventful. We passed by the compound of the Plymouth Brethren, dodged flocks of cows, and saw the grave of T.S. Elliot in a tiny little church. (C: I also declared I was going to find a four leaf clover on the walk and no sooner had the words left my mouth than I looked down and happened to see one!!) It was a gorgeous day with the sun peaking out of the clouds, so we sat outside in the garden of the pub. After getting our fill of sunshine and beer/cider/lime and soda, we walked back to Hebe’s house for the rest of the afternoon.
C: Everyone settled around the garden for some reading time, but I was itching to paint. I was getting very inspired by the scenery and wanted to keep my hands and mind busy. I asked Sebastian and Lisa if they happened to have any paint lying around, which I thought might be possible since their house was decorated with family-made paintings on every wall. They very kindly offered me lots of paint and a pot of brushes, and I got to work. The sun was bright and warm, the breeze was soft, and the cows were mooing to set the ambiance. I haven’t felt so at peace and happy in a long time.
Martin, Hebe’s dad, started coaching Ethan and Callum on the cryptic crossword, which is a newspaper crossword on the most intense steroids. There are so many new, unspoken rules that you have to learn, and it seems like every clue secretly has 3 different layers to it. I attempted to help, but it was too much for my mid-afternoon brain. The boys are hooked though, and Ethan has made it his mission to master the puzzle.
Later, we all sat at the long dining table for lasagna dinner and Eton Mess pudding aka dessert. It was delicious, and we were all stuffed. It was so nice having the gang all back together again along with Hebe’s wonderful family.
Z: After dinner we all got into our PJs and piled into the living room to watch Twilight. When we picked the movie that morning it was raining, hence the decision of Twilight. Ethan and Sebastian had never seen Twilight so this was very exciting. We laughed through the endless cringey moments and questioned some of the strange dialogue choices including “it’s the fluorescents.” Ethan fell asleep during the climax of the movie, missing the exciting fight scene, so I guess we’ll just have to watch the next movie to ensure he experiences Twilight in all its glory. We all headed to bed after the movie, but Callum and Ethan took a pit stop in our room to use the stationary bike and explain how we might wake up in the night to them perched in the rafters watching us like Edward Cullen…luckily this did not occur…to my knowledge anyway.
Sunday August 25
Z: Happy Birthday Hebe!!!! We spent the morning eating breakfast, drinking tea, and helping Hebe bake her birthday cake. To get a little fresh air before the party and to stop us all from hovering in the kitchen, Catja, Luke, Callum, Ethan, Sebastian, and I headed out for a short walk with Foss.
C: After our brisk walk through the woods, in which I decided I would now squeeze through the cow gates as an added fun challenge instead of swinging over like a cowgirl onto a horse, we returned to wash up and help prepare for Hebe’s guests to arrive. After a while, we all ended up at the table, where I finished my painting with a dash of blobby cows and a tiny Foss in the foreground. Everyone chatted for a while before it was time for a feast. With even more guests, the long table was completely full, and several conversations happened simultaneously.
As dusk fell, we all gathered in the lounge to prepare for a much anticipated family tradition of Werewolf, a game similar to mafia with even more characters and roles to play. We played for hours, and things got heated when people were killed in the first round, friends found out they were being played, Hebe’s older brother Sam looked indecipherably shifty whether he was a werewolf or not, and Zoe called me out for my whisper mouth noises. Martin was an expert host, narrating the game as if he were a D&D Dungeon Master and setting the mood with low lighting and spooky soundtracks (although Sebastian as the spooky DJ included a rollercoaster of tracks, from hilariously loud snoring to Harry Potter soundtracks). It was an excellent evening, and we probably could have played until dawn if we weren’t so sleepy.
Monday August 26
Z: After a late night the day before, we all slept in a bit and meandered to the kitchen for breakfast and many cups of tea. (C: Callum and Ethan woke up on an interesting side of the bed, as they walked into the kitchen and announced that they were just “two regular guys” and the rest of us were just rather strange). We all sat at the dining table reading, planning out our weeks ahead, and enjoying our last few hours in the countryside. Per usual Ethan and I found ourselves in a conversation about Israel/Palestine, which caused everyone else to leave the table :/. Eventually Ethan and Luke went to take naps in the living room and Hebe and I helped Callum shop for furniture on Facebook Marketplace.
C: I was feeling quite anxious in anticipation for our hectic week ahead and my ongoing unemployment, so I had some alone time lying on the trampoline in the sun and reading my book. Love Zoe and Ethan, but their conversation about Israel/Palestine was not helping the anxiety or existential crises swirling through my head. Hebe’s uncle came by to say happy birthday and dropped off his dog, Gwen, for a play date. However, Foss does not like other dogs, and Gwen has intense separation anxiety, so they did not interact much. Nonetheless, we all took turns giving them lots of pets and belly rubs. I sat with my fellow anxious queen for a while, staring out the window at the bees and butterflies flying around.
Hebe’s family had prepared us a delicious roast dinner before our journey back to London, and we sat around the table one last time, swapping stories and sharing our plans for the rest of the summer. I’m going to miss Somerset sunshine and seeing so many stars at night.
Z: The end to the lovely roast marked the end of our trip to Yeovil, so we all piled in the cars and drove to the train station. We hopped on the train back to London and felt very annoyed when we arrived at Waterloo to a crowd of people. We grabbed some food at Sainsburys and parted ways to go back home.
A huge thank you to Hebe, Lisa, Martin, and Sebastian for hosting us this weekend!! We had such an amazing time in the countryside!
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