Here in the Cotswolds, it’s been a fairly continuous dose of the white stuff since early Friday – and all day today Sunday. Main roads have been kept open though, so traffic has been light but reasonably free-flowing, ‘drive with care’ being the operative phrase for safe travel. Chipping Norton’s 17th century alms houses (main [...]
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LAST GASP OF THE BERRY SEASON – AND A RECIPE FOR BLACKBERRY COMPOTE
A beautiful Autumn day means it’s time to raid the hedgerows for their berries. Now, this indifferent English summer has meant that 2012 has not been a bumper year for blackberries, though it’s been another story for elderberries, with my ‘secret’ hedge positively groaning with them However, it’s blackberries that take my fancy today, so [...]
TRANSITION CHIPPING NORTON 2012 AUTUMN FAIR
Yesterday’s Transition Chipping Norton 2012 Autumn Fair opened to gentle autumnal sunshine, which stayed all day, making for a relaxed event for traders and visitors alike. The Town Hall was packed with specialist stalls, ranging from wine and cheese to ceramics and animal illustrations. Outside, the Town Square featured singers, chickens, hand-woven cushions, and a [...]
A BEAUTIFUL BLACK SWAN AT BIBURY
The River Coln attracts much wildlife to Bibury, including the rare black swan in this mini-vid. However, the birds must reckon that tourist offerings make easy pickings, and this creature is no exception. I’ve always taken great care to recall my late Mum’s warning, “Never feed the swans David – they’re bad tempered, and a [...]
THE WEAVERS’ COTTAGES OF ARLINGTON ROW
This video gives you a quick peep at an architectural piece de resistance, the brain-meltingly picturesque Arlington Row, in Bibury, not far from the handsome town of Cirencester. The Cotswold stone cottages once housed weavers who supplied cloth for ‘fulling’ – cleaning wool to remove oil and dirt – at Arlington Mill, also in Bibury. [...]
A few sketches!
Nothing like using a really soft pencil (4B) on a Spring day! The artistic merits are hardly at Turner Prize levels, though some may not think that’s a bad thing. Still, perhaps by the time this blog trucks through the Thames Valley and on to the North Sea, rusty skills will be honed!
FINDING THE SOURCE OF LONDON’S ‘OLD FATHER THAMES’
According to the map (circled in the pic) the River Thames rises in a quiet field not far from Cirencester, a handsome old town around 100 miles west of London. The nearest road to the source is a busy one, but there are some places to park, and after a false start or two, camera [...]
Source of the Thames
A fantastic day’s exploration, and some speed-sketches into the bargain. Watch this space for pix and vids.
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A GYPSY CARAVAN FOR SALE IN THE ENGLISH COTSWOLDS
- A few sketches!
- POOHSTICKS: A GAME BORN AT THE HOUSE OF POOH CORNER
- INTERNATIONAL POOHSTICKS COMPETITION ON THE RIVER THAMES, NEAR DORCHESTER
- Source of the Thames
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