After a strange day on Friday when we learned the very sad news of the death of Geoff's mum Estelle, we spent a quiet weekend in Chipping Campden. Appropriately there were open gardens here on both days so we spent both afternoons mooching about among the gardens. It seemed exactly the right thing to be doing as Mum loved the flowers & gardens of England. There was everything from the ruins of Old Campden House which was destroyed by the royalists during the ...

Joined in a morning walk around Chipping Campden with a volunteer warden who told us some of the local history & explained a few of the building styles. This was a wealthy town based on the wool trade (much like Australia in the glory days). The houses here are all 2 perches wide - who remembers that measurement?? From the old rod, pole or perch lengths - 1 perch is 5 & a half yards so the houses are 11 yards wide. I am actually so old that I remember lea...

On the 98th anniversary of Geoff's dad Stan's birthday it seemed perfect to spend the day in Tewkesbury where Stan's father lived before he moved with his family to Australia. Looming over the small town is the enormous Tewkesbury Abbey which was consecrated over 800 years ago & is one of the largest Norman churches in the country. We had a long chat with one of the chaplains who explained much of the history & architecture. There is a brilliant mirror ar...

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 ...