Over 50 Photos & 3000 Words - I'm Back!!!!

Well it has been a week and a half since I last did this and since I’ve been back in the West I have been MEGA busy! So I’m sorry for lack of blogging!

Without my day diary that I keep I wouldn’t remember all what we did last week (as I have the worst memory possible . . . No wonder I didn’t do very well at school!) So:

Saturday 15th July – Good journey, up, over and across to middle England. We had to fork out £6 to get over to Wales on the old Severn Bridge!!!! (Free going out, wanting to get rid of us I suppose) and instead of stopping at tourist sites we go to Monmouth for Waitrose! My family and I will never change. Lovely town and then back in the packed car for Old Mill Cottage, which hadn’t changed since 2003, still standing in it’s charming position next to a babbling stream. I had forgotten how dark it was as it’s totally surrounded by trees and as it’s over 400 years old the floors are so ancient that they’re not straight anymore and whenever I got up to go to the loo at night I went up a sharp incline then back down (not so good when you’ve had a lot of wine!)
The weather was fab! Every day the sun shone (well except for one night where it rained for an hour with a few lovely rumbles of thunder above). Each morning we were woken up by the sheep bleating in the old cider orchards. That night we drunk a lot and so were up late with slight hangovers the next morning!

Going across into Wales on old Severn Bridge

The track down to Old Mill Cottage

Old Mill Cottage

Just pick it up and put it in your pocket!

The willow in the garden (looked almost human!)

One of the many Oak trees

And another

Sunday 16th July – I sat in the deckchair around 11pm soaking in hot sun (sweating) and then we made our first trip out to Worcester. There we did a bit of window shopping and then walked by the river Severn to the cathedral where we encountered a beautiful swan sanctuary. I’ve NEVER seen SO many swans all in one place! And have pictures to prove it! Unfortunately we met a very sad lady who was afraid to go home. For the last 20 years of her life she had been suffering from tinnitus, a constant whistle in the ears that gets louder each year until certain sounds can’t be heard anymore. My Dad suffers from it, so much so that he can’t hear the chorus of crickets every night in the hedgerows, or is favourite bird the Yellowhammer singing on the telegraph poles. This poor lady who also had a number of other problems was thinking of jumping in the river. How she ever got talking to my Mum about it I shall never know. So we spent a good half n’hour consoling her and trying to phone her son, who wasn’t in and she didn’t know his mobile number. Very sad. We left her and continued our way to the cathedral. Worcester cathedral has a world famous choir and every day at 4pm evensong is performed and that’s the sole reason why we were there. Unfortunately the usual choir were on their summer holidays so they had a stand in choir for tonight’s ‘performance’ . . . They were pretty out of tune! So that wasn’t successful! So homewards for rest and shower and on to the Three Crowns pub for dinner. Lovely food, but awful, AWFUL wine! And VERY expensive! While smoking my last cigarette of the night I heard a rustle in the flowerbed and went to have a look and found a dear old toad (my first of the year) crawling under the shrubs. I wished him goodnight and then retired.

Worcester Cathedral in all it's glory against a vivid blue back drop

Monday 17th July – Whenever we manage to have a week away somewhere we always write an itinerary, always so we know what we’re going to do, otherwise when it comes to the day we’re always so undecided and argumentative! (Anyone else have the same problem?!) And we were supposed to be going up on the Malvern Hills but the weather proved so hot that we couldn’t envisage ourselves on the top with no shade. So we decided to stay local. We went to our local town – Bromyard – and bought the usual pint of milk and loaf of bread and came home for ‘deckchair’ read in the garden and lunch. Dad and I went for a walk. At first we weren’t sure where to go and headed up a farm track to a field where the local farm (Home farm) were cutting silage. We kept to the side, walking up to the top when the farmer’s wife spotted us and came up on her quad. She thought that we were her neighbour who often at this time of the ‘cutting’ year comes over and feeds the workers cider. We told her how we wanted to go for a walk but weren’t sure where. My Dad had in mind of climbing over the gate we were leaning upon but ‘Tina’ had other ideas and tried to steer us down to the woods, my Dad on the other hand kept pushing for over the gate so she finally relented and told us a nice short walk over the fields and then down past her farm to the cottage. We thanked her and then as if in passing she said, “Watch the bull and cattle in the field, if you ignore them, they will ignore you”, Right, I thought, that’s why she wanted us to go through the woods yet my Dad didn’t flinch so I followed on behind in a very trusting sort of way (though a little nervous). The cottage is in the centre of a large estate called Lower Brockhampton, which the National Trust or NT for short acquired in 1946. 3000 acres of good farming country and parkland with the countries most important Oak trees, some 500 years old. There are 5 tenant farms all belonging to the term of ‘Freedom foods’ not totally organic but environmentally friendly. Each farmer pays £24,000 of rent every year (a little steep if you ask me), so every so often the old parkland is dotted over the acres and the field the cows were in was certainly part of it. A field? More likely a park! MASSIVE. Some cows were on one side the others on the other side on a hill and as we made our crossing the ones under the trees began to bellow and make their way across our path. Eeeekkkk! Could best describe our feelings, not only a bull but HUGE mothering cows with their calves in tow. Now having experienced herds like this before I know that the mother’s have got STRONG maternal instincts and would protect their young to the ends of the earth and to have two strange humans walk over their field in broad daylight, well, they started bellowing and running. Whoops. I’ve never walked so fast over a field in my life (it’s best not to run as they would give chase). So panting and puffing on the other side of the gate we watched them move across to the other side of the field. And the bull. A huge, strong looking beast. Well, he did at first glance but he was at the back of the herd and looked in a lot of pain and discomfort to have to walk that far on the blistering sun. These bulls are worked so hard every year and as they cost so much money to buy they’re worked well past their prime and so suffer the consequences. This poor Charalais bull had arthritic back legs and each stride was painful, luckily for him, one of his calves accompanied him, stopping and waiting for his Dad and pushing him on. Although I still would have given him a wide berth! It was nice walk after that and then home for wine and soup and then a walk up the orchard with my folks and having to chase a rather naughty sheep into the field he had escaped from and, true Emily style, falling over in the process, at full speed I slipped on a mole hill and pulled every muscle in my left knee. It was sore for ages after that.

