A Day in Lower Slaughter

SONG - Take it Easy by The Eagles

 Day 12 - Sat. May 11

Mr. B is not feeling well so I did some laundry and went on a walk about. I can’t drive over here but I had a lovely walk around Lower Slaughter. 

 

Unfortunately my knee wasn’t up to hoofing it on up to Upper Slaughter. I loved watching the horse in the stream, the water wheel & mill, houses, flowers etc.  Came back to hotel grounds & ordered lunch since I didn’t have breakfast.  Sancerre wine & cheese burger & thick cut chips with perfect weather outside. Children and dogs playing in the grass and people of all languages conversing. Mr. B came down for awhile as he was feeling better and joined me for a nibble  

We went back to our room to relax.  It was so hot in our upstairs room that I put on a damp top because I had to get cooled off. Andy &Ashley & the Kids FaceTimed us.  Great to see them!  Sat on the patio with Mr. B &  checked mail, took photos, people watching, etc. Busy day here. A lot of young families & newborns & doggies.  Had dinner at the Inns pub and it was great! I’m waiting to go outside to see the northern lights! (*note: it’s tomorrow and I never made it outside last night as it was overcast - but I hope you got to see them wherever you are!)

XO

Varoom

 SONG - Fast Car by Tracy Chapman

Day 10 - Thurs. May 9

After all of my garden tours in the Cotswolds, today was a day for Mr. B and he chose to visit the Morgan car museum & factory about an hour north of us in the Malvern Hills. 

And while cars are not that special to me (unless it has a cup holder & air conditioning) I do appreciate the design & craftsmanship that goes into these cars.  

Our day began with spending some time in the museum & showroom, then finishing with a two-plus hour factory tour.  

I was amazed that they use wood for part of their framework for each car

And that they produce a number of three wheel cars

We visited several specialized workrooms however we were unable to visit the design room as that was top secret and our tour guide Mike said they will be coming out with something new very soon!

It was a long but fun day at the Morgan Experience 

Until next time - Cheers!

 

A Blink & A Wave & George

SONG - Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles

Day 9 - Wed. May 8

Breakfast at hotel & Mr. B had fried kippers. My full disclosure -  Ewwwww!

The garden I wanted to visit today didn’t open until 2 pm so we headed over to Chipping Campden first to see the Craft & Design Museum & St. James Church.

“In the spring of 1902 C.R. Ashbee, architect, designer and a leading figure in the Arts & Crafts movement, moved with his Guild of Handicraft to Chipping Campden from the East End of London. In total 50 Guildsmen and their families arrived that summer, along with their workshop equipment.

For Ashbee the movement was not just about creating beautiful things. It was about giving people satisfying work in a healthier environment.

This was the beginning of the story of craft and design in Chipping Campden”

-quote from the Court Barn Org.

St. James Church is next door to the Court Barn Museum and was well worth walking through its doors as it is a 13th century wool church. 

When we got into our car, I noticed a funny rectangular stone trough in front of us and I mentioned to Mr. B that it looked like a car wash. He suggested that it was a place to back up your cart into for ease of loading or unloading which made more sense. Well it was for backing your cart into and for washing it out. 

The Cart Wash

Snowshill Manor & Gardens was next on our list. It was owned by an eccentric guy, Charles Wade who displayed his hoards of collections. We had seen his collections in 2017 so really just wanted to enjoy the gardens. However, after lots of walking both uphill and downhill to get there, there wasn’t much in the way of formal gardens but there was a nice dovecote, orchard, kitchen garden and lots of sheep to enjoy. 

We then drove to Kiftsgate Gardens where we sat down to have a late lunch. All they had left was a cheese & chutney sandwich which Mr. B decided should be a fine match to his morning kippers! He is such an adventurous soul. 

And I had a piece of Victoria sponge cake (hello Paul Hollywood & Mary Berry)! 

Yummm…

We FaceTimed our grandsons from the garden. It was so great to see their faces before they had to head off to school. And to hear them yelling “YaYa Papa”!!!

Kiftsgate had Peonies the size of dinner plates. Amazing. It was a small but interesting garden and perfect for the end of our day. 

We still had to pop back into Chipping Campden for a few items including ice, which they use in such limited supply here in the UK. Every time Mr. B goes to get our room’s ice bucket filled up, the staff only give him about 12 ice cubes.

As we pulled into Charingworth Manor we noticed a helicopter parked in the grass. Are we having special guests tonight??? Could it be George Clooney? I’ll have to let you know tomorrow!

“I blinked AND waved “

- Jim to Jeanette when she reminded him to blink his headlights at a car that had pulled over for him on a single track.

Hedgerows & Gardens

SONG - Wildflowers by Tom Petty

Day 7 & 8

On Monday morning we took off from Bath and arrived at Charingworth Manor near Chipping Campden by about 2.  We were going to stop at Castle Combe along the way but we drove right on through as it was so crowded. I think both our car & phones GPS are not ideal as they keep sending us on single tracks with hedgerows! We had lunch in the conservatory restaurant while watching the sheep in the surrounding fields with their new lambs and then headed back to our room to unpack. Mr. B took a proper lie down as he hasn’t been sleeping well at night and I did some reading. 

Tuesday was the day to enjoy some sunshine and an amazing English garden - Hidcote.  I had pulled a parking pass the day before through our Royal Oak (US) National Trust (UK) passes. We had been to Hidcote in 2017 and even though we are 2 weeks earlier in the season, it did not disappoint!

Enjoy the show!

Only one near miss with a strong horn honk and one finger salute - we are counting this as a good day of driving!