tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28519306800044687362024-03-13T04:22:21.216+00:00 Our HaystackOur Haystackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090417545285533251noreply@blogger.comBlogger179125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851930680004468736.post-32578316216692497312020-05-07T13:36:00.000+01:002020-05-26T07:54:55.849+01:00Moving to England: Part II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<i>The earth is warm again and spring-sunshine streams through the branches of beech trees, turning their new leaves a shocking, almost offensively so, fluorescent-green colour. If I open the kitchen door, I can see the smiling faces of half-a-dozen daffodils that I planted on the banks of the brook last year when the autumn chill arrived. They threaten to become engulfed by lush spring grass, lanky dandelions and the froth of cow parsley that all seems to grow a foot taller with each new day.</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<i>I planted the daffodil bulbs unnecessarily early one crisp October morning, the wind biting at my fingertips as I worked. My eyes darted up and down the street now and again expecting a tweed-wearing, pitchfork-waving, self-appointed village leader who would tell me to cease and desist with a thick West Country accent- its sing-songy, jovial lilt betraying his deep displeasure. I worried that planting bulbs on the roadside would be met with cross faces and finger waggling from disapproving villagers who have called this place home much longer than I. In the end, I reasoned that nobody could possibly take offence with <b>daffodils. </b>Even ones that did spill out of the confines of my overgrown cottage garden into the village proper. It was tastefully meant. </i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<i>Sometimes, on a fine day, I walk out of the open door and wander, cup of tea in hand, over to admire my guerrilla gardening and say good morning to the raft of ducks who call the stretch of river outside our living-room window home. Sipping my tea and gazing at the babbling brook, swollen with spring rain-water, I think, not for the first time, that I must be living in the pages of </i>The Wind in the Willows- <i>Kenneth Graham's timeless world in which anthropomorphised water rats and moles are the very best of friends. And I don't mean that flippantly. I have watched a water rat paddle past this very spot.</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Written in April 2018, around a year after moving to Castle Combe.<b style="font-style: italic;"> </b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQmFeYj4k0X4k8OBXcFP5N6W9AZ3cR0YSkHJr8-ntPkhauv1h3N93-GLBt6q4e6bmoXwUxHhT_fytYqXU9HwRf3yIqDS51eAXWCLg7pVpexzHHAY_Y8I1PnB8eUR4R_CjB7JK9FB3wpRX/s1600/Daffodils+in+the+window+seat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQmFeYj4k0X4k8OBXcFP5N6W9AZ3cR0YSkHJr8-ntPkhauv1h3N93-GLBt6q4e6bmoXwUxHhT_fytYqXU9HwRf3yIqDS51eAXWCLg7pVpexzHHAY_Y8I1PnB8eUR4R_CjB7JK9FB3wpRX/s640/Daffodils+in+the+window+seat.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
I was alone for the first week after we moved into the cottage in Castle Combe. My husband was in Barcelona for work, going on to a stag do in another European capital from there. I was a tangle of emotions with nobody around to soothe them. We'd been living in Air B&Bs for months. I arrived with the keys to an empty cottage on a beautiful March morning to await the truck carrying our shipment of possessions from Sydney. There were tall daffodils in bloom throughout the village and the very distinct, earthy smell of wild garlic shoots carried on the cold breeze. The windows were filthy, but the sun shone brightly into the 18th century cottage we would call home. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
The road through Castle Combe is very narrow, parts of the village date back to the 14th century. The front doors of what were once weaver's cottages open virtually onto the road in places. So, when a huge lorry arrived at our address, I panicked. The delivery team were unperturbed and spent the next few hours opening the side of the lorry at our front door, unloading what they could, then quickly moving to a wider part of the road to let a passing car go by, then reversing back to our door to unload some more. They must have shuttled back and forth dozens of times. More than once, they'd have just stopped in position at our doorstep again to open the lorry, and another car would arrive. They were very good natured about it all. And none of my new neighbours came knocking to say what a nuisance the lorry was.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
It was a wonderful feeling to see the contents of our old life in Australia, now in our new home in England. I had the team get the heavy furniture into position and unpack a few boxes, but I happily waved them off to finish the job on my own, in my own time. All of our things had made it safely, of course, across the world. Even, for some inexplicable reason known only to one of the removals men back in Sydney, a toilet roll with only seven squares of paper left on the roll. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
As I pottered in the kitchen that first evening, contemplating what to cook myself for dinner, a couple of riders on horse-back trotted past the cottage, their rhythmic clip-clop accompanying the pretty bird song in the towering trees above the village. Nestled down in that idyllic ancient valley, with the brook flowing gently through, and the woodland filling with springtime growth, I felt incredibly content. I loved it there right from day one. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYrHR_rb4ZVktUyj2yZ67f4S_vUgWKiUzrCgnFzfxxYSoXyhFG8LR6nsKH9POiMlNeta_TsugJxhjK7TJGFhrZsTc5X84iqUf-Eu2giHeARnuKJcYfBEILZQ1576SDG3ivIMwbKSXIGjeJ/s1600/Inside+CC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYrHR_rb4ZVktUyj2yZ67f4S_vUgWKiUzrCgnFzfxxYSoXyhFG8LR6nsKH9POiMlNeta_TsugJxhjK7TJGFhrZsTc5X84iqUf-Eu2giHeARnuKJcYfBEILZQ1576SDG3ivIMwbKSXIGjeJ/s400/Inside+CC.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Inside the cottage</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7W0bROfWUshiN1FBXuZlfMuldLny2kDR-fVMHaroSk-Va-DQhFd3pj2harvbrCYsduezlcE7kBnZHgGkLekPnnARuWeYJpza8Kw2SipypXFDnFoKz7RB-fdGLG5HoBqRmgNRB0n13wmb/s1600/CC+home+during+snowfall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7W0bROfWUshiN1FBXuZlfMuldLny2kDR-fVMHaroSk-Va-DQhFd3pj2harvbrCYsduezlcE7kBnZHgGkLekPnnARuWeYJpza8Kw2SipypXFDnFoKz7RB-fdGLG5HoBqRmgNRB0n13wmb/s640/CC+home+during+snowfall.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>A late winter snowfall</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQQIRZ1SGX5SuUXB96yrdF4ldHGu5iP_NYd5DH1Cp0VzuU6dNuDYm_J652BK8TPgcBrfgvLyk5p2qW5Q1OhcSB_2D5hUVa5FfZk-zVIIlPwfW5JEBluo8g2ZCfGUfd1fS5MUparnthVpm/s1600/CC+home+during+snowfall+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQQIRZ1SGX5SuUXB96yrdF4ldHGu5iP_NYd5DH1Cp0VzuU6dNuDYm_J652BK8TPgcBrfgvLyk5p2qW5Q1OhcSB_2D5hUVa5FfZk-zVIIlPwfW5JEBluo8g2ZCfGUfd1fS5MUparnthVpm/s640/CC+home+during+snowfall+2.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>The doors are as tiny as they appear in photographs</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
We lived in Castle Combe for close to 2 years. Through heavy snowfalls that trapped us at home. Marvelling during springtime at the beauty of blossom trees and blooming wisteria. Soaking up long & languid summer days, and feeling cosy by the fire through woodsmoke scented autumn evenings. Every season was beautiful in its own way, and I very quickly adopted the 'country set' uniform of wax jacket and wellies. If you have a pair of wellington boots, a woollen hat, and an array of waterproof jackets in various weights for the different seasons, then you have everything you need to survive country living. I don't find the weather too much of an adjustment, I just relish what each season brings.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Castle Combe is idyllic and protected by a heritage order, meaning it looks exactly as it did hundreds of years ago. Residents aren't even allowed to put tv aerials on their roof. A picture perfect storybook village like this, as you might imagine, attracts lots of visitors. It especially annoyed me just how many visitors would park on double yellow lines- thereby obscuring the line of sight down narrow and sometimes blind stretches of road in and out of the village. I also got annoyed with people peering in through the living room window, as though they couldn't possibly believe real people lived there. Not everyone was a nuisance of course, but I lived for the days when the village was quiet. It took on such a magical feel at dusk and dawn when it was empty and entirely still, save for the steady flow of the brook and trails of smoke from chimneys. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
The local residents were welcoming and we enjoyed being a part of the community for the short time we were there. I have fond memories of chatting with our neighbours as we passed each other on the woodland trails, Christmas merriment over mulled wine in the village hall, carols by candlelight in the church, discussing the various wildlife sightings, and collectively holding our breath as the winter rains swelled the water levels in the brook higher and higher. Ultimately though, it was not the sort of village we could make our home in long term. Parking being one major issue. We still live very close by, but in a lovely Cotswold stone cottage with a larger garden and a driveway that we can easily fit our cars on!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIm-pjXXhVymUTC8NkizRTrHerAW0tczXcE_uZ2m0nNsq905BqXpaJYZn3MTOpQ41DDhQPFz0f5IvAmNeZanbSl1Uoo8s_SfO1gJn3XrpSctNmFKIjKBepDqGvDxGbMFvcFb8yUYg0s5Q/s1600/June+%255B2019+Calendar%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIm-pjXXhVymUTC8NkizRTrHerAW0tczXcE_uZ2m0nNsq905BqXpaJYZn3MTOpQ41DDhQPFz0f5IvAmNeZanbSl1Uoo8s_SfO1gJn3XrpSctNmFKIjKBepDqGvDxGbMFvcFb8yUYg0s5Q/s640/June+%255B2019+Calendar%255D.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Midsummer</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
I am quite often asked via instagram about the cost of living in the countryside. I hesitate to answer definitively on this because what is expensive or inexpensive is rather relative to the individual. The Cotswolds is a sought after area (it takes in six or more counties, so there are variations in desirability and price within this), and the pretty villages have price tags to match. We are fairly close to an M4 junction, the major motorway between London and Wales. This pushes prices upwards further due to it being a desirable commuter location. All I can say is that we love being out in the West Country, and even with my husband commuting into London (a journey of about 90 minutes by car + train) a few days a week, we have a better lifestyle balance here than we did in Sydney. City living drained me, I find the countryside endlessly energising. Not to mention a pretty place to live. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Village life is never boring. In the springtime we rejoice at the appearance of ducklings on the pond, the air is perfumed by an abundance of wisteria and lilac, and the woodland next to the village is carpeted with wild garlic which we forage for cooking. The summer highlight is the village fete. Cottages are strung with bunting and stalls & games are erected on the village green. As the autumn leaves begin to fall, the bonfire pile grows in anticipation of Guy Fawkes night. Come December, a twinkling Christmas tree is hoisted onto the green and carol singers go from door to door on freezing winter nights spreading merriment before warming up on mince pies and mulled wine at a beautiful Georgian farmhouse together. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
There is no shop or post office in the village. Only a pub. The lack of modern conveniences does not bother me. Being a homebody, this pace of life suits me perfectly. I much prefer being in a warm jumper and wellies, walking the woodlands getting pink cheeks and fresh air than spending my free time in town shopping or at bars for example. In any case, we're not too far from the gorgeous heritage city of Bath for the occasional cinema trip or sushi date.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Qi3xK9jhc8AgOwclbCf4d90FnmiieCz3ICpquU-wEQqCl5HAJlQZZtclhaQrEYfbm9VVd4bN63MRjXhQELoJZ7dpTP0uIIwAOpSPZNuCT686KBYFQLaESonV-bw_R0b8IizrETHzprlf/s1600/Ramble+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1065" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Qi3xK9jhc8AgOwclbCf4d90FnmiieCz3ICpquU-wEQqCl5HAJlQZZtclhaQrEYfbm9VVd4bN63MRjXhQELoJZ7dpTP0uIIwAOpSPZNuCT686KBYFQLaESonV-bw_R0b8IizrETHzprlf/s640/Ramble+2.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>The countryside in springtime</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
We have found a wonderful community in our village and are beginning to put down more solid roots. Our next-door neighbours have become our friends, coming over for fish & chip takeaways, inviting us for film afternoons and to carve pumpkins with them at Halloween. My mother in law even helps their daughter with maths via video tutorials on occasion. I have also been incredibly fortunate to find a friend nearby who has seamlessly become a huge part of my life, in many ways becoming like family. She is Australian, so we have common ground. I am certain that life here would've been much poorer if we'd never accidentally met in the local farm shop. We go for long country walks and talk of the books and podcasts we are enjoying, notice the countryside change as the weeks go by, and put the world to rights as we splash through fields and down country lanes in our wellies (wellies really are essential kit out here). We fill each others fridges when the other returns from holiday, I sometimes bake with her children so she can do her grocery shopping in peace, and she was one of the few people who knew I was eloping with my fiancé. The little blue bead sewn inside my wedding dress was a symbolic gift from her. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
When you begin a new life in another country, the friends you make also become an extension of family, filling the gaps that would've otherwise been attended to by blood relatives. It is a little sad that I am not closer for family celebrations and events, but I hope that they will relish the opportunity to visit for extended periods of time with us here to make up for it. If they ever need a sabbatical from their own lives, they are welcome here. I am confident a spell in the English countryside- spending hours walking the forgotten lanes, ancient woodland, unspoilt valleys- is a salve like no other. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicwiWjqEXvn-zQTAT8FzHZ2uEL74f9YQPA50uMngXyNGZFPOffSeU2kO0JfTz14FUw1Yce_mUT7CKE-br6n1Ll9B2qNkd-PWUisjCYxjhYIF64GXsHosdZ80-b75bxC_ixaGJpWG6m1chO/s1600/Misty+autumn+stile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1065" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicwiWjqEXvn-zQTAT8FzHZ2uEL74f9YQPA50uMngXyNGZFPOffSeU2kO0JfTz14FUw1Yce_mUT7CKE-br6n1Ll9B2qNkd-PWUisjCYxjhYIF64GXsHosdZ80-b75bxC_ixaGJpWG6m1chO/s640/Misty+autumn+stile.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>A misty autumn morning</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
It never fails to astonish me how many people reach out to say, "It's my dream to live in the English countryside" and, "You are living my dream!" And I have to say, <i>I get it</i>. I am living my dream too. Of course, what I share here and on instagram is a very curated glimpse into life in the Cotswolds. I am not sharing our <b>huge </b>heating bill or the litter I stumble across in the hedgerows, our overflowing shower drain or the invasive ground elder in the garden. These things still exist even in a "dream life." But we are very fortunate to live where we live and I try my best not to take it for granted. I am never anything but thankful. Especially to my husband for extending the horizons of my life and making me a braver version of myself, to my grandparents for capturing my imagination with their stories of England and sowing the seed, and my Mum for teaching me the greatest enjoyment in life can be found in gardens. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Kate x</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Our Haystackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090417545285533251noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851930680004468736.post-30355032011769124482020-04-29T15:45:00.001+01:002020-05-07T12:33:01.794+01:00Moving to England: Part I<div style="text-align: justify;">
I am exceedingly risk-averse. And yet, this character trait is precisely the thing that led me here. Here being roughly 17,000 miles from home. When my then boyfriend, now husband, asked me if I would consider living in the UK, just for a year or two, for the sake of his work, initially I responded with a firm, "No." Of course, I do now live in England, and that provisional year or two has passed. As has the third. He has since confessed that the, "Oh, just for a year or maybe two if things go well with work," timeframe was his way of getting me here, lulling my fears, knowing that once we were immersed in English life, I would be reluctant to give it up. Luckily for him, I <i>am.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL888rjeIV04s4IrJIzgSSlUl4xWvUcpAocDPRME2x2-56wttAHiDX7AD45ns4Wi27tRHcPSmQ1q7hVQZlDLlUQzSYcFeahEU7-ndOHck19ueMiHDo5HzmtdIg4XZ7PZw0121FCBn4eK2y/s1600/Summer+countryside+walks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL888rjeIV04s4IrJIzgSSlUl4xWvUcpAocDPRME2x2-56wttAHiDX7AD45ns4Wi27tRHcPSmQ1q7hVQZlDLlUQzSYcFeahEU7-ndOHck19ueMiHDo5HzmtdIg4XZ7PZw0121FCBn4eK2y/s640/Summer+countryside+walks.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>A stile on one of my favourite country walks</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
That I ended up living what looks like the embodiment of the 'English idyll', on the opposite side of the world to where I was born, is a happy accident. Thinking back though, I have hungered for this 'green and pleasant land' for as long as I can remember. Residing in close quarters with my Yorkshirian Nan and Surrey-born Gramps, I was raised on a diet of gravy-soaked Yorkshire puddings and exaggerated tenor renditions of <i>Rule, Britannia, </i>and a rather humorous song about a woman who married eight times- always to men named Henry, on car journeys. My Gramps, I think, missed England his whole life long. England, or the idea of life in England, was romanticised to me to such an extent it became an Eden in my mind. Familiar enough, yet somewhere I was a little sorry I never got the chance to know so intimately myself. Suffice to say, being here has been a lot like curing a case of homesickness for a home I didn't know I was missing. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I am deeply in love with English country living. It suits me down to the ground. I'm smitten with the gentle yet predictable rhythms of the seasons, how each one unfurls slowly, tentatively, stretching out its characteristic refrains to their fullest extent in the same way a new-born lamb stretches its precarious limbs as it frantically bleats and stands for the first time. The scents, sounds and seasonal markers of the countryside fill me with renewed joy every year, as each one begins afresh.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
𓀂𓀂</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Perhaps we should go back to the start? I semi-regularly get asked on instagram the story behind our move to England, and specifically the ins and outs of making the transition, as well as the hurdles to jump visa and cost wise. I have held off on writing a big blog post like this because I often feel like my experience was far too easy and hassle free to be of use to anyone. And that may still be the case, but I do get asked, and there are people who are just generally curious. So, being as transparent and honest as I can be, I hope the following answers some questions or guides you on your own journey in some way.</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqxzJvLotIdSKMPzZJLuVhSVQHf9n4USF6dxA2YI-ItnjqD5YtaspLdWY49Ha5iVU0exgtoOV0mvtdhkV4ghfb2qyQrqJw4Y7NhgaogHaUSPo5NPnKVVrAx9NWqM8zIMM2q_I1FLakqac/s1600/19th+May+2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqxzJvLotIdSKMPzZJLuVhSVQHf9n4USF6dxA2YI-ItnjqD5YtaspLdWY49Ha5iVU0exgtoOV0mvtdhkV4ghfb2qyQrqJw4Y7NhgaogHaUSPo5NPnKVVrAx9NWqM8zIMM2q_I1FLakqac/s640/19th+May+2018.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>A patriotic cottage on the day of the </i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Royal Wedding, 2018</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In all honesty I <i>will</i> be of little help to those wondering about how to get a visa. My Dad is English (born and raised in Leicestershire) and my husband's Dad is Scottish (born near Glasgow). This automatically affords us British passports and citizenship. As far as Her Majesty is concerned, we are as British as we are Australian. I believe you can apply for UK citizenship if a parent or grandparent is British, but no further back than this. Luckily for us both our families are, in relative terms, rather newly Australian. I remember our freshly processed British passports with the shiny EU foil on the cover arriving in the mail at our Sydney flat the day of the Brexit referendum. A strange but still exciting day.</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
