Entries about slaughters

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.