Blissed out in Bibury

Monday 16 May - We slept in late, enjoying the tolling of the church bells on the hour. Breakfast was very generous and delicious but sadly the staff was still a bit lacking. After a leisurely breakfast we wandered back through the town, and then ventured along some more footpaths. It started out grey and overcast but turned into a stunning day with lovely blue skies and fluffy white clouds. We took out time exploring the fields and woods before returning to the hotel. Then we nipped over to the trout farm to stock up on fish for dinner. When we returned it was time to check out of the room. We packed up the car settled the bill then headed out. We stopped in Burford to peruse the shops on the high street then made our way to the slaughters. The slaughters are two serene little Cotswold villages nestled along the river. There is an excellent shop in Lower slaughter with the best strawberry ice cream in the world. We stopped for ice cream then ate our cones as we walked to upper slaughter then looped back around to the car. Then sadly it was time to say farewell to the Cotswolds and make our way back to Bristol.

Bibury Rediscovered

We settled into our hotel, Bibury Court. We were there for the Sunday Snooze special (thanks to mom's anniversary present) which included a room for one night, tea on arrival, dinner, breakfast and a late checkout. The hotel was lovely and very atmospheric. Our room was full of little luxuries: a four poster bed, window seats overlooking the brook, chaise lounge, huge bathtub. We soaked in the surrounding then made our way downstairs for tea. We were given a tour of the various facilities then directed out on the terrace to order our tea. The tea arrived fairly swiftly but due to an inept waitstaff we waited an hour and half for our food. We were, needless to say a bit miffed, and decided to take a walk to clear our heads. The countryside was lovely and it was a sunny, blue skied afternoon. We walked some nice footpaths along the river and through fields. I saw a roe deer peeking out of the tall grass and hedgerows. The cow parsley was in full bloom, giving the fields and stone walls frothy white edges. The walk was very soothing and we returned to the hotel for dinner in much better spirits. Dinner was delicious with slightly better wait service (though still comparable to fawlty towers, we were able to laugh at the absurdity of the situation and the quality of the food was such that we were willing to put up with any difficulties). After dinner we took a moonlit stroll through the village. We happened upon two swans and their cygnets, the mother swan had her babies nestled on her back.

A Cotswold Collection

Sunday 15 May - After some disastrous attempts to run some errands in Bristol Ian and I made our way North towards the Cotswolds. Our first stop was the National Trust site, Snowshill Manor, A house owned by Wade who had a passion for collecting. He actually dedicated the main house of the estate to his collections while he and his wife lived in the old stables. The estate has some really stunning gardens which overlook the rambling Cotswold hills. After meandering through the gardens we made our way to through the house and its myriad collections of oriental arts, miniature houses, chess pieces, spinning wheels and other various items. The theme of Mr Wades collecting was high quality handcrafting. We enjoyed our tour through the house then made our way over to Bibury.

Blow me a Blue Glass Bauble

Saturday 14 May - Ian got an excellent voucher on Groupon whereby we could visit the Bristol Blue Glass factory and make our own blue glass ornament. We took advantage of having a car for the long weekend and made our way over to the factory. We watched and the glass blower adeptly heated the glass and spun it, blew it, and shaped it to make a beautiful pedestal bowl. Then we watched as another couple made their own bauble. It was mostly a lot of explanation about the process and then the participants blew into the tube while the professional glassblower spun it and shaped the glass. When it was out turn we learned that the tools and materials were too hot for us to handle on our own, which is just as well because it looks like it must take a lot of experience to get all the factors just right in order to shape a decent piece. Ian and I each took our turn to blow on a tube and inflate the glass bubble that would become our bauble. Then we watched as the glassblower added a hook to each and tucked them in the cooling oven for us to collect later.

Croquet and an Open Day

Sunday 8 May - The annual Goldney hall open day. We got there early, not on purpose but I thought things kicked of at 10 but it wasn't open until 12. Luckily we only had 20 minutes to kill so we wandered around Clifton Village a bit. We finally made it in to the grounds. The gardens were well past their usual glory but there was some nice live jazz music and we enjoyed wandering through the grounds and gardens. We played some croquet on the lawn, visited the grotto and watched some snails in the fountain before heading out.

Happy Sesquicentennial

Saturday 7 May - Vassar is celebrating its 150th anniversary. The College has been hosting celebratory events all over the US and we were lucky enough to have a celebration here is England. The event was a day of lectures and lunch followed by an evening of entertainment and dinner at the Royal Society in London. It was a suitably posh locale and event. We took an early bus into London than walked from Victoria station to the Royal Society, only getting slightly lost. The lectures were quite interesting and it was lovely to be surrounded by an atmosphere of leaning, community and aspiration, not to mention the reassuring Vassar lilt that many of the Alumnae, students and staff acquire. We had a very nice lunch, a final lecture than a tour of the Royal Society Library (celebrating its 350th anniversary this year, on Sunday) courtesy of its librarian. We then had a break so Ian and I ventured to the National Gallery to visit its shop then we went to Harrods to wander around, enjoy the ornate shops and goggle at the prices. Back by 7 for the evening portion we had drinks in on the terrace which overlooked the Mall to Buckingham palace and had the London Eye in the background. Then there was music by the Vassar chorus, and a reading of Vassar Voices followed by a slide show of photos/videos from Vassar's history. Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2qs2GmFHjU to see the evenings opening video. That concluded then entertainment and Ian and I had to skip dinner to catch a cab and our bus home. We made it home a little after midnight, but it was an excellent event.

May Day among the Apples

Sunday 1 May - We returned to Somerset to celebrate the Apple Blossom Festival with Orchard Pig. We went last year and had such a nice time that we decided to visit again this year. On arrival we were greeted by a large Old Spot Sow and her piglets. They entertained us for awhile before we headed to the main activity area. I stocked up on some plants from a local nursery and also got some local Somerset honey. Then it was off to explore the orchards. This year some of the larger trees were in full bloom creating enchanting aisles frothy with pink blossoms. As before, my favorite part of the orchards is the old orchard with large old trees and sheep. The orchard is based on biodiversity, the grass between the trees is allowed to grow long and the sheep naturally mow it. Lunch was a delicious hog roast with some Orchard pig cider and dessert was a lovely ice cream cone. Then it was on the road and back to Bristol