Autumn Cottage Diarist

Meandering the August Days Away

A planted trough in the late summer sunshine, Tetbury

There's a feeling in the air…the summer has imperceptibly turned into very early autumn…the last days of school holidays have arrived…leaves are beginning to turn and fall, the swallows were gathering on the wires last week as I drove to Hungerford. It's a good ending to August - the temperatures have risen again and it's a delight to be out and about in the golden light. But that delight is tempered by a feeling of 'making the best of things' - for it is certain that in the weeks to come, though there will (hopefully) be many more days of sunshine, there will also be increasingly long nights and chillier mornings…we turn towards the darker days of the year.

So it was in that spirit of enjoying each day fully that we set off last Thursday to visit one of our favourite parts of the countryside here in the UK - the hills and valleys, villages and towns, churches and market places of the Cotswold Hills in Gloucestershire. The Cotswolds became prosperous in medieval times as a result of the high quality of wool produced by sheep grazing on fine pasture land - a prosperity that financed the beautiful architecture of the towns and churches, which have hence become known as 'wool churches', filled with notable glass, wood carvings and elaborate tombs.

 
Charming alleyways, hidden corners - Tetbury

The towns and villages are also a pleasure to just wander around (one of my favourite activities), exploring narrow alleyways and tiny courtyards in search of all manner of interesting and unusual shops. Last week's little trail took us to the towns of Stroud, Tetbury, and in between (and fleetingly) Minchinhampton. (Don't those names roll deliciously round the tongue?!). We are very fond of Tetbury and seem to discover more intriguing shops and buildings each time we visit - but we had not made our way to Stroud before. We arrived in rain, but left - after an excellent Italian lunch (proper Italian, too, with Bocelli on the radio!) - in bright sunlight, to climb up a narrow road along the steep scarp slope to Minchinhampton.

Covered Arcade, The Shambles, Stroud

Plaque in the covered Arcade

A cheeky Squirrel, fossicking in the churchyard of St Laurence

High on the top of the hill with Minchinhampton Common (owned by the National Trust) spreading for 500 acres all round, we did, in fact, manage to take a right rather than a left and in so doing - missed the centre of the town completely!! No worries, as this led us down some lovely, peaceful lanes with striking views across the valley to remote farms on the other side - and everywhere…sheep, sheep and more sheep. (I love sheep - so this made me very happy!)

Sheep happy-scratching against a dry stone wall, outskirts of Minchinhampton

We arrived in Tetbury in time to spend a good couple of hours investigating a real variety of shops - some very 'High End' antiques - with their doors closed and discrete displays in back rooms into which only the very wealthy (or very naïve) were venturing, to a number of very enticing charity shops at the other end of the spectrum (though even the 'stuff' in the charity shops was definitely of some quality as befits discards from this affluent community).

Top Banana!

One of my own personal favourite places to browse was in the five floors of the 'Top Banana Antiques Emporium' - where numerous dealers offer items of a huge variety and in all price ranges. The owners have created a really welcoming atmosphere - I will certainly revisit next time I am there; more than enough in that one building to make a couple of hours in the town worthwhile if you are just passing through.

Many nooks and crannies, containing many treasures, over five floors

The lovely, friendly proprietors of Top Banana - with a little purchase that needed to come home with me!

We had parked at the other end of town, so were positively compelled to browse in a number of other shops on our way back to the car! To gasp at the prices in the Highgrove shop (The 'Prince Charles Premium' heavily applied!!), to partake of coffee and cake in one of the best coffee shops on the planet...

The wonderfully crazy, exhuberant Rainbow interior of the Blue Zucchini Brasserie in Tetbury

...and the serene back courtyard garden - a heavenly place to take tea

...raid the cheese shop next door and then be entranced by the beauty and interest of some of the Asian artefacts on display and for sale in Artique; this was a most intriguing shop/gallery with a wonderfully serene atmosphere and a very memorable welcome from the owner, George Bristow. Even though we bought nothing on this occasion, I am drawn back to re-visit - both because of his genuine warmth and willingness to share his knowledge of the items - and for an intense longing to acquire something from the interesting and unusual artefacts for sale there.

