It's hard to believe that it is Saturday morning already.
****Warning: This post may contain too much cuteness for some.****
You have been warned.
Yesterday morning, we stepped out the door in our little village, Chipping Norton, and followed our noses around town for an hour. Narrow alleys were peered into, note was taken about stores to visit when they open, and a bakery was visited.
I think it was around 9 or so when we left for our day's tour. The roads got progressively narrower and soon we were in farm country. It's springtime and lambs are being born on the grassy hills. If you look carefully, you can see that this set of twins is only around a day old.
Cynthia had created a schedule for our days here based on our various interests. So, yesterday's drive started with a farmers' market in Cheltenham and then over to the Fresh Air art show there. They have an outdoor show of sculptures on a lawn next to the main building. This guy was lounging around on some carved marshmallows.....
..... and this character was the last in a series remaining from the sculptor's display at the Chelsea Garden Show. The artist was very friendly .... and how could you not be a friendly person if you create sculptures like this.... and chatted with us for a long time.
Inside, a lovely show was taking place.
You need to see how narrow and hard-edged some roads were on yesterday's adventure. We have a very good driver and very good navigator, neither of which are me.
Parking was also adventurous in our next destination, Bibury. Apparently, it is crazy busy on weekends in Bibury. We were glad it was Friday.
It is impossible to look anywhere in Bibury and not see beauty.
Beauty to no end.
And, history to no end. Look at that roof!
We have hit the peak of the spring flowering season.
Roses are blooming in abundance.
When we reviewed our day later on at home, I think everyone commented that the next portion of our day was our favourite. Better than the art show, better than the twisty-turny drive, better than finding a Fat Face store, and even better than drinks in Britain's oldest pub. We found a Public Footpath!
We went through the gate,
signage was clear,
And, canola fields lined parts of it.
Amazing views of Bibury were to be had.
There are hedgerows everywhere in this area. Often, when driving you can't see further than the edge of the road because the hedge rows are SO thick. Even on the public footpath, the hedgerow was very thick. Lindsey & I tried to poke our cameras through any small opening we could find to take pictures of the sheep on the hill. We were very happy to be alerted by Yim and Cynthia to an opening with, be still my heart..... another stile!!! Yim took full advantage of the stile to get a good shot.
And, just how cute were those little lambs, you ask?
This cute.
This cute.... and wait for it......
.... this cute. Don't you love it that this one day old lamb has already got dirty knees?
I need to continue. Sorry.
This cute.
And, this cute.
Bibury is a gardener's delight.
There's not a lot of colour except for green and that wonderful pale limestone colour.
But, I don't think that matters.
The oldest inn in England's pub was calling us on the way home. I think the Porch House's website does a far better job of giving showing itself to you than I ever could. Scroll down to the video and take a tour.
Chipping Norton has an Aldi grocery store (yay!) and everything we needed for our charcuterie supper was found in its aisles.
Let's end with some musings by Oscar Wilde about spring and beauty...
“Beauty is a form of Genius--
is higher, indeed, than Genius,
as it needs no explanation.
It is one of the great facts of the world,
like sunlight,
or springtime,
or the reflection in the dark waters of that silver shell we call the moon.
It cannot be questioned.
It has divine right of sovereignty.
It makes princes of those who have it.”
And princesses.
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