Waiting for the rain to cease, the mud to dry up, and the cast to come off my arm....all feel never-ending! We haven't been on any grand adventures lately, but we're enjoying the smaller excursions on our list.
Farmers Market
Our nearest town with a few commercial establishments is called Deddington, and here there is an outdoor market once a month. On a March Saturday we finally checked it out. Although we're not big shoppers, we were charmed by a few things to bring home with us, including some soaps, dish towels, and a key holder from stalls set up inside the local church. We've had good luck with farmers market food offerings also, especially cheese and sweet treats. As the weather improves we'll start to see more fruits and vegetables too.
Model Village
Speaking of "small" adventures, I'd heard about Bekonscot even before arriving in England, and was intrigued. A miniature (think "doll-size") English town spread over 1.5 acres, its website says: "Stuck in a 1930s time warp, see England how it used to be, & discover a wonderful little world tucked away from the hustle & bustle of everyday life." Well, it was a pretty cute place! Apparently, Queen Elizabeth loved it as a child.
We drove from our place about 50 minutes to the town of Beaconfield, walked around the miniature village for an hour, went out for a tapas lunch in the (real) town, and called it a day. I'd go again!
Bridge Tournament in London
At the end of March we returned to London, most notably playing two days at a bridge tournament. We were taken aback at how low the attendance was. The demise of our game's popularity is happening here too. But the overall experience was lots of fun and we loved staying with our dogs at a wonderful hotel in South Kensington. Our last morning there, we took them for a long walk around the neighborhood. As we've noticed in other sections of London, there are some lovely green spaces but they are walled off and locked. Never once have we seen anyone inside one of these mini parks, which seems a shame.
But on another day we enjoyed a visit to Richmond Park, at 2500 acres ranking among the largest urban parks in the world. (Central Park in NYC is 843 acres). The large parks of Greater London seem to be enjoyed by throngs of visitors. Although early in the season, we loved the preview of spring flowers starting to bloom.
Steam Train
Robin loves all things train-related, and wanted to ride the historic Steam Railway which runs along the Cotswolds. These heritage train rides seem to be a popular tourist activity in the UK. We enjoyed the picturesque scenery from the train windows and a new way of seeing the Cotswolds. The train ended at a BIG horse racecourse in Cheltenham - made me wonder if we should partake of a day at the races sometime? But on that day, there were no races, so we enjoyed a walk around the village and another lovely Afternoon Tea before riding the train back.
In a few days, visiting friends will arrive, so our tourist shoes will be on once again. Stand by for more adventures! For now I will leave you with a fun video Robin took at the Natural History Museum in London. We had gone there, just a short walk from our London hotel, on a free morning before bridge. Our goal was a wildlife photography exhibit, but since we were there at opening, Robin suggested we try to get into the dinosaur wing before the hordes of families arrived. Glad we did - little was I expecting the lifesize animatronic T-Rex! Enjoy the video, and see you next time!