There are of course other avenues to pursue if you do want to live in the UK but you don't have rights to British citizenship. The UK government website will detail these. In some cases, once you are here you can apply for your place of work to sponsor you to enable you to stay for an extended period of time and maybe even indefinitely. I have heard visas can be expensive and the application process to initially come to the UK and then to renew to stay etc is fairly drawn out. I am sure there would be chat forums in most countries around the world detailing the costs and procedures, so it is worth searching these out to become better informed.</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsFf1Wlgs88GJJGhgkhJaRZI9B7W8yHYVijVUQVC4NMqgAII7fzFAM1sxFTOGLI_r3PDRJTzRI71aat5DAFrJRmb_8Oc7nYRdK5kMbkF1S4QiGwq05rXqwN9KMjEPGm5uvYk_yLfE36MDm/s1600/Summer+kitchen+shelfie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsFf1Wlgs88GJJGhgkhJaRZI9B7W8yHYVijVUQVC4NMqgAII7fzFAM1sxFTOGLI_r3PDRJTzRI71aat5DAFrJRmb_8Oc7nYRdK5kMbkF1S4QiGwq05rXqwN9KMjEPGm5uvYk_yLfE36MDm/s640/Summer+kitchen+shelfie.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>The shelves in our cottage kitchen</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I remember the exact date that I finally agreed to move to England- Valentine's Day, 2016. It would be another few months before we left. I had just started my masters degree, hence the initial hesitation on my part, but my husband had won me round with lines such as, "If not now, maybe there will never be another opportunity." My heart desperately wanted to embrace the adventure. My head took a little more convincing. It is an entirely dizzying and disorientating thing, to prepare yourself to move overseas. So much of the decision making and discussion was had by my husband and his workplace, then I would find out details later. This isn't a criticism by any means, but I recall a sense of knowing a big life change was about to occur, but being entirely hands-off with the process. I busied myself by culling and curating our possessions so that we were only shipping over what we truly loved and needed. Bear in mind, I left thinking we'd be away for a year or two. For that reason, I didn't pack as much as I would have if I'd known we would still be here over three years later. For example, I only packed very treasured books and un-read books from my bookshelf. The rest were put in my childhood bedroom for safe keeping. I also knew that being in England would be an unbelievably wonderful opportunity to source and buy beautiful antiques. I had always wanted a French farmhouse table and a set of bentwood chairs, gilt framed mirrors, pine blanket boxes... the list was, and is, endless (luckily for me, we now live very close to a wonderful auction room). We barely filled a shipping container. I don't remember the exact cost, but I do remember thinking how reasonable it was; on par with removalists moving a household within the same state of Australia. Quite amazing when you think that they pack up your household, handle all of the customs paperwork, ship it across the world, and deliver & unpack it in your new home. For full disclosure, my husband's company covered all our shipping, flight, and relocation costs. This was wonderfully generous, but quite standard for a corporate move such as this.</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimLHGFse9DvLkjRmxztBaXoaQNof64eAErcGenzz7qr8VN1Ce4uNPcVKy1kIsiCqGRJ18sKdEVrbn9CGNb_K3nYc2fPYlvJVd6KN0wcSzGLdVobMaJ00k_gMH0i0m11qABERMntXmbgCpq/s1600/Summer+bedside+table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimLHGFse9DvLkjRmxztBaXoaQNof64eAErcGenzz7qr8VN1Ce4uNPcVKy1kIsiCqGRJ18sKdEVrbn9CGNb_K3nYc2fPYlvJVd6KN0wcSzGLdVobMaJ00k_gMH0i0m11qABERMntXmbgCpq/s640/Summer+bedside+table.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>An antique bedside table and vintage alabaster lamp,</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>both purchased in England</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
The thing that unnerved me most was how life remained completely unchanged in the lead up to our departure. It wasn't until the employees of the shipping company were in our flat on a sunny Monday morning with rolls of bubble wrap, packing our things into boxes marked "Oxford", that I truly believed we were leaving. Until that point, our home and life had looked as it always did. My husband had woken up that morning in our regular surroundings, got dressed, and gone to work. Never to return to that flat. If it was disorienting for me, watching the packing later that morning, I can't imagine how strange it was for him. Instead of catching his regular bus back across the Harbour Bridge after work that night, he met me and our four suitcases (the only possessions we would have until our shipment arrived in England three months later) in a hotel in the city. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
We are here, in the UK, for my husband's job. He works for an Australian management consultancy firm and they wanted to build and expand a presence in Europe and the Northern Hemisphere. My husband is one of two directors in the UK office and manages Europe, Middle East & Africa. He travels quite often for work and goes into the London office around 2-3 times per week, but right from our initial discussions about moving to England I was adamant that I didn't want to live in London. We floated the idea of Oxford for a while. Maybe Reading. Ultimately we based ourselves in Henley on Thames for the first few months, living in an Air B&B whilst we familiarised ourselves with life in the UK and decided where to live. Our first home was in the beautiful, quintessentially English, village of Castle Combe. This is where I fell truly head over heels in love with living in the English countryside.</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjYOihQt9aAXIzBF2wLFeio7ObQDVx362tpp2FSU_m-Nps2yGbYwkk9E-AxYyC6PLxW_scckmY2rXj7WUkTe4medwagLZw-Z_BYM5M4FbubIImeO-zDx-_WUGeRavSGprwstMA1yj6ozq/s1600/February+%255B2019+Calendar%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjYOihQt9aAXIzBF2wLFeio7ObQDVx362tpp2FSU_m-Nps2yGbYwkk9E-AxYyC6PLxW_scckmY2rXj7WUkTe4medwagLZw-Z_BYM5M4FbubIImeO-zDx-_WUGeRavSGprwstMA1yj6ozq/s640/February+%255B2019+Calendar%255D.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Castle Combe, the first village we lived in</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
To be continued.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Kate x</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
The humorous song my Gramps sang to us more times than I could count, can be listened to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4gyG2UU9J4" target="_blank">HERE</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Our Haystackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090417545285533251noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851930680004468736.post-21117886705575047222019-02-25T15:46:00.003+00:002019-02-25T15:47:12.745+00:00Scilly narcissi<div style="text-align: center;">
Alex and I have formed numerous traditions since relocating to England. We toast the shift from autumn to winter with the first mulled wine of the season each Guy Fawkes night. Every December we ice-skate under the night sky in Bath. On New Years Eve we dine at a seafood restaurant and see a film. In mid June, just before midsummer, we visit Badminton House for their charity garden open day.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Perhaps they are less traditions and more patterns of behaviour; things we enjoy doing and so make an effort to repeat each year. Ever since we met, Alex has given me an angel decoration for the tree on Christmas morning. And ever since we moved to England, each winter he has sent me a shipment of narcissi from the Isles of Scilly. This year, two big boxes of erlicheer that filled the cottage with beautiful <i>spring-is-coming</i> scent arrived on a very spring-like Thursday afternoon.<br />
<br />
They have now faded, but I took photos of them dotted around the house.<br />
Of course I did.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxeKWMCjX2mDScPR5T9aq9ikRoNBKEP5Gl17hNmfRk54sZClegOE8qj2WbOIpm2IILWeRDIrKO4XZcw59qyFkpg9HCroXRssvjb9dCxsl9qK7z5HWbsx1wCKIzj-7ws-t7s2nDIIdxB6P/s1600/IMG_2828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxeKWMCjX2mDScPR5T9aq9ikRoNBKEP5Gl17hNmfRk54sZClegOE8qj2WbOIpm2IILWeRDIrKO4XZcw59qyFkpg9HCroXRssvjb9dCxsl9qK7z5HWbsx1wCKIzj-7ws-t7s2nDIIdxB6P/s640/IMG_2828.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>All gathered together, before I started putting </i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>them in every room of the house.</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwLnRUK4a66ymaj8Y-ztWwf9jTIfwUYW6Wr124jWFHJETHJpKaG0tS2DqyWwsaOn1VCP2mHo7ruPYyN5Q8VdkaYibYX2NhTJuWnfnlsZGJycgvqPZksTrgguMBG-C6F0mkR3F3m3Zmu81q/s1600/IMG_2826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwLnRUK4a66ymaj8Y-ztWwf9jTIfwUYW6Wr124jWFHJETHJpKaG0tS2DqyWwsaOn1VCP2mHo7ruPYyN5Q8VdkaYibYX2NhTJuWnfnlsZGJycgvqPZksTrgguMBG-C6F0mkR3F3m3Zmu81q/s640/IMG_2826.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>My bedside table.</i></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYW5_3FiyYST9eJxWBbg1svCWAVUDWazA9XAZH5ZjrgVcRf7ndss_dGsuI6xwheOquAQRVkXxY7OXhe5N73lyDkvA1gFPB2yyvA1gtQhAMWgLFir_mXSmwInICcIMeyN8VfobzeoDQOXeY/s1600/IMG_2833.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYW5_3FiyYST9eJxWBbg1svCWAVUDWazA9XAZH5ZjrgVcRf7ndss_dGsuI6xwheOquAQRVkXxY7OXhe5N73lyDkvA1gFPB2yyvA1gtQhAMWgLFir_mXSmwInICcIMeyN8VfobzeoDQOXeY/s640/IMG_2833.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<i>His bedside table.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHw1lQYkGrY8y63eKWMi-D3Sv4inld17GUSIeuHSEAzYpo2ZvqgwAKhNZ2IfJtBF0I2aHUaU0Fkvlc7RxysHfZkgSshapAs-ylYjVxHsDQPAoVeJqu7QsrmeTkRINQTK3MJphZv1G6njMY/s1600/IMG_2835.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHw1lQYkGrY8y63eKWMi-D3Sv4inld17GUSIeuHSEAzYpo2ZvqgwAKhNZ2IfJtBF0I2aHUaU0Fkvlc7RxysHfZkgSshapAs-ylYjVxHsDQPAoVeJqu7QsrmeTkRINQTK3MJphZv1G6njMY/s640/IMG_2835.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>The dressing room.</i></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhynVy0_PyUTkzAFWtQfiyhmw8o4KxjBd-znWPeffN5BWv4WkOREexXL6d1VxkQ3AgXvA1S5Px2DovI_lvHZIRDCBi-eSX6Dw5c3a3d1HBDEuC9BBshKs2Fn2DQ3EL7VkL0HjoT-mILFNNA/s1600/IMG_2840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhynVy0_PyUTkzAFWtQfiyhmw8o4KxjBd-znWPeffN5BWv4WkOREexXL6d1VxkQ3AgXvA1S5Px2DovI_lvHZIRDCBi-eSX6Dw5c3a3d1HBDEuC9BBshKs2Fn2DQ3EL7VkL0HjoT-mILFNNA/s640/IMG_2840.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>In the bathroom.</i></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXup7s2yRhTyvrsmD9Pg0hVFPHLXurxHe5KP0n4-d9Tmfv1Az5_YFV_ygZW60FZhBAVsRjNjhPW6cT11SJpd8kAX3vt_yMr1ptvgIY7PbQxZo7wMzXEgETJvCYZlfjv2N7nXPGw33dsmcq/s1600/IMG_2882.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXup7s2yRhTyvrsmD9Pg0hVFPHLXurxHe5KP0n4-d9Tmfv1Az5_YFV_ygZW60FZhBAVsRjNjhPW6cT11SJpd8kAX3vt_yMr1ptvgIY7PbQxZo7wMzXEgETJvCYZlfjv2N7nXPGw33dsmcq/s640/IMG_2882.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>The living room (there was also a vase on the dining table </i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>and another on the sideboard).</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Excessive? Perhaps. Much appreciated? Absolutely.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Isles of Scilly have a long history of shipping the first daffodils and narcissi of the season to the British mainland. I wrote a little about it <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt-5_SAnCiE/" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Kate x</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<br /></div>
Our Haystackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090417545285533251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851930680004468736.post-10468810234017524122019-02-08T11:03:00.000+00:002019-02-09T07:46:05.114+00:00There's pleasure in both<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Yesterday, I arrived home after a fortnight away to the first crocus tips emerging from the ground, a garden full of birdsong & sunshine, and the comfort of my own bed. My dear friend had turned on the heating in our cottage a day before I arrived. She had also very kindly put groceries in the fridge and daffodils on the windowsill.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Yesterday, was a day of hot buttered toast, sunlight streaming through the house, and a desperately needed afternoon nap (that dangerously turned into a whole evening and into the night nap thanks to jet-lag).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHlYdVb-xbZcY0u8fUtW52iiNX9YyAqyauibCBaC0JZj5nsnKXW38THHj7xwDTBDEFZSQvsyzdLI3r_HiX9_vzOMQK7SVZEmJ0-ktBrk-akpjIRuOQnsY_N0s4-uR_8-9XjHKY4Al2s57i/s1600/Crocus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHlYdVb-xbZcY0u8fUtW52iiNX9YyAqyauibCBaC0JZj5nsnKXW38THHj7xwDTBDEFZSQvsyzdLI3r_HiX9_vzOMQK7SVZEmJ0-ktBrk-akpjIRuOQnsY_N0s4-uR_8-9XjHKY4Al2s57i/s640/Crocus.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Today, the wind is gusty and the rain is driven. I've done numerous loads of post-holiday washing and hauled up to the attic the general flotsam and jetsam that accompanies the return from long-haul travel. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Today, I have run out of almond milk. But there is beauty and simple pleasure in both kinds of days. Sunshine or not. The tapping of rain or the trill of birds. Black tea or milky tea.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
It's just so nice to be home.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate x</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Our Haystackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090417545285533251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851930680004468736.post-3571466731508840242019-01-10T12:57:00.001+00:002019-01-10T12:57:32.431+00:00The beauty in January<div style="text-align: center;">
If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, or perhaps anywhere, you might be forgiven for thinking immediately that 'beauty' and 'January' are oxymoronic terms. I am a pretty committed January basher myself. In England, this month is particularly brutal. I saw it described online the other day as a 'miserable f#*king bastard.' Sorry for the language, but you can't argue with its accuracy. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Then yesterday something slightly magical happened. The morning looked something like this:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUenXb-ZB4AewtD4BMGK2IudjGy_MuMWMNTjbuU9ZvuR_QdagSBbao-Dv0VVi5Edlox8-d9q9ejz39A18V84Nq_Np06F6VUx-OxdDS4PVx9C_b-PtXLpR3QcHNACempb3zqXzzqjE4t1AT/s1600/Heavenly+January+morning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUenXb-ZB4AewtD4BMGK2IudjGy_MuMWMNTjbuU9ZvuR_QdagSBbao-Dv0VVi5Edlox8-d9q9ejz39A18V84Nq_Np06F6VUx-OxdDS4PVx9C_b-PtXLpR3QcHNACempb3zqXzzqjE4t1AT/s640/Heavenly+January+morning.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The frost glimmered and sun shimmered and all morning long the countryside glistened. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
When January is endless days of enveloping shades of grey, when the air is damp and thick with mizzle, when the sky feels like it is mere inches above your head and you haven't seen the sun in days, it can all get a little too much. But the frosty mornings, cold and crisp as they are, become a joyous antidote to the seasonal glum. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This year, somehow, January has felt less glum. It might be the uncharacteristically clear blue days, the early appearance of snowdrops, or it might just be my deep commitment to my pj's/hot water bottle/book. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXa1fjPxFjsHy7-AYB765tUfXnyfOnvN6yrpTnOT5VGOKPs0EWuveW9CB7auPMGOY5JkwHj0odYH0J-pTb7DYqb9KXXNEh_i6ssIOiHGBcPKMU2UEp4TlXwpa7OYkGZqNEKBJKtrxQ3l3Q/s1600/Biddestone+doll%2527s+house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXa1fjPxFjsHy7-AYB765tUfXnyfOnvN6yrpTnOT5VGOKPs0EWuveW9CB7auPMGOY5JkwHj0odYH0J-pTb7DYqb9KXXNEh_i6ssIOiHGBcPKMU2UEp4TlXwpa7OYkGZqNEKBJKtrxQ3l3Q/s640/Biddestone+doll%2527s+house.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhruR_hqsy7nlvc9lsCr3BA7idfCrUfO9mLi91v79a0u4ALelao-xawn4alRU2ea5s7lGcvU5tHT0uaRaznci9sv3kRwGz0x2bgeuVVg1Js3UU2iXwH07ieAZ9ft-angsbSLBr4b9ldckk7/s1600/Another+frosty+morning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhruR_hqsy7nlvc9lsCr3BA7idfCrUfO9mLi91v79a0u4ALelao-xawn4alRU2ea5s7lGcvU5tHT0uaRaznci9sv3kRwGz0x2bgeuVVg1Js3UU2iXwH07ieAZ9ft-angsbSLBr4b9ldckk7/s640/Another+frosty+morning.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmEtpigHTskgfihGcaIDmb2IzJ51BVLhwu6XaIB2ow3O64_44rv-P0k3G34XHFCTCI_O8bT8WjmpivrpmQsIG1I21iKH005YKIv0eJWtYwxeMrITEVwrSc3ALQUq119SGfqj1zS_5A4Sxg/s1600/February+Jack+Frost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmEtpigHTskgfihGcaIDmb2IzJ51BVLhwu6XaIB2ow3O64_44rv-P0k3G34XHFCTCI_O8bT8WjmpivrpmQsIG1I21iKH005YKIv0eJWtYwxeMrITEVwrSc3ALQUq119SGfqj1zS_5A4Sxg/s640/February+Jack+Frost.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Long may the frosts bring sparkle to our January.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Happy New Year.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Kate x</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Our Haystackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090417545285533251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851930680004468736.post-47899640982086896142018-10-02T20:28:00.000+01:002018-10-02T20:28:23.990+01:00The good life<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
In a previous post I shared <a href="https://twitter.com/darrenrichman/status/772874695116984321?lang=en" target="_blank">THIS</a> wonderful short piece by Bill Nighy about all the things that bring him delight. I loved it so much that I wrote my own, prompted by a new pair of cotton pyjamas. Sexy they are not. But if you think after seeing woodland animal print pj's that I was <i>not</i> going to purchase them, then you're probably unaware of how obsessed I was with <i>The Animals of Farthing Wood </i>when I was eight. Fox & Vixen 4 ever!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguS2721Z-oBUT_TlTbYvR7LvB4JtU4Kv0LsuJ6_Lcze36kQEJMpI_Jm_k-Ub53uWh67O1066PvSh-QSyejMINN3mFFPakf_bA_adGkRZBOKIJZFyrkTLEnKmvJ5PpNlFSEP2Tf-LB12h7B/s1600/Good+things+pj%2527s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguS2721Z-oBUT_TlTbYvR7LvB4JtU4Kv0LsuJ6_Lcze36kQEJMpI_Jm_k-Ub53uWh67O1066PvSh-QSyejMINN3mFFPakf_bA_adGkRZBOKIJZFyrkTLEnKmvJ5PpNlFSEP2Tf-LB12h7B/s640/Good+things+pj%2527s.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
Romantic country hotels. Wellies by the door. Curling up in bed with a hot water bottle on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Getting engrossed in a book. The Shipping Forecast. New pyjamas. The unfurling of spring. The bite of autumn. Perfect ranunculus. Mottled hydrangeas. Repeat-flowering roses. Choosing next years tulip bulbs. Food plucked from the hedgerows. Washing that dries on the line within the day. Watching the ocean in rough winter weather. Lighthouses. Bell towers. Pure wool jumpers and cashmere cardigans. The smell of toast. The tang of blackcurrant jam. Crisps. Rosemary. Walking country estates in autumn mist. Hand written letters. Taking the perfect photograph. Watching the countryside rush by from the window-seat of a high speed train. Switching on lamps at dusk in the wintertime. Waking to an unexpected snowfall. Finding the perfect gift for a loved one. Outdoor eateries lit by fairy lights. Alabaster lamps. Antique mirrors. Linen sheets. The sound of trees. Swallows doing aerobatics against candy-pink sunsets. Collective nouns. Cakes that turn out of the tin easily. Coming back indoors all weather-beaten from a walk. The cup of tea he brings me in bed as he leaves for work.<br />
<br />
<br />
Kate x</div>
Our Haystackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090417545285533251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851930680004468736.post-53265181274483705402018-09-28T17:06:00.000+01:002018-09-28T17:12:21.481+01:00Jordan, Part 4: Petra<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtV1xDA6MJYlLEeQkx5GAQZn4KyHlqJtUENWFkMT-91WlPdlFV4OLpI2Xq1HsYmFYx0qFX1bPcdAqcQerqGM8yGM3OQiOUYHFfTrkhtGlgGB3nMhi5yK41SeSaRUrxdvI_DUFzHQcBmGag/s1600/Petra+blog+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtV1xDA6MJYlLEeQkx5GAQZn4KyHlqJtUENWFkMT-91WlPdlFV4OLpI2Xq1HsYmFYx0qFX1bPcdAqcQerqGM8yGM3OQiOUYHFfTrkhtGlgGB3nMhi5yK41SeSaRUrxdvI_DUFzHQcBmGag/s640/Petra+blog+8.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Petra is incredibly vast, in some of the most spectacular and isolated desert terrain, and ultimately it leaves you in awe of these ancient civilisations and all that they built. Known as the Red Rose City owing to the colour of the stone from which it is carved, Petra was established as the capital of the Nabatean Kingdom in the 4th Century BC. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhV3ZvgfdKmul39f5ofOCPL1WEVwmVquHf6cZ0pwUqXLctuYIa7-iR2xQ8A9mVJTa_fHIpmFzg0LYU0M8BKHR7sYmj3V3yNEYXDqPTPxI4RVYpsg_L_DIZ49WFHUzkZVVDzjyKoP-NEmm4/s1600/Petra+blog+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhV3ZvgfdKmul39f5ofOCPL1WEVwmVquHf6cZ0pwUqXLctuYIa7-iR2xQ8A9mVJTa_fHIpmFzg0LYU0M8BKHR7sYmj3V3yNEYXDqPTPxI4RVYpsg_L_DIZ49WFHUzkZVVDzjyKoP-NEmm4/s400/Petra+blog+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>The town of Petra sprung up to serve the tourist trade after the ancient city of Petra was re-discovered and declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
We arrived in Petra as the sun was all but set. This ended up being quite fortuitous. As we checked into our hotel, the desk clerk asked if we would be interested in joining the Petra by Night tour that evening, we had little more than 30 minutes to get ourselves into our rooms and back down to the entry to Petra, but I was determined not to miss the chance. I had seen photographs online of the Treasury building illuminated by hundreds of torches, and I hadn't even considered that we might be arriving on an evening where this was happening, but I am so glad we did.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGxt0VNEQ4MvVAHZYQFgfDyqMYg6XvnVSjLpqADcJbA508Fz8xoHaGq8BcxX3iI9uKJjqFXE8uaK98Gty-gibuJyb6n0CudIIgJAQtPLHfyig2nLQxVtcj93iUFsZ9xKd1MVmhmeNgqQja/s1600/Petra+blog+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGxt0VNEQ4MvVAHZYQFgfDyqMYg6XvnVSjLpqADcJbA508Fz8xoHaGq8BcxX3iI9uKJjqFXE8uaK98Gty-gibuJyb6n0CudIIgJAQtPLHfyig2nLQxVtcj93iUFsZ9xKd1MVmhmeNgqQja/s640/Petra+blog+2.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
To reach the Treasury it is a 30 minute walk through the siq- a narrow gorge created by a geological fault. Of course, at night you get little sense of the amazing natural formation around you, let alone the carvings and elaborate ruins. After walking through the gorge, with little light to guide you, you suddenly come upon Petra's most elaborate ruin, the Treasury building, faintly illuminated by soft candle light. I can only imagine what a breathtaking vision it would have been over 2000 years ago for hot, dusty, exhausted travellers as they went by donkey or camel along these epic desert trade routes.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
