Thursday;; Day 17! This morning I got up bright and early as Aunty Di and I would be taking Freddy (the neighbours dog!) for a walk! Di religiously takes him every morning and every night and she tells me that really it's Freddy taking her for a walk as he decides which route to take! Di is no where to be found once I head downstairs though so I take myself on a walk knowing Di will call me. I walked through the village and up a long road with beautiful fields surrounding me in every direction. Rolleston is a seriously beautiful place, I can see why Di lives here...

After about 40minutes she calls and tells me she had to take a friend to work but is home now. I run all the way back to meet her and Freddy (he's so big! ...a golden retriever) and we set off...Up and around and then into a small wood with the most stunning secret waterfall I've ever seen! Past the waterfall, a big field opens up with a small path running straight through in-between a field full of grass and crops, 1 metre high. (the photo to this blog!) The sun is shining and Di and I talk while we walk together and I take it all in, grateful for being with her.

After our walk, we get dressed and head for a beautiful vintage-style high-tea cafe where I get us both a Sri Lankan tea before surprising her as I walk out of a florist with a big bunch of flowers for her birthday :)

We could have spent all day there in the sun on this cobblestoned sloped road, but I now had to go and meet up with my God-fathers family ready to drive to Bath, and Di had to go to work before heading to Heathrow Airport and begin a holiday for 2 weeks to celebrate her birthday!...Sri Lanka (hence the tea!) and the Maldives...

We say goodbye and 'see you soon' and before I know it I am on the road to Bath. I am going down with Cliff's (my God-father) parents, Doreen and Aubrey, as well as Cliff's brother Martyn, and his partner David..oh and the 4 doggies too! It was quite a squeeze with all of us in one vehicle but it was perfect at the same time!...

A 3 hour drive and we arrive in the beautiful town where Martyn and David have lived for 5 years.

We get out of the car, and they had told me how nice the place is, but I never expected anything like what I am now looking up at. The most stunning buildings all stretched out together in a big square called St James Square. A lot of the houses are all strung together in lines here in Bath (like the ones at the Royal Crescent or The Circus) but this does not discount how beautiful and grand they are, especially inside...

I walk into what feels like a palace. A museum. An art gallery. A stately home. I swear; I'm not being dramatic! It is the most exquisite, grand, picturesque place I have ever seen, and I've seen some pretty good places since I've been in England. I can't believe my eyes. What have I done to be so lucky to be in this place right now! Every direction you look, there is something to make your jaw drop. And there's 6 floors of it so can you even begin to imagine? I feel so blessed and so grateful to have been invited to stay with Cliff's family, which are just like my own family really. They give me a tour of the whole house, including their beautiful garden and then lead me up to the top floor where I will be staying. The whole floor to myself; a self-contained level with a bathroom and a kitchen, a washing machine and even a sun-bed haha! (way too scared to even go near that!) Am I in heaven? Either way, I felt a little overwhelmed after it all really as we relaxed downstairs all together. Wow. That's all I can say...

David decides to make us dinner later on and we enjoy it outside under the last few hours of daylight.

I have to just say again how grateful I am to be in this place right now, it's nothing I can put into words; but I know this kind of thing doesn't happen every day and I am with the best of company who are so warm and welcoming into their private space in this beautiful home.

Their house is only a 5 minute walk from the Royal Crescent, The Circus and the Roman Baths (central town) as well so I am a little excited to say the least! Bring on tomorrow :)