Entries about cotswolds

The title may suggest that this will be about Freddy Kruger, Lizzie Borden or Jason. However, I’m sure you will be relieved to find that’s not the case.

So here we are, another day in the Cuteswolds (I owe that very bad pun to my husband). You know what I wrote before about walking in the fields and looking at the quaint towns? Well, ditto for today. This place just keeps on giving: great views, superb walking opportunities, lotsa sheep, beautiful gardens, etc. This afternoon, we ventured out to a small town named Upper Slaughter. It has a twin, conveniently titled Lower Slaughter, about a mile away. They were so named because they were once ‘muddy’ places (from the old English word Slohtre) and not because of anything nefarious. These towns are extremely picturesque (as opposed to just averagely picturesque) and have little in the way of touristy shops or parking. That is not to say there aren’t tourists present; we saw quite a few couples out walking in the towns. It is just that the tourists are not there to shop or have tea; they generally come for the walking and photo opportunities. We stopped in at St. Peter’s church in Upper Slaughter – the building was considerably smaller than the one in Rome. While there, we saw a list of the rectors and, impressively, it dated back to the middle of the thirteenth century. The pathway between the two Slaughters provided many views of the green hillside, large manor houses now converted into hotels, and ponds with bordering willow trees. Snap, snap, snap went the camera. Once we had explored Lower Slaughter as well, we meandered onto Burton-on-the-Water as it was just another half hour away. All in all, we were out walking about three hours, alternately raising and lowering our hoods as the weather required. We ended our sojourn by sitting on a bench amid the wild flowers ‘on the green’ and chatting while the sun warmed us. Coming home, we heard that the kids had gone out as well, exploring some more around our little village of Bledington. After dinner, Ben and I resolved to do something we have been forgetting for weeks now: to hide the little chocolate Easter eggs and bunnies around the house. So, two months late, the girls had a hunt for chocolate. Let me tell you, it’s just fun, fun, fun around here. Tonight, we must pack up, decide on who gets to carry the spices and other dried goods, etc, as we will be going as foot passengers on the ferry back to the continent.

Today we went grocery shopping and did a few other errands in nearby Stow-in-the-Wold while the kids baked cookies (a common event at home but rarely possible on the road) and got caught up on our travel blog. When we returned home the rain was plentiful so we opted to do laundry rather than venture outdoors. Muriel and I also spent a good deal of time on logistics for our 78 days back on the continent. Muriel has managed to book quite a few more apartments and houses, leaving just 16 more days accommodation left unaccounted for. It is a great feeling to have that work out of the way including our ferry passage to France, our car lease for the continent and of course our plane tickets home.

We also took a bit of time to sort through all our belongings and put everything back in its proper place and jettison a few others. We have acquired a number of souveniers so we are always looking for ways of creating a bit more room. The rainy weather outside made it easier to buckle down to all these tasks. Fortunately, late in the afternoon, the sun did make its appearance and Muriel and I were able to take a short walk around the village. The fresh scent in the air was intoxicating. The village and the vegetation surrounding it take on an even more brilliant hue just after a spring rain. It is not hard to understand why many generations of the same families have continued to live in the Cotswolds, while many other city folk vie for the chance to buy property here. It may be time to get travelling soon or else we might run the risk of getting too caught up in this idyllic area and never leave.

When you are in the Cotswolds it is only a matter of time before you hear the Bard's siren call. Statford-Upon-Avon is the most touristed town in the region, so it was with some trepidation that we ventured into the highly commercialized hometown of William Shakespeare.

We chose to visit Anne Hathaway's Cottage so we could get a feel for Shakespeare's era. The home's connection with playwright himself is quite limited. It was the childhood home of his wife and the Hathaway family for 13 generations. In the early 1900s, the family sold it to be turned into the museum it is today. The cottage and its furnishing have changed significantly over the centuries so there is little in it that dates directly back to Shakespeare's life and times. It does contain a chair that is called William's courting chair, upon which Shakespeare would have sat on his visits to the cottage as young man wooing Anne. What the cottage lacks in artifacts and direct connection to the playwright, it makes up for in the insights it gives on the origin of the language of the Bard and what has given rise to many idioms we use today.

A thatch roof, such as found on the Hathaway cottage, is a magnet for rodents, bats and birds. It was common practice to have dogs and cats live in the attic space just under the roof and allow them direct access to the rooftop itself in order to limit infestations of vermin. Thatch gets quite slippery when it rains, so it was not uncommon for cats and dogs to slip off the roof during a downpour; thus giving rise to phrase, "it's raining cats and dogs."

