Welcome To The Neighbourhood!

Wherever we have travelled in the United Kingdom this summer, we have been treated with nothing but kindness. As I've written here before, the people we've met along the way have gone above and beyond the call of duty to help us, to include us, to make friends with us.

But the most helpful, friendliest and kindest people we've met live right next door in our adopted neighbourhood.

Let me tell you about Pat. Shortly after the taxi dropped us off at the house back in July, Pat came over to introduce herself. Not only had she put a carton of milk in the fridge for our tea, she drove Joe to the local convenience store so that he could grab a jug of wine and a few bottles of beer to ease the pain of our jet lag. The next day, she showed us the way to the grocery store with us following her car. She has collected the mail and watered the garden while we took off and gallivanted around Dublin and Edinburgh. She has been fantastic.

She and her husband Graham invited us over for drinks last night before we went to another neighbour's house for a birthday BBQ. We chatted about our families, our careers, and our travels. They gave us great advice about where we should visit before our time in Somerset comes to an end.


We then went next door for dinner. Dogs, kids, champagne and hamburgers. All on a summer's evening. A winning combination.


Everyone was so welcoming. It felt wonderful to be included in their celebration.





We had an interesting conversation about the similarities and differences between our two countries. (My burning question was "How the heck do people manage to dry their clothes in this country without dryers?" The answer? "Slowly.")


After dessert, the girls all jumped in the hot tub and we bid everyone good night.


Thank you neighbours of Waterleaze! By welcoming us into your homes, you have made our time in Taunton extra special.

*As always, please click on the photos to enlarge them for greater detail.