In the 4 previous England 2012 posts, I've taken you to Glastonbury and Cheddar Gorge, to Clent Hill, Blists Hill and Ironbridge, to Ledbury and Wales, and on a nature walk in Bath.
Today we're close to the farm where we stayed, all within walking distance...except for the crowning surprise-dinner touch of our first day.
We arrived early enough our first day to take a walk in the neighborhood with host Chris (Astrid's "big brother," remember?). As a reminder, we first met him on our Shutterchance photoblog, the same place where I met Astrid 5 years ago next month. So YES, the internet is a wealth of Joy if you're liucky enough to find it.
Over hill, over dale, hither and thither and yon...we walked.
It so happens we must have brought the sun with us,
because it was the first day in weeks without rain there.
And the sun continued throughout our stay!
Chris BASKED in it.
This is so British English!
It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...would you be my neighbor!
(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge)
What is it about those iconic red phone booths!
The neighborhood church is St. Christopher's Church in the Ditteridge hamlet.
It's an early Norman (1097) two-cell building constructed of local stone.
Notice in the bottom-left image how close the living live near the dead!
I LOVE that these churches are open throughout the week!
It was Saturday afternoon.
It was Saturday afternoon.
Look at what we saw within the first hours of our arrival. We were short of eyes!
But the BIG SURPRISE of that first day was a dinner engagement with a mystery host and hostess that evening. Chris loves surprising us, over and over again. He doesn't ask; he just DOES. So when we opened the door and saw the hostess....
...we both stood dazed, trying to guess who was standing before us.
Lucky for me, I remembered that Lisl had recently joined us on Shutterchance.
I just didn't know she lived in the Bath area near Chris!
Think about this for a minute: Lisl had never met us but was hosting us at her house for dinner.
Did I mention she and her husband cooked enough for an army?
They were basing their generous hospitality all on Chris' word! It blows my mind.
And that's how we started our stay in England this 2012 year!
Speaking of food, enough for an army, Chris served this twice for breakfast.
Can you imagine eating that every day? NO. But it's typically English.
One of the reasons I love the farm where we have stayed two years in a row, is watching how Jackie works with her horses. One early morning she gave this fella a workout.
Jackie's horses are used by her students in horse shows. And they win!
Jackie knows what she's doing...but she's been doing it since strapped to her parents' backs from birth!
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
From England 2012, the weathervanes.
Now you know why we say it's a sin not to go back, year after year!
Just an hour's flight away....
