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.

The Long and Winding Road

Northern Skye.......the main roads around the island were far better than we thought they would be.  

 

Occasionally there were road hazards.....but cute ones!

 

And occasionally there were road hazards and our road became a single track with few pull outs. But at least here you could see oncoming cars as there were no stone walls nor hedgerows like in South West England!

 

There are also no landscaped gardens around here as it's all about survival. I love the simple beauty here.  

And you can't forget that loaf of bread at the grocery store!

 

But the views were spectacular everywhere we turned.  If you look closely at the above photo you can see hikers along the trail. 

 

Kilt Rock behind a waterfall into the sea.  The rock formation is named because it looks like the folds in a kilt. 

 

And it is very windy out here so they need to fasten down their roofs!  We drove out to this point to see Flora MacDonalds grave and a Living Museum nearby but the museum was closed on Sundays.  

Phrase of the Day - "I flashed them first". 

When you drive on a single track road you flash your lights at oncoming cars to let them know you are in a pullout and they can safely move forward and pass you. Except I kept letting Mr. B know that the oncoming car was flashing him so that we could go but he would respond with "I flashed them first" or "I already flashed them - twice" so then it was a contest on a very narrow road as to who would move forward first.  You don't want to get stuck in a bog around here as it might take all day to get rescued!  Oh yeah & no cell service!

Natural Forms

 

I am fascinated by the beauty of the gardens in England and the natural supports that they use. 

 

Runner beans

 

Peas

  

The dovecote at a manor house we visited Thursday. They use the fertilizer for their compost. 

 

Off to Shakespeare country today - Bye for now!

The English Countryside

 

The last few days we have been white knuckling through the beautiful English countryside....so green....dotted with sheep & cows...so serine but we are driving!!!  We have visited 8-10 family villages & churches, all on tiny one lane roads surrounded by hedgerows.  As on pub guy said "you can't be nosy in Somerset!"   

 

Mr. B has been amazing with his reading of many ancient headstones that might pertain to my dad's side of the family.  

 

And speaking of taking one for the team......He is even willing to order a dram so he can talk to he local barkeep to find out about any connections to my family in the village. So far it's been very colorful. 

 

Women were subservient in that generation....obviously...as she was only listed on his headstone by her first name and that she was his wife.  

Lots of 1200-1500 a.d. churches that we explored and met some amazingly nice people along the way.  

 

And even a very tired Westie named Gordon who had been walking all day was at out hotel bar.  

 

Finding my great-grandparents headstone was worth shedding a few tears.  They were very poor and somehow their daughter, Sarah Routley Tuckfield Gore managed to make it to Canada - single - with about 9 kids.  And somehow my grandmother, Violet Elizabeth Bacon Gore Crawford, moved from Montreal with my Granddad to Oakland, California to start their family. 

 

Here's to my family roots - Tea & scones at the railroad station where my great-grandfather was station master. 

Word of the Day - Brilliant = good choice in America (we hear this one a lot)!!

The Eyes Have It

I have been working on a series of farm animal paintings from photos I took of cows and sheep in the Tomales area, also from chickens in my own backyard. When I paint an animal at a distance it ends up feeling more like a landscape to me.  

Odessa

 But when I zoom in close and get the feel of the animal through it's expression, I feel like I have captured something exciting!  I especially love to capture the eyes looking straight at me because as I am watching this amazing animal, he is checking me out.



Charlie



Annie



 He is trying to figure out if I am a threat or not.  The little ones run close to their mother but the older animals usually stand their ground, stop eating, check out the situation, then resume whatever they were doing before I came along.

If I am patient, I usually get some good shots.  In the last month, I have sold three of the "cropped close" paintings and I think it's because of the wonderful energy these little paintings exude. 

"I would like to paint the way a bird sings."   - Claude Monet

Small Original Art for Sale

There are a group of artists from the Lafayette Studio who have painted together for several years now.  We have also done some group shows as well as an Open Studio.  We mostly support one another and enjoy the comraderie!  We have begun a new venture of offering small works of art for sale online.  Please check it out and enjoy!  Paintings will be updated often and will consist of a wide range of styles.

Bay Area Studio Artists

www.bayareastudioartists.com

Here are my first two posts.....



"Charlie"



"Annie"