Beautiful Asian artefacts - Artique 

An obligatory (for church crawling me) visit to the church of St Mary, another encounter with and contemplation of the beautiful and enigmatic 'Mary' murals in the entrance -

'The Annunciation'

and home again, along the noisy, pressurised route of the M4 motorway - only a few miles on the map but a million miles in atmosphere from the enchanting Cotswold countryside.

We're already planning our next visit...

The Market Hall, Tetbury

 

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What's It All About, Alfie?

Autumn Cottage Diarist loves all sorts of bits and pieces! 

I've been doing some reading on business topics in another part of my life recently and one thing which seems to be emphasised over and over again is that one should have FOCUS on one single topic; one Unique Selling Point, one thing to Pull The Customers In…

            Well, I guess, that, by those criteria, Autumn Cottage Diarist will never hit the headlines, because I fall down on virtually every point! I have been writing this blog for years (and an email newsletter for several years before the word Blog was even invented) and one thing that I have not done has been to focus on one particular topic.

Wildlife - Toad going 'walkies' down by the pond

            The newsletter began as a way of giving friends I had made on the internet a bit more of an insight into life here in England, in this old cottage, in this old town and on some of my travels both here and abroad. I guess ACD has been a bit of an eclectic, one woman magazine, mostly covering topics that interest me - my gardening, home cooking, interiors…books, antiques, archaeology, wildlife, photography - ordinary stuff, but based on activities which I carry out most days, which make my life contented…and which I love to share with those of you who are also interested and may also have a very different way of life. I delight in diversity - and that starts both at home and with the circle of friends that I have developed in life and online - so sharing with those of you who live in different places and in a different way is always a pleasure, from which I learn so much.

Cooking - Making Nectarine Chutney 

            From your kind comments, you also seem to enjoy reading 'a little bit of this, and a little bit of that'. I don't pretend that I live anything other than a fairly ordinary life - though my dear online friend Fran reminds us all that those very ordinary activities are in their own way sacred and precious if we approach them mindfully and are able to appreciate the value of just being able to carry out simple activities with pleasure and gratitude. To wake up each morning and be able to get out of bed and put one foot in front of another is in itself a gift…why do we only appreciate this when we have less and less time ahead to make the best of it? (I think that is precisely WHY the gratitude kicks in…)

Travel - at home... The Watts Memorial Chapel, near Guildford, Surrey

...and abroad - Baignes village square, Charente, France

...and (unable to stay away from books wherever I am!) - the Feira da Ladra in Lisbon

            I made many of my early Internet friends though two topics - my interest in textiles and embroidery leading me to groups with an enthusiasm for quilting - and my lifelong pursuit of journal/diary keeping leading me to an online Journal writing group of which I have been a member for some 22 years now. I have been lucky enough to meet Boyd, one of that group, in person and Ardi from another, smaller group and what a warm and happy time I spent with both of them. For the rest, it has been our common interest in recording and exploring our daily lives and thoughts that has kept us together out there in the ether…and has certainly lead me down other avenues in my life which I had never dreamed I would explore. As writing for wellbeing and therapeutic purposes pervades so much of my own life and now seems to be an area that others are more willing to explore and utilise, I intend to say - and use - more of it right here at Autumn Cottage Diarist.

Antiques - Jugs of all shapes and sizes in the Kitchen

            So, on I go with ACD - sharing with you all the eclectic and diverse bits and pieces of my life…adding in new steps down different pathways as I begin to explore those as well. If you would like to hear more about anything briefly mentioned - just ask! But for now, I am delighted to have the good company of you all - long time readers and new friends - along with me on  this unfocussed, digressive, too often intermittent and disorganised but always grateful and enthusiastic journey down the road.

For in the end, as Ram Dass says, are we not all 'just walking each other home'?

The Summerhouse - my Peaceful Place - sit a while with me, have a cup of tea and a chat

 

Autumn Cottage on a Wet Wednesday - Choosing Joy!

They call it synchronicity, don't they? those extraordinary coincidences that sometimes happen so often that they become almost ordinary, but still give one pause (and a reason to muse that - perhaps - nothing is accidental). And so it happened this morning; while pondering what to write about and how I could make my blog post 'more interesting', I gazed out of the window, through the vase of white carnations …and through the raindrops.

