Tuesday, 22 April 2014

Getting Steamed Up.

Photo Copyright: Maggie May

 My daughter had come over from the east coast with my grandsons to spend the four days of the Easter holiday with us, so when we realised that Saturday was a warm, dry day, we packed a picnic and travelled by car setting off mid morning for the Brecon Beacons, which is situated in Wales. We crossed from Bristol via the Second Severn Bridge (three miles long) on which I once did a sponsored walk across and back, the day before the bridge officially opened a good few years ago.
As it turned out, we were wise to choose Saturday for that trip as the two remaining days went much colder with rain.

My grandsons are steam train fanatics and they've visited many different lines in Britain but so far hadn't been to this one and neither had I. I'm getting used to doing this kind of trip with them though Harry didn't feel at all up to going, so he relaxed at home and I'd left him a cold lunch which he had with some soup. I worried about him a bit but he answered all my texts to let me know he was Ok.
We had a lovely time and when we were almost home, I popped into a fish and chip shop that we think are the best in Bristol and I brought home a steaming hot portion for Harry, which he really enjoyed.

It seems very quiet now that the family have all gone and we are just the two of us again.
Hope you all had a happy time too.

Photo Copyright: Maggie May

17 comments:

  1. Gosh, that takes me back to the days of the old Hayling Billy engine! Nothing compares to the sound or the smell of one of those relics from the glory days of steam.

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  2. Wow., I also love very much steam trains, they are so impressive.

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  3. Me and trains. A lifelong love affair.
    XO
    WWW

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  4. What a wonderful trip that must have been. I love those old steam engines. I love trains. I love Wales. I would love to make that trip. I'm glad your day was a good one, and that Harry did well while you were gone.

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  5. Glad you had a beautiful day.
    Wonderful to spend it with the boys and daughter but so sorry Harry couldn't be with you.
    Eddie X

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  6. That 3 mile long bridge sounds very impressive and I am now wondering what it is like to walk across it without any traffic on it. It must have been quite an experience. I like bridges, being just a bit scared of them as much as I like going across them. When I was a child, I always thought we would fall off. xox

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  7. I'd like to take that trip. We basically don't have trains here, and I very much wish we did. Glad you had such a good trip!

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  8. What a lovely way to spend the day. And isn't it so comforting to be able to stay in touch via text, these days? Nice to know that your outing was.. on track. ;)

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  9. What a great trip! We have some steam trains near where I live and I have yet to get some of the grands on one. Isn't texting amazing. Not for kids anymore. Great to keep an "ear" out for those dearest to us.

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  10. Takes me back to the years when my brother (four years younger than me) went on train spotting holidays and checked the engine numbers off lists in a book. How on earth did my parents allow him to do that? They certainly wouldn't have let me.

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  11. My little guy used to love trains when he was younger.

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  12. What fun! My dad always loved steam trains, and we used to go to lots of exhibitions of them when I was younger. Glad you had a nice holiday with your daughter and grandsons. I'm still marvelling that you made the walk across the bridge--and back!--even if it was a few years ago. I'm going to walk in a 5K tonight, but I'm so out of shape. I'm just hoping I make it to the finish line:)

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  13. What beautiful trains. I love looking at those photos.

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  14. That looks great Maggie.

    We drove back from our holiday on that Saturday and went straight to the fish and chip shop. I wonder if it was the same one?!

    (Always wish I'd done that walk across the bridge before it opened!)

    S x

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  15. I'm a big fan of trains (although my taste runs more to underground/subway than steam.) But I am no fan of bridges, so a three-mile long bridge would qualify as living hell for me.

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