By daylight, the sheer size and impressive intricacies of this desert kingdom becomes crystal clear.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqO-RBbiCr1bvUlEJcpeLxBkIkAPLvVW9MtVlz3WIzhPem05qs_MbQACBLzhd7FJKig2PLeUx6nRNahVUZ9tP2drSj9r4tA1QsmzLrCFeLV5zkErE40Ql5_woEIWZsgycJ-_ko89UNuJ0B/s1600/Petra+blog+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqO-RBbiCr1bvUlEJcpeLxBkIkAPLvVW9MtVlz3WIzhPem05qs_MbQACBLzhd7FJKig2PLeUx6nRNahVUZ9tP2drSj9r4tA1QsmzLrCFeLV5zkErE40Ql5_woEIWZsgycJ-_ko89UNuJ0B/s640/Petra+blog+3.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMZszEU-ameyuX6LiNxuRgHE5S6HZdE_U_ag7_YsE5uDfVT1scvYsT9d7ACCPwEKWTYRn23icsWGjr72o8uEymQHiNoMbKHG3x0UHfHq_TlovdWVBREDOU1cl3ILH1s0FjC_VzneMdGs06/s1600/Petra+blog+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMZszEU-ameyuX6LiNxuRgHE5S6HZdE_U_ag7_YsE5uDfVT1scvYsT9d7ACCPwEKWTYRn23icsWGjr72o8uEymQHiNoMbKHG3x0UHfHq_TlovdWVBREDOU1cl3ILH1s0FjC_VzneMdGs06/s640/Petra+blog+4.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>The Siq</i></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilL99AIpEBjx7l_91yhyphenhyphenExWZ9veL9Oy1p401ETdE_i9AQl-DBAS7PIIFhtbLk7UQb02VAhIwYTbQs-ToRERSBi_0ShbIM0RFneuRpkISlJw92t5A10JMcistxMECHedHDaKJyjUpjRHo4e/s1600/Petra+blog+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilL99AIpEBjx7l_91yhyphenhyphenExWZ9veL9Oy1p401ETdE_i9AQl-DBAS7PIIFhtbLk7UQb02VAhIwYTbQs-ToRERSBi_0ShbIM0RFneuRpkISlJw92t5A10JMcistxMECHedHDaKJyjUpjRHo4e/s640/Petra+blog+5.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Some of the small early signs of what is to come.</i></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisaxwSk2yCTOcXgggcx8JgovN8XG8HwF50vIDQJPN91I6Sd0LV0cwoQiFapl_Ue_eHdM6W-hDxBnnBqpy5W7ZnUD-TKZP5-sHbC2WgXqWpRGuMEz4bHYQ6Cn3TksPXOHJDtCHa5TGZfWD6/s1600/Petra+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisaxwSk2yCTOcXgggcx8JgovN8XG8HwF50vIDQJPN91I6Sd0LV0cwoQiFapl_Ue_eHdM6W-hDxBnnBqpy5W7ZnUD-TKZP5-sHbC2WgXqWpRGuMEz4bHYQ6Cn3TksPXOHJDtCHa5TGZfWD6/s640/Petra+1.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Then all of a sudden...</i></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYaPp3vuVMm34cDJ8BJlxIdmS3rF688S3qYHkSo7bC84FrE628HQRgtdIRDE659bwknBbFiDas0UW-0MJcvN0-QuQbUQ33oO148hGYcdgQI2eC4Bb0JIh9f2SJFlwc9s7oFy3erXejjQMT/s1600/Petra+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYaPp3vuVMm34cDJ8BJlxIdmS3rF688S3qYHkSo7bC84FrE628HQRgtdIRDE659bwknBbFiDas0UW-0MJcvN0-QuQbUQ33oO148hGYcdgQI2eC4Bb0JIh9f2SJFlwc9s7oFy3erXejjQMT/s640/Petra+2.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>This!</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjclWK1DGaA0ZpVQnhyphenhyphensZ32KO8J3gb0WPoJX1hn4m210K8xbeYbX3sASmXWYiza29GnZw87wuzX73zwxIHULPpdL4D2bBeB0x1TmwZRvz43HNwd3xPbgGhS5_KKyAP27Uw4o89_sV7FJWtn/s1600/Petra+blog+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjclWK1DGaA0ZpVQnhyphenhyphensZ32KO8J3gb0WPoJX1hn4m210K8xbeYbX3sASmXWYiza29GnZw87wuzX73zwxIHULPpdL4D2bBeB0x1TmwZRvz43HNwd3xPbgGhS5_KKyAP27Uw4o89_sV7FJWtn/s640/Petra+blog+6.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Not all storeys of the Treasury building are visible or have been excavated. The risk is that trying to properly dig out the now underground storeys would cause the upper floors to collapse.</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKJbtbiqPJz_lYU4vIzjkT3s3-Vs-BBXaUhYYXbXV5R3Erap_klLINEIQREFPV9-kbwQ8zXdcT5CMHtvnHXllHnFibZEaehHBNLasnDLdAJ-Y5W0ogMEIFdukzldxDAvtfd87qwvnSGmfJ/s1600/Petra+3-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKJbtbiqPJz_lYU4vIzjkT3s3-Vs-BBXaUhYYXbXV5R3Erap_klLINEIQREFPV9-kbwQ8zXdcT5CMHtvnHXllHnFibZEaehHBNLasnDLdAJ-Y5W0ogMEIFdukzldxDAvtfd87qwvnSGmfJ/s640/Petra+3-2.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
You can pay to ride camels and donkeys through parts of Petra, but we chose to walk. And an epic walk it was. Luckily for us it was only around 30 degrees that day, but if you are going to commit to walk in as far as the Monastery, don't underestimate how far and tough the climb is even on a 'cool' day. From the Treasury it is around a 3 or 4 hour walk and climb to the Monastery. There is so much to see inside Petra, you couldn't possibly cover it all in one day, so make sure you purchase the entry pass that best suits your visit- one day or multi entry.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
There is much to stop and discover along the route we took. I had little understanding of what Petra actually contained until I was there. I think most people are very familiar with images of the Treasury and not much else. Turns out that the Treasury is merely the beginning...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0OC2cqDZrkQ1R4icQt08QPmZBMbr2Zhy_U123O75BcEXY1mcdisWjeAq5rLeipUdEtMpHGBOQTMO3A1RXKKxN3y2oLzXQ9QTZjlnUPNdDpGtWlLRlE_oZ2OJvin5uu2UghgXkSl4d864R/s1600/Petra+blog+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0OC2cqDZrkQ1R4icQt08QPmZBMbr2Zhy_U123O75BcEXY1mcdisWjeAq5rLeipUdEtMpHGBOQTMO3A1RXKKxN3y2oLzXQ9QTZjlnUPNdDpGtWlLRlE_oZ2OJvin5uu2UghgXkSl4d864R/s640/Petra+blog+9.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Monuments featuring stepping decoration like this one above means they were tombs.</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlSGEbo5-fqK62L3W5ZQEoaBqZRMnA2WlggRAUkWfztIaFULNxuw9-Ec6RYnBa1K-Tx4rMcpbd-6j6CnoY8d5CuNHiHYzxBMROdqlSQy8wNAtR83atbuLkEv9XQqKFXQQ0HKwUu3kBIx0S/s1600/Petra+blog+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlSGEbo5-fqK62L3W5ZQEoaBqZRMnA2WlggRAUkWfztIaFULNxuw9-Ec6RYnBa1K-Tx4rMcpbd-6j6CnoY8d5CuNHiHYzxBMROdqlSQy8wNAtR83atbuLkEv9XQqKFXQQ0HKwUu3kBIx0S/s640/Petra+blog+10.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFY_3xWeJrdba05Uoz55JC8Hhk0hhdX3MkSVACQJJUC2szHMeiGw6Zy91nwqtrAWs1IqprkPSEo2LkTpI3eBeuGhlV0w39SJFEcjSdGfwZw10Uk0rTI8cI298wSSDg4bFHNBkLyocDyVY/s1600/Petra+blog+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFY_3xWeJrdba05Uoz55JC8Hhk0hhdX3MkSVACQJJUC2szHMeiGw6Zy91nwqtrAWs1IqprkPSEo2LkTpI3eBeuGhlV0w39SJFEcjSdGfwZw10Uk0rTI8cI298wSSDg4bFHNBkLyocDyVY/s640/Petra+blog+11.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Natural caves beneath a monument. Going inside monuments was the only way to get a short respite from the beating desert sun.</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
At the decline of Petra, following its annexation by the Romans and later the 363 earthquake, the caves and monuments around Petra became home to the Bedouin tribes. Petra was all but forgotten about, the Bedouin lived there undisturbed for hundreds of years before Petra was rediscovered in 1812. When it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in the mid eighties, many of the Bedouin were relocated to a nearby settlement, a very small handful stood their ground against UNESCO and remain living in the ruins to this day.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFXRHwlo5d4NFL6_F3z49pnm6yvmIVIBkjqON2VdHR-jRg4JHV-rea54vLgPk2LeU0KdkmDL3t4xELr00fdzEPdk6BZW24JAm-gmrvUQfd9CRq3OzWZu937oRRclkL8S1xnx6WqaJKA_b/s1600/Petra+blog+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFXRHwlo5d4NFL6_F3z49pnm6yvmIVIBkjqON2VdHR-jRg4JHV-rea54vLgPk2LeU0KdkmDL3t4xELr00fdzEPdk6BZW24JAm-gmrvUQfd9CRq3OzWZu937oRRclkL8S1xnx6WqaJKA_b/s640/Petra+blog+12.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Here, people in front of the Royal Tombs, gives a small indication of the size of some of the monuments.</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgleSTJnrH4Xv4NNmuegX_2Q5_Z1JnubeA67Vb08F05aPMLSdtFsmIusSNywz7Ts3vYEQpsvsokyCVVub5eqUHxWN4A-WJSSKfB0kPgbNtWjln679T5EIJLOcVZ96uk0rGK2FepOB9RR1mQ/s1600/Petra+blog+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgleSTJnrH4Xv4NNmuegX_2Q5_Z1JnubeA67Vb08F05aPMLSdtFsmIusSNywz7Ts3vYEQpsvsokyCVVub5eqUHxWN4A-WJSSKfB0kPgbNtWjln679T5EIJLOcVZ96uk0rGK2FepOB9RR1mQ/s640/Petra+blog+13.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZlDtFgtydNeTxCQYuNtBPKYsCodirqrVjYqk7p86ObuFqyfdSxPiwKjLx2_znQeUd5AmOo_z_YiE7eSpIqt0VrFW9txFdwi6n6zwVyKYNHwTdna2ICcxjIyK8afI1eBU77XHEZ39XkaB/s1600/Petra+blog+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZlDtFgtydNeTxCQYuNtBPKYsCodirqrVjYqk7p86ObuFqyfdSxPiwKjLx2_znQeUd5AmOo_z_YiE7eSpIqt0VrFW9txFdwi6n6zwVyKYNHwTdna2ICcxjIyK8afI1eBU77XHEZ39XkaB/s640/Petra+blog+14.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Inside, the tombs provide incredible acoustics. We listened to a group of four women sing Hallelujah and it was so beautiful and special to hear.</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
After a morning walking, climbing up to tombs, and being in the blazing sun, we stopped outside a very modest looking cafe to ask whether they were serving food and refreshments yet. It was then that we met Bdoul Mofleh, one of those last remaining Bedouin men living inside Petra. The most genuinely friendly man imaginable, he said the cafe was not yet open and invited us up to his cave for tea. Of course, these moments are what makes travel special. So we followed him up the rocky steps behind the cafe, along narrow cliffs to his home in an old tomb. We drank tea, chatted about his life in Petra, the changes he has seen since tourism really took hold, and his refusal to submit to UNESCO and leave. He also showed us many foreign language magazines and travel guides in which he is featured. Bdoul (meaning Bedouin) Mofleh is something of a travel guide icon, featured in Lonely Planet and written about by the likes of National Geographic. It was such an intriguing and beautiful experience. We sampled some bread he'd made and he pointed us in the direction of monuments and back routes he said we should follow, and he even invited us to stay with him next time we came to Jordan. Honestly, hospitality is second nature in Jordan. When people extend this hospitality to you in places such as Jordan, where poverty is extensive, usually you would give a few dinar to say thank you. I was incredibly moved by Mr Mofleh's generosity inviting us into his home, and I tried to give him ten dinar. Which he point blank refused. I include this only because it makes what happened next even more touching. As we were putting our hats and backpacks back on to climb back down and continue on our way, he disappeared inside for a moment and returned with a little foil parcel. He unwrapped it to show us a small collection of ancient Roman coins, then he gifted us each one. I'll never forget that. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh44MAWvjyNNrHH11koxKXXle07Q5vhBNP8AVRXy44tHWFsJbtB4DU2nFF0xBDCRnvwbLAE8BuT9pscs5FeQkHNWRhzkn1SymjDhf6qWx1f8uqh-hZYb-hUNjcqBY1q9fqgRv4pndI3Y60F/s1600/Petra+blog+15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh44MAWvjyNNrHH11koxKXXle07Q5vhBNP8AVRXy44tHWFsJbtB4DU2nFF0xBDCRnvwbLAE8BuT9pscs5FeQkHNWRhzkn1SymjDhf6qWx1f8uqh-hZYb-hUNjcqBY1q9fqgRv4pndI3Y60F/s640/Petra+blog+15.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4n92VqO6NdJ24NddgkZdORucLlc-KNL2sWvKBaE34898w-_0xfHWMoS6HbEO29raBUI3p-OCpMyqQs_kBLMT-3RYWt9Oi3Z8N8_sArFqBYesPss_sa3hz7-fp-Hfds9W3YN4I8aQ1gkKk/s1600/Petra+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4n92VqO6NdJ24NddgkZdORucLlc-KNL2sWvKBaE34898w-_0xfHWMoS6HbEO29raBUI3p-OCpMyqQs_kBLMT-3RYWt9Oi3Z8N8_sArFqBYesPss_sa3hz7-fp-Hfds9W3YN4I8aQ1gkKk/s640/Petra+5.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNi-lbJufLZj8SHJD50krzYP6nvZJV43h-hM8-3LQBFmDqvojwgdjcJefDpgGiE7oKy-VRt9CneapHLgL-M8K_0r_McoUyy4grIYb_m73P8-j8Y-ysFK23k7OlC5LFkX5HLQnCV4-D-0Nx/s1600/Petra+blog+16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNi-lbJufLZj8SHJD50krzYP6nvZJV43h-hM8-3LQBFmDqvojwgdjcJefDpgGiE7oKy-VRt9CneapHLgL-M8K_0r_McoUyy4grIYb_m73P8-j8Y-ysFK23k7OlC5LFkX5HLQnCV4-D-0Nx/s640/Petra+blog+16.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Alex's Mum was a little nervous of the height and sheer drops from the cliffs.</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Back on the main trail, we pushed on up the mountain to get to the Monastery, and honestly there were moments when I doubted we'd ever make it. The climb is gruelling. I never seriously considered paying for a donkey, I felt too sorry for them, but I can see why people do hop on them. The route is worn smooth, and in places is a sheer drop down a gully or off a cliff-side. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-AXfozYPvSUkqmpTen5ooaFM3ExldvR7dVthyJlsI-dCXgvSW9RjrMBZ6I94k9UtPTHe0YqOSJY9djS4mEA14cJRvXL6lFXgH-dEnAxc51gGw2gm0zE9hwyTe9Ar5R08L8pilNRp34FWZ/s1600/Petra+blog+17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-AXfozYPvSUkqmpTen5ooaFM3ExldvR7dVthyJlsI-dCXgvSW9RjrMBZ6I94k9UtPTHe0YqOSJY9djS4mEA14cJRvXL6lFXgH-dEnAxc51gGw2gm0zE9hwyTe9Ar5R08L8pilNRp34FWZ/s640/Petra+blog+17.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju6W7_KXPRlnVrDQX9bJfdAQXU8sEfA1Cm6mNAxvxu6MMvZLT2SMArO1hF_d3SP1yOPFG8gDYXBjXUwJcjascJgjk9HiMECp9UF37CFxdDds36t3EU7uqBNSZTu9Ndti69YAHhVib_JnIF/s1600/Petra+blog+18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju6W7_KXPRlnVrDQX9bJfdAQXU8sEfA1Cm6mNAxvxu6MMvZLT2SMArO1hF_d3SP1yOPFG8gDYXBjXUwJcjascJgjk9HiMECp9UF37CFxdDds36t3EU7uqBNSZTu9Ndti69YAHhVib_JnIF/s640/Petra+blog+18.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>We paused often to rest. At this point in the climb I could see back to where we had been earlier in the day at the Royal Tombs. It is such unforgiving terrain it is hard to believe they carved a city out of stone here.</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
And then, just when you think you cannot take another step, you come upon...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidc4d9xj8zfbXsurbhyphenhyphenjVF2eBO6Wz5oKOnUNz4qH2IIMXH4bGZIlJDxw0PiFy6DNwfv5hwphFQBODWbUfgBfRQhjcxvqiNf7KCJ6EE85LiPSL_2_uUa76qSB34u2ASQjsVofZFjtpKd-V_/s1600/Petra+blog+19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidc4d9xj8zfbXsurbhyphenhyphenjVF2eBO6Wz5oKOnUNz4qH2IIMXH4bGZIlJDxw0PiFy6DNwfv5hwphFQBODWbUfgBfRQhjcxvqiNf7KCJ6EE85LiPSL_2_uUa76qSB34u2ASQjsVofZFjtpKd-V_/s400/Petra+blog+19.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
...The Monastery. I can't even remember if this is the furthest on this particular route that you can walk, but frankly we wouldn't have been able to make it any further. It was worth it though, for me anyway. Alex's Mum might say otherwise. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIobqKr5Q3q7wAB5tHk1_sfpN8CeHRYPZ0pitR9pcGHwIBsuWbTRgjr38lj4DfsenoNYvDNMbGi5zwAiS4voDNLSM6Seswq6cS9HWanxgM__sjwV9XDt46S5FY1gvLhVaB1s9d-q3qnScW/s1600/Petra+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIobqKr5Q3q7wAB5tHk1_sfpN8CeHRYPZ0pitR9pcGHwIBsuWbTRgjr38lj4DfsenoNYvDNMbGi5zwAiS4voDNLSM6Seswq6cS9HWanxgM__sjwV9XDt46S5FY1gvLhVaB1s9d-q3qnScW/s640/Petra+6.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Again, the scale is mind-boggling. That's me standing there to give it some perspective. Petra undoubtedly deserves its place on the list of Ancient Wonders of the World, and is so worthy of UNESCO World Heritage status and protection.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I'd go back in a heart beat.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Though, at that particular moment, outside the Monastery, facing the climb back down and kilometres of walking in the heat ahead of me, I'm not sure I'd have sounded so enthusiastic about a return visit.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCKkubdinKYx7SeoWxZ9JDV4XDb2ean01hflMiWDaq_LcwqtjSSrUe5_FmrVN6_Nn9rqT9ZTze9qRnVY3RbFMpgNCIoVbUz9sDzzpC_1MuodRRAxmaIVMEBo2SP5GAsTC5rTAykUWkREle/s1600/Petra+blog+20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCKkubdinKYx7SeoWxZ9JDV4XDb2ean01hflMiWDaq_LcwqtjSSrUe5_FmrVN6_Nn9rqT9ZTze9qRnVY3RbFMpgNCIoVbUz9sDzzpC_1MuodRRAxmaIVMEBo2SP5GAsTC5rTAykUWkREle/s640/Petra+blog+20.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We walked through the gate to Petra at 8.30am, and walked back out at around 4pm having taken over 23,000 steps and climbed the equivalent of 76 flights of stairs. Like I said, don't underestimate the stamina you will require to see this incredible place. If you can go, GO!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Needless to say, I consumed my fair share of bread, hommus and fattoush that night.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I learnt from my friends whilst we were there that Saudi Arabia is getting ready to open up a similar ancient site to tourism. Of course, when you think about these ancient routes across the world it makes perfect sense that Saudi Arabia would be connected and boast sites of similar stature and importance. Traditionally though the borders to Saudi Arabia have been so tightly controlled that very few people have seen it yet. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Kate x</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
To read more about Bdoul Mofleh, click <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destinations/asia/jordan/petra-unesco-world-heritage-bedouin/" target="_blank">HERE.</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Our Haystackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090417545285533251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851930680004468736.post-32088156784641248752018-09-16T14:12:00.000+01:002018-09-16T14:12:14.591+01:00Jordan, Part 3: The Dead Sea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFhAeiZmJVVEH7otmv7GautYBJboGVCNdsYoqfHy-xLo2ECCQjB9a1BOfXfBucg3Kbny9GKNWa6jU8_vH4-LikT8YsnMkXdAF9e81FUxWDJ-lOrpR8dyAdBXjb1xOkHnLT4feiJHJQdn7/s1600/Dead+Sea+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFhAeiZmJVVEH7otmv7GautYBJboGVCNdsYoqfHy-xLo2ECCQjB9a1BOfXfBucg3Kbny9GKNWa6jU8_vH4-LikT8YsnMkXdAF9e81FUxWDJ-lOrpR8dyAdBXjb1xOkHnLT4feiJHJQdn7/s640/Dead+Sea+11.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>The Dead Sea, and in the distance Israel, </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>as seen from The Dead Sea Museum.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
At the midway point of our trip through Jordan, and on the hottest day (39 degrees C) of the holiday, we arrived at the luxurious Movenpick Dead Sea Resort. It was incredibly timely; I was in desperate need of a plush bed with crisp white cotton sheets and a long refreshing swim. Alex and I joke about how I am a 6 star traveller, and this resort was a solid 6 stars for me. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9VaEJ0Vz_ibAvta6Vm63UbxqMW-oRBjWshmwXpposyePDtTIL0xp0fDC7ZEjBhZNLdjFjnay6IArAnLsS92m3KFxGurOpGT2YiDU0fYRiEXVM1yIdrSZoEjEMiUoRgHMJlZM9LmaLVM6p/s1600/Dead+Sea+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9VaEJ0Vz_ibAvta6Vm63UbxqMW-oRBjWshmwXpposyePDtTIL0xp0fDC7ZEjBhZNLdjFjnay6IArAnLsS92m3KFxGurOpGT2YiDU0fYRiEXVM1yIdrSZoEjEMiUoRgHMJlZM9LmaLVM6p/s640/Dead+Sea+1.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDOKhrc0chzcb4Lz6fhvR7F0AJWfNhu4GPlO9pDR3PADIohEOYfJSqBwaZPhGakcfsxgDSt_Mp-NJJSP4plTZZyjctX73BL2GrE9C3JFTwVRIdPq73XDeR6hvFEoR74-W-Nk8VStYJkl4/s1600/Dead+Sea+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDOKhrc0chzcb4Lz6fhvR7F0AJWfNhu4GPlO9pDR3PADIohEOYfJSqBwaZPhGakcfsxgDSt_Mp-NJJSP4plTZZyjctX73BL2GrE9C3JFTwVRIdPq73XDeR6hvFEoR74-W-Nk8VStYJkl4/s640/Dead+Sea+9.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqhWRgtbH45h0YD0565_xwgwtfjHjYBBXhfGfNXyqXK6jIZQnQbTHQGRHaUZqU_p6SzRr86sQATZI9_1pYRrhPGDehIIIBvKUyES7pFSD9LZeHuzzCA2DZuyfa5LridtECRbcRvLAB4fDL/s1600/Dead+Sea+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqhWRgtbH45h0YD0565_xwgwtfjHjYBBXhfGfNXyqXK6jIZQnQbTHQGRHaUZqU_p6SzRr86sQATZI9_1pYRrhPGDehIIIBvKUyES7pFSD9LZeHuzzCA2DZuyfa5LridtECRbcRvLAB4fDL/s640/Dead+Sea+4.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBtorHvGwaXv7Vz99uenE4WW9UPXo_0h-SQ-eES-1B6RdIRfVWvfBWCl2tJVwiVQzzI09CPgHa8KR8OJpmE83CKVD3hdcIEzx8K_I4N3evSQMyN8vkAjs1pRViVgOvHtST9K_GzgIc71M/s1600/Dead+Sea+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBtorHvGwaXv7Vz99uenE4WW9UPXo_0h-SQ-eES-1B6RdIRfVWvfBWCl2tJVwiVQzzI09CPgHa8KR8OJpmE83CKVD3hdcIEzx8K_I4N3evSQMyN8vkAjs1pRViVgOvHtST9K_GzgIc71M/s640/Dead+Sea+8.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMgDd4Zh3jdRIaqNfYeLBboqGrBrVJ7iLnOizodWL5Qu71T-1tyZ3xvF2U6T_L3421Yw1tl6S2fBvrhvljGKbowMdqR9wxuHOZG2EOIXS8uFfKu546iP8q8u8-gO6VCbPdn0Wd_pJ3_lKB/s1600/Dead+Sea+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMgDd4Zh3jdRIaqNfYeLBboqGrBrVJ7iLnOizodWL5Qu71T-1tyZ3xvF2U6T_L3421Yw1tl6S2fBvrhvljGKbowMdqR9wxuHOZG2EOIXS8uFfKu546iP8q8u8-gO6VCbPdn0Wd_pJ3_lKB/s640/Dead+Sea+3.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
It was a glorious late afternoon swim. The sea was glassy smooth and the light was golden. The actual temperature of the water was perfect, warm but refreshing. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
As we walked towards the beach area, I watched people bobbing effortlessly in the water, and I was overcome with excitement about getting to experience swimming in the Dead Sea for myself. I have long had a fascination with the idea of being unable to sink in this particular body of water. As we approached the rocky shore I said to Alex's Mum, "My brain can't quite comprehend what is about to happen."</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxe0shZMl5rj9a1IKPjNhoje20oUfvw2r-x0pqOwjU5aRUJ0GQD0F2iBGLAaGpoS5tUS2d5jf3AidVz64alSjsPpO37sr5aZqkSjhZFJkodtdZAlwazRP-nluFdqXGz4UbxcJYv58qR9P/s1600/Dead+Sea+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxe0shZMl5rj9a1IKPjNhoje20oUfvw2r-x0pqOwjU5aRUJ0GQD0F2iBGLAaGpoS5tUS2d5jf3AidVz64alSjsPpO37sr5aZqkSjhZFJkodtdZAlwazRP-nluFdqXGz4UbxcJYv58qR9P/s640/Dead+Sea+7.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Alex's Mum</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj4qOn3Po83rhKCr0ZdydqLm4y5mx6Uj7U9VUvi6I0FQx0DE-0DnUwTZ7kq7LMCsQ4VYFwCUaA23eiC4MXqzItXXb9xg97lTPZeCYuleGtzhxp5-Ptf6Y1Q1NT9JwpthHqCPOo7nPTkr95/s1600/Dead+Sea+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj4qOn3Po83rhKCr0ZdydqLm4y5mx6Uj7U9VUvi6I0FQx0DE-0DnUwTZ7kq7LMCsQ4VYFwCUaA23eiC4MXqzItXXb9xg97lTPZeCYuleGtzhxp5-Ptf6Y1Q1NT9JwpthHqCPOo7nPTkr95/s640/Dead+Sea+5.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>We both wore our saltwater sandals into the sea. The shore is very rocky and they were very handy to be able to wear in and out of the water. I gave mine a really good rinse in the shower afterwards given how salty the water is, and they are fine.</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The best way I can describe what it feels like is to imagine having pool noodles for limbs. No matter what, if you launch yourself into the sea, you will float to the top. I hooked my arms under my bent legs and sat in the water, floating around watching the sun dip lower and lower over the hills in Israel. Bizarre, and breathtaking. I can confirm, it is impossible to sink.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ptjiKNQHpkHdjHZe6I3cwIZQzPIiFosHyGRUDgb3qwTCHSOJKZL7TZj5bSRl9w7L3AQnoUU4qKSKLthLkM5oxD-RRtCO55QcgCVf8Rek_eqjzly77ZxgPFeN1VwVS_4SZ1M47EynrRi1/s1600/Dead+Sea+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ptjiKNQHpkHdjHZe6I3cwIZQzPIiFosHyGRUDgb3qwTCHSOJKZL7TZj5bSRl9w7L3AQnoUU4qKSKLthLkM5oxD-RRtCO55QcgCVf8Rek_eqjzly77ZxgPFeN1VwVS_4SZ1M47EynrRi1/s640/Dead+Sea+2.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
