Castle Combe

Saturday 25 July - Finally some beautiful weather. We took advantage of it by going berry picking in the morning at Chosen Hill Farm in Chew magna where we got some strawberries and some red currants. After Lunch at the flat we drove to Castle Combe touted as the "loveliest village in England". It is a small fairly typical Cotswold village with lots of charming stone cottages complete with low wide doors and window boxes brimming with flowers. It also has the obligatory trout stream running merrily through the village. There is also a charming old wool market and butter cross at the town center. We walked around the town and the impressive Manor House Hotel with its amazing Italianate gardens. We also visited the church which boasts one of the oldest clocks in England. It was smaller than expected and in my humble, opinion not much prettier than many of the other villages we've visited but well worth a visit.

Walks and Clocks

Sunday 19 July- After a lovely breakfast in Russell Square park, Ian and I went our separate ways. I spent most of the morning in the British Museum. Then meandered along to the houses of parliament and Big Ben. I walked along the Thames for a while. Stumbled across the Gardening museum then made my way to Victoria station to catch the coach home. It took an excruciating 2 hours to get out of the city but I finally made it back to Bristol safe and sound.

Galleries and Gardens

Saturday 18 July - Ian had to attend a conference in London, so I took advantage of the opportunity to have a place to stay overnight in the city and explore London. I arrived in London late Friday night and had dinner with Ian. The next day while Ian was at the conference I took a long walk around the city. I made it a point to not take the underground so as to enjoy the nice weather and to explore new areas. I started from Russell Square and walked to the British Museum and walked through their Indian landscape display. It was then through the theatre district to Covent square market. From there I made my way to Leicester square and then spent a few hours in the National Gallery. Through Trafalgar square to St. James' park. A leisurely stroll through the park and it gardens to Buckingham, along the Mews and up to Knightsbridge and over to Harrod's where I enjoyed perusing the ornate food halls and the egyptian hall. Onto the V&A for a couple of hours then through Hyde park and up to Regent's Park. My favorite park in London, Regent's park had a lot to offer in the summer. The rose garden was spectacular with an amazing amount of varieties of roses including some I had never seen before. I also visited the amazing Avenue Gardens with its urns, fountains and topiaries. In the ponds there were a variety of waterfowl including some really cute ducklings. I met up with Ian outside the park and we walked to the Hotel, then went out for dinner at an Italian restaurant nearby.

Hanham Court

Sunday 12 July - Having read an article in our local magazine "Clifton Life" about Hanham court I knew Ian and I would have to visit and the sooner the better. The Property is owned and maintained by the couple I & J Bannerman who design gardens and landscapes for a number of Wealthy and Aristocratic people including the Royal Family. Despite being close by (between Bristol and Bath, near Keynsham) we had a bit of trouble locating the place, but it was well worth it. We were amazed by the gardens and especially the size of the massive planters used. There were lots of boxwood hedges keeping things in order and defining the space of the garden. Roses, Delphinium, sun flowers, dahlias, zinnias, lilies and especially sweet peas were all in bloom and looking spectacular. The house itself is a bit of a curiosity, with bits of building seemingly tacked on here and there including a turret. We walked through the main gardens then round to a very unique water feature, the 'dancing crown' fountain where a small metal crown sits upon a stone in the middle of a pool, when the fountain is turned on a jet of water from the stone shoots the crown nearly six feet in the air where it hovers until after a few minutes it becomes unbalances and topple into the pool. A real treat to see. After watching the crown dance and plunge we walked pass the pond and did a circuit round the adjoining fields and orchard before heading back toward the main house to have a cup of tea and some cake. After visiting the gardens we drove down the road the Avon canal where we walked along the canal to enjoy the sunshine and watch the canal barges before heading back to Bristol.

