So January has got off to a decidedly nippy start. I am very grateful for the fact that I have many knitted layers, be it socks, scarves, hats, mitts or garments that I can lay my hands on.
Tewkesbury is however susemptible to flooding and the bank was very thick with sticky mud.
In all the years I have visited, though I have never seen the perfect reflection of the bridge in the water.
I decided to do a longer walk than normal up to Mythe Bridge and never realised how big the Severn Trent Water treatment works are.
Unlike Gloucester Cathedral, which I went to during my time off, Tewkesbury Abbey does not charge an entrance fee.
It may not be as large a building, but in my opinion, it is still an incredible piece of architecture and a place to go where you can just sit quietly.
Whenever I go into any religious builiding I always light a candle in remembrance of my Dad.
Having now completed the first module for my course, I am moving on to the second, which involves researching yarn. This is such an exciting area to look into that I had never given a huge amount of thought to.
I am very lucky in the location that I live, as Cotswold Farm Park is a scenic thirty minute drive from home. Although I had not realised being within the dip of Cheltenham that it had even snowed, until I got up onto the top of the Cotswolds, so the drive there was rather scary as I do not enjoy driving on ice!
The trip however long it took, was worth it, though as the range and history of the sheep, which are so close and due to the weather the park was not super crowded, which meant I could get lots of pictures.
I never realised how many breeds of sheep there are and I can not wait to dive in and do more research.
Today was my last of a glorious eleven days straight of no office job! It has been so lovely not having to have an alarm clock go off, being able to sit and read and I have actually read fifty percent of my first of 2026 book, which I have never done before.
I also finished my craft/reading room and I could not be more proud and happy with how it has turned out and will spend many many happy hours with my and the cat here.
The weekend before returning to the office job I took the opportunity to head to Cotswold Farm Park. It was a slow drive there as the farm it high up on top of the Cotswolds, with incredible views, but also a layering of snow and a lot of black ice.
It was the last weekend of opening before a temporary shut for lambing season and due to the weather it was quiet in terms of visitors who didn't venture out!
I loved seeing the big variety of rare breeds, especially the sheep. But I have to admit I was surprised how they are so used to being fed as they sold food on entry, which was good for pictures as they kept coming up expecting food.
The site has got alot bigger since I last visited a couple of years ago. There is now a big indoor cafe and huge shop selling some very nice gifts and I did treat myself to a new cotton scarf, and did like the mitts that were very soft.
The next day I checked on my little pond I made in the garden and broke the ice, just in case there are any tiny creatures in there, which sadly I have not seen yet. I do hope something finds its way to the pond sometime.
I don't spend anywhere near as much time in the garden as I should, especially in the warmer months and keep vowing that I will.
It is lovely to see that even in the depths of winter there is colour though.
The patterns formed by ice are just magical I think, this was on the conservatory glass.
Seeing the moon I always find fascinating, this was taken at 8.50am! Incredible how clear it is, one day I really hope when camping to find a perfect uninterrupted night sky with the stars shining brightly.
Have now been back at work for a week and having had feedback from my course with recommendations off I go back to Slimbridge for some more inspiration.
It was a fresh day, but a perfect day for pictures with the glorious winter light.
I love to hear birds in flight and it is even more of a thrill to capture them flying.
It was amazing just how still the water was viewed from one of the hides and you could see the thin layer of ice on the top that some of the ducks tentatively walked over.
Before heading home I had a nice cuppa and a little sit and knit in the cafe and looked out at the wildlife.
We are now into the third weekend of the month and today's adventures took me across country on a very scenic drive through sun and big open spaces, low cloud and very grey skies.
To arrive at the pretty Chipping Norton.
As part of the course I am studying the next module I am working on is about the history of yarn. So I decided what better place to study, than the area I live in which is steeped in history, as the wool industry had such a huge impact in times gone buy in terms of the wealth it brought to the area.
This church, like a few in the area is known as a "wool church", but on the profits made by the wool industry. It is incredibly impressive considering the size of the town it is based in when you go inside to see just how huge it actually is.
I last visited The Fibreworks many years ago. The shop has been trading for fourteen years, which in a world where so many people buy through the internet now is just so great to hear.
The shop runs a mix of classes and stocks a great range of yarns, not least the vast arrea of natural fibre.
The more I learn about yarn, the more amazed I am about just how many breeds of sheep there actually are.
After I had finished having a wander around the town, I then headed to Cotswold Woollen Weavers.
Again, if it had not been for my course I would never have thought to visit here. If you are in the area, I highly recommend it. The museum is free, there is a cafe and shop to have a look around and the drive is lovely to get there.
When I go somewhere I really like to look at Google maps, look for little single track roads and see where it takes me. This walk was an absolute gem with lovely countryside and the best free bookshop I have found to date!
Eat Pray Love is a great film and I am very much looking forward to reading the book.
For reference, I always either drop my finished books back to one of these or give to charity, unless I am collecting a series of them.
My final weekend of January again involved another walk, this time from home and ended up being a lovely 7.5 mile round trip.
It is so lovely to see the spring flowers popping up and for me who is not a fan of hot weather the temperatures of the low teen's is perfect.
The road to the garden centre, which is the halfway point was lovely and quiet on a Sunday morning. In late summer the bushes last year were absolutely full of blackberries, so I am hoping they will be this year too.
For my birthday back in August, when my Son said "what would you like for your birthday?". I said a voucher for here. So far I have got some lovely solar lights in the shape of bees.
But I came across the perfect mat for when I go off travelling in my van to just pop outside the door.
Isn't it so cute!
So until next month, I hope you all have a great new month and I shall catch you on my February update.