It's <i>salty</i>! That goes without saying. Don't get the water anywhere near your eyes or mouth. And don't shave in the day or two leading up to swimming, it will sting. But afterwards (even with my sensitive skin turning a very angry but temporary shade of red), once all the salt had been washed off in the shower, it made my skin feel lovely. I spent a small fortune on bringing home Dead Sea beauty products- mud, salts, gels- to try to recreate the restorative spa like feeling I got when we were there. Incidentally, the Dead Sea was one of the very first health resorts, favoured by Herod the Great. The density of minerals in the mud and water <i>must</i> be good for you... maybe.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpUrw10sB5k87ZBKb9bqjc7W7kkd9UOZ6eQ5MCVmDPUzaoBgECWzHigZm5XEhHlI48XASK_Nd1jkiaXk3G859Glh6MpdDSzQplDdWjpu5HsbuDnHEZlFtZqDUbL_vAvB2ixy3_gzVqCLtE/s1600/Dead+Sea+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpUrw10sB5k87ZBKb9bqjc7W7kkd9UOZ6eQ5MCVmDPUzaoBgECWzHigZm5XEhHlI48XASK_Nd1jkiaXk3G859Glh6MpdDSzQplDdWjpu5HsbuDnHEZlFtZqDUbL_vAvB2ixy3_gzVqCLtE/s400/Dead+Sea+6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Dead Sea is quite narrow, you can see how close Israel is, and the border between the two countries goes straight up the middle. The surface of the water is 420 meters below regular sea level, and the Dead Sea is actually landlocked. It is the deepest hypersaline lake in the world and is 9.6 times more salty than the ocean. The level of salinity makes life for animals and plants near-impossible, hence its name, the <i>dead </i>sea.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeXmBwpQUCJcQcH0FGatC8jxaAFFiYs7hqL07dB-QbrTHMgHrfSZ-z_IROhalpXkJ4ozLNf3uJNro_2TBxDG4yRGf_jRwSyQcJDRINkhXpcKPGfcjxZPbJgEJRqtdmgbZWrvtH643oDsGd/s1600/Dead+Sea+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeXmBwpQUCJcQcH0FGatC8jxaAFFiYs7hqL07dB-QbrTHMgHrfSZ-z_IROhalpXkJ4ozLNf3uJNro_2TBxDG4yRGf_jRwSyQcJDRINkhXpcKPGfcjxZPbJgEJRqtdmgbZWrvtH643oDsGd/s640/Dead+Sea+10.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Watching the sun set behind Israel was magical. The lights flickered on across the water, and we dried off with smiles on our faces. It was quite an experience. I am not typically a resort holidayer, and we never usually seek out sun and surf, but I would happily spend a few days back at Movenpick on the Dead Sea sleeping late, relaxing in the water and in the spa, and enjoying long buffet dinners as the sun sets.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">➿</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Earlier that day we had visited Bethany beyond the Jordan to see the baptismal site of Jesus. This was an interesting place, it felt hugely remote and almost desolate. The sun was absolutely beating down on the desert, and we had to walk a fair way into the site in near-forty-degree heat. There are numerous churches of various faiths built on the hills around this stretch of the River Jordan, signalling its importance as a religious site for Christians. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDx5gqlKvHmMrAMsWdgsxpgTMZLjZZW2nRT4bGK43NAiZbaSZ4wc1xc0fay_L3jgPyjG0AaEF7AxJ3UpkKkY5Hf9n2N1R7TJt1F5iLLXIX_jzTPrd28K-UowaEUCK1ja0EKEBJ8CaP1d2/s1600/IMG_1282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDx5gqlKvHmMrAMsWdgsxpgTMZLjZZW2nRT4bGK43NAiZbaSZ4wc1xc0fay_L3jgPyjG0AaEF7AxJ3UpkKkY5Hf9n2N1R7TJt1F5iLLXIX_jzTPrd28K-UowaEUCK1ja0EKEBJ8CaP1d2/s640/IMG_1282.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>The baptismal site</i></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUdDW4Nku2TWTUnaQt3nqE4xfK3jtBv_ZcT-t0wkK9xXVNWJALAOGfYIs2HxaJZMqAs4uSiH-WaNB6rOyrhxHRaZwSKAjh1BX9AZ80DH23Jf_BwNwDBEYC1WbNhB_vbeVjbzssEdcyBS0c/s1600/IMG_1283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUdDW4Nku2TWTUnaQt3nqE4xfK3jtBv_ZcT-t0wkK9xXVNWJALAOGfYIs2HxaJZMqAs4uSiH-WaNB6rOyrhxHRaZwSKAjh1BX9AZ80DH23Jf_BwNwDBEYC1WbNhB_vbeVjbzssEdcyBS0c/s640/IMG_1283.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitVY6otGQUH-GUZqhoAGjrWu6j0fqfnvAUa6TOvI3tbDVihwJOOuygw1H2SdlBKfvxwI1hIJxxJ95JkdqcGM7MCUnBo5k1WJjIIRAtoXXkpgSmyzv1ln4cJoedJI5bC8tTNCXXDZI2h0KK/s1600/IMG_1287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitVY6otGQUH-GUZqhoAGjrWu6j0fqfnvAUa6TOvI3tbDVihwJOOuygw1H2SdlBKfvxwI1hIJxxJ95JkdqcGM7MCUnBo5k1WJjIIRAtoXXkpgSmyzv1ln4cJoedJI5bC8tTNCXXDZI2h0KK/s400/IMG_1287.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Israel, taken from the Jordanian side of the river</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Interestingly there seemed to be very little military presence at this part of the border. I couldn't see any Israeli soldiers, and on the Jordanian side there was a single soldier. The ropes stretched out on the water were the only physical barrier separating worshippers in Israel from those in Jordan.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Kate x</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />Our Haystackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090417545285533251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851930680004468736.post-50789703772609197882018-09-08T16:10:00.000+01:002018-09-08T16:34:58.890+01:00Jordan, Part 2: Jerash and Umm Qais (Gadara)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-hHIjoUzoX-MVO-MxmLjzXjsDXahxgNg8o2_0XMcPvbi5kkPXbjDTf3j4gcGTeJ8LodVdGzOOjVqxoTNcgXB4-PE9nwdUT4-PZDhXlI0e5BLKpmCGLM_Zyy2_cKIr_Rlw-aFBuyHqGNQF/s1600/Jerash+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-hHIjoUzoX-MVO-MxmLjzXjsDXahxgNg8o2_0XMcPvbi5kkPXbjDTf3j4gcGTeJ8LodVdGzOOjVqxoTNcgXB4-PE9nwdUT4-PZDhXlI0e5BLKpmCGLM_Zyy2_cKIr_Rlw-aFBuyHqGNQF/s640/Jerash+1.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>I pulled water from a 3000 year-old Moabite well in the basement of a Catholic Church. At that same church I listened to a mass spoken in Arabic. In every village, town and city we heard the Mosques calling Muslims to prayer, the sound of Salat echoing out through valleys and off hillsides. I observed the twinkling lights of Israel from across the Dead Sea, and took in views of the Holy Land from atop Mt Nebo. At the Baptismal site of Jesus, the River Jordan is just five metres wide, the border delineated by a thin rope floating on the river's surface. On the Israeli side a group from the Greek Orthodox church were carrying out a religious service with olive branches and holy water from the river, on the Jordanian side, a single soldier rested in the shade, rifle by his side. From Roman ruins to Crusader castles, from roadside stalls selling figs and remote cafes on back roads (where a mobile phone and Google translate was the only means of communication)- everywhere we went and from everyone we met, the common refrain was, "Welcome to Jordan."</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">➿</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Jerash is an extensive site, containing some of the best examples of Roman masonry and stone vaults in the entirety of the Roman Empire. The area has recorded human history since the Neolithic age. As a city of significance in the ancient world, Greek inscriptions reveal Jerash's Hellenistic history dating back to the 2nd century when it was occupied by veterans of Alexander the Great's army. The Romans arrived in 63BC and Jerash was annexed by the Roman province of Syria.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9pNJ2n2uenGzDoXRYmnb2vjjGtdR9lQXddwC0nTHqpaLcWBec8iUs-pECJNlOy9Hrt_d0qGsHri2y3bNpzEjS2YikDH39_7R06y9AU1NvnU6TfZ0iiQHW4XBs5Ku1JR-PnxBVxTSnI7wT/s1600/Jerash+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9pNJ2n2uenGzDoXRYmnb2vjjGtdR9lQXddwC0nTHqpaLcWBec8iUs-pECJNlOy9Hrt_d0qGsHri2y3bNpzEjS2YikDH39_7R06y9AU1NvnU6TfZ0iiQHW4XBs5Ku1JR-PnxBVxTSnI7wT/s640/Jerash+2.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Hadrian's Arch</i></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuUVCIJT2BecazoKyKVt3u-RaAzSab6LPiFPLT5i4qp5sF1nVVRoHwwqXdKwXDMH32biXiA_MtshW4o7X_Ud9dmzCCT9oFYLoTEbpdYCZtvsuiLb_BuOjmxsR8ji9CrJH-K79hnKE3UU2r/s1600/Jerash+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuUVCIJT2BecazoKyKVt3u-RaAzSab6LPiFPLT5i4qp5sF1nVVRoHwwqXdKwXDMH32biXiA_MtshW4o7X_Ud9dmzCCT9oFYLoTEbpdYCZtvsuiLb_BuOjmxsR8ji9CrJH-K79hnKE3UU2r/s640/Jerash+3.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This beautiful Greco-Roman city of wide colonnaded streets, temples and amphitheatres flourished until the mid Eighth Century BC when the powerful 749 Galilee earthquake destroyed much of it. It crumbled further when the 847 Damascus earthquake struck.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNbjVPIjrSGp67rzauA7tJ4pKfYfyFPTHeWDV8SKiOjxW9eYhqLk-uwH2AAFDmqdxpgOM2Ifw2bn9_QJ33fXeI6qOvKubAnT4lk_NCz9j1glUpdkTBy6EY3oVMBeFy7M33hmvRruO4-yqB/s1600/Jerash+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNbjVPIjrSGp67rzauA7tJ4pKfYfyFPTHeWDV8SKiOjxW9eYhqLk-uwH2AAFDmqdxpgOM2Ifw2bn9_QJ33fXeI6qOvKubAnT4lk_NCz9j1glUpdkTBy6EY3oVMBeFy7M33hmvRruO4-yqB/s400/Jerash+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Re-inhabited, it became a centre for ceramics in the Early and Middle Muslim periods, though the city suffered more damage in the Crusade period. Throughout its incredibly varied history, Jerash has been occupied by Christians, Muslims, and Jewish settlers, for the most part cohabiting in peace. Excavation is ongoing.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbklCmDNHUYcbL8xSv_8ZI10kvUNyBCd0tNKdiYhxBUVTBnHpmWCEjA9a2f32cTjzu1EiLXtveGB76ruVeY6xi-zJjSDoXjl2-C1E3GMxI3_qLVbkSqYpsR84pvxbNHwVygy8M8s2tU-n/s1600/Jerash+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbklCmDNHUYcbL8xSv_8ZI10kvUNyBCd0tNKdiYhxBUVTBnHpmWCEjA9a2f32cTjzu1EiLXtveGB76ruVeY6xi-zJjSDoXjl2-C1E3GMxI3_qLVbkSqYpsR84pvxbNHwVygy8M8s2tU-n/s640/Jerash+5.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvB8D5WUSQG4P0pXcZNfglQB2xkocesOLBeXJ9tZi5Dfp2nC1RGzuJKSHX0ructKBYXWgjVbPJRIhyphenhyphenRmoE-6JAmfgozAaI9gjMaqd8m-e-FT5NwcKIB_Qqy90q5tPbyjbYFVMCAeB82-b-/s1600/Jerash+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvB8D5WUSQG4P0pXcZNfglQB2xkocesOLBeXJ9tZi5Dfp2nC1RGzuJKSHX0ructKBYXWgjVbPJRIhyphenhyphenRmoE-6JAmfgozAaI9gjMaqd8m-e-FT5NwcKIB_Qqy90q5tPbyjbYFVMCAeB82-b-/s640/Jerash+6.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmGe37Wh8yl1kKryUeh3rfqEFcQeDYazTHIKtjk255iE9piDeJ_1cPIoYSWZGelvcmA1x0C9-URehwod4lpWd56UJuWurDcInkZiX1_1w4qsMpesQZr33HCGQ316dmheZ6e1O_YaNb1GsK/s1600/Jerash+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmGe37Wh8yl1kKryUeh3rfqEFcQeDYazTHIKtjk255iE9piDeJ_1cPIoYSWZGelvcmA1x0C9-URehwod4lpWd56UJuWurDcInkZiX1_1w4qsMpesQZr33HCGQ316dmheZ6e1O_YaNb1GsK/s640/Jerash+7.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI42u4RfvpZQNjUNO5DKC3PwrHO1BkjQSHT8nbTc6vFVCURyPbyEhnDJxVxvDwRksqtiK54Rj9hrt6-F3ucTpMUf9ZwF7V7JPe8K7j5jmdkmRbJh-qL0R-cBcNhHDdVWdz_7cHU_l4T3WK/s1600/Jerash+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI42u4RfvpZQNjUNO5DKC3PwrHO1BkjQSHT8nbTc6vFVCURyPbyEhnDJxVxvDwRksqtiK54Rj9hrt6-F3ucTpMUf9ZwF7V7JPe8K7j5jmdkmRbJh-qL0R-cBcNhHDdVWdz_7cHU_l4T3WK/s400/Jerash+8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFntAxMncbmExFxK64rACufNxCTNQGXbNZ7hndIM5NDA-BYg6Sx3n7szPjrnWV13XtSXVHVWGqm3g54GTrX3RaNh0ZIcarB99NqlfmOxsYwz9x5zN604udecaQNwHInAB5EaN7CZ3qUjAu/s1600/Jerash+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFntAxMncbmExFxK64rACufNxCTNQGXbNZ7hndIM5NDA-BYg6Sx3n7szPjrnWV13XtSXVHVWGqm3g54GTrX3RaNh0ZIcarB99NqlfmOxsYwz9x5zN604udecaQNwHInAB5EaN7CZ3qUjAu/s640/Jerash+9.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWoBBqMDgLj80Z_DyFXYm5AJ_bBX7flBbr6qOCyvdMbQGch67zpATzvcYZH46JxJvvlGAlvJFs1sImU-HttEfCIwQoJs71g9q3EmX94aOTeAj-Y3sjjm0WsDSnW56fPcmBYfQ8eOzRnlSX/s1600/Jerash+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWoBBqMDgLj80Z_DyFXYm5AJ_bBX7flBbr6qOCyvdMbQGch67zpATzvcYZH46JxJvvlGAlvJFs1sImU-HttEfCIwQoJs71g9q3EmX94aOTeAj-Y3sjjm0WsDSnW56fPcmBYfQ8eOzRnlSX/s640/Jerash+10.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Ampitheatre</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">➿</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Leaving Jerash behind, we drove further north to quickly stop by the ruins of the 12th Century Muslim castle of Ajloun, built by one of Saladin's generals. It sits high on a hilltop on the land of Jabal Ajlun, named after the Bedouin tribe that captured the area in the 12th Century. The castle commanded the fertile land below, containing three wadis that are directed towards the Jordan River Valley. From the highest point of the ruins it is possible to look across the Jordan Valley in all directions to Lake Tiberius (The Sea of Galilee in the Bible), Jerusalem, and to the north, Syria and Lebanon.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibft8lPaG90JoXjGoJsTFNiTHUVhU9TE8taRaSaMHtgjyiGpOu3SaLp3ZkiZpEvdbj7iUeK6ERzBf-njFMQa4RR6Ww7mQ4b46tzK0eiJJEKEbpBbvWukeGCeXaR4sc3X5yq8tpO0F5Nut6/s1600/IMG_1204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibft8lPaG90JoXjGoJsTFNiTHUVhU9TE8taRaSaMHtgjyiGpOu3SaLp3ZkiZpEvdbj7iUeK6ERzBf-njFMQa4RR6Ww7mQ4b46tzK0eiJJEKEbpBbvWukeGCeXaR4sc3X5yq8tpO0F5Nut6/s640/IMG_1204.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZN-av_yMucRpyPJd9OHtXaLZcYP6steJuQDpJ36FPj4NDntpNrc9HaYVId3AlINA31SUH_QOUMUlPCMv8z3eAXWprPrc5OJXW-atimWCOX86IhoOcZWqYkGG0pkMoeknBSt8c24LriX4/s1600/IMG_1210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZN-av_yMucRpyPJd9OHtXaLZcYP6steJuQDpJ36FPj4NDntpNrc9HaYVId3AlINA31SUH_QOUMUlPCMv8z3eAXWprPrc5OJXW-atimWCOX86IhoOcZWqYkGG0pkMoeknBSt8c24LriX4/s640/IMG_1210.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
From its strategic position high above the valley, Ajloun Castle was an important link in the communication system connecting major cities of the region, including Damascus, Baghdad and Cairo. From here postal communications were sent out via horses and carrier pigeons. It was also one of several citadels that could issue fire signals in the black of night that would reach as far away as the Euphrates River to the East and The Nile to the west.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">➿</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The remarkable thing about Jordan was the depth and breadth of human experience, past and present,</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
that it contains. This is especially emphasised given the proximity to places such as Syria, Israeli-occupied Palestine, and Iraq. Much like the physical ancient roads of the Roman and Nabatean Empires, it feels like Jordan contains a more metaphorical cultural crossroads where nearly all of recorded human history has passed through or is linked in some way or another. It speaks of a time when the boundaries of religion and culture and race all met, became intertwined, and for the past 2000 years has failed to be successfully or peacefully disentangled. I really got a sense of how the significance of 'place' can be the catalyst for so much... </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The myriad of human experience is especially poignant at Umm Qais, where Jordan meets Israel, Syria and Lebanon. As you stand at the ancient hilltop ruins of Gadara, Syria is so close, just across the narrow Jordan valley. Damascus is a mere 100km, as the crow flies.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MuCl2dcFuW-Q7lyDnxTKwbblQaiN1szTybC3eee8O7_fs-25PLa4DOWFD3Bsd7x-atGEBZR3B83HcsWWVhapPeGMWHlObNSxfpJePKylzQY274didSWFuFSITTTLxnkNUx8UqYVibfHl/s1600/Um+qaays.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MuCl2dcFuW-Q7lyDnxTKwbblQaiN1szTybC3eee8O7_fs-25PLa4DOWFD3Bsd7x-atGEBZR3B83HcsWWVhapPeGMWHlObNSxfpJePKylzQY274didSWFuFSITTTLxnkNUx8UqYVibfHl/s400/Um+qaays.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<i>Through the haze is Syria and Lebanon, across the valley </i><br />
<i>to the left is Israel, </i><i>and the hills bathed in sunlight </i><br />
<i>to the right is Syria. So close!</i><br />
<br />
It is at Umm Qais that Palestinian immigrants and refugees, who were expelled or fled following the creation of the Israeli state, come to look back over their former homeland.<br />
<br />
Gadara was founded by the Ptolemies as a frontier station on the border to the Seleucid Empire. The Seleucids conquered the city in 218BC, and then a century later it was seized by the Jewish Hasmoneans. When the Roman General Pompey instated order throughout Syria in 63BC he had Gadara rebuilt as a personal favour to a Gadarene freedman. Roman rule saw the area flourish, especially post-annexation of the Nabatean Empire in 106AD. It became a sort of pleasure city for Romans; poetry, philosophy and theatre drew citizens to Gadara from across the Roman Empire.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlFYOWg6XHERt3I2XtNsT8O_LRYdzGMLPcNYTiUPuhpFTKV4ruodV2QWBvGZsq5zCP72SNelW9HlyC2nUm-mDSkgq280CywI5TpABvNT6jB2mPTJOGfujQ5A1liYeNTbdhEFI1kTwQm_Aj/s1600/Gadara+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlFYOWg6XHERt3I2XtNsT8O_LRYdzGMLPcNYTiUPuhpFTKV4ruodV2QWBvGZsq5zCP72SNelW9HlyC2nUm-mDSkgq280CywI5TpABvNT6jB2mPTJOGfujQ5A1liYeNTbdhEFI1kTwQm_Aj/s400/Gadara+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Golan Heights and into Syria</i></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzxB7HLyCAzs7RiaNb1SDM9Kb46jCUrm-rBtKB8widJf2ZC4WdncoAk0jr5wV8btpdBu8gOciXXYKRRURHN974VMNDPfXipBqaD0I2OCqUGXHCRLwxb1SZq0emUD1y7E-ikqBDvE7rD5aJ/s1600/Gadara+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzxB7HLyCAzs7RiaNb1SDM9Kb46jCUrm-rBtKB8widJf2ZC4WdncoAk0jr5wV8btpdBu8gOciXXYKRRURHN974VMNDPfXipBqaD0I2OCqUGXHCRLwxb1SZq0emUD1y7E-ikqBDvE7rD5aJ/s400/Gadara+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjrvNou8jDnH9pP6yi3GPbzLH8YM4i0oZs-9G0tZdU84y_8NthndacOn_R9FuZ0CxQR9FdmBewJ_zoQK8fLo6M9QUIXi8aZmCV_RdAVK0njz9MVHDdocy0KoMoGbwWr7NgSScor5k31Dux/s1600/Gadara+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjrvNou8jDnH9pP6yi3GPbzLH8YM4i0oZs-9G0tZdU84y_8NthndacOn_R9FuZ0CxQR9FdmBewJ_zoQK8fLo6M9QUIXi8aZmCV_RdAVK0njz9MVHDdocy0KoMoGbwWr7NgSScor5k31Dux/s400/Gadara+4.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjoSOKFMbLTB71DfNOeQk4UbLYNahg3aIfAjFEALmBRaTuC8CzoLzRAARy2lwQ0C83pL0Nx5PJA5LKDjLOrAzLuPiOKf0V8WOpZlrmTre5ib5a_idQw028EsRDDW95wPxVuJ_XvEcAfQU/s1600/Gadara+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjoSOKFMbLTB71DfNOeQk4UbLYNahg3aIfAjFEALmBRaTuC8CzoLzRAARy2lwQ0C83pL0Nx5PJA5LKDjLOrAzLuPiOKf0V8WOpZlrmTre5ib5a_idQw028EsRDDW95wPxVuJ_XvEcAfQU/s400/Gadara+5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMzQ6KQxC-Rp24aM3DNxwTLCqgrJ5hxn4a54zLWDa5xanCT4Niv8_b6NWPh99greZqsYEe-Ds9u6KpzzMPASsg2npup8u3_pX_x1abLOQ2QgzeUqrr2QSyaRcVQWWdUKdQD-5XjVOK-C2j/s1600/Gadara.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMzQ6KQxC-Rp24aM3DNxwTLCqgrJ5hxn4a54zLWDa5xanCT4Niv8_b6NWPh99greZqsYEe-Ds9u6KpzzMPASsg2npup8u3_pX_x1abLOQ2QgzeUqrr2QSyaRcVQWWdUKdQD-5XjVOK-C2j/s400/Gadara.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>In the haze below is the Sea of Galilee, where the Bible cites as the place Jesus carried out many of his miracles: turning water into wine, walking on water, instructing fishermen to cast their nets over the other side of their boat etc. It is also the body of water said to have been parted by Moses.</i></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
As you stand looking out over some of the Holiest places in the Christian world, there is an inscription of the words of ancient philosopher Albiouss (355AD), a citizen from Gadara. They are the words he had inscribed on his own gravestone:<br />
<br />
<i>"Whoever is passing through here... </i><i>The way you are now</i><br />
<i>I was... </i><br />
<i>The way I am now</i><br />
<i>You shall be... </i><br />
<i>Enjoy life because you are gone"</i><br />
<br />
It felt quite special to be there as dusk approached; the hills glowed in the warm light of the sinking sun, the haze had a soft golden-pink quality to it. It was the perfect time of day to take in everything about this place. Just the geography of where I was standing in the world blew my mind a little, let alone the religious significance and all that has stemmed from that in recent history.<br />
<br />
<br />
[If you visit Gadara, do make sure that you take your passport with you. Given its proximity to the Syrian border, there is a military checkpoint that you need to go through when you leave the site. Slightly unnerving, especially when the soldier checking our passports thought that I might try to take photos of the checkpoint- I wasn't, my camera was just on my lap- but nothing to worry about.]<br />
<br />
<br />
Kate<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I'll cover "Bethany beyond the Jordan" and The Dead Sea in the next post.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Our Haystackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090417545285533251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851930680004468736.post-26054124101380115322018-08-28T14:26:00.000+01:002018-09-08T22:20:59.171+01:00Jordan, Part 1: Machaerus and Umm Al Rasas<div style="text-align: center;">
I arrived at the hotel in Madaba by taxi at around 1.30am. I was awoken by the "dawn" call to prayer at 4.30am. This set the tone for my week in Jordan- very little sleep, running on equal parts pure adrenalin and a thirst to just see and do everything because I couldn't quite believe I was there and what I was seeing.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqXSqk-zaI5GSSjQMWKySkgG2Fob1Yx7WsdlloawUDFgF6MhuwOponTT4cqwLX-gZCNDvQd2xVZYUGzIJFzoUuiX1jBy5QECsvCaD6FurYnxFHgWe-B5R73draaBnZZpF-nHYRoMZA_LJA/s1600/Petra+3-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqXSqk-zaI5GSSjQMWKySkgG2Fob1Yx7WsdlloawUDFgF6MhuwOponTT4cqwLX-gZCNDvQd2xVZYUGzIJFzoUuiX1jBy5QECsvCaD6FurYnxFHgWe-B5R73draaBnZZpF-nHYRoMZA_LJA/s640/Petra+3-2.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Before I begin though, i'll just explain how I came to be on holiday in Jordan. A few months ago my "mother in law" (Alex's Mum) called to say she was planning on going on a trip to Jordan with some friends (they all currently live and work in neighbouring Saudi Arabia), and asked if we would like to go along on the trip too. Alex was busy with work, but encouraged me to go. So, before he'd really even given me a moment to think about it, he was booking my flights. I had always wanted to see Petra and swim in the Dead Sea to experience the closest thing to weightlessness you can get on Earth... and it was easy to say yes knowing that I would be traveling with a group of people very familiar with the Middle East. I could not have been in better hands or had a more positive experience. The friends who had orchestrated the trip have travelled extensively in Jordan several times, and they went above and beyond to show us everything- the well documented tourist sites, and the sites that are so often overlooked. They were enthusiastic from start to finish and looked after us as though we were paying them to be our private travel guides, but they were doing it out of friendship and a deep love for Jordan and a desire to share it with us. I honestly can't thank them enough.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">➿</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
