Oh to be in England
Now that April’s there,
And whoever wakes in England
Sees, some morning, unaware,
That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheaf
Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf,
While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough
In England – now!
And after April, when May follows,
And the whitethroat builds, and all the swallows!
Hark, where my blossom’d pear-tree in the hedge
Leans to the field and scatters on the clover
Blossoms and dewdrops – at the bent spray’s edge –
That’s the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over,
Lest you should think he never could recapture
The first fine careless rapture!
And though the fields look rough with hoary dew,
All will be gay when noontide wakes anew
The buttercups, the little children’s dower
-Far brighter than this gaudy melon-flower!Home-thoughts, from Abroad, by Robert Browning
Monday found us in a taxi again, on the way to Paddington Station for the train to Moreton-in-Marsh in the Cotswolds. We planned to take two day-trips from London during our stay, and I knew from the start that the Cotswolds would be one of them. I saw the bus tours that take you to Stonehenge, Bath, and the Cotswolds, or Oxford, Stratford-on-Avon and the Cotswolds, but it seemed like we wouldn’t be getting much of any of those places. I really wanted something more personal and focused on the Cotswolds, so when I came across the Secret Cottage Tour, I knew it was perfect.
Our tour guides met us at the station, and proved to be friendly and knowledgeable throughout the trip. One of delights of this tour is actually seeing inside a thatched-roof cottage, and it was just as cozy and homey as a cottage should be. And we were served a lavish and delicious assortment of food there three times during the day!
Some highlights of the tour: Chastleton House and several other big houses…
Upper and Lower Slaughter – an old mill and an even older church…
Adlestrop, which Jane Austen visited and where she is said to have been inspired to write Mansfield Park…
And Great Tew, where we got to take a little walk through some lovely English countryside…
Our guides very graciously offered to take our photos several times during the tour, for which I was very grateful. I hate trying to do selfies, and you can’t just hand over your phone to anyone in London! This one is my favorite:
It was the perfect way to spend a day in the Cotswolds, and I hope I can go back again someday! ♥
