British humor is the best in the world and comes in all shapes and sizes, dry and subtle to silly and outrageous. But always the best. Vicki found these in a C-store in Bourton-on-the-Water. Raunchy confectionary humor.
...recounts the retirement travels of Mark and Vicki Sherouse since 2008...in Asia and the Pacific, New Zealand, Europe, South America, and Africa, as well as the US and Canada. Our website, with much practical information, is: sites.google.com/site/theroadgoeseveron/.Contact us at mark.sherouse@gmail.com or vsherouse@gmail.com.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Boredom-On-The-Water
From Northleach we found a comfy lay by about a mile south of Bourton-on-the-Water, one of the better known Cotswold Villages, and settled in for a multi-day stay, visiting the precious little villages, going for walks, reading, waiting for summer, etc.
Our campsite, relatively secluded, close to town--there's even a footpath--and quiet at night |
The pretty parts of town look like this; the other 90% is cheesy touristy crap stores, tea rooms, B&B's, and mom and pop "museums" |
This is pretty much the Water, about 30 feet wide and three blocks long |
It's this deep |
Absolutely the only thing of interest to me was this topiary in progress outside the Motor Museum |
Postscript: next day, after a long walk, I came to feel better about B-on-the-W after a stop at the New Old Inn; "it comes in pints?!" "I'm getting one!" |
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Northleach
A few more miles' driving and we are in Northleach, a Cotswold town we visited in 1989, with our girls, for an exercise in brass rubbing. I remember eating in a pub while the rubbing was underway. I also remember that the Porsche Club of Great Britain was head-quartered here. But no one now seems to remember it.
Pretty standard Cotswold stone, manicured garden; turns out the property was for sale |
Ditto, Cotswold-wise |
Of particular interest: a house full of doll houses; alas, closed |
Outside view |
Inside peek |
Listings...pretty much like a real estate office; the Cotswold stone house runs L700...about $1100 |
We ventured later into the SS Peter & Paul church, 15th century mostly, updated, of course |
Northleach brass; we still have those 1989 rubbings, girls... they're in our Missoula home |
And, astonishingly, right here in an open church, Ribera's Quo Vadis, Domine; not a Velasquez, granted, but something that really should be in a museum, under security |
More Cotswolds in Northleach; note the snot-green down-spouts... |
Chedworth Roman Villa
Our first visit after leaving Tewkesbury was to have been a major long barrow--a neolithic burial site--out in the countryside. Alas, as the one-lane road narrowed, we came upon some road work and were told the road was impassable. A local person volunteered the site had been there for 6,000 years and probably would still be there when we get back this way. We've seen long barrows before (e.g., West Kennet), and so weren't particularly disappointed. We turned around and headed for Chedworth Roman Villa, another National Trust site, more or less in the Cotswolds.
We have pulled over into the "passing bay"; a moment before we had been joking that, well, we certainly won't see any tour buses on this little lane |
Thus; reception area |
And thus |
And thus; note under-floor heating |
Family areas |
Octagonal water feature, water from a spring up the hill |
More of the villa ruins |
Another large room with under-floor heating |
In the little museum |
The guide called this a "Roman snail," telling us that the Romans brought these snails to Britain as a food delicacy; protected species now; looks like good eatin' to me |
Not Roman but nonetheless interesting: a yellow Buckeye tree has been grafted onto a regular Horse Chestnut tree (same, pretty much, as the Ohio state tree) |
Poppies in a field along the road |
Tewkesbury Abbey; Or, How To Save Your Local Abbey
Tewkesbury Abbey is pretty much intact. Only the Lady Hall was removed from the abbey church. The townspeople bought the abbey from Henry VIII to be their parish church, for the price of the bell and the roof lead. And so they have what must be one of the largest and most beautiful parish churches on the island, virtually a model Norman cathedral. Which prompts us to wonder why this sort of thing wasn't done more often. Part of the answer must be that abbeys mostly were located in very remote places. No townspeople. Another part may be that the monastical system was on its last legs and deteriorating already. The plagues had thinned out the population sufficiently for there to be ample employment and opportunity elsewhere. Tintern Abbey, we read, was down to its last six monks, there were no lay brothers to work the fields or repair the buildings, and they were selling off their gold and silver just to eat. Based on aggrandizement, cheap labor, etc., they were not particularly well-liked, particularly as the Reformation was now gathering steam. So Henry VIII and his government merely administered the coup de grace; with a tidy profit, no doubt. The abbots and abbesses and their colleagues, we have been told, were pensioned off. Fortunately for us, Tewkesbury Abbey survived.
The Keep Calm thing, BTW, has gone way too far |
The abbey church, from the campground car park |
Aerial view, with town and mighty Avon in the background |
Nave view; a bit of work going on...but you still can admire the giant Norman piers, thevaulting, the triforium, the teeniny windows in the clerestory, and so on |
Thus; and the vaulting has bosses that relate events in the life of Jesus |
A Gurney stove, how large buildings were heated in the 19th century; Tewkesbury has two |
The Pelican myth (look it up) |
Vicki observed: if you're going to do graffiti, do it well... |
Chancel, altar, etc. |
East window |
Organ |
View from the northwest |
The abbey sits on a beautiful park campus, Tewkesbury center, studded with what must be champion trees (so many there is a separate pamphlet on them); here, one of a couple of big redwoods |
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