After that first very early morning wake up call, the rest of the party arrived at the hotel by mid-morning, we fuelled up on one-dinar chicken shawarmas and hit the road (in the largest Chevrolet that Amman airport could provide us). The first site we visited was Machaerus, or Herod's Castle, the ruins of a fortified palace built on top of a high mountain overlooking the Dead Sea. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9SrMH6rUG2C26DACLk-LjXUQY4yHH6HXjZdzAF11xq08ujjv0sSMTN4QsOp68X6Ti74iPatqQ8POiXtZMXSrzaaBqATRbhMdcrk53erjs_Pre9VBl8defv2xFBm5txVRkW6zsLpAbrCr2/s1600/Jordan+part+1.1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9SrMH6rUG2C26DACLk-LjXUQY4yHH6HXjZdzAF11xq08ujjv0sSMTN4QsOp68X6Ti74iPatqQ8POiXtZMXSrzaaBqATRbhMdcrk53erjs_Pre9VBl8defv2xFBm5txVRkW6zsLpAbrCr2/s640/Jordan+part+1.1.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Needless to say the climb up was hot and dusty. Machaerus is remote and exposed, there is no shade and very little obvious human activity in the surrounding countryside, a few lone shepherds on the roadsides and a sprinkling of homes, but no real sizeable towns or villages nearby. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinYvC-miGLLxytc7S7GB2ekHQYcPBFq-zZR8YztYnvJzcJYwz27aAcuSyxoZ-w6xC-7uXNjpNCJLpShYi8c7MdcQeS6-Jp3Mf7dHjY89ohHHuiP7_ITZGmFGk8JqfI_EASz__bD1iEqE91/s1600/Jordan+part+1.2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinYvC-miGLLxytc7S7GB2ekHQYcPBFq-zZR8YztYnvJzcJYwz27aAcuSyxoZ-w6xC-7uXNjpNCJLpShYi8c7MdcQeS6-Jp3Mf7dHjY89ohHHuiP7_ITZGmFGk8JqfI_EASz__bD1iEqE91/s400/Jordan+part+1.2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Photographs will never properly communicate the vastness or the stark beauty of Jordan. These valleys are immense and provide breathtaking views. To convey a little of the scale, that is a house on the hilltop on the right most hill. Below is the Dead Sea and in the hazy distance is Israel.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGAva1yhY9tKbogq2beliA1DDZcXztmOz5rH-P3SEIiWvaGVP3XF2aZI93wWXkrmX2Vb5TQTNeAcWrP8kPdSFrBMhxWgK_Sz7TRxbuIWi6nDDNmkHoCei3IQ4oOOf1Fkn1vU3Vbgpdh0u/s1600/Jordan+part+1.3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGAva1yhY9tKbogq2beliA1DDZcXztmOz5rH-P3SEIiWvaGVP3XF2aZI93wWXkrmX2Vb5TQTNeAcWrP8kPdSFrBMhxWgK_Sz7TRxbuIWi6nDDNmkHoCei3IQ4oOOf1Fkn1vU3Vbgpdh0u/s400/Jordan+part+1.3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Again, in an attempt to show scale, that tiny black spec on the middle hilltop is a group of people. I am pretty sure my camera lens was zoomed in as far as it could go too. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
At around 1,100m above Dead Sea level, it was an impressive and strategic fortress. Built in approximately 90 BC by Alexander Jannaeus, the fortress provided a clear view of invading armies from the East and from its high position could easily signal other citadels of impending danger. It was destroyed in 57 BC by one of Pompey the Great's generals, and rebuilt by Herod the Great in 30 BC as a military base. The Romano-Jewish scholar, Flavius Josephus, cites Machaerus as the imprisonment and execution place of John the Baptist. Today, all that remains are the foundation stones and two pillars, though under the current ground level the unexcavated remains are extensive.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-V2Q_lIHl0PRUlJxv5p8jPcHaNsoW8RbNbxWxcMpwLhXipcN9HlfL-LnvWTIOsQd1iE5yKJNxpI913GAZTuQymkyYFCrfD7CtVumMtpqf005Wh7zkqz4xYx5mmXy6-kb3TDNT9vVri7O/s1600/Jordan+part+1.4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-V2Q_lIHl0PRUlJxv5p8jPcHaNsoW8RbNbxWxcMpwLhXipcN9HlfL-LnvWTIOsQd1iE5yKJNxpI913GAZTuQymkyYFCrfD7CtVumMtpqf005Wh7zkqz4xYx5mmXy6-kb3TDNT9vVri7O/s400/Jordan+part+1.4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
One of the most fascinating things about this area was spotting the <i>many</i> caves in the hillsides that are home to the Bedouin. I couldn't imagine a more inhospitable landscape, and yet the valleys were full of cave systems with neat door shaped stonework at the mouth of the caves.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZY9XlgQ4FDvutO69HZUzn54hFlU1XH3jByvqcLt2976x_MJOVloTDSfBbUxxpdoaoi8czFAnMo4fVJU6prbDdsKUJ9_nnr5XGsvo4UTaoSnF7Crzrqo9-ley6-sTtr38nEaHopyH4Nfd/s1600/Jordan+part+1.6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="992" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZY9XlgQ4FDvutO69HZUzn54hFlU1XH3jByvqcLt2976x_MJOVloTDSfBbUxxpdoaoi8czFAnMo4fVJU6prbDdsKUJ9_nnr5XGsvo4UTaoSnF7Crzrqo9-ley6-sTtr38nEaHopyH4Nfd/s640/Jordan+part+1.6.jpg" width="474" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">➿</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
One of the absolute standout historical sites for me was Umm Al Rasas, a series of ancient church ruins containing remains from the Roman, Byzantine and early-Muslim periods. Largely unexcavated, the area began as a 5th Century Roman military camp. What is special about Al Rasas though, is the high concentration of churches- 19 churches according to our guide- in a very small area. The detailed mosaic floors of these churches are breathtaking. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqvXULPkXSm6iepw2fLYXbvCliCGGIuY9I19Z3TO1ByCurwV41csQhQq2rK_nmrAFx1tQJMINkp0hWiA9UYcT64DBvl0oY7_qJNQOG1YZd3n2ae-ujltwK_5utfVvoPKc8UGqVZ-sTGOIz/s1600/Jordan+part+1.7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqvXULPkXSm6iepw2fLYXbvCliCGGIuY9I19Z3TO1ByCurwV41csQhQq2rK_nmrAFx1tQJMINkp0hWiA9UYcT64DBvl0oY7_qJNQOG1YZd3n2ae-ujltwK_5utfVvoPKc8UGqVZ-sTGOIz/s640/Jordan+part+1.7.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We enlisted an archeology student working in the tourist office at the entrance to be our guide, and this was one of our best decisions, his knowledge and enthusiasm for the site was wonderful. Though he stated it was up to us whether we should tip him or not, we were more than happy to do so, he really enriched our visit. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
[At many tourist sites in Jordan you will encounter people eager to play "guide"- this can be a good or a slightly annoying thing depending on their motivations and actual knowledge (or lack there of). In some places we were happy to be shown around, in others we just wanted to wander and absorb at our own pace. Don't be afraid to state clearly that you do not want a guide if you find them to be overly pestering, and have a handful of dinars on you to tip at the end if you do choose to be shown around. At the larger sites where the guide might stay with you for a couple of hours (such as Jerash and Petra) make sure you agree to a price at the start before you set off. Beware of anyone thrusting a "gift" into your hands. They will ask for money by the time they are done showering you with presents. That lesson cost me three dinar, and some slight annoyance at having to carry around things that I never wanted and tried to refuse in the first place. Likewise, if you visit a remote site that isn't overseen in any real official capacity, and is manned by a neighbouring farmer or shepherd, or a kindly local, do tip them. Five or so dinar was our general rule.]</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgqVy4dOrkCAuitRWje06XFVhzpxphFDnQq5iwN7VfGKLj2NOTfYD1DSYEhVsHznI9-YNCd2rMM_kUpC6uot_qMXLzVPaa1mEyzuoheNhIplyzLlTbjuOcNcaWCfrkrorWWwo2lnxQIbg/s1600/Jordan+part+1.8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgqVy4dOrkCAuitRWje06XFVhzpxphFDnQq5iwN7VfGKLj2NOTfYD1DSYEhVsHznI9-YNCd2rMM_kUpC6uot_qMXLzVPaa1mEyzuoheNhIplyzLlTbjuOcNcaWCfrkrorWWwo2lnxQIbg/s400/Jordan+part+1.8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
These are the remains of the earlier Roman settlement. It is quite extraordinary that many of the arches and walls are still standing, some 2500 years after they were constructed, having also withstood two major earthquakes that rocked much of the Arabian region. The remains extend below ground, perhaps by another 2 storeys, but in order to excavate the site properly, the top storey would be ruined, and so it is preserved as best it can be as it currently stands. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The most important and protected of the mosaics is the floor of Saint Stevens Church, dated from 785 AD, and the floor of the Church of Bishop Sergius from 587 AD. These mosaics are incredibly detailed and feature many of the important cities of ancient Arabia, as well as intricate hunting and fishing scenes. The lettering is Ancient Greek.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAbDFHveHbYVBQi9TutRrmhh_NaEujjX_gyeHdrzgVgkLmfA_xba0b9os4jTB9HvOcM7WVNzuc7BOhgaHcy6DkqMdAkbd3AKZ6O1hKoI7rOqti9yvLZRD3ONactdk8XBHeGxWp4tMIfB4_/s1600/Jordan+part+1.10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAbDFHveHbYVBQi9TutRrmhh_NaEujjX_gyeHdrzgVgkLmfA_xba0b9os4jTB9HvOcM7WVNzuc7BOhgaHcy6DkqMdAkbd3AKZ6O1hKoI7rOqti9yvLZRD3ONactdk8XBHeGxWp4tMIfB4_/s640/Jordan+part+1.10.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBxGAmc9fJmsOpCZU8CjN5c2ZuEnlOJiNff9I7XudAuidUmPs5F5lAs_Zs3nk05mjl_wYjDcbxTEA9A_EiA3SI5MMEiHbKPsGdb8GTXrE-LTanZh9dwDDCtEp9RhBOcUZBWXYMgi1Pbyjm/s1600/Jordan+part+1.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBxGAmc9fJmsOpCZU8CjN5c2ZuEnlOJiNff9I7XudAuidUmPs5F5lAs_Zs3nk05mjl_wYjDcbxTEA9A_EiA3SI5MMEiHbKPsGdb8GTXrE-LTanZh9dwDDCtEp9RhBOcUZBWXYMgi1Pbyjm/s640/Jordan+part+1.11.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79Es3bGwdBelDcmemnvU5zGMqJY619dBF_jxXrgXN6Cof-UCmsrJ2UVYCjqSV708yG7ZqrWw9oUe_yhuPGj9-EN9cPy1KvlXdng_KDNpD_X9R3gPXPSa6j8P8Hyaxny94sAeKsKO6FJ_g/s1600/Jordan+part+1.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79Es3bGwdBelDcmemnvU5zGMqJY619dBF_jxXrgXN6Cof-UCmsrJ2UVYCjqSV708yG7ZqrWw9oUe_yhuPGj9-EN9cPy1KvlXdng_KDNpD_X9R3gPXPSa6j8P8Hyaxny94sAeKsKO6FJ_g/s640/Jordan+part+1.12.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLj-yEnYKlvTOy5owONDogz8ZFpX4gnITckLQrT53j4KNkZzF4zCCADmF3NZYK4bPxH_m_NTWfShyphenhyphenw9AplgLWpLHNerg_zReVVCfOm1lEoj34yOT6Upd2WnZWogFYuZlwyrQCAnGYC-wGd/s1600/Jordan+part+1.9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLj-yEnYKlvTOy5owONDogz8ZFpX4gnITckLQrT53j4KNkZzF4zCCADmF3NZYK4bPxH_m_NTWfShyphenhyphenw9AplgLWpLHNerg_zReVVCfOm1lEoj34yOT6Upd2WnZWogFYuZlwyrQCAnGYC-wGd/s640/Jordan+part+1.9.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Constructed of tiny and precise, hand-cut, naturally coloured stones, these mosaics are utterly mind blowing. Very kindly, our guide took us to a covered over mosaic (many of the church floors are covered up with sheets weighed down by sand to protect them from the elements and animals), to demonstrate the true beauty of these works of art.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMzaZxRyW3nWD9eI2pL2pUd1RtbbCv5Ec_WXjPWC44powjYwNDJjTcCpc4awTn-3zjLMJxVdEObmy85HeHGNGZgAfHTPGsLML_Ryh4oEnbCzt2pX30HUZvDIUU7kCpqLnt_cLb1eI_zMdE/s1600/Jordan+part+1.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMzaZxRyW3nWD9eI2pL2pUd1RtbbCv5Ec_WXjPWC44powjYwNDJjTcCpc4awTn-3zjLMJxVdEObmy85HeHGNGZgAfHTPGsLML_Ryh4oEnbCzt2pX30HUZvDIUU7kCpqLnt_cLb1eI_zMdE/s640/Jordan+part+1.13.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
He swept back the sand to reveal the floor of the Church of the Lions, named quite simply due to the two mosaic lions, and poured water over their faces.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We all exclaimed in awe!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidPKVRCnYh3xAQoUWwffYhQfYFN8HQnGr05wnymEQO_fArC4sA3vgifGobvefd-buafEVnbDNy-KG6HUA4AL3EwwVLvGYxD6X9g5PpeIZ-7M7pIbAyyVmo0fTQpbP7GTOpIATNiUPMmUO7/s1600/Jordan+part+1.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidPKVRCnYh3xAQoUWwffYhQfYFN8HQnGr05wnymEQO_fArC4sA3vgifGobvefd-buafEVnbDNy-KG6HUA4AL3EwwVLvGYxD6X9g5PpeIZ-7M7pIbAyyVmo0fTQpbP7GTOpIATNiUPMmUO7/s640/Jordan+part+1.14.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
And then a shepherd came through the site with his flock of sheep and goats, </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
so very Jordan.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq-NMHZFUMfBckNZ_09is4Eu8VfYLybpio78LMiti56LlYl11EN2tAVohQpr5cFtbOV6l2hJRb9PEA5CyNg5xygfxiEuX5WBfc31U72voTV1VihRqbhLvfZemzQbJkd_GjT1EBjv8_1IX-/s1600/Jordan+part+1.15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq-NMHZFUMfBckNZ_09is4Eu8VfYLybpio78LMiti56LlYl11EN2tAVohQpr5cFtbOV6l2hJRb9PEA5CyNg5xygfxiEuX5WBfc31U72voTV1VihRqbhLvfZemzQbJkd_GjT1EBjv8_1IX-/s400/Jordan+part+1.15.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">➿</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
As I go back through my photographs and collate them, I realise that my Jordan trip may need to be recorded over several posts. So, i'll conclude this initial post by sharing a few helpful hints. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Jordan Pass that acts as your visa when you visit Jordan is invaluable. I purchased the Jordan Wanderer for 70 Jordanian dinar and added the Baptismal site for an extra 8 dinar or so. This pass gets you in almost everywhere, and will save you lots of money if you plan on visiting Petra and Jerash. Buy it before flying into Amman to save on time and visa fees at the border. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
You will need to buy lots of water. I took a refillable metal water bottle, but couldn't use it as the tap water is not safe to drink. Most places sell water, but be aware of what you are buying. Make sure the bottles are new, fresh and safely sealed. I am pretty sure I bought a dodgy (old and refilled) bottle inside of Petra, and I was quite unwell afterwards. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Lastly, Jordan is an incredibly welcoming country. It is very poor and many things about it can be a little confronting (the litter, the tent homes on remote roadsides, and the condition that some of the animals are kept in), but the Jordanian people are some of the most hospitable people on earth. They won't hesitate to invite you into their homes for tea, or assist you when your vehicle gets stuck down a particularly acute drop off the side of the road. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOt3zPfVTfOq_jkFSUIOJSoFiylmjo1V4A0lZWH8NYwG2lVFkKGLKJT5n3pR9aiT5L3GBaIqP1xt1_Wk8n_c_PQ2RvaXz4quPP8JxmIT-sgKfaDWFK1HDmDTdFffenFC1INcrLI-FX56nm/s1600/Jordan+part+1.16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOt3zPfVTfOq_jkFSUIOJSoFiylmjo1V4A0lZWH8NYwG2lVFkKGLKJT5n3pR9aiT5L3GBaIqP1xt1_Wk8n_c_PQ2RvaXz4quPP8JxmIT-sgKfaDWFK1HDmDTdFffenFC1INcrLI-FX56nm/s400/Jordan+part+1.16.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Typical remote tent(s) of shepherding family.</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Kate</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I will cover the likes of Jerash, Petra, and the Dead Sea in further posts.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Our Haystackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090417545285533251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851930680004468736.post-33118762148606473112018-07-15T16:57:00.000+01:002018-07-15T17:09:28.151+01:00Summer reading<div style="text-align: center;">
My intentions are always to read more books. Just recently I was musing out loud to Alex that there must be a word in the English language for that slightly anxious feeling you get deep down in your stomach when you think of all the beautiful books that exist in the world that you will never have enough lifetime to read...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJPb2ZJHtpxXubZRgouKVp1S_kXWw47T2oIm9fLPim0ARTqMpg4ECtbfF6WNvgyKmXTrnRDUztHasdlVBE1F-dj63VDaOVRwQNDuTOflc_TJysB3RU9MfLozHZwfqU37mIKZ_N7SihoK9/s1600/reading.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJPb2ZJHtpxXubZRgouKVp1S_kXWw47T2oIm9fLPim0ARTqMpg4ECtbfF6WNvgyKmXTrnRDUztHasdlVBE1F-dj63VDaOVRwQNDuTOflc_TJysB3RU9MfLozHZwfqU37mIKZ_N7SihoK9/s400/reading.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
To which he replied something along the lines of, <i>"You big nerd."</i><br />
<br />
With all of that in mind, here's what I have recently read, am currently reading, and what I'd like to read in the coming months.<br />
<br />
I began the summer with <i>The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society</i>, and it might just be my favourite book so far this year. It's sweet, and delicate, and warm, and just so beautifully constructed. I finished it and immediately went to see the film which was just as lovely. I now have a burning desire to holiday in the Channel Islands and an unquenchable crush on Michiel Huisman who plays Dawsey in the film adaptation (He is similarly gorgeous in <i>The Age of Adaline </i>and <i>Irreplaceable You</i>).<br />
<br />
With good intentions to do a balmy evening walk in the Slad Valley this summer, I picked up Laurie Lee's classic homage to The Cotswolds, <i>Cider with Rosie, </i>but I must admit I have struggled to get really into it. It is lovely and nostalgic, with many funny anecdotes, but I am yet to finish it. I'll get there, it is an English classic afterall.<br />
<br />
Like almost everyone else this summer, I gobbled up Dolly Alderton's, <i>Everything I Know About Love </i>(not pictured)<i>, </i>in roughly 48 hours. It's an easy and very digestible read, and although she's the exact same age as me, we spent our twenties in very different ways! Dolly is funny and articulate, very vivacious in places, but with her own obvious insecurities. It's difficult not to like her and get <i>something </i>out of her memoir. I am looking forward to seeing Dolly talk at Calcot Manor later this month.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidzx1Y9OaIbFNkkkxTu8wTeLMV3yy66TWQOqYBGwbTaTPd9t1xeWVf65D78xhGrLOL20K1blwF3sLTMm1q38koWgDNITSBwAtpwSEY9jNfffH4FxyGfgZWRjwn40h-wOWytdAT8DeMvsnc/s1600/reading+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidzx1Y9OaIbFNkkkxTu8wTeLMV3yy66TWQOqYBGwbTaTPd9t1xeWVf65D78xhGrLOL20K1blwF3sLTMm1q38koWgDNITSBwAtpwSEY9jNfffH4FxyGfgZWRjwn40h-wOWytdAT8DeMvsnc/s400/reading+1.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Having been incredibly touched by <i>Me Before You </i>by JoJo Moyes a few years ago, I bought the sequel, <i>After You</i>, recently in a Bath charity shop. It took me a while to get fully absorbed in this book- I really wasn't expecting the plot to be what it is- but once I was perhaps a third of the way through I couldn't put it down. It's not moving in the same ways as the first novel, but it is rather enjoyable in a <i>fluffy literature </i>sort of way nevertheless.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Farm From Home </i>is incredibly visually appealing and I bought it because it celebrates the English countryside through each month of the year, seasonal living being something I am very taken by. Amanda Brooks takes lovely photographs, though I didn't think it was the most amazingly well written book. It is very much a memoir in the form of a coffee table book, (yes, I read <i>a lot </i>of memoirs) recounting her move from being a high flying New York fashion figure to life on her husband's family farm in Oxfordshire. Many people have highlighted that <i>Farm From Home </i>is a celebration of a life that is highly unattainable for most people, and it is, but there's earnestness in the pages too. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>The Worry Trick</i> is a rather practical guide to recognising how chronic worry can become part of some people's lives. I don't make a habit of reading "self help", but it is pretty insightful. Useful if you, like me, wonder where the line between acute worry and anxiety is exactly. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
And <i>The Worry Trick </i>may come in super handy because last night I started reading Joan Didion's gut-wrenching memoir, <i>The Year of Magical Thinking, </i>which contains one of my greatest fears- the unexpected loss of a spouse or loved one. For those unfamiliar with this very raw memoir, <i>The Year of Magical Thinking </i>details a particularly brutal chapter in Joan's life. A few days before Christmas 2003, Joan and her husband John witnessed their daughter fall seriously ill, being placed in an induced coma and put on life support. Just before New Year's Eve, whilst their daughter was still hospitalised, John died very unexpectedly. I had a knot in my stomach before i'd even finished the second page. It is such a devastating read, but is so exquisitely well written. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">⧫</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
With summer only halfway done, my summer reading list is still very much under construction. I am keen to get my hands on a copy of <i>The Making of a Marchioness</i> by Frances Hodgson Burnett because I adore her children's fiction. And as I am visiting Jordan next month, I hope to read Her Majesty Queen Noor's memoir, <i>A Leap of Faith: Memoir of an Unexpected Life. </i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">⧫</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Other short and lovely things I've read include:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Bill Nighy's list of things that bring him delight, <a href="https://twitter.com/darrenrichman/status/772874695116984321?lang=en" target="_blank">HERE</a>. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This poem, below.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPAXVy9yjQ3lq5zfk9qk68jEU2cT2K0naVzcuRe_GbwgOOQgTdpWUSrb_PWEiwxV8MRE7seP-M1XaV1Wh5z3PXi5cOjNMM2D1bDesBg_s-Md4BSltNVcCqA8i0vW2ew9y-mSDJtSA781I3/s1600/d190e09233d5d5bbdee2a7ce49e353d7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="709" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPAXVy9yjQ3lq5zfk9qk68jEU2cT2K0naVzcuRe_GbwgOOQgTdpWUSrb_PWEiwxV8MRE7seP-M1XaV1Wh5z3PXi5cOjNMM2D1bDesBg_s-Md4BSltNVcCqA8i0vW2ew9y-mSDJtSA781I3/s400/d190e09233d5d5bbdee2a7ce49e353d7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
And this quote of unknown origin that sums up my existence with searing accuracy:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>"Getting emotional over fictional couples </i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>is not how I envisioned my adult life."</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
What are you reading and loving?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Kate x</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br /></div>
Our Haystackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090417545285533251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851930680004468736.post-70580249266373972762018-06-22T16:08:00.001+01:002018-06-22T16:37:54.949+01:00It is a truth universally acknowledged... <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