The table in the principal living area of a Shakespearean era cottage is constructed of a few large boards. Hence, it is called a board table. The head of the house was the only person who had an actual chair to sit in, the rest of the family sat at benches along the side of the table and the chair was at the head. The origins of the terms, chairman of the board, boardroom, and room and board are thought to originate from this household piece of furniture.

The Hathaway house was a rich one, in that it had its own brick oven. It would have attracted women from miles around to come and bake bread. With all the different parties baking bread at the same time, each woman would put a mark on their loaf to note ownership. The ditty, Patty Cake, Patty Cake, is a direct reference to this practice. The opening to the oven is called "the gap" and it was closed with very thick board called a "stop gap" that was glued in place with bread dough until the baking time had elapsed. Our modern use of the term stop gap measure comes from this device and the practice of sealing the oven to keep in the heat.

The loaves of bread produced by such an oven were usually singed on the bottom. This undesirable lower crust was given to the youngest children of the household. The slice above would go to the older children and the slice above that to whomever in the house ranked the next highest, thus, giving birth to the idiom, a cut above. The very top of the loaf was considered the best piece; this upper crust was given to the highest ranking person in the household. Hence you get the origins of the phrase, "the upper crust of society."

Besides this cottage being good for a linguistic education, the surrounding grounds were a feast for the eyes having just come into full bloom. This riot of colour immediately surrounding the cottage would not have been present during William and Anne's times, but similar displays of colour would have been found in the surrounding countryside and been the inspiration for the flower imagery that permeates some of Shakespeare's plays.
After visiting the cottage, we went to Holy Trinity Church on the banks of the River Avon. This is the edifice in which Shakespeare was baptised, worshipped and was buried. We know he worshipped here because those who did not attend church were levied a hefty fine and his baptism and death are recorded in the church register. In addition, his grave and that of his wife and a few other family members are located right in front of the church altar and a large bust of William is mounted on the wall off to the side. The statue of Shakespeare holds a real quill pen which is replaced each year on the anniversary of his birth. The honour of replacing the quill is given to the headboy of the nearby school each year.
After paying homage at Shakespeare's final resting place and walking along the Avon River, we felt ready for the final part of our day. We bought tickets to a production of "As You Like It" put on by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Although none of Shakespeare's plays were ever performed in Stratford-Upon-Avon during the playwright's lifetime, the tradition of performing his works in this town goes back an impressive 250 years.

Besides taking in some history by exploring Statford-Upon_Avon, we prepared for today's performance by watching Kenneth Branaugh's film version of the play during the two nights prior (as well as reading a synopsis of the play online). This film version is part of a long tradition of adapting Shakespeare's plays to different eras and settings. The Branaugh version has the play set in 19th century Japan, with the characters being mostly British expats with a few Japanese characters mixed in. It is a bit of an odd production. Nevertheless, it was a perfect segue into the even more quirky adaptation we saw tonight. The setting as evidenced by the costumes was more present day. The offbeat nature of the production comes in the scenes set in the forest which is a kind of like folk musicians meeting crossed with a Woodstock festival where everyone speaks in Shakespearean prose. There is a part in the middle of the play when the fool, Touchstone, breaks out of character and starts chatting with the audience and then seamlessly goes back into character. It was this quirkiness and the addition of some hilarious songs that really caught everyone's appreciation in the second half of the play. You know the production must have done something right when you have a 14 year leaving the play saying she really liked it. It proves that Shakespeare can be for all times and ages, especially if you add an accordion, a pot smoking priest, beer and a dance number at the end with people dressed like the Village People.

The variety of experiences we are having on this trip continues to astound me. I realize that is too easy to sell teenagers short on what they will appreciate or enjoy. We had a little help for this experience as the girls tickets to the play were a gift from the girl's Auntie Helen (big thank you).
As I wind up this post, I want to share again how much this blog has come to mean to me and I believe to Muriel and the kids. The ability to reflect each day on what we have seen and done, and record my impressions has not only helped me solidify the memories but has given me the additional pleasure of being able to share it with people I value. I am grateful to everyone back home for taking time to read our ramblings and to share your thoughts; either by commenting directly or sending an email. The four of us miss family, friends, school mates and work colleagues. I know I have not had a lot of direct contact with people back home while travelling, this does not mean I don't think of all of you often. A half a year away does a lot to increase one's appreciation for relationships. I hope this blog in some small way can be seen as hand extended in friendship to you as your participation in it has been to me.

