Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Hampshire Cottage, Swansea, & The Gower

Croeso (as you would say in Welsh)

Matt and me are here in Swansea, south wales. The sun is shining and the weather is sweet, we've been soaking up the welsh sun on the beaches here. We drove out to the Gower yesterday (a lovely set of cliffy beaches along the coast.) The tide was way out so we got to go exploring in the all little pools. Homes for rock fish, sea snails, crabs, enemies, and sand dabs. All similar to the Monteray coast but with a new array of colors. They shore was littered with purple jelly fish, proper tentacles and all, unfortunately we got no pictures of those but Matt managed to save a little one. The cliffs were perfect for rock climbing and the Moors were scattered with butter cups, daisies, and a few others foreign to me. There we're also these little cave tunnels that had carved their way down though rock, water ways from the hills i guess, we peered around in them a bit but honestly they were too scary to climb into, a time when our friend Mc E D would have come in handy.
It was a little hike down to the beach, a stunningly beautiful one with a castle ruin, a pitch and putt course, and the occasional cow. This is the second time in my life i have been charged by a cow, they completely terrify me at this point... and both me and Matt we're running just so you know i am serious about the caging thing. I guess we startled it but it came pounding down the hill at us so we ran up the a little cliff.  It then stood in our way for about 10 minutes until this little dog (about a 10th of the size of ME, so embarrassing) ran up to it barking and yapping at it, it moved for the dog and  I eventually picked up the courage to walk past it but that vary nearly gave me a heart attack.
 Cows?  what a thing to be scared of.
 Other than that we've been drinking with medical students, you know a bunch a raging alcoholics.  Eve took us to a beer festival where we tried lots of local brews and perrys. Perrys being pear ciders. You start at noon and finish at 11 typically, we cut that day short in order to make a BBQ where we watched the WORLD CUP. America VS. England!! AND WE TIED! We're coming up in the football ranks, USA USA! :) Luckily Matt escaped with out a punch to the nose though i am a but shocked at that considering all the shit talking that boy does. Anyways get your jerseys on yea, we gotta support our team!

Due to my lack of writing last week I also must tell you about the lovely Hampshire cottage.

Nestled in the downs is a magical little house called Hampshire cottage where my aunt Jan lives. Surrounded by sheep and covered in roses it's the perfect place to clear your mind. Matt went to see a amazing woodworking shop with my uncle Rupert where they worked on a old Rolls Royce restoring the wooden interior. The farmer that uses their land was sheering his sheep so we got to see that process, that man just picks the sheep up (ALONE) as if they were over grown children. I couldn't believe it, and they sheep were perfectly content to be handled by him. We got to try some clotted cream that he had made fresh, for all you deprived Americans clotted cream is the best stuff in the world. I don't really know how to describe it but one day I'll make it and give you some. We spent our days there enjoying the breeze and smelling the roses and eating the most delicious foods, most of which were grown right there.  To absolutely top that experience off they had a litter of kittens, just barely old enough to play with. They were SOOO cute, and one was to fat to walk so it would push its self along the floor like a little toad! I love kittens.

Anyways, I'm sure i could go on and on with all the little details but I'll leave it at that for now.
LOVE
~Nima