Friday 14 February 2014

Date Day: Clifton

On Wednesday - after the school run, the Hubby and I managed to 'escape' for some quality time together.  Time to just catch up and chat over a casual coffee outside our normal four walls.  It was a much needed breather considering the speed of change and his crazy workload at present.

Once the children were safely deposited at school we decided to head towards Bristol into Clifton Village via the stunning Clifton Suspension Bridge.  The weather was hideous - it has rained every day since I posted about the Somerset floods here and the situation is set to get worse as two more storms hit the south coast of England this weekend.


First port of call was the Boston Tea Room - a lovely coffee shop with an eclectic vintage / industrial style decor.  A place to warm up while the storm raged outside.  As the winds blew, I savoured the textures of the wooden surfaces...

...and supped a lovely creamy cappuccino...

...whilst watching the rain pour down outside and trickle down the windows.

We really couldn't stay out in the weather for long - to put it in context the wind was so bad that the Clifton Bridge was closed after we'd used it in one direction - the first occasion it has been closed in 150 years.  The attached video actually shows the huge suspension bridge moving in the wind!


Whilst in the village we popped into a few independent shops selling artisan makes and tempting homeware - we also window shopped in the glorious Victorian Arcade which was visually stunning.


 A quirky gorilla hung from the end of the ceiling arch which made me smile - despite the age of the original building the space really did suit him.


Prices in the 'homey' boutique shops were beyond our budget but it was very enjoyable to look.  I was inspired by colour combinations in different pieces of art that were displayed and found my creative senses were sparked by the shapes and textures on show.  I'd lost some motivation recently on the crafty front and this visit has revitalised my creative mind.  Plus I struck lucky in a charity shop - a Marks & Spencer fairisle style jumper for a bargainous £3!  The historical passage of time demonstrated in the architecture of this area is very inspiring too but I especially loved the frontage of this building - grey and red - who knew?!


And opposite that building was the most stunning vintage ambulance.  OOooh. Such loveliness!


Despite the weather, it was nice to get some grown up time together - we've not managed it in a while and it was good to prioritise us over the [never-ending] list of jobs!  We celebrate Valentine's as a family day - to celebrate LoVE generally so it was also good to mark Us as a couple too.  We reaffirmed our wish to spend a date day together every month and I am already looking forward to the next.

I will announce the winner of my GYB giveaway in the next few days.  Little Man is off school with a sick bug and the coming week is Half Term here in England so I will undoubtedly have even less time online than normal but I shall endeavour to catch up with Blogland when I can!

Hoping you are feeling some LoVE in your part of the world,
J9 x

11 comments:

  1. Such a nice day together! I love when we have some child-free time to get out and about. It's always rejuvenating. Happy Valentine's Day!

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    1. You are so right Jennifer! Time to reconnect away from the endless lists of jobs and chaos! Hope you enjoy some soon too! J9 x

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  2. Glad that you had a nice time together and I assume that as you are posting that you got home safe and sound despite the bridge! Hope that you stay safe and warm and dry. Happy Valentines Day. xx

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    1. Yes - thank you! There is another, less scenic and less direct route! Looking forward to some better weather - who knows what this weekend may bring! J9 x

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    1. Hi Cleo - thanks for stopping by! Did you delete this comment? If not, I've done it completely accidentally so I apologise! Please do comment again - you are very welcome! J9 x

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  4. How nice that you got out with your husband for some alone time ... despite the rotten weather! This town looks like the perfect remedy for a catch up and some window shopping. :) Wendy x

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  5. Hi Janine, I've had to choose another winner for my GYB event, and your name came up as the winner! I wonder if you could please email me back with your mailing address and I'll ship this over to you ... thanks so much! Wendy

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    1. Oh Wow!! How exciting! I've literally just picked this up as myself and my littlie's have been unwell so will email you directly! J9 x

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  6. I think dates in storms are very romantic but the storm on this day is a bit over the top! Glad you had a wonderful time. Visiting via Wendy's blog.

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    1. You are sooo right! It was too crazy - we got completely drenched and battered by the weather - not a good look! ;0) J9 x

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