It’s been a lovely, busy week. The weather has been decent with a distinctive autumnal feel. The sun sets noticeably lower in the sky each evening – Tuesday of this past week was the last day this year when the sun sets after 8.00 pm. It’s all downhill from here! We did get a drop or several of rain this week, for which the Head Gardener was certainly appreciative. We’ve had a plethora of outings and activities which have kept us entertained and out of mischief (mostly).
Monday, we set off for the small (tiny) village of Chilson in Oxfordshire for a pair of Open Gardens, Bolter’s Farm and King’s Cottage. Those of you who have been paying attention will know that I used to work all over Oxfordshire but this was a village I had never previously visited nor even knew existed, even though the village of Chadlington is only a couple of miles away and I visited the primary school there on many occasions.
We had arranged to meet up with the Waltons for a spot of pre-garden lunch at the Tite Inn in Chadlington. A really nice pub in a lovely spot but, as the reviews had hinted, the food was “OK” and the service was slow. I guess there’s not much competition in the area.
Still, fed and watered we meandered down the road the two or three miles to Chilson. It was hot and sunny as we wandered around the gardens, both of which were very nice. One had a gentle rolling lawn with winding borders sloping down to a little brook at the bottom (still running despite the drought) with two enormous willow trees shading the whole bottom part of the garden. The second, King’s Cottage, was originally a row of three cottages which were amalgamated into one at some point in the past. As a result the gardens at the front are laid out into “rooms” based on the original cottage gardens. The rear is mainly lawn with large, shady trees and a mature yew hedge dividing what once were the separate gardens.
Daisy and her pal Maisie (also a golden retriever) had a great time although neither of them enjoys being on the lead particularly. They were well-behaved and neither did anything to embarrass us. Indeed, they were much admired wherever we went – at the pub various folks stopped by our table to stroke and praise them and it was the same in the gardens. Naturally, Daisy takes all this in her stride – of course people adore me, who wouldn’t?
Wednesday we were out to lunch (again) with a group of former colleagues of mine, all of whom worked at one time or another at the Computer Education Unit way back when. We met up at The Greyhound in Besselsleigh near Abingdon. Although it was a long trek for us, it was moderately central for many of the others and was very good. As we arrived we could see that the car park was rammed – always a good sign. It was great to catch up with folks and to reminisce over the good times we had and the good work we did. And, of course, to be reminded of the sometimes unexpected mishaps which occurred – setting off the fire alarm whilst burning a piece of toast was not cool.
Wednesday evening Penny had her latest Book Club gathering. The book they were discussing this time was The Dictionary of Lost Words. A really well-written and interesting novel, especially so to us as it’s set in Oxford and we are familiar with all the back alleys, the Oxford University Press and the other Oxford landmarks mentioned. It’s a story based on the first publication of the Oxford English Dictionary and how some words were considered (by the men compiling the dictionary) to be more important than others.
“Over time, Esme realises that some words are considered more important than others, and that words and meanings relating to women’s experiences often go unrecorded. She begins to collect words for another dictionary: The Dictionary of Lost Words.
Heartily recommended, if you’ve not read it yet.
Thursday’s excitement was caused by the arrival of Max, the daughter of a friend of Adam and Ava’s from China who has been in the UK studying. She’s off now to do a bit of travelling and wanted to leave some of her luggage with us. Her plans include hiking the Camino Francés, one of the more popular of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage routes. This one is a mere 790 km (490 miles) and takes you from France to Spain crossing over the Pyrenees. Good luck! It’s also one of the more popular routes with good infrastructure and lots of amenities along the way so, as long as the weather is kind to her, she’ll have a great adventure. It was lovely to have her stay and we shall look forward to seeing her again on her return.
Friday night was another Moreton Pinkney “Not a Pub Night” at one of our lovely neighbours. Always good fun.
And finally, Penny was making a meal the other evening which called for Pomegranate juice. Fortunately, she remembered running across a bottle in the cupboard the other day so she was all set. As she came to retrieve the bottle from the cupboard, however, she had a quick glance at the expiry date. Hmm, perhaps not.
And, I think that’s it about it for this week! It’s my youngest brother Steph’s birthday today – happy birthday to you! And tomorrow would have been my mother’s 100th birthday so an especially happy birthday to you too! Often, we would be at a family gathering at Lake George on their birthdays and it was always a grand occasion, much joy and merriment.
Meanwhile, keep breathing, keep happy, keep smiling, keep exercising, be good, be careful, and keep safe. And be gentle to wasps and bees – we need all the pollinators we can get.
Lots of love to you all,
Greg