The clocks go back, 4 seasons in a day, and a dose of England’s wildlife

Waking up to torrential downpour and relentless wind, I glanced out the window fearing that the sun was a distant memory that I wouldn’t see again until the spring of 2008. I wound my clock back an hour recognizing that in a few weeks it would start getting dark by 4:00 p.m. (Matt has told me that I’ve become very British with my pessimism and gloom!). To overcome what could have been the dreariest Sunday in the history of Nottingham, I resorted to an old staple pick-me-up, i.e. American breakfast. I cooked up a feast of French Toast casserole and cheesy potatoes. Although he continued to refer to the French Toast as ‘Bread and Butter Pudding’, Matt seemed to enjoy the American classic as he helped himself to excessive portions.


Assuming that I had already experienced the highlight of the day with breakfast, I was utterly surprised and delighted to see the sun appear. Taking advantage of this gift from Mother Nature, Matt and I ventured down to the Trent River for a walk. Certainly not alone on our amble along the river, we were accompanied by sheep, horses, cows, dogs, cats and bulls along the way. We pushed both the animals’ and our own comfort zone limits approaching them for pictures, and a bit of TLC (e.g. Matt wiping the snot from the docile Sheep’s nose).
An English wilderness tour would not have been complete without a stop for a coffee halfway through the journey. While not pleased with the shortened day, my spirits were revived, at least temporarily, with the simplicity of the small, yet pleasant surprises on a Sunday afternoon.