Monday, 3 October 2016

An October Day in the Cotswolds


I awoke exhausted after a bizzare dream, it was such a relief to finally get up, look out of the window, and discover golden autumn sunlight brightening up our trees 
It beckoned us out for a walk in contrast to the previous day which had been grey, dreary, and wet
Luscious berries hung in bountiful clusters along the hedgerows - a feast for the birds during the coming winter months
Quince jelly anyone?
The craft of thatching often runs in families and many use their own distinctive straw roof finial - sometimes a fox, cat, bird or peacock, but I particularly like these boxing hares 
Church candlelabra

52 comments:

  1. Oh, what gorgeous photos - I can't use photos over 2MB on my blog, it's lovely seeing this large-scale photos! Love the boxing hares on the roof! Oh, what a glorious morning in the Cotswolds. The roof with the doves on reminded me of Snowshill Manor.
    Margaret P

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    1. Hello Margaret - I am not sure what size 2MB is! I work in pixels, and always reduce my photos down drastically to 800 pixels which is the maximum size that blogger recommends. You are spot on about the roof - it is the dovecot at Snowshill Manor.

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  2. Beautiful post, with great photos. I like those funny hares.

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  3. Oh so nice ,I keep dreaming ....

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    1. Thank you for visiting and for your kind comment

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  4. Blissful photographs. I'm almost there with you.

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    1. I am pleased that you liked them - it was a perfect day

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  5. This is bliss!The Cotswolds at their best!How lucky not only to get fresh air and some exercise but also to discover this unique landscape, nature and history.
    Thanks for sharing Rosemary!
    Olympia

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    1. Dear Olympia - you wouldn't believe how awful the day before was, we now seem to be having an Indian Summer which is as you mention bliss.

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  6. We love the Cotswolds and I've always said that if we ever win the lottery the first thing we're going to do is buy a home there.

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    1. When I first moved here 20 years ago I felt as if I was on holiday every day, but it still delights me.

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  7. Dear Rosemary, What a lovely cornucopia of color and texture! The boxing hares were an extra special treat. And how interesting that the thatch is being protected by wire netting... a great and practical idea.

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    1. Dear Gina - the wire netting protects the thatch from rogue birds who would happily use it for nesting material. Looking up from the road it is invisible to the casual observer.

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  8. Oh Rosemary, I don't know which is more appealing, the beauty of your country or your ability to capture it photographically with such artistry. Thank you for sharing the riches! Gorgeous autumn images.

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    1. Thank you so much - that is such a lovely and generous comment which I greatly appreciate.

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  9. I have always wanted to visit the Cotswold's. So this was a very nice post for me to wake up to. :-) Gorgeous photos too!

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    1. Thank you Catherine - although I have lived here for 20 years I am often struck by the way man has actually enhanced the area with interesting architecture and the use of local stone without actually spoiling what is already here.

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  10. Hello Rosemary, Sometimes I think that you live in a different, more beautiful and colorful world than the rest of us! Naturally, I particularly loved the photos of the old stone gates and walls.
    --Jim

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    1. Hello Jim - there is no denying that yesterday was a perfect day and everything was looking at its best - I often think that I should do a post on the less than beautiful world that we also have here - I will give it a shot sometime.

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  11. A lovely selection of photos. The autumn weather has certainly been glorious so far with so much sunshine. I love the hares on the roof. Both the views and the old stone buildings are wonderful.

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    1. Long may it continue Wendy - there is something rather special about an Indian Summer

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  12. Wonderful photos as always, Rosemary. The Cotswolds is (or should that be "are"?)such a special part of the world.

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    1. Especially so on a lovely day Susan - the honey coloured stone seems to glow in the sunshine

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  13. A great series of photos! First photo was such a beauty....but then came the others and one was more beautiful than the other. The boxing hares on the roof, so very special. Thank your Rosemary for showing us all this autumn beauty in your surroundings.

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    1. Thank you Janneke - it was a perfect day for photography, and to be out and about in the fresh air.

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  14. Each area of the country seems to have a different style for thatch. Our previous house had netting, this one doesn't. Apparently it's better for the roof not to have it, but we do lose a lot of straw to the birds. Swings and roundabouts I guess.
    Cotswold stone and deep blue sky, a wonderful combination.

