I have been staying with Carol, my cousin, twice removed! ( my paternal grandmother and her maternal grandmother were sisters!). Carol moved to the UK 30 years ago and has settled in The Daventry area, which is probably one of the most central points in the UK with Northampton being the biggest city about 10 miles away. We have used her flat as a base and have taken trips out every day through and to the various small villages scattered around the countryside.
Arriving at Gatwick for me wasn't too strenuous though there was a little excitement at the Bermuda airport as the fire alarm kept going off - the airport was being evacuated as I arrived and then we were hurried out of departures! The flight over was very empty so I had 3 seats to sleep on, so got a little sleep. However Carol had decided to fetch me from Gatwick. Her trip down went well until they closed the motorway so her trip trebled in time and she only collected me at 10h. We worked out that I probably flew less than she drove, in time!!!!
By the time we made our way back, the roads were less congested and the promised rain had not materialised. We made our way to the local pub next to the canal and enjoyed brunch next to the canal. I decided to have an English Ale but didn't appreciate that it was at room temperature!
We spent a quiet evening, catching up and then on Friday went wandering through some of the local villages, there is probably one every 3 miles, each seem to have a pub and a church but are beautifully peaceful, in rolling green fields with masses of trees and along very narrow, twisting roads, with even narrower bridges! Very quaint!
Carol has a bird feeder which I sat and watched and tried to photo but without much luck!
We stopped at a 'Capability' Brown laid landscape with the man-made lake, copses of trees and rolling grasslands. This sheep decided to make friends and wouldn't leave till I scratched it's head! The swans were not quite as friendly and I made a hasty dash for the car.
We stopped at "The Granary" for lunch. It is very much a destination wedding venue, with the chapel above the tearoom. There were some fun teapots on display
Next stop was the pub in Ashby St Ledgers. The Gin and Tonic was a lot better than the ale. I rather liked the tonic bottle. The heads on the wall were made of basket weave.
On Saturday we set off for the Cotswolds and stopped at the Slaughters villages and enjoyed a wander through an art display and the village.
Then it was on to Bourton on the Water where we wandered around the model village of the village, which has another model village within it, all made of the local stone.
The model village ........
With the miniature within the miniature!
We found a number of fun shops and Carol bought quite a few Christmas presents and I got some stuff for home and then found another tea shop with yet some more teapots, hanging from just about everywhere and placed on all available surfaces!
We had planned to sleep out but decided that as we were less than an hour from home, to head back to our own beds!
Sunday, we set off for Blenheim Palace, not realising that there was a half marathon there, so the place was packed. Luckily we arrived as most of the runners were leaving and spent a very enjoyable couple of hours wondering through the rooms and exhibits. It is an amazing place on a huge scale with gardens that stretch for miles!
A row of oaks dropping their autumn leaves
The gates to the palace - we went in through the back entrance!
Looking up into the portico of the main doorway - these eyes look down on you!
Monday and Tuesday were spent visiting Hobbycraft in Northampton and then wandering in Leamington Spa. We also had breakfast at Skylark, where the hens could truly be called free range, as the picture below shows - and this was only a very small percent of the hens wandering around clucking very happily. Apart from chickens and eggs, the farm also hosts weddings, has a restaurant and grows Christmas trees, which the hens seemed to be roosting in as well!
Writing the blog on an iPad is not quite as easy as on a computer as it is impossible to move things, but it is done!
Go well
Next one may be quite delayed!
