Here today, gone tomorrow

Over a year ago when we booked ourselves into two little villages in the Cotswolds, it must be said, it was not without some trepidation. Would we regret this move? Would we get tired of these little villages? After all, it was two months. I can now state with confidence, it was a great move. Perhaps it's just our laid back nature, but we have loved it. Tomorrow we leave and it is with much sadness that we have been saying, "This is our last this. This is our last that." People have been so friendly, and there is a great deal to do. We have been watching posters go up of events in June that we would have attended. Oh well, you can't do everything.

Tomorrow morning we leave for Gatwick Airport to catch a flight to Split in Croatia. As Kathy says, this is just the next adventure. Sheelagh breaks a trip into steps and this one has three. One, drive to Gatwick, two, fly to Split, three, taxi to our digs in Ciovo. This is an island and the village is called Slatine. We have no idea what the Internet situation will be so we can't say when the next blog will go out.

I will put a couple of pictures that we have taken in the last two days. The night shot was taken as Shush and I walked home from the village monthly film night in Blockley hall.

Morgan

The people that I'm travelling with are always poking around in guide books and such, they find things. One recent find for Kathy was the Morgan Auto Plant in Great Malvern, not far from here. I've always avoided plant tours which, I imagined, involved looking at huge machines and things with which I can not connect at any level. But these nifty little cars, not bad.
We left Kathy, oddly, since she found the place, who had no interest in Great M and got to the plant with plenty of time to spare.The archivist for the plant greeted us and, along with about 15 others, we heard how, in 1909, a village pastor by the name of Morgan, who had a mechanical bent designed a 3 wheel vehicle to get him around the hills in the area.

These proved so successful that he received orders from other people and decided to get a shop and produce them. They had an ash wood frame with sheet steel panels and a 2 stroke motorcycle engine. The orders continued and he prospered.

When the driving public became familiar with 4 wheel vehicles the Morgan company smoothly changed to the now familiar sporty version that everybody about my age covets.

They still use the ash frame, but over the years have used modern innovations as they became available. One person is responsible for the complete construction of the wooden frame stage. A set of ancient jigs are used to shape the wheel wells that you can see. We watched craftsmen planing and shaping the various components on old benches.
Galvanized steel frames are used on the newer models that have been and are still added to the line. But individuals still have responsibility for each frame. When the frames have been completed, they are picked up and moved to the shop next door and there the aluminum panels are attached to them. Again one person is responsible for the car. At this stage the wheels and suspension systems and steeling and engines are added so from here on the car is driven from shop to shop.

Here is one of the newer models being made, but with these they seem to come and go depending on their popularity. These vehicles have a BMW v8 and are very fast 0 to 60 in 4.2 seconds or something like that. These cost 127 000. pounds. The interiors are beautiful things with handmade leather seats and hand polished wood trim. The dash is polished aluminum. There is no plastic used.
The traditional models remain the most popular. The entry level is going to cost you 29 000. It has a 4 cylinder engine, and a Ford V8 with a few more options will run you up to 40 000 pounds. 65% of sales are to foreigners, mostly central Europe. The USA only allows the newer models with the steel frames in and Canada is worse they said. As you can see above, 6 of 10 have left hand steering.

They are all hand sprayed. The leather and flooring is cut and sewed on benches right in the shop. If you pay enough you can get any colour that you want. He said that an Italian customer had ordered his with yellow paint, orange leather interior and blue carpets. The Brits in the tour group were heard to mumble, "Just like an Italian. Harrumph."

We had a fun time seeing this very human operation. No robots, no assembly lines. The 100 or so craftsmen felt that the cars were their projects, not 500 number 38 bolts on 500 Ford Tauruses. They hoped to make 800 cars this year.

I sat in one of the expensive ones, but with the difficulty I had getting in and out, I may have missed my Morgan time of life. But you know, the salesman said that it would get easier, and if we sell our car and if we took out a little line of credit, and if Sheelagh gets a little part time job, and if.......

"Here's to you Mutti"

Sheelagh's Mom enjoys a book of daily devotions written by a fellow from Buckland. Yesterday we all went over to Broadway, your classic Cotswold village. After parking the car we found the Cotswold Way walking trail leading out of town and set off for the 1 1/2 miles to visit this village we had never seen. It was an ideal walking day and high spirits prevailed all the way there and back. There were no suggestions that, "Perhaps there might be a bus!" We passed through a delightful copse on the brow of a hill before seeing Buckland spread out before us.

It is a tiny place with a church and not much else for amenities. As we entered the village a gentleman working in his garden informed us that he had sold his cottage to LaGard Smith, the author of the book, MEETING GOD IN QUIET PLACES. We found Hill View Cottage where he lives and it was charming. The man who keeps it tidy told us that Mr. Smith, an American, teaches at a university in America during the winter and comes back for the summer. His book is a best seller in the states.

