We visited Josh and Issy on their farm in England. We met them when they were traveling in Austin a few months prior. They were couchsurfing with a friend of Derik's, who called him up and said "Hey, I have some couchsurfers staying with me and one plays the banjo! You guys would get along great!" They met downtown and Josh and Derik quickly realize they have a lot in common. Josh's family owns a cider company and they make it right on their farm. They also grow hops- something that sparked Derik's interest, of course! Issy is an artist and designer, so she and Derik bonded over their mutual love of design and their highly creative minds. Josh and Issy were traveling together for a few months, similar to what we had been planning to do. So the next day Derik said to me, "You have to meet this couple!" We all got along really well and they graciously offered for us to stay on their farm when we got to England.
Going from London to the rural countryside was a nice transition. Though we love the city, it is easily overwhelming. Exploring a new city, especially in another country, can be crowded, confusing, expensive, and exhausting. Though we have been purposeful in making time to relax and not filling our schedule with too many activities while traveling, the simplicity and quiet of the farm was just what we needed. Also, the towns we visited near the farm looked like scenes from a storybook (see pics below!) which was something we would have missed if we just stayed in the touristy cities. Staying in a home with a family, even though it wasn't our own family, was really comforting after hostel and air bnb stays.
One of the best ways to get to know a person is through meeting their family. Josh and Issy's family was wonderful. They joked together, worked together, and laughed together. It was evident how close they were. I love seeing close families especially because my family is close, too. One of my best friends told me, during my wedding festivities, that she admired the closeness of my family and that the closeness is really a testament to the parents/grandparents. It is so true- it starts from the top and trickles down. The family values that parents instill in their children will trickle down to their grandchildren and great-grandchildren to leave a beautiful legacy. Josh and Issy's family is living out a beautiful legacy and it must be thanks to their lovely parents, and probably even their grandparents before that.
The cider-making life is no joke! The process is long, there are a lot of steps involved, and lots of machinery. From growing the apples to turning them into cider to bottling to selling/sending out, it all takes place on their farm. Old Fields is the name of their cider and it is absolutely delicious- highly recommend it! They don't brew beer, but grow and prepare the hops for brewing. There is a lot more involved in preparing the hops than we realized! Since Derik brews beer, he loved learning about all the TLC that goes into the hops. It isn't hops season yet so we didn't get to see the process in action, unfortunately. They did, however, invite Derik to come back and help, so we will see!
Josh and Issy have an engagement story that could be turned into a romantic movie. Issy had an idea that if she ever came upon a four-leaf clover without really searching, she would bring up the topic of marriage to Josh. One Christmas, she was taking a walk with family and looked down to see none other than a four leaf clover! "Oh no! Now I have to actually do it!", she thought, but it was clearly fate. That night she brought it up to Josh and they agreed that they wanted to get married. A few months later, Josh formally proposed to Issy with a ring design that couldn't be more perfect: a four leaf clover. Que tears and tissues for all the hopeless romantics!
Thank you, Josh and Issy, for welcoming two almost-strangers (they really only met us for a day or so in Austin!) into your home, introducing us to your friends and family, and for making it such an enjoyable time! You two are a one-of-a-kind couple and we look forward to staying friends for years to come.
Bruce, if you are reading this I hope you also have your running shoes on
A fun list of British lingo we learned:
Queuing- waiting in line. Ex- "Are you queuing?"
Pudding- general term for all dessert
Hey-yea- greeting
Quid- slang for a pound/money
Pram- stroller
Rubbish- trash/garbage or something not pleasing
Jumper- sweater
Pub- bar
Crisps- potato chips
Cheers- traditional cheers or a general term for thank you. Ex- "Can you bring me that? Cheers."
Fags- cigarettes
Going from London to the rural countryside was a nice transition. Though we love the city, it is easily overwhelming. Exploring a new city, especially in another country, can be crowded, confusing, expensive, and exhausting. Though we have been purposeful in making time to relax and not filling our schedule with too many activities while traveling, the simplicity and quiet of the farm was just what we needed. Also, the towns we visited near the farm looked like scenes from a storybook (see pics below!) which was something we would have missed if we just stayed in the touristy cities. Staying in a home with a family, even though it wasn't our own family, was really comforting after hostel and air bnb stays.
One of the best ways to get to know a person is through meeting their family. Josh and Issy's family was wonderful. They joked together, worked together, and laughed together. It was evident how close they were. I love seeing close families especially because my family is close, too. One of my best friends told me, during my wedding festivities, that she admired the closeness of my family and that the closeness is really a testament to the parents/grandparents. It is so true- it starts from the top and trickles down. The family values that parents instill in their children will trickle down to their grandchildren and great-grandchildren to leave a beautiful legacy. Josh and Issy's family is living out a beautiful legacy and it must be thanks to their lovely parents, and probably even their grandparents before that.
The cider-making life is no joke! The process is long, there are a lot of steps involved, and lots of machinery. From growing the apples to turning them into cider to bottling to selling/sending out, it all takes place on their farm. Old Fields is the name of their cider and it is absolutely delicious- highly recommend it! They don't brew beer, but grow and prepare the hops for brewing. There is a lot more involved in preparing the hops than we realized! Since Derik brews beer, he loved learning about all the TLC that goes into the hops. It isn't hops season yet so we didn't get to see the process in action, unfortunately. They did, however, invite Derik to come back and help, so we will see!
Josh and Issy have an engagement story that could be turned into a romantic movie. Issy had an idea that if she ever came upon a four-leaf clover without really searching, she would bring up the topic of marriage to Josh. One Christmas, she was taking a walk with family and looked down to see none other than a four leaf clover! "Oh no! Now I have to actually do it!", she thought, but it was clearly fate. That night she brought it up to Josh and they agreed that they wanted to get married. A few months later, Josh formally proposed to Issy with a ring design that couldn't be more perfect: a four leaf clover. Que tears and tissues for all the hopeless romantics!
Thank you, Josh and Issy, for welcoming two almost-strangers (they really only met us for a day or so in Austin!) into your home, introducing us to your friends and family, and for making it such an enjoyable time! You two are a one-of-a-kind couple and we look forward to staying friends for years to come.
Bruce, if you are reading this I hope you also have your running shoes on
A fun list of British lingo we learned:
Queuing- waiting in line. Ex- "Are you queuing?"
Pudding- general term for all dessert
Hey-yea- greeting
Quid- slang for a pound/money
Pram- stroller
Rubbish- trash/garbage or something not pleasing
Jumper- sweater
Pub- bar
Crisps- potato chips
Cheers- traditional cheers or a general term for thank you. Ex- "Can you bring me that? Cheers."
Fags- cigarettes
Oh my! This was a fun read! So cool that you were intentional about meeting up with them. This is the coolest! I am not much of a world traveler, but have always thought Ireland would be nice...mostly just picture rolling green pastures with sheep herds! You must share the sheep herding video. Lol!
ReplyDeleteStill trying to see how 3 people are in the hammock and Derek's feet are off the ground?
ReplyDeleteIt's 3 hammocks sewed together and you get in through the middle lol
DeleteSo Derik is dangling lol
What an awesome place to visit!
ReplyDelete