Last weekend, to Tewkesbury for the family get-together of my husband's mother's family, and to celebrate the 80th birthdays of his uncle and aunt. The weather had been blisteringly hot, but subsided a little for the event.
On the way over, we broke our journey at the Chedworth Roman Villa. We look at NT properties differently now that we are Volunteers ourselves. Perhaps the highlight for my husband was his first ever sighting of a fritillary butterfly. The villa is in a sheltered valley with plenty of wild willow herb and nettles.
A full range of buildings is on display, underfloor heating and all.
Everywhere they had used these splendid mosaics, some more like floor rugs than others.
We were invited to imagine the cream of Roman British society, taking their ease in the sauna and plunge pool. Given that we were not a million miles from the M4, deep in lush countryside, it was not hard to imagine the powerful at their weekend homes.
So, to Tewkesbury, a town in dire need of some sort of by-pass, as the traffic roars through it until late at night. I counted nine charity shops as we walked from our hotel to the abbey, but also a fair number of interesting ancient buildings.
At the event we were happy to see all the older generation in good heart, and to catch up on the careers of those in their twenties, when anything still seems possible. It was a good do, as they say up North.
On our return journey, we cut across country, calling at Waddesden Manor for lunch. We were surprised to find a full-scale Park and Ride in operation - we remembered parking on the drive up to the house before. At that time, there was a trained mynah bird in the aviary - called, I think, George. He was very entertaining, but must be long gone. However, we were delighted to find an exhibition of drawings by Henry Moore, including some of the sheep drawings we enjoy. This was a lovely bonus. Lunch was excellent too.
On the way over, we broke our journey at the Chedworth Roman Villa. We look at NT properties differently now that we are Volunteers ourselves. Perhaps the highlight for my husband was his first ever sighting of a fritillary butterfly. The villa is in a sheltered valley with plenty of wild willow herb and nettles.
A full range of buildings is on display, underfloor heating and all.
Everywhere they had used these splendid mosaics, some more like floor rugs than others.
We were invited to imagine the cream of Roman British society, taking their ease in the sauna and plunge pool. Given that we were not a million miles from the M4, deep in lush countryside, it was not hard to imagine the powerful at their weekend homes.
So, to Tewkesbury, a town in dire need of some sort of by-pass, as the traffic roars through it until late at night. I counted nine charity shops as we walked from our hotel to the abbey, but also a fair number of interesting ancient buildings.
On our return journey, we cut across country, calling at Waddesden Manor for lunch. We were surprised to find a full-scale Park and Ride in operation - we remembered parking on the drive up to the house before. At that time, there was a trained mynah bird in the aviary - called, I think, George. He was very entertaining, but must be long gone. However, we were delighted to find an exhibition of drawings by Henry Moore, including some of the sheep drawings we enjoy. This was a lovely bonus. Lunch was excellent too.
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1 comment:
I too have a special fondness for Henry Moore's sheep drawings. For many years I worked in a Washington DC museum with a strong collection of his sculpture but secretly delighted in the sheep and WW2 subway drawings.
Were you thinking of potential knitting projects when viewing all of those beautiful Roman floors?
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