Village life

Saturday 11 July - After a leisurely breakfast Ian and I headed north toward Cheltenham and the "Romantic Road", a route I discovered in a Cotswold's travel guide, which promised to reveal some "delightful but lesser-known areas of the Cotswolds". After passing through Cheltenham we drove along some very small roads through some very quaint villages. The area is known for its stone built cottage and many had lovely gardens. We stopped off at Chedworth and saw the site of the ancient Roman villa. From there we passed through some more small villages and made an interesting, if unscheduled stop at the Cotswold Ice Cream Company farm where we had a taste of their wonderful ice cream before getting back on the road. Then it was on to Burford. A lovely and relatively large Cotswold village. We ate our picnic lunch along a duck infested river,near the public car park. Then visited the house across the river which had an open garden. The Cotswold food and wine festival was taking place this weekend in Burford so we had some lovely samples of cheese, apple juice and beer. We walked up the main street, perusing the shops, bought some Lardy cakes for Sunday's breakfast, and visited the small but surprisingly well stocked Burford Museum. Back in the car we made our way to the charming village of Fairford. This sleepy hamlet was one of the highlights of the trip. The reason for stopping was to see the only complete set of Medieval stained glass in the country. The church was lovely and the stained glass very impressive with a lot of character. On one side of the church the upper set of stained glasses features angels and saints, on the other devils and church persecutors. In one set on stained glass one can spot a pair of sandaled feet as they ascend to heaven. A local parishioner very kindly, pointed out these interesting features and told us about the church, the glass and its cleaning/restoration, as well as showing us the altar (which had been moved and covered to accommodate a wedding) whose legs were specially designed to mimic the arches depicted in the stain glass and which boasted a lily pattern created from inlaid wood. From the Church we walked to the mill and oxen pen. Where we crossed a small river where we could see large fish swimming and a family of swans and their cygnets. From Fairford we made our way to the much acclaimed Bibury, called by William Morris "the most beautiful village in England". It is known for its stream, full of trout and its row of picturesque weavers' cottages. We strolled around Bibury, picking up some trout for dinner from the local trout farm and enjoying the cottages and their gardens, the church and the Bibury Hotel gardens. We got back in the car and on the road just before the rain hit. And despite a wet drive made it home for a lovely trout dinner.

Hemington Open Day

Having left Somerset Lavender we took an uncharted route back to Bristol, on our way we crossed a sign for "Hemington open Day" our curiosity piqued we followed the signs to discover an entire English village open for visitors. Along with a large tea tent, games, interesting animals and games of chance there were several back gardens open for the public to admire. One particularly spectacular garden boasted a water garden, a stream with bridges, two aviaries, ducks, ducklings, chickens, chicks, doves, and guinea pigs as well as several flower gardens, a rose garden, a vegetable garden, an orchard and a netted garden for berries. At each garden various activities/items were on offer, one house featured china items, another used books and another toys. There were also raffles, ice cream, crafts and plants available. At the Church there was a flower exhibition featuring 23 arrangements each representing a different country. We took a stab at trying to identify the countries but some arrangements were easier to decipher than others. After visiting all the gardens we had tea with fresh strawberries and cream at the tea tent and enjoyed the music of the fairground organ, and immense automatic machine with moving wooden automaton playing along to the music. It was a marvelously British experience and Ian and I are ready to move to Hemington should anything become available.

Somerset Smells

Sunday 5 July - Having visited Somerset Lavender last year well past the prime growing season, and having enjoyed lavender currently blooming in a number of Clifton gardens I've been quite keen to revisit Somerset Lavender while the lavender was still in bloom. After having a busy and fun filled fourth of July BBQ the day before this sunday seemed like a perfect opportunity to take a leisurely drive out to the farm. Before we could even see the field we could smell the lavender. Pulling into the parking lot I was amazed at the vibrancy and intensity of the purple, it was beyond all expectation. We took a stroll through the lavender garden which features different varieties of lavender than meandered around the large field, taking in the sunshine, the scent of lavender and the hum of bees. I got a small pot of lavender to grow on my balcony and remind me of our trip.