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    1. Cotswold stone always sits well with thatch, and a deep blue sky a welcome bonus

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  15. Hello Rosemary,

    I love the boxing hares. They are whimsical and amuse. You live in an absolutely fabulous place and the Cotswold stone warms the heart.
    Thanks for taking us along on your walk
    Helen xx

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    1. Hello Helen - we need to make the most of these lovely days as the year goes forward - glad to have your company through the Cotswolds

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  16. What a golden day. Must have been wonderful soaking up the sunshine and glorious colours of Autumn. Thanks for sharing all of this with us. Your photos would look great in a calendar.

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    1. Dear Betty - your kind comment has made my morning - the weather was perfect and the surroundings beautiful so my camera could not go wrong.

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  17. Oh the rolling green hills, the golden cotswold stone, thatch (and delightful hares), hollyhocks and quince - what a perfect day and how great you captured it all to share in your gorgeous photos dear Rosemary. We're home now and concerned about Hurricane Matthew coming up the east coast - Autumn is lovely except for it being 'hurricane season' here. We head for California Sat.morning - fingers crossed the storm does not impact our travel plan!

    Hugs - Mary

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    1. Dear Mary - I heard about Hurricane Matthew and hope that he gives you a wide berth - we once lived through a hurricane in Scotland when we were young, a very rare occurrence for here, and it was very frightening.
      You have boundless energy to be off on your travels again - we leave next week, busily to trying to make sure that I have remembered everything that needs doing.

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  18. What beautiful colours of Autumn, my favourite season. The golden stonework is so mellow and attractive, and I love the thatched roofs, especially in the last photo. Quince are a really attractive looking fruit, as well as nice to eat. I have never seen them growing (as you know, only saw my first buttercup the other day). A lovely post, Rosemary.

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    1. Quince are a very old fashioned fruit that actually seem to be making a come back - it was a lovely golden day Patricia which enhance the Cotswold stonework.

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  19. The Cotswold are so beautiful - and to be able to enjoy autumnal walks in them makes me long for new travels. But I have to preserve the many quinces from my old garden in Hildesheim (though they bore less than all the other years).

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    1. Lovely Britta - do you make Quince Jelly?

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    2. Of course - and I do have two other really nice recipes for quince:
      1) 1/3 rd raw (!!) quince puree, 1/3 honey and 1/3 whipped cream - VERY delicious when mingled (and eaten instantly). I think it is a Turkish recipe.
      2)The other is quince in Armagnac, cooked it turns into deep red - and is wonderful served with vanilla ice-cream.

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    3. Thank you Britta - they both sound delicious and very simple to do, I have made a note of them - thank you very much

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  20. Your photos set the mood, what a beautiful display of photos !

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    1. Thank you Jane I am pleased that you enjoyed seeing them

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  21. Great photographs. Really enjoyed exploring the Cotswold villages years ago when I was down there. A unique area and surprisingly quiet in late autumn with the tourists away. Fondly remember the Merrydown cider, the house parties, and how dark it felt walking between villages with just a canopy of stars above. Very few street lights then and spaced far apart.

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    1. Luckily the part where I live is off the tourist trail and we have wonderful deep secret valleys here - no street lights where I live either, we rely on the stars to guide us.

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  22. Hello Rosemary,
    From your photos I see that the Cotswolds are equally beautiful (or even more so) in autumn as they are in summertime.
    I was unable to find your email address in your profile, so I'm responding to your comment on my blog about Lucy Partington here. It's such a sad, tragic tale. Thank you for clearing up who wrote those words - I did some "googling", but didn't find too much. What intrigues me is why there is a headstone in this particular churchyard when her remains were buried elsewhere.

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    1. Hello Lorrie - the stone that you saw is a memorial stone in a local spot that she loved.
      She along with other victims were buried in the cellar at Fred West's house for 18 years. It was not until the police began investigating West that the bodies were discovered in his cellar. Her remains were then removed to Cardiff where they were held during the long criminal investigation and trial.
      It was not until 1995, 21 years after her death that her funeral was held in the Catholic Chaplaincy at Exeter University.
      Her sister Marian Partington, author, has written a book called "If You Sit Very Still" about learning forgiveness, suffering, and healing.

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  23. That's a wonderful walk in the October sunshine. Your images are superb! Sarah x

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  24. So beautiful !!! All of these.

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