Yes, it was raining, again, as it had been raining for days, and days, and days. I felt more than a little negative at another day of the same, and frankly quite depressed. I wondered how I could pull 'The Rabbit of Inspiration' out of the hat? - then realised that, in fact, inspiration was staring me in the face. Creative writing sages all encourage one to 'write about what you know' - and what did I know? - right here, right now? Mother Nature was not handing me lemons…but raindrops - and since my reality - what I REALLY knew was that it was raining, I decided that I would do a little 're-framing' and try to find inspiration and pleasure in that rain.

So I donned my Mac and hat, grabbed my camera and took off for a wander round the garden; the photographs that you see here are the result of that jaunt. It's true - if you look through a different lens, there really is some form of beauty to be found everywhere.

Variegated bamboo (Pleioblastus variegatus) by the pond

The 'synchronicity bit' comes from the fact that - having chosen to pull something positive out of my feelings of negativity, I switched on my computer and was presented on Facebook with an invitation to join one of (Buddhist priests & therapists) Satya Robin & Kaspalita Thompson's online month-long writing groups…and the title of this one? 'Joyful August - 31 days of Joy'. How about that for synchronicity!? ( I for one can certainly use more encouragement in that area - especially if it keeps on raining!!)

I've taken their courses before - so very easy going, so encouraging. So generous in spirit. So kind. They come in the form of daily email inspirations and a booklet of more quotes, links and essays for more extensive reading. Very, very inexpensive (just a few UK pounds)  and usually with a concurrent online community where one can gain even more support and friendliness.

I've no affiliation to their work other than just feeling that their 'putting it out there with love' has been a force for good in my life for several years now…and especially in these troubled times, I reckon we can all do with a bit more of that.

If you want, you can find out more about Satya & Kaspa's work here 

(You will probably read more about rainy England in August right here, from the Autumn Cottage Diarist!)

Acer leaves in the rain

The statue of 'Summertime' in the bottom bed - Ha!

The 'Umbrella Plant' Peltiphyllum peltatum down by the pond - watched over by St. Francis

The old sun lounger - with its ever more luxuriant blanket of Stags Horn lichen

Aforementioned luxuriant lichen!

A raindrop about to escape Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle'

The compost bin and Comfrey - the powerhouse of the garden - beautiful to me

Rosa 'Queen of England' - beautiful at all stages

Choosing joy - the gorgeous colours of the Day Lily - Hemerocallis 'Sammy Russell' (I think!)

 

 

 

How CAN It Already Be August?!

Lilies and Agapanthus on the terrace last week

And there was I, intending to run, with all banners blazing, into a return to this blog on 1st August…I've missed you all, my friends. But as with so many of my good intentions these days, it just didn't happen. At least, nowadays, I can be kinder to myself and not feel either guilty, lazy or a total waste of space - I just shrug and say 'so be it' and get on with things anyway. Life is so much easier as a result.

The Great Oil Tank Adventure (for which read 'pain in the backside') dominated far more of the first part of this year than I could ever have imagined. Not so much the leak - which was pretty well contained by standing in the rain, in December, in the dark, pushing a series of buckets, bowls and bins under the offending part…but more the environmental clean-up - which was very necessary but also vast.

 Mid February - water, water everywhere -

- and pots all over the place...

Add to that torrential rain, broken water pipes, and an overflowing septic tank as a result of both and I am sure you can imagine what merriment ensued over two months in spring when the actual work was being carried out - but also many weeks since when the garden has been slowly put back to order. Hundreds of pots and garden equipment had to be moved to allow the clean-up to take place - and hundreds of pots (and wrecked plants) have had to slowly be moved back again. It's taken a long, long time - but the flowers do finally come back - the sun shines once more and we are catapulted into spring and summertime.

Sunshine and snowdrops in February

The upheavals have also allowed me to make changes to the siting of the potting shed and other layouts in the garden; major weeding has been carried out by A - heroically dealing with the worst of ground elder infestations - so that we now feel we are now almost 'on top' of the maintenance, and as we approach autumn (very much too soon if you could see the miserable weather here today) are able to turn our minds to actually planning and enjoying planting and redesigning.

June - Roses in abundance (Paul's Himalayan Musk)

...and Paeonies

The old Victorian loo

I'll leave you with just a brief 'catch-up' in this post, of some of the vagaries of the spring but also some images of the garden in its much happier summer incarnation. A Blessed Lammas to you all - and I won't leave it so long until next time!

The Tree Lily 'Luisa' in bloom today

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