Keeping it local for Easter Sunday

I had a shocked today while out walking.  I have lived in my current home for 21 year's having left my parents home age 21 and lived in Cheltenham for 35 year's!

I have never fully settled here.  For me the town has everything I need and it is very handy for getting to many places for day trips and going on holiday.  

But it doesn't have a "community feel" like places like Skipton and Hay on Wye have when I have visited.

That being said I am very lucky to live in my lovely home and today instead of getting in my van I decided to stay local and had a lovely five mile walk with my trusty companion Luna.

Initially it looks like she wouldn't want to move!  But she loves her trips out

Something I really miss about living in the Cotswolds is being able to get to the coast, as it's a minimum of an hour plus drive.  So my walk by the River Chelt has to do. 

I do love to see people's gardens some are so pretty. 

On this particular walk I pass the first ever place I rented a room when leaving home, a very grand house.

There is the sweetest thatch cottage within feet of this property which is currently for sale, perfect if you have a spare £300k +

I headed out on a country road where you have the backdrop of Cleeve Hill and the company of many birds singing.

So all in all a nice relaxed way to just chill and enjoy my day. 

I hope you have all had a lovely day too. 

Welford Park snowdrops in the Spring

This weekend I drove an hour from home to visit Welford Park.

They have an incredible display of snowdrops that I had not seen before.  You can do a leisurly two mile walk around the grounds in the woods and see the stunning display.

The location is also the setting for the The Great British Bake Off which I do so love watching.

Day trips out. Part one.

For the first time I have had a week off and have nothing set in stone and planned. I have a couple of things I want to do, like work on the garden and decorate my hall and fresh coat of paint on the front door. Both of which are done and I'm so happy how they have turned out. 

But other than that I am have been waking up, looking at the weather and just deciding on the day, it's so liberating and fun! 

So I'm lucky in the fact I live in the Cotswolds and also a member of the National Trust. 

As I had the week off work I wanted to do some day trips. 

So the first trip was 30 minutes from home to Croome Court

The gardens are designed by Capability Brown and they received a National Lottery fund of £1.8m towards restoration. 

One of the things I like to do with my beautiful British Short Hair kitty is take her out in her backpack.  She happily lies there and just enjoys seeing different places with me. 

Can't beat walking in the tree's seeing the many shades of green. 

Trip two. 

I only discovered Chastleton House through an advert and even though it was reasonably local (an hour away) it was a nice drive out. 

Originally the land had a house on built by Robert Gatsby, the leader of the Gunpowder Plot. 

Then in 1612 the now Chastleton House was built by Walter Jones. The Jones family originally from Wales and wool merchants, however Walter trained as a lawyer working in Worcester. 

The house stated in the Jones family for 400 years.  The last resident Barbara Clutton-Brook left the house in 1991 when the National Heritage Memorial Fund bought it. 

The house has been left almost as it was when the last resident left. 

The top floor was my favourite room which runs the length of the building with an incredible wooden floor.  Back in the 1800's the ladies where not aloud outside so they and the children entertainmented themselves up here. 

This was the view from the top floor. 

The gardens where also beautiful. 

I even sat on the wall and worked on my latest project. 

Thanks for reading.