Belated Christmas Present

Well, at last I managed to give Mum her belated Christmas present - a mini-break in the Cotswolds!

On Tuesday my sister (The Recycling Goddess - see earlier post) arrived with Mum to pick me up and, after morning coffee, we set off for Malmesbury where we had lunch at The Whole Hog. We spent the afternoon in the Abbey House Gardens, home of the Naked Gardeners. The photos are ones I took on a previous visit so I can't show you the wonderful roses which were in bloom ...


We had afternoon tea, sitting in the sunshine overlooking the fountain and then went on to our hotel, where we had a delicious dinner ...

Next day, it was off to Stratford-upon-Avon via Moreton-in-Marsh (for coffee). We took the Stratford sightseeing bus and did the full tour before lunch at the Pen and Parchment. Next, a visit to Anne Hathaway's cottage and another beautiful garden...

We returned via Burford and Bibury -

View of Arlington Row across Rack Isle, Bibury ...

I bought a little book which explained the fascinating history of Bibury, a former weaving village. Most of the Bibury cottages date from the 17th and 18th century when the village prospered due to the wool trade - Cotswold sheep were considered to produce the finest wool in Europe. The cottages in Arlington Row housed weavers and Rack Isle was an area where the woollen cloth was "racked" after fulling (washing) and dyeing. Rack Isle is now a wildfowl reserve.The Swan Hotel, Bibury (seen above with the necessary swan!) was advertised in the book and it was good to see that lunch is served in the Brassiere!

Today we got up a bit later and had a leisurely breakfast before returning via Lacock - a village almost entirely owned by the National Trust and a popular film location (Pride and Prejudice, Cranford, Harry Potter). After a walk around the village we stopped for morning refreshments at the 13th century King John's Hunting Lodge and sat in the restful flower-filled garden.

Then it was back home for lunch prepared by Clive ... what a star!

Hedgehogs and Blackbirds

Well now, there's all sorts of wildlife in the garden at the moment. Having been visited by the breakfasting squirrel just a day or so ago, we were having another meal - this time in the summerhouse when a hedgehog scuttled by.

In the clematis climbing over the summerhouse, a blackbird has built its nest and looks at us most discouragingly when we walk past. I managed to get a quick photo of the babies whilst the mother was off foraging ... a bit blurred .... but I didn't want to disturb them.

Towpath Treasures

Walking along the canal towpath this morning I saw ...

... a heron standing absolutely stock still ... I was able to take this photo within a couple of feet and it didn't budge during or after its photo shoot ...

... a canal boat roof bedecked with flower-filled jugs, kettle and teapots ... I can imagine the boat owner, about to make a cuppa, muttering to himself "Now, where did I put that bloomin' teapot?"

Roses all the way

I popped to have my hair cut this afternoon and was taken by the roses in bloom on my approach to the hairdresser's - yes that open door IS the entrance to the salon!