...that Jane Austen wrote some of English literature's most beloved novels. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
And last weekend we visited the heavenly village in which most of those novels were written and sent out into the world to be published (and still read, quoted and adored 200 years later).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVkjcWRCiDQfJqo1khv1MZg-f6GyN86YcuQg_j18dyYvhE6FVfT68lBMpPutPzGTHJ7BG3F0m6zhocsudtoW7Ktzenfi1EanV_IqneZ3uyHIP5ej52VSLGfXOdZr-vKPiZzDUGWNV7YD1Y/s1600/Chawton+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVkjcWRCiDQfJqo1khv1MZg-f6GyN86YcuQg_j18dyYvhE6FVfT68lBMpPutPzGTHJ7BG3F0m6zhocsudtoW7Ktzenfi1EanV_IqneZ3uyHIP5ej52VSLGfXOdZr-vKPiZzDUGWNV7YD1Y/s640/Chawton+4.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
That village is the picturesque Chawton, where roses ramble up Hampshire-brick cottages and the village cat is called Marmite. He is known to every household as he visits each in turn every morning for his breakfast.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1dd_n3j_3Q60md18Ymr7rrcwwvgOdD5ntxOeqKn8zaDWU_wGJQpy0GJbiZhTXYsiQqDfaWRUuwi1PYO6f2j_Sr7gHo44GyOseTxbIKwiRr1fwhqresXljZjwb4dT55b-yqV-lC7zSkTn2/s1600/Chawton+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1dd_n3j_3Q60md18Ymr7rrcwwvgOdD5ntxOeqKn8zaDWU_wGJQpy0GJbiZhTXYsiQqDfaWRUuwi1PYO6f2j_Sr7gHo44GyOseTxbIKwiRr1fwhqresXljZjwb4dT55b-yqV-lC7zSkTn2/s640/Chawton+1.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Jane came to live in Chawton, in the South Downs National Park, after her father died. Jane and her sister Cassandra were rendered socially and financially vulnerable upon his death, so moved to the shelter of a cottage (below) on the Chawton House Estate, owned by their wealthy brother, Edward. That cottage is now The Jane Austen House Museum, visited by hundreds of thousands of people each year. The cottage is beautiful and has some of the most profoundly important objects relating to the life and legacy of Jane Austen on display, not least the very writing table on which she wrote and reworked most of her published works. It is quite the experience.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmQKbIka2o2B510rLRZcJwLNqsUG4x0WZIh5-YJ7EjhfDNjEB0_eYUc8uHKLcmQtenMoe_-1HN7boBlb_9P-oGq5e7wYudhYuRXJt4rA9o46h553LJ9Ww3GR0r68NkiV7yRnlk4fG6zJbo/s1600/Chawton+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmQKbIka2o2B510rLRZcJwLNqsUG4x0WZIh5-YJ7EjhfDNjEB0_eYUc8uHKLcmQtenMoe_-1HN7boBlb_9P-oGq5e7wYudhYuRXJt4rA9o46h553LJ9Ww3GR0r68NkiV7yRnlk4fG6zJbo/s640/Chawton+2.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1j8pi0-cTE1pzFT1LQS2Ciul1pjMPznANjg3n76EQTr86gGtJl1RptX96ztRSt29STrgnAfHxtXEJHMRUEP4b1ZoihyphenhyphenTtqr3tYTTlxV4VpQRO80JpMv8zW4Z-9rRDAmL8OXz5cKHM3eWn/s1600/Chawton+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1j8pi0-cTE1pzFT1LQS2Ciul1pjMPznANjg3n76EQTr86gGtJl1RptX96ztRSt29STrgnAfHxtXEJHMRUEP4b1ZoihyphenhyphenTtqr3tYTTlxV4VpQRO80JpMv8zW4Z-9rRDAmL8OXz5cKHM3eWn/s640/Chawton+5.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Chawton Estate is beautiful. An Elizabethan Mansion, surrounded by the most verdant green countryside you could possible imagine. It is the quintessential English idyll. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVSEGbn1iTd9ri2UOel_K97Tw74ThEtZy_maIxJ-avqx9TwzCpRdGBnsf4Mi9h0QzKIfqcaUZuC9Vou6htRj6jwroZ5C0Cchoe8fo0xcenjI2U6BXQWzKKKYKVzMmdkcn6HwGymvzidj1N/s1600/Chawton+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVSEGbn1iTd9ri2UOel_K97Tw74ThEtZy_maIxJ-avqx9TwzCpRdGBnsf4Mi9h0QzKIfqcaUZuC9Vou6htRj6jwroZ5C0Cchoe8fo0xcenjI2U6BXQWzKKKYKVzMmdkcn6HwGymvzidj1N/s640/Chawton+6.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOzMBw-FsD35JToGeAepJMuja9ph3QMrVOq6g2K8qvdxCv-xhfzBIi_1rF411jMGC_gJ4Sq6aVAFAmdgYF-K2sHEaS4NsbJQG9JoZGj_KGSlKTS-0NYC03EZnjyE4axV0xPRL0uLWsl3NR/s1600/IMG_2484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOzMBw-FsD35JToGeAepJMuja9ph3QMrVOq6g2K8qvdxCv-xhfzBIi_1rF411jMGC_gJ4Sq6aVAFAmdgYF-K2sHEaS4NsbJQG9JoZGj_KGSlKTS-0NYC03EZnjyE4axV0xPRL0uLWsl3NR/s640/IMG_2484.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Inside, Jane is of course celebrated, but so are other female novelists. This year, as it is the 200th anniversary of Northanger Abbey, the gothic novel is the main focus. Chawton House is home to some of the most precious first edition and rare books in England, kept in a locked and climate controlled library, it is an exciting room to get a peek at. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9W3yfIdgv0vmZHyy1xqTxv604VzlyyiPUeraco89Sr7na0PCADVj98CHr3Z5EPvQFu8vU-sHBJly7IcE1kbFM0A6rbTb3ysU_8DOzh3Ik-D7e1TBnc1OWQc6fMf73FGfXpCsD3sQleNO/s1600/Chawton+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9W3yfIdgv0vmZHyy1xqTxv604VzlyyiPUeraco89Sr7na0PCADVj98CHr3Z5EPvQFu8vU-sHBJly7IcE1kbFM0A6rbTb3ysU_8DOzh3Ik-D7e1TBnc1OWQc6fMf73FGfXpCsD3sQleNO/s640/Chawton+7.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTTAEgLhD6HooY3Ok6rD7yj6Kp8vWkUpV3DYYLbfKuRmKsIjGQs9hpw9XJEYtVJb1uLH8alBaLDZhcc7arRSXY5rOBUAQwnxc5JSCSHDqTYN4xx5X1rF0MobQB1W9LOU9nN6rxux2-ocv/s1600/IMG_2470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTTAEgLhD6HooY3Ok6rD7yj6Kp8vWkUpV3DYYLbfKuRmKsIjGQs9hpw9XJEYtVJb1uLH8alBaLDZhcc7arRSXY5rOBUAQwnxc5JSCSHDqTYN4xx5X1rF0MobQB1W9LOU9nN6rxux2-ocv/s640/IMG_2470.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>The Jane Austen rose growing in the walled garden at Chawton House.</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Below is the parish church, situated on the estate, it is the burial place of Jane's mother and sister. Jane herself is buried in nearby Winchester Cathedral. Jane travelled to Winchester at the end of her life to be near a doctor due to her failing health. She never returned to Chawton, dying a short time later just a couple of doors away from the cathedral. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh75Mcc9ThsoBZNC7WW6TyQAgAF3DWnf9oY2wCGtork9BqPT7Lsac0EBu6F3y86XZsZy6HZscz5PMhIl6vCcEx66nls83D8-ZNduAc0lrFJl1NwptbdeGGGe6rfGbqvCsqvBEuDvtjXUG9h/s1600/Chawton+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh75Mcc9ThsoBZNC7WW6TyQAgAF3DWnf9oY2wCGtork9BqPT7Lsac0EBu6F3y86XZsZy6HZscz5PMhIl6vCcEx66nls83D8-ZNduAc0lrFJl1NwptbdeGGGe6rfGbqvCsqvBEuDvtjXUG9h/s400/Chawton+8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The bronze of Jane at the top of this post was commissioned to commemorate the 200th anniversary of her death. It was displayed next to her grave in Winchester Cathedral. The original 1817 plaque erected at her grave gave no mention of her novels, and her funeral was attended by only four people. Later, a second plaque was inscribed more fittingly,</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>'Jane Austen, known to many by her writings..'</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The most beautiful thing about Chawton, and indeed The Jane Austen House Museum, is that although it is a year-round tourist destination and a sort of Mecca for Austenites the world over, it does not feel at all touristy, gimmicky or commercialised. It so sympathetically and gently celebrates Jane's contribution to English literature and indeed popular culture. We arrived, entirely by coincidence, at the start of regency week, and even then the village was relatively quiet and devoid of unseemly commercialisation. Perhaps illustrating my point best is that the tickets you purchase to visit her cottage and her brother's estate are valid for a whole year. I can't think of anywhere else I have visited in England that is less mercenary than that!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVwfvIaYTqqF4tpbms7ZEZtez_ogTBuiDxgIQCCZFOBsCVhQVtaJeLcmjDLFdDBAhOPZ915ggT2SkMLWpRfE4uSIILXmFf9Mkw52Fm7cjas3V2tMYYwyyOxezkJ1oI4SlT1B53Q5Zw6FTq/s1600/Chawton+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVwfvIaYTqqF4tpbms7ZEZtez_ogTBuiDxgIQCCZFOBsCVhQVtaJeLcmjDLFdDBAhOPZ915ggT2SkMLWpRfE4uSIILXmFf9Mkw52Fm7cjas3V2tMYYwyyOxezkJ1oI4SlT1B53Q5Zw6FTq/s640/Chawton+9.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
And we, having had a small chunk of our hearts stolen by Hampshire and Chawton in particular, will certainly be back to take advantage of such a benevolent gesture.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Kate x</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Our Haystackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090417545285533251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851930680004468736.post-28619274055854144572018-06-09T14:34:00.002+01:002018-06-09T14:34:52.083+01:00The roses are here<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrtNynTXy5xVy9adhz4TuI4Fp3DpqcqzA-JXQRAQkRbYOc6IOPbfW5QBYjjsNbQKVaU94jT1ydedLHhkvF-0HhUXKFQqUcuCPBuiTSucrXCvf51j54iWSZM5stougVnXaM4CCWjWoER9Nn/s1600/The+first+Ancient+Mariner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrtNynTXy5xVy9adhz4TuI4Fp3DpqcqzA-JXQRAQkRbYOc6IOPbfW5QBYjjsNbQKVaU94jT1ydedLHhkvF-0HhUXKFQqUcuCPBuiTSucrXCvf51j54iWSZM5stougVnXaM4CCWjWoER9Nn/s640/The+first+Ancient+Mariner.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I have been watching hopefully,</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
and counting buds eagerly,</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
and excitedly anticipating</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
the roses blooming in my garden this year.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
And now they are here!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
These are the first snippings for this season. It is a DA rose named <i>The Ancient Mariner. </i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
And it smells as exquisite as it looks.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Kate x</div>
<br />Our Haystackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090417545285533251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851930680004468736.post-69145035732957017702018-05-28T17:12:00.001+01:002018-05-29T18:20:57.869+01:00The month of May<div style="text-align: center;">
In the British countryside, the month of May is best summed up as <i>abundant.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The verges and laneways are cloaked with dandelions that reach for the sky and lacy cow parsley that grows at a rate of knots. The hedgerows are filled with blossom, bluebells and a dozen more things I still can't name. Woodland undergrowth is a sea of wild garlic flowers and wild anemones. Agricultural crops are inching up, higher and higher each day. The perimeters of the fields are dotted with clouds of hawthorn in mid-blossom. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
After months of dormancy, everything unfurls, climbs and blooms all at once. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBthCZbwbPxVa8-VdwA9s6p2RpGvv6-NzVX92mbyPvZ2l-COjh85XnRrOSA6jNjbXNJQiCyAbdCDjXG56mYEUznUJKewWJgquuyRUXh1_YRtSWh3jCbfQ9yww8X1_ykwArJTwNqN1m4n5/s1600/IMG_0353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBthCZbwbPxVa8-VdwA9s6p2RpGvv6-NzVX92mbyPvZ2l-COjh85XnRrOSA6jNjbXNJQiCyAbdCDjXG56mYEUznUJKewWJgquuyRUXh1_YRtSWh3jCbfQ9yww8X1_ykwArJTwNqN1m4n5/s640/IMG_0353.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjeHC_-aonuKAywlEFwUDWfRcddnwtfhRv85dnN4EGtggsKaqxez5r96xKfFxMpa5tLalbqNtZbf_84poc5km7p0u0lO_L2Suj_VvaLU85IWkvC3dZ9KzT6Y4qA-TPdYonMzvs-5m6HcC/s1600/IMG_1752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjeHC_-aonuKAywlEFwUDWfRcddnwtfhRv85dnN4EGtggsKaqxez5r96xKfFxMpa5tLalbqNtZbf_84poc5km7p0u0lO_L2Suj_VvaLU85IWkvC3dZ9KzT6Y4qA-TPdYonMzvs-5m6HcC/s640/IMG_1752.JPG" width="425" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfjKzmrJT7p3NhQXhU4AiZj5coSqSGEjKXTfvPe0T4qjEXaokcOpggIa_-mFd9CPQ7N2ntYTcE7SQozpbH1CWO3Y9-iOccvmklyVACVWy5XsCyaeb7aJHZexQhYBwhHVb7rhZEVQQmNEXT/s1600/IMG_1807.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfjKzmrJT7p3NhQXhU4AiZj5coSqSGEjKXTfvPe0T4qjEXaokcOpggIa_-mFd9CPQ7N2ntYTcE7SQozpbH1CWO3Y9-iOccvmklyVACVWy5XsCyaeb7aJHZexQhYBwhHVb7rhZEVQQmNEXT/s640/IMG_1807.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3g5DFzcOU31YsCyaADtOp9MSPEfBzVpejqKbihofy-bYKSZCy3TqNQPpZt7s7Czw7nllWAZwkzSyD2VCnuXaoE_Fs0URzNzdxpt3biYvYmrKSXbHuRyXePQigRsgmFdfdRhVOQ5cAeXTZ/s1600/IMG_1886.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3g5DFzcOU31YsCyaADtOp9MSPEfBzVpejqKbihofy-bYKSZCy3TqNQPpZt7s7Czw7nllWAZwkzSyD2VCnuXaoE_Fs0URzNzdxpt3biYvYmrKSXbHuRyXePQigRsgmFdfdRhVOQ5cAeXTZ/s640/IMG_1886.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
After a long, bleak winter, you easily forget that England could be this green and fertile! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The sun has drenched the West Country all month long, sending crops and weeds alike hurtling ever skyward. The daylight and the birds softly begin around 4am, our thin linen drapes no match for their <i>early</i> morning enthusiasm. I really don't mind though. I relish the languid nature of this time of the year as British summertime stretches the days to their pinnacle; 17+ hours long. Going for post-supper walks in the warmth of the sinking sun is such a treat. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhEdLgvogorLWMlSvxO7Y6BExTnunPCTdBBuDCGvoH_ms8PVeefC_ZOkVfhh7626l-2YJCujxtFZTCwwbp5L36AHDTIVLqHCYQY6O-b3J63VBPRDk9627Jj6Ee1uAGLu0kxDeOmCNBVxWl/s1600/IMG_1932.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhEdLgvogorLWMlSvxO7Y6BExTnunPCTdBBuDCGvoH_ms8PVeefC_ZOkVfhh7626l-2YJCujxtFZTCwwbp5L36AHDTIVLqHCYQY6O-b3J63VBPRDk9627Jj6Ee1uAGLu0kxDeOmCNBVxWl/s400/IMG_1932.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I regularly pull on my wellies and squelch up my favourite local bridleway before wandering along a long forgotten cobbled Roman road running alongside lush, sheep dotted farmland. The Fosseway is close by and Roman history is well documented in this rural pocket at the junction of Wiltshire, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset. My route takes me across a Roman footbridge, though I usually eschew it for the opportunity to wade through the crystal clear water of the brook, giving my wellington boots a much-needed wash in the process. I walk home through the village, peering over garden gates to see what will be in flower next.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRdzVLHwN3xJm6RC6mMcrjWAjRmZzeWiTjnuxLyL0prE97FvAW9u5p9w6dHvCuOewra73OAFH4FOf1KjbKJX-_hLyzZ0L8HdJaBg-wlFYQsBlVGf7o1GbtBD1Pbg1zbpD-oLo4-_rzxS_/s1600/IMG_1947.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRdzVLHwN3xJm6RC6mMcrjWAjRmZzeWiTjnuxLyL0prE97FvAW9u5p9w6dHvCuOewra73OAFH4FOf1KjbKJX-_hLyzZ0L8HdJaBg-wlFYQsBlVGf7o1GbtBD1Pbg1zbpD-oLo4-_rzxS_/s640/IMG_1947.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwK3mSuPcEZWnX17XE-QsNmRNyr7zHY1U3ExSW1UzTcfhZHgI8dIPksJozqr-56RiJ-oYpGnH-IAPAIll5nrpFF0zrD6xxCzw8nqJtM-NIoGEEVUIQ6sxgLv5xAIPxoT2d6qLsjfD_5u5/s1600/IMG_2001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwK3mSuPcEZWnX17XE-QsNmRNyr7zHY1U3ExSW1UzTcfhZHgI8dIPksJozqr-56RiJ-oYpGnH-IAPAIll5nrpFF0zrD6xxCzw8nqJtM-NIoGEEVUIQ6sxgLv5xAIPxoT2d6qLsjfD_5u5/s640/IMG_2001.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAP3R6C8AeLwbV9SuTWMDat7P92krft8SeOez_IwgzZktoseIeCxzxQFvuIh-VwUAiiPwO0NTClZVqiyEKy4zg1Zi9zk-jQxzF8-tf1fDE1wbzsHnJ8YoNDy9gKFx8BJDiWpfLdOHhro6J/s1600/IMG_2031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAP3R6C8AeLwbV9SuTWMDat7P92krft8SeOez_IwgzZktoseIeCxzxQFvuIh-VwUAiiPwO0NTClZVqiyEKy4zg1Zi9zk-jQxzF8-tf1fDE1wbzsHnJ8YoNDy9gKFx8BJDiWpfLdOHhro6J/s640/IMG_2031.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0_hwfAF-i2r-DFh1gbtNOFawV-wlO0cuzYXMTWBaDgVoAgMW7yn00UPwNgBdVryWDgm1gujvBTJFTU-Gb0ivdxBidi0-ME-ule0WKgAnWFpcrSbb0YkqB52WGXmaq1ydPUGdyYrzTR-w8/s1600/IMG_2056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0_hwfAF-i2r-DFh1gbtNOFawV-wlO0cuzYXMTWBaDgVoAgMW7yn00UPwNgBdVryWDgm1gujvBTJFTU-Gb0ivdxBidi0-ME-ule0WKgAnWFpcrSbb0YkqB52WGXmaq1ydPUGdyYrzTR-w8/s640/IMG_2056.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
As May draws to a close, I see roses blooming around cottage windows, foxgloves outstripping dandelions and hot-pink valerian sprouting from the crevices in stone walls. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Which means only one thing, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
summer is nigh.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate x</div>
Our Haystackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090417545285533251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851930680004468736.post-18511216145050998412018-05-07T12:13:00.000+01:002018-05-07T12:29:37.541+01:00Country pursuits<div style="text-align: center;">
The warm weather has graced us at long last! Summer may have actually leap frogged spring and arrived early this year. Not that anyone minds. The whole country seems collectively drunk on sunshine and long languid days outdoors sipping Pimms.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
We feel especially lucky to have been gifted a bank holiday weekend filled to the brim with uninterrupted sun and temperatures above 23 degrees C! The English summer is punctuated by showers and wholly unfair temperature dips even at the best of times, so this weather is throughly welcome and embraced (pink nose and shoulders attest to that). </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8k_3-NZdQleuCrPFINdpRPB_hyphenhyphenVoprhHNTaGVuZkTBp4DtVOt-I7-K0hhhQA0hTBHNM7-WsdTQeH1fFA_Pr9y0jAVEf1BOUkTPzTy9CFyEFVeRuP-Koebk-US3euXtbPeN-F4TcFjtKr/s1600/Sunbursts+on+the+golf+course.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8k_3-NZdQleuCrPFINdpRPB_hyphenhyphenVoprhHNTaGVuZkTBp4DtVOt-I7-K0hhhQA0hTBHNM7-WsdTQeH1fFA_Pr9y0jAVEf1BOUkTPzTy9CFyEFVeRuP-Koebk-US3euXtbPeN-F4TcFjtKr/s640/Sunbursts+on+the+golf+course.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
We've been outside almost non-stop. Tea drinking in the garden, Pimms at the village pub, and post-supper walks in the woodland; which are carpeted in frothy wild garlic flowers and that very particular blue hue that belongs entirely to English bluebells. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
It feels like heaven on Earth.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrgS29PtKpUq5htJAeAABAsBzF71fe6Xs-cBeUe8OxAphEFZJbUlYaNd7h7PmsUatUwjWi8vBbb2FvMhDgtNNYGo_0PZDEJuf29yBIIEPYdA9mhvsDZe7skTXHaoDrZGtZrQrnRpQudvEX/s1600/Bluebell+patch+by+the+farm+wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrgS29PtKpUq5htJAeAABAsBzF71fe6Xs-cBeUe8OxAphEFZJbUlYaNd7h7PmsUatUwjWi8vBbb2FvMhDgtNNYGo_0PZDEJuf29yBIIEPYdA9mhvsDZe7skTXHaoDrZGtZrQrnRpQudvEX/s640/Bluebell+patch+by+the+farm+wall.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rM3X0QLKU0BlmKF4EnDHVAxzLpE837ivx1tIQ0oPDoFA3DyAIYQUV_P_6AKGqzOgmktGbJaAZHOfzKgY2M8alAt2qrdIIy9wDWc8zVbCJCXHqnCB3IKnjD-cw8ajzfKt4xcVck2c9EZx/s1600/Frothy+wild+garlic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rM3X0QLKU0BlmKF4EnDHVAxzLpE837ivx1tIQ0oPDoFA3DyAIYQUV_P_6AKGqzOgmktGbJaAZHOfzKgY2M8alAt2qrdIIy9wDWc8zVbCJCXHqnCB3IKnjD-cw8ajzfKt4xcVck2c9EZx/s640/Frothy+wild+garlic.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
We attended the last day of Badminton Horse Trials yesterday where I was overcome with a sudden urge to curate the perfect country lady wardrobe consisting of all things tweed, forthwith adorning every outfit with pheasant & mallard feathered brooches. The deeper I get into life in rural England the less ridiculous I feel about owning a felt fedora or a third pair of wellington boots.<br />
I have found my bliss in the English countryside, and now I need the wardrobe to match! Or perhaps it's the sunstroke fuelling a sartorial quarter-life crisis. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_q1vaKH48TFE4yQCOpGTyczhx46Txkx6ogdW4lj5xVpz926s0BWpM0p4BLhLJfJjuyaZd5JoP8vnW3rDOJIFgET_ai90syu-8f2ADZ6tVCTZ13y8LXfE_0OrzY3_gRBN5G5IEptRbrSO0/s1600/Sunny+garden+evenings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_q1vaKH48TFE4yQCOpGTyczhx46Txkx6ogdW4lj5xVpz926s0BWpM0p4BLhLJfJjuyaZd5JoP8vnW3rDOJIFgET_ai90syu-8f2ADZ6tVCTZ13y8LXfE_0OrzY3_gRBN5G5IEptRbrSO0/s640/Sunny+garden+evenings.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
However you're enjoying these long and light filled days on the cusp of true British summertime, have a Pimms for me.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Kate x</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Our Haystackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090417545285533251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851930680004468736.post-76592450527404265132018-04-11T12:19:00.000+01:002018-04-11T12:24:02.167+01:00April showers<div style="text-align: center;">
If April showers do indeed bring May flowers, the west country should resemble a flower farm come next month. So far April has been a soggy wash out, which feels doubly unfair seeing as March was punctuated by unseasonably cold temperatures and multiple snowfalls.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdwY9J74pUmRIskCNdEUMkFv46K3fTo4m4F5tNXGiErvG83_AKO2uW9Ol1SEP2EIUnRWExRZPsaWeqVhnTRAPGAu9zp7afxGsR8-P9DZH2JB4nTXN_UXctS2LlCAzyM3uffvZACpuElu2n/s1600/Home%252C+April.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdwY9J74pUmRIskCNdEUMkFv46K3fTo4m4F5tNXGiErvG83_AKO2uW9Ol1SEP2EIUnRWExRZPsaWeqVhnTRAPGAu9zp7afxGsR8-P9DZH2JB4nTXN_UXctS2LlCAzyM3uffvZACpuElu2n/s640/Home%252C+April.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Despite a slow start, my garden is finally blooming with life. The daffodils and narcissus are opening their cheery smiling faces. An overgrown forsythia has burst with bright sunshine yellow blossom. The flowering currant is heavy with flowers as well as raindrops. And my tulips are not far behind.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXr8yC2GecAgDbWf0OMtv8wWEGkhmPsmoq7F0wCb9eRBDDJ-A54Hk0wik72qE-B1dZC8Mr0yDASjIfbu8DqGRWhd2Vnys3CZzqA3MglYOyb9Sy2w2uzRqyI17C-6DexGQquR20pF8vh0MT/s1600/My+first+daffs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXr8yC2GecAgDbWf0OMtv8wWEGkhmPsmoq7F0wCb9eRBDDJ-A54Hk0wik72qE-B1dZC8Mr0yDASjIfbu8DqGRWhd2Vnys3CZzqA3MglYOyb9Sy2w2uzRqyI17C-6DexGQquR20pF8vh0MT/s640/My+first+daffs.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
But the mud!!! The mud is never ending. Oh, what i'd give for a lovely boot room to contain wet coats and muddy wellies in...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Even a porch would suffice. Unfortunately for my floors, we step straight from outdoors into the kitchen in our home. With no where dry or covered to remove shoes and coats other than the kitchen, it has been quite a long winter trying to keep the floors clean. I shouldn't moan. I wouldn't swap countryside living for (almost) anything. I adore being able to pull on wellies and seconds later be stomping through the woodland or splashing up the lane to get eggs at the farm gate. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Mud is simply a close companion to country life. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I know this very well. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Now. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