The cottage we are staying in is soooo comfortable, with a cosy kitchen nook; slanted-roofed bedrooms with large leaded windows; soft loveseats; ample kitchen equipment and space; and a small private garden space for morning chats. We took advantage of the strong sunshine and blistering temperatures (23 degrees), for both frivolous and practical reasons: first, to support breakfast in the garden and then, to line dry our clothes.
Since I had to get a blood test, our host advised us to go to ‘the surgery’ in Stow-on-the-Wold four miles away. I was able to see the nurse after just a few minutes and get the job done. Since it had cost over $100 in Turkey, I had prepared myself by stuffing my wallet with pounds. However, when I enquired as to the cost, she informed me there was no charge as England ‘has an agreement with Canada.’ Brilliant!
With chores out of the way, we set out to find some footpaths, the girls going their own way as Ben and I went another. There are many signs in each of these small towns pointing the way to public footpaths, even those running through farms. We wondered whether farmers are ever compensated for walkers trudging through their fields and livestock herds. In Europe, as well as other places, there are movements supporting the ‘right to roam’, which is the general public’s right to use public or private lands for recreation or exercise. In England in 2000, the government introduced a limited right to roam, without compensation for landowners. Now, everyone has the right to walk in certain areas of the English countryside, if they follow some conditions of care, of course. It turns out walkers have a powerful lobby! Taking advantage of this, while sticking to the marked footpaths, we walked through a few sheep herds, the only downfall being that we had to really watch our step. We saw a sign pointing the way to Kingham along the road; since it was only one mile, we made our way for the neighbouring village. After walking over half a mile, we located another sign --- which also said ‘1 mile’ to Kingham. Hmmm. Proceeding, we meandered along the road for another twenty minutes or so, only to find a third sign, this one stating there were ‘3/4 miles’ left to the elusive Kingham. Feeling as if we were on a goose chase, we turned around, leaving it to another day. However, we saw a lot of traditional village sights in Bledington. The place is just so darn quaint with its thatched roofs, beige stone houses, English country flower gardens, old churches, a homey pub, beautiful village greens and waddling ducks. I don’t know if I’ll be able to stand it.

The next day, I awoke to birds chirping, natural light streaming through the skylight, a breeze drifting over my face and the smell of coffee coming from downstairs. It took a few minutes to leave my burrow of many pillows and soft white duvet but the anticipation of appeasing the fifth sense (taste) got me up. I realized I was energetic enough to make some Scottish scones and since we had ensured we had all the ingredients on hand, I set to work. Even with doubling the recipe, they were gone within half an hour. Next time, I’ll make sure we can try them with clotted cream as well as the jam.
The day consisted of more walks and talks. Undaunted, Ben and I went off to find Kingham, this time avoiding the roads with their unreliable mile markers and sticking to the footpaths. We made it there in half an hour, skirting the back gardens of houses, walking the fields and scaling a few stiles and bridges. We came upon the town and discovered, to our amazement, that it too was a town of ‘thatched roofs, beige stone houses, English country flower gardens, old churches, a homey pub, beautiful village greens and waddling ducks.’ What are the chances? Pretty high if you’re in the Cotswolds.

This week, we will have been on the road for six months. It’s hard for us to believe that we have been travelling for half a year, although some days, it feels as if it’s been a lifestyle we’ve lived for decades. This practice of booking lodging (and then valiantly trying to track it down), seeking out neighbourhood grocery stores, exploring new haunts, settling in and packing up, acquainting ourselves with local customs, making mistakes and trying again, and documenting it all through photos and journal entries has become somewhat routine. Routine in the sense that we all know what the priorities are, understand the tasks that need to be done, and participate in the dance together, sometimes awkwardly but often enough gracefully. What isn’t routine is the nature of what we can see every day, and what we’ve learned through this awesome opportunity. We’ve had to learn more patience, with each other and with circumstances; we’ve discovered we can live together in close quarters; we’ve come to understand that we can get out of every situation through problem solving and that “it will end up OK”; we have figured out how to find the isolation each of us needs at times despite the crowding; we have seen how incredibly varied and beautiful God’s creation is and how humans have added to it through the talents he has given. And I have come to appreciate Ben and the girls even more than before -- they are all such great companions. It’s good to know we still have time together when the trip ends!