Snowshill Manor Grounds

An idyllic sunshine filled visit to Snowshill Manor. 

Snowshill Manor plaque

Hours Fly

Flowers Die

New Days 

New Ways 

Pass By

Love Stays

Butterfly Blues

While on one of our walks, Andy spent some time patiently waiting for this butterfly to land so he could capture a photo and was sorely disappointed (a) with the limitations of our relatively cheap digital camera; and (b) that he could not get closer/zoom in closer.  Oh well, you get the idea.

Evening Light on Cotswold Stone

Roses growing on a cottage wall, a few doors down from us on the High Street. 

Manor House Hotel, a 16 Century hotel located in Moreton in Marsh.  

Little Pinners, our cottage, is located directly behind the Country House Interiors shop shown here, located on the High Street in Moreton in Marsh.  The light was spectacular this night, really setting off the beauty of the homes built from Cotswold stone, a local limestone available in colour shades ranging from cream, pale, buff, and grey to the golden honey as shown here (typically found in North Cotswolds).  

Stained Glass

Window at Chastleton Parish Church described as the "Little Jesus Window".   

Medieval Mosaic

Medieval floor tiles in Chastleton's 12th century parish church.  

War Posters

Found these posters on display at Cannock Chase Museum.  I could not help but stop to reflect on what living life in England must have been like during the 1st and 2nd world wars.    

Chastleton/Evenlode walk

Some of the sights along our 4.5 mile walk.  The circular walk started and ended at Chastleton House (last photo), a fine example of Jacobean architecture, built between 1607 and 1612 by a wealthy wool merchant.  It had continuous ownership by an increasingly impoverished family for over 400 years, until 1991 when it was acquired by the National Trust.  

Frog Crossing?

Wow.  I've seen it all now.  This is not a joke - this sign is located just outside of Cheltenham.  Likely some well intentioned locals banded together to petition to have this sign installed. My question is:  do they really expect motorists to see frogs on the road while travelling 50 miles/hr, let alone stop traffic to let them hop across the road?    

Lovely Chloe

There's no "posing" for a photo by either of the twins.  Through sheer perseverence,  I managed to capture this lovely image of Chloe.  

Tranquil

Aww... Paddington!

What could be better on a rainy day than attending Cirencester's Antiquarian and Secondhand Book Fair?  One vendor had an impressive amount of children books (including a first edition hard cover Winnie the Pooh book priced at $250) and of course, the Paddington Bear puppet glove shown above, which I found particularly endearing. 

Blight on the landscape

Andy took this photo when out on his run last Sunday near Keresley.  Sad to say, he first saw this burned out car a few weeks ago in middle of a farmer's field which has now been dragged to the edge of a country lane (most likely because the farmer wanted to reclaim the land for planting).   While we do not know anything about the story as to how the car became in this condition, we assume it was stolen, taken for a joy ride and the evidence burned.  

Majestic Trees

The last of the deciduous trees,  in full leaf as of last week.   I took this photo in Victoria Park, a mere 1/2 block from Little Pinners.   The oak and ash trees are two of the latest budding trees in the UK.  England has just become more green, if that is possible! 

Sign Mosaic

created from photographs of various signs taken since March 1st. 

Bluebell Woods near Keresley

This morning Andy took the camera with him on his early morning run, stopping to take these photos.  

Weak Bridge

weak bridge?  I must confess it took me a second to realize the translation was "no heavy loads".

Antique Wooden Kitchen Utensils etc.

Just a few of the finds at Station Antiques in Chipping Norton.

 

Columbine Charm

Columbine flowers in bloom in our back garden at Little Pinners cottage.  

View from the Cotswold Escarpment

May Day celebrations - Morris Dancers

 

We took in the May Day celebrations in the nearby village of Blockley this past Sunday which included a performance by a group of Morris Dancers from Chipping Campden.  Morris dance is a form of English folk dance usually performed with music.  The dance is based on rhythmic stepping and choreographed steps by a group of dancers, typically male, in which sticks, swords and hankerchiefs are used to accompany hand movements.  Morris dancing dates back to before the English Civil War (1641 and 1651) and it was the working class who took part in the morris dances.  Morris dancing was popular until the industrial revolution, which brought about social change. However, four teams of morris dancers claim a continuous lineage of this dancing tradition within their village or town, including the Costswold town of Chipping Campden.   Today, morris dancing is commonly thought of as a uniquely English activity although British expatriates have continued the tradition throughout the globe, forming groups in the US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Hong Kong. 

St. John's Church at Randwick

This is a view of the church in Randwick where we attended the cheese rolling ceremony, taken from the hill where we parked our car. Randwick along with several other towns and villages in this part of Gloucester are built on steep hills and the roads are very narrow, as seen in the photo below. With cars parked on one side of the road, there is no two way traffic, so as is the custom in England, when two cars approach this narrow lane, an oncoming car will "flash" its lights to indicate the right of way and once clear, they proceed. While it's all very civilized, driving these roads is not for the faint of heart!

Randwick Cheese Rolling

 

On the first Sunday in May, Randwick holds a cheese rolling ceremony at St. John's church. Three large double Gloucester cheeses are carried in a procession to the parish church in individual baskets decorated with flowers. Andy and I attended the church service where congregants involved in the cheese rolling are dressed in period costumes. 

Andy and I attended the church service where congregants involved in the cheese rolling are dressed in period costumes. The cheeses are blessed and just prior to the conclusion of the service, the whole congregation moves outside where a town crier announces the commencement of the "rolling of the cheese" (top photo, unfortunately, you can barely see the town crier in this photo - located behind the Randwick banner). At this point, each of the wrapped cheeses are taken out of their baskets and according to tradition, each cheese is mystically rolled around the the church three times, anti-clockwise. When I asked an elderly local why they did this, he explained it was an old tradition originally meant to ward off evil spirits!

The local minister had the privilege to roll the first cheese, and immediately thereafter the children chase the cheese, rolling, kicking, and even carrying the cheese around the church three times, after which one of the 3 cheeses are cut up and served on crackers to those attending the ceremony along with cups of tea, coffee and juice for the children. According to tradition, the sharing of the cheese is said to protect fertility to ensure future generations of "Runickers", the name used when referring to the Randwick locals.

Spring Dance Recital

Springtime means recital time!!  This is a photo of my friend's daughter, ready for her dance recital.  I found this photo utterly charming.  It conveys to me the independence and determination I see in my friend and brings to mind the phrase "the apple does not fall far from the tree". 

Ornate Gate

Ornate Gate
Originally uploaded by Karen Price2007

Chipping Campden - Thatched cottage

chipping campden thatched cottage
Originally uploaded by Karen Price2007

Chipping Campden sights

Teresa and Nev (my in-laws) came to visit today and we took them to Chipping Campden, about 6 3/4 miles from Moreton for a walk about the town. You cannot help but admire the beautiful thatched houses such as the fine example shown above. Walking along the high street we came across this inventive sign for a glass studio - eye catching indeed!

Portobello Road Market in Notting Hill

This is Portobello Road Market, a street market, about 1/2 mile long located in Notting Hill, London.   While Andy attended a business meeting, I spent time wandering up and down the road, filled with market stalls and unique shops.  Each block or so has a new theme, arts & crafts, antiques, foods, etc.  and apart from the shopping, it's an excellent place to people watch!