Where we met Tina on her quad

The 'parkland' cow field

Come on Dad, keep up!

Home Farm

The orchard before the sheep

Blimey! Sorry folks, only done three days, five days still to go plus a brief run down of what had happened since we’ve been back. Be calm, be patient, keep reading!!!!

Tuesday 18th July – Up early for long drive into Wales. We went to the Elan Valley, an amazing place, where in 1880 the Victorians turned this vast valley into 6 damned reservoirs, which now feeds the water supply for Birmingham. Also a protected wildlife site as we saw Red Kites, Peregrines and rare Orchids. Of course I took picture after picture in the blazing heat and went to the visitor centre and got followed by a rather persistent sheep, which was after my cheese sandwich! Beautiful place, so lovely to be next to huge lakes in a hot day. Middle England would drive me mad; it’s so lovely only being 15 miles from the sea here in Devon. We were home late and went to another local pub called the Royal Oak. Nasty. Food was out of a packet. The 21st century and still dire pubs. Although the wine was better then the last one! So we left without pudding and drove to the local supermarket for pudding and then sat out in the garden until night fell. Then my Dad and I went for a small walk for a cigar! We could see Home Farm where we were sitting and the dogs were barking, so I barked with them and they started howling excitedly, if I wasn’t a cow, maybe I was a dog in my previous life!

Glorious Elan Valley







Elan valley shoreline

An island of Scots Pine - They DO get everywhere!

Wednesday 19th July – Another local day. We went to the old house of Lower Brockhampton. A lovely Tudor build with a surrounding mote and orchard. The family in the 19th century built themselves a larger property as this one embarrassed them, as it was so small. The ‘new’ house is enormous! They got their way then! Then we went on to Warren Farm, one of the ones belonging to the NT on the estate. 500 acres overlooking a stunning view of the counties and hills. To help pay for the hefty rent this farm did a tea room, craft shop and farm tours. We sat outside under the Scots Pine eating the BEST cream tea EVER, even better then Devon which is renowned for their cream teas. We met some lovely chickens with feathered feet, geese and two rather lovely ponies. The farmer’s wife, Victoria, was a real homely soul and an excellent cook. We walked over to the gate and looked over the field to the stunning views when we noticed lots of smoke and then saw the start of a pretty bad corn fire. The fire, literally, spread like wild fire! There had been no rain for weeks and so the land was dry to the bone and the fire raged. Over the past few weeks’ farmers in this country have lost £150,000 to crop fires, either caused by sparks from the tractors or combines or just spontaneous combustion. We went home and Mum cooked a lovely pasta which was about to be dished up and taken outside when the heavens opened! Typical. That night no one slept. It was SO HOT, it was 85.7F in my room and I couldn’t breathe and even the open windows didn’t help!

The 'new' house

The old house

Stunning although a little small!

Warren Farm

THE BEST EVER!

Lovely feet you have there girls!

He became my friend - only because I gave him some of my scone!