But the first time after we moved here and my new friend asked if I wanted to go for a walk, I stupidly pulled on my active wear and laced up my trainers. I really did think she would be similarly attired. Moments before she arrived at my front door I came to my senses and changed into jeans & wellies. Context is everything. I wasn't going for walks around the leafy suburban streets of the lower north shore in Sydney anymore. No! The paths I now walked were made entirely of mud. A couple of minutes later she knocked on my front door wearing Le Cheameau's and I knew I'd come very close to looking like a clueless townie playing at country pursuits.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Jeans + wool jumper + wellies. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
That's my uniform now. Such is living in the English countryside.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate x</div>
Our Haystackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090417545285533251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851930680004468736.post-45308487273649624242018-03-06T09:52:00.001+00:002018-03-06T09:56:21.362+00:00The beast from the east<div style="text-align: center;">
On Thursday of last week it began to snow. It was bitterly cold (the air temperature felt like -14 according to the weather report) and the snow kept falling. By Thursday night the roads were becoming icy and dangerous. And still the snow kept coming, blown in by a freezing and relentless wind from the east. The fountain outside the manor house froze, and ice clumps began to form on the branches of willow trees as they trailed in the swirling sub-zero water of the brook.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQAmwKBuwCuzWX49ItUhdjAFLO0cKnnwjFDLWjgiVONf3DQDry1zGIAO1gdyw4BtbUxeUg6gTXfBGWjFdPh3PFB6Zvy1gi2tBBG0zLEEI-mpIkspnV6_AnpQtdP4oPy3nu6j0xgwC5Er_a/s1600/IMG_9228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQAmwKBuwCuzWX49ItUhdjAFLO0cKnnwjFDLWjgiVONf3DQDry1zGIAO1gdyw4BtbUxeUg6gTXfBGWjFdPh3PFB6Zvy1gi2tBBG0zLEEI-mpIkspnV6_AnpQtdP4oPy3nu6j0xgwC5Er_a/s640/IMG_9228.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Heaven knows what happened in the darkness of Thursday night, because by Friday morning England was buried in snow drifts and the whole country stopped. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We have two ways in and out of our village, one was utterly impassable, the snow had gathered between the hedges and buried the lane in snow drifts. The other steep road out was blanketed in snow and ice that only 4x4 cars could manage to get up. And so, we were snowed in for over 24 hours. Snowed in, but happy.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY1CPozppdwaJVG5Ga8xfTFEA-I2a33JjewvAUG-RmhbYXbX2Sg8Yr8hs1ZEps60Fcjkj7JKlqHGSzojXnQ3RvlqldnMMLCYaK8g2YWmppmNRWxSBudlPkO7VxZc5o93Pcivsk_Vht5f64/s1600/In+the+brook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY1CPozppdwaJVG5Ga8xfTFEA-I2a33JjewvAUG-RmhbYXbX2Sg8Yr8hs1ZEps60Fcjkj7JKlqHGSzojXnQ3RvlqldnMMLCYaK8g2YWmppmNRWxSBudlPkO7VxZc5o93Pcivsk_Vht5f64/s400/In+the+brook.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmuFPcSHf8SJ_ANZ7QyP5o-0UytcDlEFUZuGNkA-DwRIqIlz-IGTYlpAbcotoKJXKDk53LIvSI6ZReb3MXXSzbAV1ksNzK1RT8tLV3loN5jYzIgSUaOOoOJZ24OxgiUx9wlgKOaBD7qm6l/s1600/The+beast+from+the+east+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmuFPcSHf8SJ_ANZ7QyP5o-0UytcDlEFUZuGNkA-DwRIqIlz-IGTYlpAbcotoKJXKDk53LIvSI6ZReb3MXXSzbAV1ksNzK1RT8tLV3loN5jYzIgSUaOOoOJZ24OxgiUx9wlgKOaBD7qm6l/s640/The+beast+from+the+east+2.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLxspMRDS5o205Ns6wP94T5A0RkUuZxxx5Qam7F_MuPnVLYviOSFcQDPY5ksPcakvdKafoozAKBb7-RhGTZN3vXYMvA0_3xMevcDzNVD8A3vLLecr_4fxpTmx0Io9OuXPouQh-qZMoNWzf/s1600/March+2nd+snow+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLxspMRDS5o205Ns6wP94T5A0RkUuZxxx5Qam7F_MuPnVLYviOSFcQDPY5ksPcakvdKafoozAKBb7-RhGTZN3vXYMvA0_3xMevcDzNVD8A3vLLecr_4fxpTmx0Io9OuXPouQh-qZMoNWzf/s640/March+2nd+snow+1.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmWRwuBuLXeYGuDeJWigs35i9xxQYlAkl8H7Bx-dj01hwowvEd6G30wyEPmipXv-7lPgTSFdW9AXQAFb-yRWF8UxgUP_QKpW9VU9oG8I_k72Nn5XyIlMwKNb_A1dllk4ft9AeZSLMgREGU/s1600/March+2nd+snow+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmWRwuBuLXeYGuDeJWigs35i9xxQYlAkl8H7Bx-dj01hwowvEd6G30wyEPmipXv-7lPgTSFdW9AXQAFb-yRWF8UxgUP_QKpW9VU9oG8I_k72Nn5XyIlMwKNb_A1dllk4ft9AeZSLMgREGU/s640/March+2nd+snow+3.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-aa5P0UzaTJfmE-_HVw8VqmNlfWtNLSdCjE-Yq5oQGUKhmfzIe42ABJZgc2PPxSc51u0nAEeYC8y5aPqcwhqw8PbCwQJfSzjPkOuaaXopnxf9qMNzV2P-iUZoDs-CqojokF1mSg7sZQvR/s1600/March+2nd+snow+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-aa5P0UzaTJfmE-_HVw8VqmNlfWtNLSdCjE-Yq5oQGUKhmfzIe42ABJZgc2PPxSc51u0nAEeYC8y5aPqcwhqw8PbCwQJfSzjPkOuaaXopnxf9qMNzV2P-iUZoDs-CqojokF1mSg7sZQvR/s640/March+2nd+snow+5.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi97iGHuKhKAXS1dNlbjLX1HcolKBdvHjJ_JinAuhjAYP760rIMqYK75C7kiv2tPQ_B-fKGYD5mjBq0uQSuYH7eqCrus24R_bKuKEykt4pxtlPDqhIZ7tSR4UKUhBoOmYwMyM9CnYVyWHby/s1600/March+2nd+snow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi97iGHuKhKAXS1dNlbjLX1HcolKBdvHjJ_JinAuhjAYP760rIMqYK75C7kiv2tPQ_B-fKGYD5mjBq0uQSuYH7eqCrus24R_bKuKEykt4pxtlPDqhIZ7tSR4UKUhBoOmYwMyM9CnYVyWHby/s640/March+2nd+snow.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAksLHoY7D8x4h-7f_93R8E8CCjtFJPLPPKJFBixvzc46nViNs3EZo9Y__Y-gkg0V639E7wJe59102VFoN37sqLz18OAXW672_aw9jUKe60-eBuKWAD3n-s0Z-J4SoWpW3OVery_1oQoCl/s1600/Robin+in+the+snow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAksLHoY7D8x4h-7f_93R8E8CCjtFJPLPPKJFBixvzc46nViNs3EZo9Y__Y-gkg0V639E7wJe59102VFoN37sqLz18OAXW672_aw9jUKe60-eBuKWAD3n-s0Z-J4SoWpW3OVery_1oQoCl/s640/Robin+in+the+snow.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXwLhlT3WilmXyGMRPlFyJbA-NLJcFF7nHH4jlBQbB0xeQJZ8PIWi_2qW5Xk2tsm4jzWDa9W4RCt_XndKXBJtOL7b_tkxFcV8fbLHEcnep3P4Ni8J8QE1aKJ_0zP9m0oddGApgAjvG5u_6/s1600/Snowy+village+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXwLhlT3WilmXyGMRPlFyJbA-NLJcFF7nHH4jlBQbB0xeQJZ8PIWi_2qW5Xk2tsm4jzWDa9W4RCt_XndKXBJtOL7b_tkxFcV8fbLHEcnep3P4Ni8J8QE1aKJ_0zP9m0oddGApgAjvG5u_6/s640/Snowy+village+1.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2cjfW8cfqEYNqH4H13L4oM-opSSDvZNCpx131y8TaSWFQJfWr0sEEBt-Pk1KjUUtG15W0lq0UJpsQWLMx1JZlFqEh2_NVnbGIeSRjuCHsWcqdhDVZZYAr43tPdokOycUEZIayKk9yE53P/s1600/Snowy+village+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2cjfW8cfqEYNqH4H13L4oM-opSSDvZNCpx131y8TaSWFQJfWr0sEEBt-Pk1KjUUtG15W0lq0UJpsQWLMx1JZlFqEh2_NVnbGIeSRjuCHsWcqdhDVZZYAr43tPdokOycUEZIayKk9yE53P/s640/Snowy+village+2.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6uONAaYTaEvSMK1tMByAzmVROMvM618XLiV5A6FKRX31KpHJfLqs7vHIMvhhGfiBUPAw1gl_JEbjv_RY5RiAKXB9Lw0XZGkLzkfPRfMhqualHZsII917bkw0PwA4lPMZGFVQY-L55Ptq/s1600/Snowy+village+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6uONAaYTaEvSMK1tMByAzmVROMvM618XLiV5A6FKRX31KpHJfLqs7vHIMvhhGfiBUPAw1gl_JEbjv_RY5RiAKXB9Lw0XZGkLzkfPRfMhqualHZsII917bkw0PwA4lPMZGFVQY-L55Ptq/s640/Snowy+village+3.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB20nC2JBer0-IdVRHGRuHn0YMvBqA1PET3M6QMr3JnNh6aVoYt8Gwjsi0ot1omHTeOKvzktHva2NJCCkBcpwDLfRYFFkqaLlfm3WD3IEo_1Z8A-coE-FydAowu3Gp0YktSza-kDz5TRGk/s1600/Snowy+village+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB20nC2JBer0-IdVRHGRuHn0YMvBqA1PET3M6QMr3JnNh6aVoYt8Gwjsi0ot1omHTeOKvzktHva2NJCCkBcpwDLfRYFFkqaLlfm3WD3IEo_1Z8A-coE-FydAowu3Gp0YktSza-kDz5TRGk/s640/Snowy+village+4.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1rKrrjX5LgIHZHVwAXZfsFccs9fy5nURsY2tqtUkonDHpqfLDu8SymtVvjX1ZMVNHVPVcSuxsP3xStq-GVwoJ9A3uErUir8caA9kJvR253D_BIi1oZRGl6y1_kfPrNgEPRG7DNFd20ssr/s1600/Snowy+village+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1rKrrjX5LgIHZHVwAXZfsFccs9fy5nURsY2tqtUkonDHpqfLDu8SymtVvjX1ZMVNHVPVcSuxsP3xStq-GVwoJ9A3uErUir8caA9kJvR253D_BIi1oZRGl6y1_kfPrNgEPRG7DNFd20ssr/s640/Snowy+village+5.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-CPEFhkOqvWsp_-qRjCTUQNxmppMaPTKcAvMFLGmQzCDYMUp2KLEoY9O0rixMueWuM3uHwpOsiApLfsoWIkSmVbwUtKGzvDGcojzPSIt1zdGVRblMm-HiJAnhCCq3m4KHR54vksU_5Whp/s1600/The+beast+from+the+east.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-CPEFhkOqvWsp_-qRjCTUQNxmppMaPTKcAvMFLGmQzCDYMUp2KLEoY9O0rixMueWuM3uHwpOsiApLfsoWIkSmVbwUtKGzvDGcojzPSIt1zdGVRblMm-HiJAnhCCq3m4KHR54vksU_5Whp/s640/The+beast+from+the+east.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
It was magical, even if we were trapped for a period of time, but now our thoughts are firmly on springtime warmth and the coming blossom.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Kate x</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
{Images are mine, please do not share without permission}.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Our Haystackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090417545285533251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851930680004468736.post-59236543495794429282018-03-01T08:36:00.001+00:002018-03-01T08:36:29.948+00:00Spring?<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Currently, the village looks like this. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPFUYA-mChejKAMWjRk1vJW0bbnMpGh3k6733QUZFpZ4ZtW7y0pob-3ubNQmQYYcVyFuOpXdrpf95Kb3buP7wYkDHtMIb37NthD8a3HaC5gws4Wmrt-V4WYxl-Eb-X5WBz-_rbCyLA21EN/s1600/March+1st+snow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPFUYA-mChejKAMWjRk1vJW0bbnMpGh3k6733QUZFpZ4ZtW7y0pob-3ubNQmQYYcVyFuOpXdrpf95Kb3buP7wYkDHtMIb37NthD8a3HaC5gws4Wmrt-V4WYxl-Eb-X5WBz-_rbCyLA21EN/s640/March+1st+snow.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
We're expecting a top day-time temperature of -2 today. And snow. Lots of snow. It seems strange that as the daffodils emerge with their bright yellow trumpet faces, snow will sweep in, bringing a Siberian wind chill with it. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Much of the UK is being battered by blizzards and freezing temperatures. Poor Scotland has been placed on a 'red weather alert'. Here in the Cotswolds the snow flurries have been coming and going for much of the week, never lasting long, but sending fat flakes swirling through the village just to remind us that it is in fact still winter for a couple of weeks yet.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3Y6t7PZAvv22eM7am3FL5NACsGmmhPgdtutGyY4B8W0UCzP9Wo36bKoACbOZVWYToWgakEPeuH6KL01FdEAYIAa6krMm6zATDUO4WFcXKyo-21OSe1lrOuWfvIlDEpriZr5Gp2_cIcfI/s1600/Tulips+in+the+dining+room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3Y6t7PZAvv22eM7am3FL5NACsGmmhPgdtutGyY4B8W0UCzP9Wo36bKoACbOZVWYToWgakEPeuH6KL01FdEAYIAa6krMm6zATDUO4WFcXKyo-21OSe1lrOuWfvIlDEpriZr5Gp2_cIcfI/s640/Tulips+in+the+dining+room.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
To counter the frigid temperatures outside, indoors vases are filled with any and all spring flowers I can get my hands on. Now that the snowdrops in the garden have finished flowering and flopped over there is a lull before the next spring bulbs will bloom. Cheap and cheerful supermarket flowers fill the temporary void quite nicely.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjss3aTxXmYPBva7sMKvmgKYCzmFUcPvfKyFGQBRKPBmYtrvjoMHtq1kKkymKaQiLjkyyq6DXjzDILUdNYzk6jt03g97l5M1lGKPaSL7LKXXSo9NBRbltHHjW3dYvLCuipvachdaUmP84jV/s1600/Tulips+close+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjss3aTxXmYPBva7sMKvmgKYCzmFUcPvfKyFGQBRKPBmYtrvjoMHtq1kKkymKaQiLjkyyq6DXjzDILUdNYzk6jt03g97l5M1lGKPaSL7LKXXSo9NBRbltHHjW3dYvLCuipvachdaUmP84jV/s640/Tulips+close+up.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
How severe this cold snap will be, and how long it will last is anyones guess. I hope it's not too long though, I'm starting to need to ration the firewood.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Stay warm,</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Kate x</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Our Haystackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090417545285533251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851930680004468736.post-80100586858576561652018-02-17T15:15:00.000+00:002018-02-17T15:15:40.718+00:00Muddy wellies and lent lilies<div style="text-align: center;">
My wellies might be the muddiest they've been since first treading on English soil, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
but yesterday I spotted daffodils in the dappled light of School Lane.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1soZ9X8sEHEh69kLA-bcuBPv98x_e8hXdPHKIqCdrW2SLaBm52hblF3xRwdchYxEXgF-lIovmKvMp4jg_tiZ_5GzriR_DuMlM300XHTzc9DUjSBRkkjhaQXfotCGuZDGxhNMZkDUuY0Yl/s1600/First+daffs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1soZ9X8sEHEh69kLA-bcuBPv98x_e8hXdPHKIqCdrW2SLaBm52hblF3xRwdchYxEXgF-lIovmKvMp4jg_tiZ_5GzriR_DuMlM300XHTzc9DUjSBRkkjhaQXfotCGuZDGxhNMZkDUuY0Yl/s640/First+daffs.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The European wild daffodil is also called the lent lily as it blooms concurrently with the lenten season. The smiling yellow faces of daffodils are such a welcome sight each year. Here in our village they cling to the damp banks of the brook, tall and proud, gazing at their reflection in the swirling water below them. I remember when we first moved here I really appreciated the great number of daffodils planted throughout this corner of Wiltshire. In just about every village we drove through, dense clumps of daffodils greeted us along the roadsides. To have the bright canary yellow colour spreading their cheer after a winter devoid of colour was such a joy to see. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Spring is starting to creep in, tinging the air with warmth and sunshine, unhurried, but growing in strength with each passing week. Even the chickens agree.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixRodJt3iTquu78jN6Qe-PiG0Y9jtkx2SkO4SMjSz8qu1xM7sPErAi5haL4UioQy9PrfPP6PMJ-pRBYzNQhcfq6-P5tLq9KVF79arOVlDVE9F3MlpA2nfPPNlhZgiZH1l8SIotzI6Vth6C/s1600/Spring+eggs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixRodJt3iTquu78jN6Qe-PiG0Y9jtkx2SkO4SMjSz8qu1xM7sPErAi5haL4UioQy9PrfPP6PMJ-pRBYzNQhcfq6-P5tLq9KVF79arOVlDVE9F3MlpA2nfPPNlhZgiZH1l8SIotzI6Vth6C/s640/Spring+eggs.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
More and more often my wanders up the lane to the farm gate are rewarded with fresh speckled eggs. Never uniform, but always eliciting a smile from me.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Kate x</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Our Haystackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090417545285533251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851930680004468736.post-40612275780282475832018-02-13T12:47:00.002+00:002018-02-13T16:48:10.380+00:00Yew trees and snowdrops<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxCczrO4FKUPJHcHhAbPuednVsd7zSciBZwGJwiYBPPO6vwg7-0VKL-Qq7ktIyTkesr4hAcfiEjLQaLhQpVZSAEJSYrhfsjM-wwpwGPOlLnAwEkN834QQUHqHjvuWCzLVbpD2xGBCmTBJ5/s1600/Painswick+high+street.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxCczrO4FKUPJHcHhAbPuednVsd7zSciBZwGJwiYBPPO6vwg7-0VKL-Qq7ktIyTkesr4hAcfiEjLQaLhQpVZSAEJSYrhfsjM-wwpwGPOlLnAwEkN834QQUHqHjvuWCzLVbpD2xGBCmTBJ5/s640/Painswick+high+street.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Painswick had been on my 'to visit' list for well over a year. I'd been patiently waiting for snowdrop season to come around again before making the trip up into Cotswold heartland. Painswick is a handsome village, beautifully situated in the verdant Cotswold Hills, with renowned walking routes on the doorstep and stunning countryside views. She is the undisputed 'Queen of the Cotswolds'. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOlQ56QOMCktEnsPLK2rZof-Vy9nxPYX95RDuiuWGUFXFuKiE4cSvo6aEzavgxIKmOvwSm_C7MCl46RW_rAKG-29FVx7rkdX2xtvE42NDdpCdpLzcilWe91o7j9biYIrJaC2W53aHXBLH3/s1600/Painswick+Rococo+Garden+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOlQ56QOMCktEnsPLK2rZof-Vy9nxPYX95RDuiuWGUFXFuKiE4cSvo6aEzavgxIKmOvwSm_C7MCl46RW_rAKG-29FVx7rkdX2xtvE42NDdpCdpLzcilWe91o7j9biYIrJaC2W53aHXBLH3/s640/Painswick+Rococo+Garden+1.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGTmoaNXrM3uVpcz1nCkjQpdZemgEOQ4lVCv9wgEPa2xStL47mZdUzJODhKjtigWb3Adex8nf8QQz4EF3ok0-FsdIqf0kNMJO0Ki4Mynt25PfbZLZgC2kdHoRDB41916DGk7oESaHbYNct/s1600/More+Rococo+Garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGTmoaNXrM3uVpcz1nCkjQpdZemgEOQ4lVCv9wgEPa2xStL47mZdUzJODhKjtigWb3Adex8nf8QQz4EF3ok0-FsdIqf0kNMJO0Ki4Mynt25PfbZLZgC2kdHoRDB41916DGk7oESaHbYNct/s640/More+Rococo+Garden.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix3LEapyaSIL1Xc7yWnELJqx55Cs5nj5GOHzxwuiUWD6BvpDlTxni112DiPa597ezRPea0APqPbbAFr0qkS2359Esh_-w05O5Yo36i2EK0u5J9k7_1bNI6YU-PwKJpANxQXM7CcHr4EKkk/s1600/Duck+pond.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix3LEapyaSIL1Xc7yWnELJqx55Cs5nj5GOHzxwuiUWD6BvpDlTxni112DiPa597ezRPea0APqPbbAFr0qkS2359Esh_-w05O5Yo36i2EK0u5J9k7_1bNI6YU-PwKJpANxQXM7CcHr4EKkk/s640/Duck+pond.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Our main focus on this trip was seeing the famous snowdrop display at Painswick Rococo Garden. An impressive carpet comprised of millions & millions of tiny white blooms cascaded down slopes and spread through the wooded undergrowth of the garden. But unexpectedly, it was the yew trees in the churchyard of St Mary's that emerged as the highlight of our visit.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjySV-8pfEDrsuhoF9FOzrAtGWh5E_9-BwEO57asv2uXHh-w1596bDcK9ggfDWP6dkH4eJurOOwabk2WCB0v8ZqG1LWEIVtMu-GC8ZrB744eqwzhRGYHCOD5lozw24NW0dHzv7KbqWQfv4g/s1600/Yews+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjySV-8pfEDrsuhoF9FOzrAtGWh5E_9-BwEO57asv2uXHh-w1596bDcK9ggfDWP6dkH4eJurOOwabk2WCB0v8ZqG1LWEIVtMu-GC8ZrB744eqwzhRGYHCOD5lozw24NW0dHzv7KbqWQfv4g/s640/Yews+6.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqcslYTwEqXv_Gua2XSsEOidCu3Jh3tUd_r0yEG2M40GEeYP7_CAcMklSctHLE4dTczvt0K8IXAfJJ5J4yqX8OlxKcOAZ1Q3ZMSUQD1I-Z8XHbwO7jVKmK786R5_5XNjBZTlUXxiwzvQv-/s1600/Yews+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqcslYTwEqXv_Gua2XSsEOidCu3Jh3tUd_r0yEG2M40GEeYP7_CAcMklSctHLE4dTczvt0K8IXAfJJ5J4yqX8OlxKcOAZ1Q3ZMSUQD1I-Z8XHbwO7jVKmK786R5_5XNjBZTlUXxiwzvQv-/s640/Yews+2.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh00_t5wnpraJoOv9AAoX8tOovVlXydlOW4wr0yJp5lyS16IHtB3CCjaYmN5gJPW8ECEB9coerRXUKhmjPbBjxJd4ZXBVU75pUoEg14BIWQtOHTStXi8FtxT3uN0bNrHeA9k0YU-fkuoATV/s1600/Yews+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh00_t5wnpraJoOv9AAoX8tOovVlXydlOW4wr0yJp5lyS16IHtB3CCjaYmN5gJPW8ECEB9coerRXUKhmjPbBjxJd4ZXBVU75pUoEg14BIWQtOHTStXi8FtxT3uN0bNrHeA9k0YU-fkuoATV/s640/Yews+3.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Q1AvHY5PQXyRS-vvaSm9aWgw0HjXluY71jhbZTkoL9OtPSTzCqi59JvI2j5b713wvC9d89SF5ToUvcbcxx6YQR363p7bfj8M55DV-1kKvaR3Unicv3OyfjQfnbEkAlxBpm9Mtf-CsJjp/s1600/Yews+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Q1AvHY5PQXyRS-vvaSm9aWgw0HjXluY71jhbZTkoL9OtPSTzCqi59JvI2j5b713wvC9d89SF5ToUvcbcxx6YQR363p7bfj8M55DV-1kKvaR3Unicv3OyfjQfnbEkAlxBpm9Mtf-CsJjp/s640/Yews+4.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ISFG_6sEC9oJUCcQwEsU12umZktZckBuXu9pOlI1WoSf8YpUtr0vPMyLpDIeTUvCQU5tg8tAtl_YAIkWZzn4bQxmg3sfuGbBdcKkHdsQq2gEJCACaNBtgdPVOl20gqT4JOglqpmhdiIJ/s1600/Yews+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ISFG_6sEC9oJUCcQwEsU12umZktZckBuXu9pOlI1WoSf8YpUtr0vPMyLpDIeTUvCQU5tg8tAtl_YAIkWZzn4bQxmg3sfuGbBdcKkHdsQq2gEJCACaNBtgdPVOl20gqT4JOglqpmhdiIJ/s640/Yews+5.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
For a long time, 99 yew trees grew in this churchyard, and according to legend if a hundredth tree was to be planted the devil would destroy it. At the turn of the new millennium every parish in the diocese of Gloucester was presented with a yew tree to plant to mark the occasion. Parish officials faced a dilemma... </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Painswick was chosen to host the blessing of these trees as they were handed out to the various parishes. The 100th tree was planted at the start of the new millennium and, contrary to the often cited legend, is growing well. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The trees are clipped every September, producing in excess of 2 tonnes of yew clippings. These clippings are actually used in the manufacture of an anti-cancer drug, specialist contractors are employed to process the clippings.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCl15AcIoiY-8kSBezmkiHx7reuIhp4qy-DNgGEghn4MZ9E07X12TvLr6hF1_3ys5JUmtmw_SaBBpTRztLuwosI-veOPRpY9qKyDrSibYnEsd3RTvC0IRNP03xJ4DYFjYLCImXD_2pHhe8/s1600/IMG_9032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCl15AcIoiY-8kSBezmkiHx7reuIhp4qy-DNgGEghn4MZ9E07X12TvLr6hF1_3ys5JUmtmw_SaBBpTRztLuwosI-veOPRpY9qKyDrSibYnEsd3RTvC0IRNP03xJ4DYFjYLCImXD_2pHhe8/s400/IMG_9032.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUC4jM4i5S_6TMfM6njXyKC3VAeJEnM6Y38UuJpZY8xaxPUbV2Nnda2ih7XNbiVCGtfHVxHiFNr3npdCs4JceO5MyCSuf9dk24qDGHoNC9Dcniu1X8AqCu7qHI-MTX8xDs2pAQ3sMilxbE/s1600/IMG_9020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUC4jM4i5S_6TMfM6njXyKC3VAeJEnM6Y38UuJpZY8xaxPUbV2Nnda2ih7XNbiVCGtfHVxHiFNr3npdCs4JceO5MyCSuf9dk24qDGHoNC9Dcniu1X8AqCu7qHI-MTX8xDs2pAQ3sMilxbE/s400/IMG_9020.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I look forward to a return visit one day, hopefully in late spring when the Cotswold Way is lush and overgrown with wildflowers and the day light stretches late into the evening. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Kate x</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Our Haystackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090417545285533251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851930680004468736.post-43197265856491538422018-02-09T17:48:00.000+00:002018-02-15T08:03:53.315+00:00A secret garden<div style="text-align: center;">
A garden unfurls its secrets month by month, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
as the seasons blossom, then ebb away.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">“And the secret garden bloomed and bloomed </span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">and every morning revealed new miracles.” </span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"> </span><a class="authorOrTitle" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2041.Frances_Hodgson_Burnett" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;">Frances Hodgson Burnett</a><span id="quote_book_link_2998" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"></span></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
February is the last unknown month in our little patch of earth- a courtyard garden enclosed by a Cotswold stone wall, nestled deep within the By Brook Valley, and overlooked by soaring beech trees. From March, we'll start to cycle through the seasons again, this time with a year of knowledge behind us.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