The church is an interesting place with an historic cloth called a cope which was made from religious vestments taken by Henry VIII's crowd during the dissolution. It is now used as a pall and hung over caskets. There is a shepherds' seat along the side of the church where the shepherds could come in with their dogs to hear the service.
We had a good look around and then walked back to Broadway. After a fine lunch at the pub, where we raised a glass to Sheelagh's Mum for her suggestion, we wandered the village looking at the lovely houses and other buildings. Many are from the 1600's and just so beautiful. You can recognize the magic perfection of proportion and window layout and building material that make these buildings so right.

We did a driving tour of a few other villages including Stanton where Sheelagh and I stayed a night as we walked the Cotswold Way 25 years ago. We stopped for an amazing and shockingly inexpensive cream tea. As we were chatting to two ladies in the tea shop in the middle of nowhere, we asked where they were staying only to be told they were in a small place called Blockley. After never having heard of this place, now everyone is staying here.

Before I go I would like to mention friends. Since we have been here, we've had a chance to see and spend some time with Malcolm and Delyth in Stroud. The day before yesterday we spent our last time with them for a while. We had a lovely day just hanging out as our kids would say. We so much appreciate their friendship and will look forward to our next visit with them either in Canada or here.

Chipping Campden to Canada

We walked over to Chipping Campden the other day and although we have been there before we took a different path into town and came by the ruins of the big manor house. Poor old Sir Baptist Hicks. He had done very well in the wool trade and built himself the most modern house going. During the civil war in the 1640's, he was a staunch Royalist allowing the King's troops to be billeted in his house. When things went badly for the Royalists and they were forced to retreat, they burnt his house to the ground rather than let it fall into enemy hands. There's gratitude for you!

We discovered a lovely, little memorial garden to the memory of Ernest "Chinese" Wilson. He was a botanist sent by his company to collect seeds and plants from China in the early 1900's. He had quite the adventures and introduced many plants to Britain and North America. The Handkerchief tree was blooming as was the Wilson's magnolia. He and his wife were killed in a car accident in 1930 and buried in Montreal.

We were carrying the house key and when the Grahams went home before us, we stayed around to hear a concert in the church. We planned to take the next bus home, no problem. Thing is, the next bus wasn't running so we grabbed a passing cab and got ourselves ripped off for 13 pounds ($20.00) for a 2 1/2 mile ride. Talk about a pair of suckers!

Longborough village opened their gardens today in aid of the church roof fund. The gardens are so inspiring and both couples came away excited about garden plans for their yards in High River. It's never going to happen but it's fun while it lasts! Our little Rosemary Cottage is putting on a display as well.

Here are a few pictures from the things we've done. We've found our dream cars.

Oxford just as good second time around

Yesterday was another great day in Oxford. This time we were able to see inside some of the Colleges that were closed for exams on our last visit. There is so much history, so many stories and so much beauty.Each College is built around several grassed quads. The students aren't allowed to walk on the grass; only the Fellows or professors can. At Queens College, the Queen is also allowed to walk on the grass. We went to sung Evensong at Magdalen College chapel. Kathy said she would go to evensong every day if she lived here. It was very peaceful and calming listening to the choir, all male, ranging in age from about 8 to 28.
For you Harry Potter fans, you will recognise the New College dining hall. For you Inspector Morse fans, Exeter College quad is where he had his fatal heart attack.

Honeysuckle Weeks where are you?

We've having a great time with the Grahams, as we knew from past experience we would. I enjoy the Cotswolds, I also enjoy watching other Canadians take pleasure from this painfully quaint area. Kathy, who is much like me in her enthusiastic responses and raging optimism, is fun to watch as we pass the beautiful olde worlde sandstone cottages and "Big" houses.

We have rented a car for this two weeks and are getting about a bit. Yesterday we visited Great Malvern, which isn't in the Cotswolds, to attend an Agatha Christie play called, WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION. It was supposed to star a favorite of ours, Honeysuckle Weeks, but Miss Weeks had pulled out at the last minute. Kathy and I hate her now. Jim and Sheelagh were mildly disappointed. The play was well done, but had some structural flaws that made one cringe in places.

Great Malvern is a pretty town on the side of the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire. It has a 900 year old Benedictine priory with the largest selection of medieval tiles in the world.The misericords, mercy seats, are also some of the best in the world. The monks weren't allowed to sit during services so some bright spark devised these" leaning against seats". In 1541, the local people bought the priory for 20 pounds to save it from destruction by Cromwell's troops. We had a really good lunch before the play and then headed home after. Jim and I are sharing the stresses of driving in unfamiliar territory.

In An English Country Garden

As I sit in an English country garden I will share with you some pictures from Blockley's annual Open Garden Day. About ten of the local garden enthusiasts share their gardens with the public to raise money for Lady Northwick's Society who own two flats in Blockley for the aged and indigent. We shall sign up forthwith.The owner of the Manor House just above invited us back this afternoon to tour the inside of their beautiful house. The oldest part of the Manor was owned by the Bishops of Worcester. When Henry VIII got cranky with Rome, the Bishop lost this place. At one point after that, Elizabeth I had the lease and she rented it to a Jew from Portugal. Shakespeare is said to have modelled the character Shylock, from his play, The Merchant of Venice, on this man. We had the grand tour from cellars to attics. The restoration of the house has been their retirement project and they have done a wonderful job. It was a highlight to see it.