The Cotswolds, England 2019

The heat this summer has discouraged me from doing frequent blog entries,

but now it's time to talk about my holiday in England.

I hadn't been back for three years and I was beginning to miss the unique atmosphere

of my home country!

The first part of my trip took me to the beautiful Cotswolds.

This is the area where my dad grew up with his parents and sister.

It is well-known for its rolling green hills and hedgerows

and houses and walls built in the beautiful honey-coloured Cotswold Stone.

I do love coloured front doors and was immediately attracted to this blue one in the photo above. 

Five-bar gates is another favourite

They're so welcoming as we look beyond them into gardens or fields.

I can't visit the Cotswolds without going to the village (though I believe they like

to call it a town these days) of Charlbury.

This is where my dad lived with his family and where he and his parents are buried.

I always take some flowers when I visit them.

Here is the familiar entrance to the lovely cemetery.

You can see a typical dry stone wall too.

Such a peaceful resting place with a view over green hills and grazing animals.

I think that I take a picture of this red postbox, set in the wall, every time I visit!

Behind the wall is the most beautiful garden in the village.

Full of roses and clematis and lavender and many other flowers.

The bees were very happy in this garden too.

The scent of the lavender was wonderful.

I even met the lady who lives here and complimented her on her wonderful garden!

She told me that she and her husband had retired here after working in London.

There are beautiful clematis in different colours against many of the houses.

This one is my favourite.

This one is my favourite.

We stayed in the small market town of Moreton-in-Marsh in the Evenlode Valley,

within the Cotswolds area in Gloucestershire.

The railway station on the Cotswold Line allows us to travel directly to London.

The journey takes about one hour and thirty minutes.

These colourful poppies were growing in the town.

We couldn't get to our favourite privately owned gardens opened to the public,

but you can see their beauty here:

An English Country Garden

I had got to know a fellow lady photographer through a photo site.

We decided to meet up in England where they live, not far from where we were staying.

Look at the fabulous view they have from their home!

The weather-vane on their garage

The view from the living-room

What a dream place to live!

There are a few neighbouring houses, but they are not too close.

You do however need a car to get anywhere for anything you may need.

No village shops within walking distance,

but perfect for daily walks in an idyllic setting!

We visited a church in the nearby town of Northleach

I did like the plain glass windows with a stained glass effect from the trees

and greenery outside.

I did like the decorated cushions, handmade using tapestry stitches. 

Each one in a different design.

Here is the entrance to the Gothic style church of Northleach.

Northleach is a market town in the valley of the River Leach

also in Gloucestershire.

Hollyhocks and Cotswold stonework

is what I love the most when I go to England.

If you would like to see more of Hollyhocks and Honey Coloured Houses,

you can read about a former visit by clicking on the title above.

Next time, I'll take you to London, for that was the second part of my holiday!

I hope that you are having a beautiful summer!

Finding Inner Stillness

It seems so easy to find that place deep inside of me

when I'm in nature amongst the wild flowers and swaying grasses

or looking at fields of lavender just coming into bloom

I become lost in sensations and colours

and all that is unimportant and nonessential

just falls away.

This lovely poem by Steve Taylor says it all so well.

There is no Need

There's no need to surround yourself with luxury
to treat yourself to the best of everything
metallic fridges and designer bags
the colours of the season, the car of the year
to show others that you're special.

  

You don't need daily doses of good news
to lift your mood when you feel glum.
You don't need compliments or presents
or flirtatious smiles across the room
to keep you happy with yourself
or hourly fixes of pleasure
to set your brain cells jingling. 

There's no need to cover up the silence
with the chatter of radio and TVs.
There's no need to fill the empty space
with jobs that don't need doing
or words that have no meaning
or tasks that have no purpose
except to fill the empty space.

You only need to meet yourself
to let the discord within you fade away
and find the stillness underneath
the place where you're already whole
where there is no need to seek or strive
because there is no need.

    

You can check out Steve's site here and see his book of poetry

and many other books by this teacher and author/poet.

The Calm Centre

Click below to see this wonderful place
which I visited in June this year:
The Lavender Farm

An English Country Garden

Climb the well-worn steps

where the campanula sprawl

in dainty beauty

Under the leafy boughs

A place for contemplation

and quiet reflection

Where red and green leaves

swathe the walls and frame lattice windows.

We follow the perfumed paths overlooking the fields

and walk beside dry stone walls dotted with overhanging snapdragons

and ferns growing tall.

and here and there through the trees and flowers

a house appears

The peace is hardly broken by the gentle buzz of bees among the flowers

and behind the abundant red valerian sits the house.

The simplicity of a stone wall 

where lichen has etched colour and texture

and plants seek out nooks and crannies in which to grow

Walls have such stories to tell,

don't you think?

This one leads us to a five-bar gate and the fields beyond.

Among the reeds, 

elegant bird sculptures

inhabit a pond

 Old-fashioned roses flounce their petal skirts

inviting us to drown ourselves in their loveliness

until we see nothing else.

Feel the soft grass beneath your feet

and drink in the beauty of an English country garden.

My trip to England in June was full of many joys

and whenever I go to my home-country,

visiting lovely gardens is always at the top of my list!

This one is called Bourton House Garden.

The busy gardeners do a wonderful job of planting

different plants for each season and care for the upkeep.

To learn more about this lovely place in the Cotswolds, 

you can follow this link: Bourton House

Sit outside in the garden at one of the tables

and enjoy a salad or a quiche followed by homemade cakes.

I can thoroughly recommend Carolyn's superb carrot cake!

In her comment below, Sophia has reminded me of this lovely song:

"In a English Country Garden".

This is sung by an American singer: Jimmie Rodgers

The musical accompaniment is very whimsical

of an unidentified tinny sounding instrument!

Why not?!

I love jumping out of the box into the unexpected,

don't you?

If not, surprise yourself!