So, what has appeared this month?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3wBNzGnSEnjqw5gxkrliUciqm7Osb1XDcWDyNh_h92OqGs80TfINMp4mKaYIKw4m9SXxATk-LGc0vSokdS9t89VtMBafgmoBjMEfQ-qq8rCjBpKTRNXcWYo86xcBvh1c6f5zL4gQCO_uS/s1600/Garden+snowdrops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3wBNzGnSEnjqw5gxkrliUciqm7Osb1XDcWDyNh_h92OqGs80TfINMp4mKaYIKw4m9SXxATk-LGc0vSokdS9t89VtMBafgmoBjMEfQ-qq8rCjBpKTRNXcWYo86xcBvh1c6f5zL4gQCO_uS/s640/Garden+snowdrops.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Hundreds and hundreds of snowdrops. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Defying the freezing nights and harsh frosts, they began to emerge before the new year had even begun. Now, with a touch of weak winter sun on their pure white faces, they sit gently nodding in unison in the frigid breeze. All around them signs of spring are following suit- the tips of bluebells, daffodils, narcissus and tulips are likewise pushing up through frozen ground and decaying leaf litter to greet the sunshine. A few aconites have popped their canary-yellow heads up amongst the bare branches of a fuchsia bush. Buds are appearing on the rose bushes and the snowball viburnum. Leaves are tentatively unfurling, slowly, but they're definitely there.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwm0ST9XKd9gFJu308uEXju6oXnx7oilekfDpSkigPjdO5N5zx_0n6YbK5Q84obeLJXAM9CyOwPxA2-gKmoPb1ptuUV8bhgh_0VrsOXBToo-nbsJybDEgDofyJfAxz60vpnXLjtAXkntOE/s1600/Spring+clean+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwm0ST9XKd9gFJu308uEXju6oXnx7oilekfDpSkigPjdO5N5zx_0n6YbK5Q84obeLJXAM9CyOwPxA2-gKmoPb1ptuUV8bhgh_0VrsOXBToo-nbsJybDEgDofyJfAxz60vpnXLjtAXkntOE/s640/Spring+clean+1.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
Next month I know the garden and the countryside will become a riot of bright yellows. Daffodils, forsythia, primrose and gorse will take centre stage, and the agricultural land around us will be awash with sunshine-yellow rapeseed. For now though, the snowdrops sit in their thousands, bobbing in the breeze.<br />
<br />
<br />
Kate x</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Our Haystackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090417545285533251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851930680004468736.post-78797401406551768712018-01-30T12:35:00.000+00:002018-01-30T12:35:11.795+00:00Winter snowdrops<div style="text-align: center;">
After two weeks away from England, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
we've swapped the actual snowflakes of Japan </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
for the first snowdrops of the season in our garden.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
It is so good to be home.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV6iq0hmXw3uADERr2OBTmhZA-Nno6r7OqWzjwehjB5BjLc6_jHh0rntZng97XAQUjeRNH5uQzKA1UOc6jPWOPCY-0PCkkLJKW5JoigGLnDjhUhsFqf20cIss0shuwQeyYILAgu7ixw4NU/s1600/My+own+bed+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV6iq0hmXw3uADERr2OBTmhZA-Nno6r7OqWzjwehjB5BjLc6_jHh0rntZng97XAQUjeRNH5uQzKA1UOc6jPWOPCY-0PCkkLJKW5JoigGLnDjhUhsFqf20cIss0shuwQeyYILAgu7ixw4NU/s640/My+own+bed+2.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Of course I had to snip some to bring indoors. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I admire snowdrops so much. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Always the first sign of the coming spring </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
(even when it is still quite far off), </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
they never fail to push up through frosty days and nights. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
So delicate, yet how tough they are to endure gloomy January and frozen February.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4TquPsqFndU6abzDZmSz-vC_t6XmOApxIVBzU_RFaG7ILEFGsBbX_dn2MjPC-P4BT_m1spx8vzpn1IbadpKjm6UpfrLJqmdGHWQ-7TNYZwP_BS82p7mgNka6HYpxMXs2LPv_DQK6lPGha/s1600/My+own+bed+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4TquPsqFndU6abzDZmSz-vC_t6XmOApxIVBzU_RFaG7ILEFGsBbX_dn2MjPC-P4BT_m1spx8vzpn1IbadpKjm6UpfrLJqmdGHWQ-7TNYZwP_BS82p7mgNka6HYpxMXs2LPv_DQK6lPGha/s640/My+own+bed+1.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Kate x</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://mossandvine.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/from-heat-waves-to-snowdrops.html" target="_blank">Last years snowdrops at Cerney House Gardens.</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Our Haystackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090417545285533251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851930680004468736.post-56774345821595969992018-01-01T18:16:00.000+00:002018-01-02T09:09:09.676+00:002018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Yesterday, the eve of the new year, Alex and I went for a walk along the road to see the swollen brook and consider how likely it might be to flood- it is looking alarmingly <i>high! </i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
What I was not expecting to see was our neighbours farm-gate stall stocked with eggs! I haven't been able to buy their eggs since August. And yet, here in the bleak midwinter on the cusp of a new year, sat a dozen brown speckled eggs for purchase. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeVJr_ObgLPV5B0gN06oh4eaYfua33MYJmg8A55Sj6M7jGQ3_W8yWmcGFP8koqWQXlWh9ye1opScqKwcxMACwHVzxInYpzRq-tmnQo228ZyE9Zw0uX_U79myrx7t8xxMnsWpLG2XbzxMgL/s1600/IMG_0879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeVJr_ObgLPV5B0gN06oh4eaYfua33MYJmg8A55Sj6M7jGQ3_W8yWmcGFP8koqWQXlWh9ye1opScqKwcxMACwHVzxInYpzRq-tmnQo228ZyE9Zw0uX_U79myrx7t8xxMnsWpLG2XbzxMgL/s640/IMG_0879.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Not much is growing in the hedgerows at the moment, as you'd expect, so I snapped this pic with a piece of broken pottery that I unearthed in our garden when I was planting out bulbs in the autumn. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
You can see the farm fresh eggs I've managed to buy throughout 2017 <a href="https://mossandvine.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/speckled-eggs.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> and <a href="https://mossandvine.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/summer-eggs.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>. They became a sort of seasonal study as the months went by and the seasons unfurled all their treasures.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Happy and bountiful New Year blessings.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Kate x</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Our Haystackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090417545285533251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851930680004468736.post-11519011730469873012017-12-23T11:56:00.000+00:002017-12-23T18:23:20.679+00:00An English Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #281e1e; font-family: "indy serif";"><i>For many people, Christmas begins on Christmas Eve when a single clear-voiced treble from the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, sings the first verse of “Once in Royal David’s City”, a heart-wrenching moment, audible via the BBC World Service to a potential listenership of 40 million.</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #281e1e; font-family: "indy serif";"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #281e1e; font-family: "indy serif";"><i>-</i>From<i> <a href="http://the%20independent/" target="_blank">The Independent</a></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #281e1e; font-family: "indy serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhueMhx3FlSG33OGZEDvT7vXfUkvNz2iRBaTxbqzhG5oX_DWT-I_9FVqftGA4NYneq9RpCr_WDt5xOd4IpxwQqoj-VEQRjW5fNGcqZk8ZXAVwJ5eOWAcsMRyUdYPxT8OdNhagJ8C48fzR/s1600/Carols+by+candlelight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhueMhx3FlSG33OGZEDvT7vXfUkvNz2iRBaTxbqzhG5oX_DWT-I_9FVqftGA4NYneq9RpCr_WDt5xOd4IpxwQqoj-VEQRjW5fNGcqZk8ZXAVwJ5eOWAcsMRyUdYPxT8OdNhagJ8C48fzR/s400/Carols+by+candlelight.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Our own Christmas Carol service in the village church, St Andrew's in the Parish of Castle Combe, began in very much the same way. It is a stirring and beautiful tradition, sung for us by a sublime soprano voice standing at the west door of the church. By the time the rest of the congregation had finished the second verse in unison, the church was filled with visible breath and a familiar warm & merry energy that belongs exclusively to Christmas gatherings. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Our 6pm Carol service began without a vicar. He'd been told that the service began at 7pm. When he did arrive, at around 6.10pm, he emphasised how <i>early </i>he was. Taking over the service part way in, it took him a moment to find his place.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Vicar: Have you had the Bidding Prayer?</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Congregation: Yes!</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Vicar: Good, I don't need to do that. Have you blessed the crib?</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Congregation: Yes!</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Vicar: Very good. I can tick that off. Right, </i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>then you can all sing Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
At one point he was heard in the aisle asking himself, "Okay, what happens now?" Before remembering to light the Advent Crown.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We were sat in a pew next to the organist's wife who we briefly chatted to after the service. After asking us if we lived in the village she told us she lived nearby and was there because she's married to the organist; who the parish had found on <i>lastminutemusicians.com</i> two days prior to the carol service! Apart from it being an amusing story, it was another little jolt of festive spirit.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
However you spend Christmas,</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
have a very merry one!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Kate x</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Our Haystackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090417545285533251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2851930680004468736.post-91558433390662990752017-12-14T13:17:00.003+00:002017-12-14T15:04:04.457+00:00The prettiest village in England<div style="text-align: center;">
Castle Combe is often referred to as <i>The Prettiest Village in England</i>, owing to winning the title in, oh, 1961. Once labelled <i>the</i> prettiest village in England, you don't relinquish that particular title freely it seems. Even after 56 short years.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Half a century later, I think Castle Combe really does continue to live up to its reputation. Heritage protection means that even in the 21st Century the village looks almost exactly as it would have 100, 200, 300 years ago. A ready-made film set, a tourist hot spot, it is the Mecca of quintessential English villages. Anglophiles must visit at least once in their lifetime. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
So, what makes The Prettiest Village in England, <i>even</i> prettier?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Why the answer is, of course, snow. The best snowfall the Cotswolds have seen in 5+ years to be exact. A beautiful dusting of snow on a Sunday, just before Christmas, turning the village into a real life Christmas snow globe. These ingredients resulted in a magical winter day that I could never adequately put into words.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
So here are the pictures.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQiOppv1WdLL9b8dKvoAd9aX9NLZ7xu_ypdY6UDAPt9YxHP03p4k9jMbgNNCZgb15kjbIZYl8hbMHn12evYJ9b2AEcH6RwGG_DNCiFQGEaJSgqNZ0M5qqg72kX-HC-wCO875U8Ks2ht5Q/s1600/Snow+Day%2521+7+Inside+a+snow+globe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQiOppv1WdLL9b8dKvoAd9aX9NLZ7xu_ypdY6UDAPt9YxHP03p4k9jMbgNNCZgb15kjbIZYl8hbMHn12evYJ9b2AEcH6RwGG_DNCiFQGEaJSgqNZ0M5qqg72kX-HC-wCO875U8Ks2ht5Q/s400/Snow+Day%2521+7+Inside+a+snow+globe.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEistHPW1K65h0AUhfYj7qk02YJH8NQuTTfiMw49aHXtp7wFqSut3gRR9FNJuDqoWyHBzNAp2HSwe1QbVEAxx9unnmzH3Etuz8phoZZPcZ_hyphenhyphen1QufBuJF1EVXQ3XL5xuV_rC5JYWUHmEUXY8/s1600/Snow+Day%2521+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEistHPW1K65h0AUhfYj7qk02YJH8NQuTTfiMw49aHXtp7wFqSut3gRR9FNJuDqoWyHBzNAp2HSwe1QbVEAxx9unnmzH3Etuz8phoZZPcZ_hyphenhyphen1QufBuJF1EVXQ3XL5xuV_rC5JYWUHmEUXY8/s400/Snow+Day%2521+14.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT5qVrh4GK4qUcs3Ce_oFvu68zUo6V445RD_P4qRVSSqAVvh4avgI1iU6KREMPygkqFzaFLObwRuoAjVpx5qVDIkmhUT7uk4hd22QK5xf9ptr2NW7HwTGzTOR4WDYX4YWDx4rKf6eXmdK8/s1600/Snow+Day%2521+22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT5qVrh4GK4qUcs3Ce_oFvu68zUo6V445RD_P4qRVSSqAVvh4avgI1iU6KREMPygkqFzaFLObwRuoAjVpx5qVDIkmhUT7uk4hd22QK5xf9ptr2NW7HwTGzTOR4WDYX4YWDx4rKf6eXmdK8/s640/Snow+Day%2521+22.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8B73HqTFzjvL5VQMo97iywhs-lcJW3Wo-ONi19XGVI-_b7tnFq8Tnu5LDe2VeT2tq3jBQODnsp4S21KiJ9_5T_EKJt2Zd1xzuOC-A841XZkHMLxlp87VUFIoZzrZgWjWVRGa20HOFNl48/s1600/Snow+Day%2521+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8B73HqTFzjvL5VQMo97iywhs-lcJW3Wo-ONi19XGVI-_b7tnFq8Tnu5LDe2VeT2tq3jBQODnsp4S21KiJ9_5T_EKJt2Zd1xzuOC-A841XZkHMLxlp87VUFIoZzrZgWjWVRGa20HOFNl48/s640/Snow+Day%2521+3.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1SvPd79rooY0aQS_3wpx5E7QsgVRTzbjZ0gWux_e-stBqH-XdOH3R9Q9T3BGQujP2XLrbusiJkx7LYRYHL1YD8wSPyHEfn2TlVXPWPcoUxh6a43f-U_NYEQEHDLTc9cWgfPUWYcSmdnge/s1600/Snow+Day%2521+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1SvPd79rooY0aQS_3wpx5E7QsgVRTzbjZ0gWux_e-stBqH-XdOH3R9Q9T3BGQujP2XLrbusiJkx7LYRYHL1YD8wSPyHEfn2TlVXPWPcoUxh6a43f-U_NYEQEHDLTc9cWgfPUWYcSmdnge/s640/Snow+Day%2521+6.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmqehNwpUK6zvyVjjQ1gbFrWu8DuOUFXKkqRDf4jnwvXGPLS7oc1_hOFyWb5JRVZS49qk_NhPumB7ue8khjSw4F0cb9G3UhNSCxKo5tm-3VggYAY494BLsJyUpnl6jFK3zCEvdXNgSJ2rf/s1600/Snow+Day%2521+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmqehNwpUK6zvyVjjQ1gbFrWu8DuOUFXKkqRDf4jnwvXGPLS7oc1_hOFyWb5JRVZS49qk_NhPumB7ue8khjSw4F0cb9G3UhNSCxKo5tm-3VggYAY494BLsJyUpnl6jFK3zCEvdXNgSJ2rf/s640/Snow+Day%2521+4.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVfZ9By8lfmT2D-FG_3O99Q66rYK3h3jlbNhXtBEYsDO1_rXPUawAKX2qDC3CVg_vhAJu7-J7PeXAi-QPzYQkJuoroFLMSbOHnrGffIcdx8m_l2yT22cw-dVTHQzlDHArnGgjRtMx3HH-0/s1600/Snow+Day%2521+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVfZ9By8lfmT2D-FG_3O99Q66rYK3h3jlbNhXtBEYsDO1_rXPUawAKX2qDC3CVg_vhAJu7-J7PeXAi-QPzYQkJuoroFLMSbOHnrGffIcdx8m_l2yT22cw-dVTHQzlDHArnGgjRtMx3HH-0/s640/Snow+Day%2521+5.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCPd4ED2dgDuc30Q3t5TCfTYWI2UEHhzRQNbYFp_KPtMEOLLPT9YUf0CWrsKBqFzHTJhhRoqC7jeO-w7t5mmLHXnZJ-3slPAPOlGPzXTt5-7MVuB_5xYWB0sWDPYe6tvzGnmEGSVqXz-VU/s1600/Snow+Day%2521+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCPd4ED2dgDuc30Q3t5TCfTYWI2UEHhzRQNbYFp_KPtMEOLLPT9YUf0CWrsKBqFzHTJhhRoqC7jeO-w7t5mmLHXnZJ-3slPAPOlGPzXTt5-7MVuB_5xYWB0sWDPYe6tvzGnmEGSVqXz-VU/s400/Snow+Day%2521+9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEpO_2mbWAQyonWS8aN8TjSRhtGUX7dwoYNzH1AjDY05uNes8NMbyzm8dZIyFZvWjC9ArUY-0upM_ggj74V8bIx9TSU9N0A0A2dH4_DQ7EwDCeAxOqKPAVzub4T2TN2vhizExjxKI8u2LM/s1600/Snow+Day%2521+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEpO_2mbWAQyonWS8aN8TjSRhtGUX7dwoYNzH1AjDY05uNes8NMbyzm8dZIyFZvWjC9ArUY-0upM_ggj74V8bIx9TSU9N0A0A2dH4_DQ7EwDCeAxOqKPAVzub4T2TN2vhizExjxKI8u2LM/s400/Snow+Day%2521+13.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxumZV_wiqM807ZOjVZSKsbLoWCV1fOyDed-crRNVeFkOndEwoqJFM7eDBe70b48XJx10d2cnf3IowC9PLrDPWO7oflExCgUpd5kJdafk7yAehfDmbB2A7If5EvM2EZRjDVngylAdoaO2E/s1600/Snow+Day%2521+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxumZV_wiqM807ZOjVZSKsbLoWCV1fOyDed-crRNVeFkOndEwoqJFM7eDBe70b48XJx10d2cnf3IowC9PLrDPWO7oflExCgUpd5kJdafk7yAehfDmbB2A7If5EvM2EZRjDVngylAdoaO2E/s400/Snow+Day%2521+10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh22ch_d-R4L1jvL_BbbyPIerrZcrw8VTY0iQex4d-2N7FOZz3TFnXL2SZHP_K1Q-s0YgPgzy8nG77fG4LeRdhAdmEi8pJ2V0qVZPgk4KF_SnvuM9-5AEfBhb0HSVeQQ4Nrcvddw5MAnS0B/s1600/Snow+Day%2521+17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh22ch_d-R4L1jvL_BbbyPIerrZcrw8VTY0iQex4d-2N7FOZz3TFnXL2SZHP_K1Q-s0YgPgzy8nG77fG4LeRdhAdmEi8pJ2V0qVZPgk4KF_SnvuM9-5AEfBhb0HSVeQQ4Nrcvddw5MAnS0B/s640/Snow+Day%2521+17.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5OgWuuAs9Bc8yFizQR0dCYeqoE05B9FT8uBrQdbFxrQX6fJSbgtGpvG60naTq3aI6OOmMq22knr7XcH5znpGfyPbp7EIIEzjsF6RnfXLYgCUZQWLeN6aFBJJRjLkgNLylxrfhx7_eZRMU/s1600/Snow+Day%2521+23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5OgWuuAs9Bc8yFizQR0dCYeqoE05B9FT8uBrQdbFxrQX6fJSbgtGpvG60naTq3aI6OOmMq22knr7XcH5znpGfyPbp7EIIEzjsF6RnfXLYgCUZQWLeN6aFBJJRjLkgNLylxrfhx7_eZRMU/s640/Snow+Day%2521+23.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh60ayRqbuM0D3sqBQl2YZCU3DXpWV3AQRwNBhqSWNYC8-t1yRjQawNMBeImBeyRxhA2NTt8vvok4tbyQhw0AHDy5IiNhYG4ublgOUeFvEc4c2qufgrxMiaf0o96jzl-pjBL-WFsXTWbN8t/s1600/Snow+Day%2521+21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh60ayRqbuM0D3sqBQl2YZCU3DXpWV3AQRwNBhqSWNYC8-t1yRjQawNMBeImBeyRxhA2NTt8vvok4tbyQhw0AHDy5IiNhYG4ublgOUeFvEc4c2qufgrxMiaf0o96jzl-pjBL-WFsXTWbN8t/s640/Snow+Day%2521+21.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKg_QIet-hjbLbZsEcY-1WH00tY1FrdlibuOe2_HhXiKIIbcM-J5ulKjNFkdC3URlhoyTsYCTASr3lJAWF8zFS7syEUXhSHYLHDnnIOE-wfQ-kDp5FMzFygynaQtlyHR-b4ScWWFQpcb9/s1600/Snow+Day%2521+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKg_QIet-hjbLbZsEcY-1WH00tY1FrdlibuOe2_HhXiKIIbcM-J5ulKjNFkdC3URlhoyTsYCTASr3lJAWF8zFS7syEUXhSHYLHDnnIOE-wfQ-kDp5FMzFygynaQtlyHR-b4ScWWFQpcb9/s640/Snow+Day%2521+2.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGI7_8J4t6CIsONOp622pSuj0JtS6IAam6rE33reggTJPzX6WrAgH9Jb8yLqlon78jWrCb6Kp6i8AidQWkI3GXN1XPstvnlh_l09g7P4pMPGWA91kCUng-ExnIwWXTTrWcgrez50r64hLi/s1600/Snow+Day%2521+15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGI7_8J4t6CIsONOp622pSuj0JtS6IAam6rE33reggTJPzX6WrAgH9Jb8yLqlon78jWrCb6Kp6i8AidQWkI3GXN1XPstvnlh_l09g7P4pMPGWA91kCUng-ExnIwWXTTrWcgrez50r64hLi/s400/Snow+Day%2521+15.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFFc1z4H2DiDNOCzi7c2kG_3Ukm1ctXfh6v_V4TeBy299D1KOLt7ZOPKLfIQRlFVJzeJwYACySqTpa38URUx5quZ_ty6wIqWreHm4oR0jztvK-gapstZveM6PQZiqdPlBPLV4IiUzcUsA/s1600/Snow+Day%2521+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFFc1z4H2DiDNOCzi7c2kG_3Ukm1ctXfh6v_V4TeBy299D1KOLt7ZOPKLfIQRlFVJzeJwYACySqTpa38URUx5quZ_ty6wIqWreHm4oR0jztvK-gapstZveM6PQZiqdPlBPLV4IiUzcUsA/s400/Snow+Day%2521+12.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9wo0NjGlh7fzfvuAJTel7Px3DV_Un-YMIgNzYyaD2_r47uTvze5KgE4kp59lXEN8eFP55MKKh4ND87hG2-uLE7usFniQIv38q63qF6NY5uvBpC9Ou-SGwoyTJu9uu_gRbov5HbjYOEdZ/s1600/Snow+Day%2521+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9wo0NjGlh7fzfvuAJTel7Px3DV_Un-YMIgNzYyaD2_r47uTvze5KgE4kp59lXEN8eFP55MKKh4ND87hG2-uLE7usFniQIv38q63qF6NY5uvBpC9Ou-SGwoyTJu9uu_gRbov5HbjYOEdZ/s400/Snow+Day%2521+11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
On my final wander through the village at dusk I couldn't quite believe the perfect Christmas-time winter wonderland I was experiencing. The snow was still gently falling, the Yuletide fairy light crucifix on top of the church tower was aglow, and several chimneys sent steady trails of smoke into the quiet of the late afternoon. As darkness descended and we were cosy and warm inside next to our own fire, an owl began to hoot in the branches of a tree outside our living room window. It was the stuff of fairytales.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh_rJB3gqV3Ax6vtrx4rX5IEAjnWJ2HiYKTN5wxC-8eARPmDZ8aqPti5hYc0D3aMsS5QgmgOSGSGM5g1wXm3p8CRBJXqi6cj6qmaVDO6J95IEprywU2Z2th5LUjey2nrIpKmuz4Nz2VOW0/s1600/Snow+Day%2521+16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh_rJB3gqV3Ax6vtrx4rX5IEAjnWJ2HiYKTN5wxC-8eARPmDZ8aqPti5hYc0D3aMsS5QgmgOSGSGM5g1wXm3p8CRBJXqi6cj6qmaVDO6J95IEprywU2Z2th5LUjey2nrIpKmuz4Nz2VOW0/s640/Snow+Day%2521+16.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdo_XK30NQELbzATtq90Zl6b1uuZ7dMAaeUBCUZEX3qlqghB4R5CXyofXbfLfgLv1lNA62ZXdstDR8KeckREBG5rLlJwJzqFEp-vC5KMZDOV4tbsefKCPHFWovh-7PywUZRPzjUiJJ2N8A/s1600/Snow+Day%2521+18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdo_XK30NQELbzATtq90Zl6b1uuZ7dMAaeUBCUZEX3qlqghB4R5CXyofXbfLfgLv1lNA62ZXdstDR8KeckREBG5rLlJwJzqFEp-vC5KMZDOV4tbsefKCPHFWovh-7PywUZRPzjUiJJ2N8A/s640/Snow+Day%2521+18.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Bitterly cold temperatures and an overnight frost snap froze the remaining snow in place for a couple of days, extending the winter wonderland for us to soak up. 24 hours after the snow finished falling I drove over to my friend's house, marvelling at the spectacle. I turned down the icy and narrow country lane leading to her stunning 18th century farmhouse as the afternoon sky surrendered to nightfall. The hedgerows were bare, silhouetted against the darkening candy pink sky, the orange glow of the sun just about to dip below the horizon, the surrounding countryside still blanketed by snow. To many west country folk, farmers included i'm sure, this was a harsh wintry scene and an indication of a hard winter season to endure. I was only in awe. The stark beauty was breathtaking. Infused with magic.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWOpOkIkO55k1z08pSK_7KCCw1it44jKx31xQAFQRlaxpCfunWG9J2vTVu5LsJL0y1HYwOy8pP9HODQWhlOX7DS_uYBqwm4d8dMcWF2rRDtWN3ITHMylVHG1bH69NdxJ58N3OeTdG5gpgr/s1600/Snow+Day%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWOpOkIkO55k1z08pSK_7KCCw1it44jKx31xQAFQRlaxpCfunWG9J2vTVu5LsJL0y1HYwOy8pP9HODQWhlOX7DS_uYBqwm4d8dMcWF2rRDtWN3ITHMylVHG1bH69NdxJ58N3OeTdG5gpgr/s400/Snow+Day%2521.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I can't properly convey the beauty of the English countryside covered by a December snowfall. Dare we begin to hope for a white Christmas?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Seasons best,</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Kate x</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
P.S. A reflection on life in the village in other seasons can be read, <a href="http://mossandvine.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/living-in-english-idyll.html" target="_blank">here.</a></div>
</div>
Our Haystackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090417545285533251noreply@blogger.com0