The crop fire

The view from the farm

One of their old barns - love the light

The rain cloud over the cottage


A Coma in Old Mill Cottage garden

Thursday 20th July – A trip to Wenlock Edge in Shropshire, where we sent a postcard to Lyn and Nick, friends of ours who have recently moved to New Zealand and where Lyn was brought up (in Much Wenlock I mean!). Then we went to the Long Mynd, a beautiful set of hills for a walk, yet down below, and a steep dusty path up, so we cheated and drove on to the top instead! Glorious views all around. And a typical view of England from above! Patchwork fields! We were so exhausted and my eyes hurt from all the pictures I had took that we decided to come home and Mum made eggs and bacon and I blew my bubbles. Yes. Right. I seem to be going through a phase of bubbles and Dad said I’d make a good glass blower. See for yourself!

The Long Mynd from down below

The Long Mynd from above

Friday 21st July – Our final full day yet spent local again. Dad and I went to Bromyard for essentials and dinner for that night. Then after lunch we drove around the miles of country lanes, trying to get to know the area! Then we went back to Warren farm for yet another one of their scrumptious cream teas! No crop fire this time. Then home for rest and dinner and blowing bubbles!

Saturday 22nd July - Had to be out of the cottage by 10 pm. So packing the car and cleaning. It was sad to leave yet I had begun to miss Devon so it wasn’t too sad. Again a slight detour into Monouth for Waitrose and the best M&S food shop I’ve ever been in for lunch. It was slow and long on the M5 as all the schools have broken up for the holidays and scores of people were travelling down to Devon and Cornwall the their caravans. Then home. What a lovely cottage we have and it’s all ours! You really do appreciate it more after a week in a rented one!

Holiday makers on the M5!

Sunday 23rd July – A sorry state greeted our eyes this morning. All our beautiful pot Marigolds eaten by the caterpillars! So upsetting. So we went to our local nursery Rosemoor in hunt for some more plants and bee loving one’s too as we have loads of bees this year all wanting to be fed! We found some good ones and came home and did some gardening. I then set about downloading my 700 odd photos I had taken over the last week and then our good friend Sue came round for a drink and a chat in the evening sun, sitting in the yard. I saw two fox cubs in the field and a rather large buck rabbit; those cubs would have NO chance catching him!

Monday 24th July – Perfect day of 27C and gentle breeze. My dad’s car was taken away to be fixed today after our slight crash a few months ago in South Devon to be replaced with a VW Polo until Friday. Now I’ve always wanted to drive a VW and was in for a surprise. It is the WORST car EVER! The clutch too deep and so too jerky, the indicators don’t automatically turn off after you’ve completed the corner and the engine is SO noisy you think you’re driving a tractor! The only good thing to say about it is it’s colour, cobalt blue but the rest of it can go to hell! I went to Sue’s farm Dunsbeare in the afternoon where we chatted and cleaned and saw the sheep. Took the dog Rocky for a walk in the fields and generally had a good time in the heat! She dropped me back and stayed for a drink and then it was an early night for me as the days had started to catch up!

Tuesday 25th July - Up early as we went out to lunch with our friend Elizabeth, lovely old eccentric lady who we’ve known for around 5 years now. Met in unfortunate circumstances by my folks on the Exeter road as they witnessed a young, irate woman crash into her car. Ever since then we’ve been firm friends. She’s in her 80s and in this hot weather she has been sitting outside and as got quite a tan! Even then all of us put together! We had a lovely lunch at a lovely pub sitting out on the terrace in the sunshine. A real gourmet treat! Then we circled our way back to hers, my Mum and I squashed in the back of the 2-door polo and Elizabeth took us on a tour of her local area she had lived in since 40 years. She got quite sad after a while as almost all of her friends had passed on and quoted this line: “As life went on there were more empty chairs”. We dropped her home and then drove back and had a bottle of fizz in the yard. At dusk I turned the big garden light on hoping to attract the moths and Dad and I went for a walk up the top and then back down on the bench for a cigar and whiskey. There were many moths and a frightening burying beetle buzzing around.

Wednesday 26th July TODAY - Wow, never thought I’d see today on this! Lovely and hot but a little overcast. Usual morning trip to local town of Torrington. Back home for more gardening and reading my book under the shade of the Hawthorn. I was reading away quite happily when I heard a strange sound from below. Only a metre away something was coming up through the earth – a mole! I only saw his claw and then he disappeared again! Lovely. Also we’ve been cleaning the cottage as out friend Shirley is coming for the weekend from London and my Mum always treats any visitor as the Queen so the cottage has to be sparkling and my Dad drew the short straw to clean the windows! So I might not be on here again until Sunday as my laptop is in what would be her bedroom (sofa bed).

We also decided where we’re going to live, but enough of this now, I’ll try and come back tomorrow with a shorter post!

Lots of love to everyone, oh and I’ve worked out how to tell the difference between a grasshopper and a cricket, long antennae’s denote a cricket and short a grasshopper!

Emy xxx