After a week in our lovely cottage in Chipping Campden in the Cotswolds we're relaxed & settled into a new pace of enjoying the many pleasures this area has to offer. We really loved London but this area is like another world & completely different lifestyle. The Cotswolds have probably the most untouched villages in all England so it's a bit like stepping back in time to live here for a little while. The area is lush & green with high hedges or wild ...

Morning trip to the farmers market in the historic centre at Cirencester where we had a look inside the Cathedral then continued south for our lunch date. Heading into Wiltshire we happened to see the White Horse on the escarpment - quite a bonus. Apparently there are several chalk horses & human symbols carved into hillsides here by removing the upper layer of grass & soil to expose the chalk layer beneath & though restored they originate in ancient ...

Found this lovely place in the late afternoon with almost no-one else there - perfect for imagining how it might have been in ancient times. This is now a beautiful ruin but was once a Cistercian monastery in the Middle Ages with monks working & praying for 19 hours a day. Eat, Pray, Work - a tough life!

Perfectly for our last day in London we went to the Museum of London & explored their great exhibits covering the city story from pre Roman to current times. There's a place to see some remains of the original Roman Wall which was the city boundary, lots of relics, maps etc. A story & model of the Great Fire with readings from spectators including John Evelyn and a very moving film experience of The Blitz with real people telling their stories. Museums &a...

The very important decision to purchase a stamp from Stanley Gibbons on The Strand was made this morning & we spent quite a while looking through the affordable collection of Penny Blacks - the very first stamp ever! We had been surprised that there were even any for sale but apparently they were very common & affordable in 1840 so there are plenty still around. They don't cost a Penny anymore though! Geoff is now the proud owner of one so we just have to...