Brean Beach

Sunday 28 June - Since it is finally starting to feel like summer here, Ian and I have been starting to dream of the beach. We decided to take a trip to the beach, with our friend Caryn and her sister. Trying to avoid crowded and touristy beaches we made our way south to Burnham on the Sea and then headed North along the coast road until we reached Brean. The beach here is protected by a spit of land called Brean Down. It was one of the most unusual beach experiences I've had. We parked literally on the beach and set up a blanket in front of the car. There were lots of people but not many had set out towels. The sand, if it can be called such was dark brown and proved to be muddy and clay like as the tide went out. When we first arrived the water was quite close to where we parked but by the time we finished are picnic it was several hundred yards away. There were no rocks or shells on the beach and very little seaweed. After eating we decided to walk to Brean down to explore a fissure in the cliff face. We then walked to the water which was no easy task as the mud sometimes rose to mid-shin. Once there, a beach patrol truck came along to announce that at this point with the tide going out and the sand being so soft it was no longer safe to be at the waters edge. We made our way back to the beach and decided to walk up the stairs to the top of Brean down. We tried walking to the end of the spit but every time we thought we were there we would crest a hill and see more land. As it was starting to rain we made our way back to the car. On the way back to Bristol we stopped in cheddar to peek in the shops and drive through the gorge. An unconventional beach outing but fun.

Hollyhocks, hedges and home

We made our way back to the car and drove out of town to visit Anne Hathaway's cottage, home of Shakespeare's wife. The gardens here were by far the most amazing. Unfortunately my camera battery died so I am without photos. However, there were tee pees of a variety of sweet peas, poppies, roses and the most amazing hollyhocks. The cottage itself was another interesting wood and timber building with furniture from the period. We also enjoyed a hedge maze and a woodland walk on the property. We drove through the Cotswolds to get back to Bristol, stopping in Stow-on-Wold for a lovely dinner at the White Hart.

Along the Avon

After visiting Shakespeare's birth place we wandered through Stratford. We saw the foundations of the house where Shakespeare died and the amazing knot garden attached to the original house. We also wandered through a public park, overflowing with flowers and punctuated with metal sculptures representing different Shakespearean plays. From there We made our way to Nash House, the Home of Shakespeare's eldest daughter and her Husband. Nash was a docotor and his home with Susanna Shakespeare was a luxurious, purpose built establishment. This house was very well run, large open rooms, lots of light and flowers from the garden in every room. The rooms hold original furniture of amazing quality and beauty. The entrance hall fireplace contains two large cast iron swans, because we were told, Shakespeare was known as the swan of Stratford and this has become the logo and symbol throughout the town. The Nash gardens are one of my favorite places in Stratford. There is a typical English garden, a structured geometric garden with box hedge and a rose garden overflowing with roses and with a boxwood alley through the middle. There was also a lovely shop and a cafe at Nash house. It is out of the way, off the main roads and quite close to Holy Trinity Church which is where we went next. The church is a typical English parish church with bright stained glass and impressive stone arches and carvings but is unique in that it houses Shakespeare's grave. The grave takes prominence of place at the head of the church, wardened off and with a monument to Shakespeare on the wall beside it. After strolling around the grounds, which are located right along the Avon. We strolled along the Avon watching people in row boats.

Saturday in Stratford

Saturday 27 June - With access to a car for the summer, Ian and I could finally make a trip to Stratford upon Avon. Practically living upon the Avon ourselves I've felt that we ought to visit the famous place for some time now. With the weather predicted to be sunny we took the opportunity to go on Saturday. It was a longer drive than I had anticipated, almost 2 hours and approaching the city was a bit disappointing as the main road passes by housing estates and industrial parks. Once we had parked and were making our way to the city centre things started looking up. We watched a canal boat as it passed through one of the locks on the canal. At a large roundabout we saw lots of lovely flowers and some shaped into animals: duck, swans and rabbits. At the tourist office we decided what we wanted to see and got a ticket that allowed entry into 3 out of the 5 Shakespeare properties. We first visited Shakespeare's birthplace. A large wood and timber house located along a wide walking path lined with shops. We first had to pass through a timed video introduction which was rather bland but processed us through some interesting room with stage-like sets. Then into the house populated with guides dressed in period costume. The most interesting feature for me was the recreation painted coarse linen which was used like wall paper to brighten the rooms. Also interesting was the fact that Shakespeare's father kept an ornate bed in the public sitting room just to show off his wealth. After a tour through the house we enjoyed the lovely gardens and an watched an actor giving lines.