The Village Of Great Budworth

One of the most beautiful villages in my home county of Cheshire, is the historic village of Great Budworth.

A quintessential English village, first mentioned in the Doomsday Book in the year 1130.

Set in the heart of some of England's most picturesque countryside, it is home to the magnificent St Mary and All Saints Church, The George and Dragon Pub, and the Great Budworth Ice Cream Farm, all within walking distance of it's cottage-lined streets.

What a magical place to call home......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cottage Homes of England!
By thousands on her plains,
They are smiling o’er the silvery brooks,
And round the hamlet-fanes.
Through glowing orchards forth they peep,
Each from its nook of leaves;
And fearless there the lowly sleep,
As the bird beneath their eaves. Felicia Dorothea Hemans (1793–1835)

Pieces Of The Past

Each time I pass this old homestead, my heart skips a beat.
Long ago abandoned, and neglected, I can't help but imagine her beauty and elegance in bygone times.
I fight the urge to hang a Christmas wreath on her weathered clapboard siding, and imagine her walls whispering "Thank You" for not forgetting.

Someone always leaving
and never coming back.
The wooden houses left too long abandoned
to turn old and gray.

Weeds pushing apart . . .
Trees gone wild,
Fields taking over
Shredded curtains blowing in the wind.

Beams of weathered wood . . .

No longer able to hold in
The soft heartbeat of Home.

 

 

 

December Days

"When everything that ticked has stopped,

And space stares, all around,

Or grisly frosts, first autumn morns,

Repeal the beating ground."

 Emily Dickinson, Time and

Done And Dusted

This afternoon, I accomplished a little inside decorating.
Our tree is an Alpine Tree, tall and skinny, and doesn't require any furniture to be moved around, which makes life easier.
The mantle is  finished, except for a few dried orange slices and cinnamon sticks.
I'm calling it finished, because the sun is shining brilliantly and there is a  list of outdoor chores with my name on them......

The silver is polished

The Christmas crackers await Christmas wishes and giggles

 

December Rains

Four days of continuous rainfall, water standing ankle-deep, I'm beginning to think a pair of webbed-feet would be fitting.

It's difficult to achieve any outdoor chores in inclement weather like this, unless of course you are fortunate to own a  sturdy Mackintosh, wellington boots, and a large rain hat.

Luckily the temperatures are mild for this time of the year, just yesterday a new Geranium bloom appeared, even after several hard frosts earlier in the month.

Mother Nature seems to have her months all higgledy piggledy.

Row, row, row your boat......

 

 

 

 

 

 

" The best kind of rain, of course, is a cozy rain.

This is the kind the anonymous medieval poet makes me remember, the rain that falls on a day when you'd just as soon stay in bed a little longer, write letters or read a good book by the fire, take early tea with hot scones and jam and look out the streaked window with complacency. "

~Susan Allen Toth, England For All Seasons

Sunshine And Shadows

Goodness the weather has turned bitterly cold.

The sun has shone all day long, but the wind has been horrendous, and temperatures have barely made it over the freezing mark.
A hard freeze blanketed the ground overnight, and a repeat performance expected tonight....

I thought about venturing out to the Christmas market... that's as far as I got.
Some souls are braver than others.

Recycling Nature's Way

Each year, as Fall comes to an end, I remove the Boston ferns from the front porch.

I buy them early in the Spring from our local farmers co-operative, and with a faithful watering, and the occasional feeding, they grow into huge plants which we enjoy  all season long.

They are lush and green, and offer lots of shade, but after the first few hard frosts of Autumn hit, and the leaves turn brown,  I'll transport them to the trees and offer them to the birds as a winter refuge.

I have tried hanging them in a room and watering all winter through, it makes a huge mess, so I've given up, and resigned myself to the fact that each spring as soon as the farmers greenhouse flings open it's doors, I'm there waiting in line .......

 

 

 

 

And The Rains Came

We have been deluged with rain today, buckets of the stuff......unrelenting and soaking everything in sight.
The wind is howling and creating havoc.
The trees are shedding the last of their leaves, Winter is fast approaching.

Friendship Days

Monday started out dark and dreary.
I gave some thought to looking around a few shops, and seeing what is available now the Christmas season is drawing closer.
Instead, I had a visit from a wonderful friend, a dear lady who has been in my life for many years, and has shared the ups and downs of expat life together.
.
I visited her hometown when I was in England recently. A medieval city founded as a Roman fort in AD 79.
Chester and my hometown share the same county and is a popular tourist destination to thousands of visitors to Britain each year.
It's streets are lined with some of the best timber-framed architecture throughout the land.
We enjoyed a pot of tea, and Scottish shortbread biscuits, as we reminisced and giggled like two school girls.