A Day Out in the Cotswolds

Yesterday, we returned to feed Emily Lamb and then took a drive through Evesham, towards the Cotswolds.
We didn't have a plan, and our friends, Dave and Ann, suggested we go to Bourton-on-the-Water.
I love it there.
The charm of the village with a river (we would call it a creek in America) running through the center of town. Footpaths to cross it and walkways either side of it; the yellow-gold colour of the stone buildings, and the charm of the shops, and beauty of the buildings and gardens.

Flowers are peeking up and beginning to show a bit of colour on their buds.

At Christmastime, a tree is decorated and placed in the middle of the river. So very special and so pretty!We had lunch in a Fish and Chips shop and then took a drive towards home via an area called, 'The Slaughters'.
There is Upper and Lower Slaughters.
In Lower Slaughters, we approached the wee village by car, on roads just barely wide enough for the car, looking more like footpaths, than roads.
The water running along side the road had a ford in it.

This is where the ford is, and the chimney stack in the back left is where the museum is.

For those folks reading who aren't from England, fords are areas where one can cross the river, creek, or stream, without use of a bridge!
We drove around the perimeter if the village and found a lovely museum and gift shop hidden beyond the river by the ford.

Outside the door of the museum and gift shop is a traditional
English post box guarded by a gargoyle.

Ann and Dave bought some wee garden things which included a gargoyle and a little stone thing that looked like a mushroom, but I just cannot recall its name!
It reminded me of the mushrooms that fairies sit on in the garden.

We watched as some horses approached and walked down to the ford and crossed the creek.
All-in-all, it was a lovely day out in the country.

Theatre of Small Convenience

Our dear friends, Esther and Don, left for home today. Our week together went by so fast!

They had a whirlwind tour of Great Britain and Ireland before joining us here in the Midlands.
They looked tired, but happy, when we collected them from their hotel in London last Sunday.
We spent the first day traveling back home engaged in conversation, enjoying the sights, and learning all about their travels.

Blessed with unseasonably good weather, we spent the next three days escorting our friends to many of the towns and villages we love: Stow-on-Wold, Morton-on-Marsh, Chipping Campden, Ledbury, Ludlow, and a special destination we discovered and have come to love:
The Theatre of Small Convenience.

Who would not love a place so unique and special as this?
Situated in a very steep street in Malvern, the tiny theater is contained in a former Victorian Gentleman's toilet!

Large, old trees surround the building's stone exterior, while haunting faces peer up at you from the earth surrounding the front of the building,
but the story only begins there.

The proprietor, Dennis, is an artist who, with the help of his family, has transformed the small space into a work of art, with its 'found' stage and decor, hand-painted walls, and hand-made puppets.

We called in on the theater on a day it is usually closed, and this wonderful man arrived to open it just for us. He performed magic on stage with his tiny friends and music with sound effects, much to our delight and amusement.

It was a special engagement and a special time that none of us will soon forget.
Even though this tiny jewel was discovered on the first day of our adventures together, it was the highlight of our outings, and the most memorable.

Time is fleeting and our week together has come to an end, with our friends heading home today.
There were so many places we left undiscovered and so many hours spent and wasted with necessary sleep!

But the magic of the tiny theater will always remain, and the time spent together can always be culled from our memories, and good friends will always be there, no matter how many miles and days are between us.