Northleach - Moreton In Marsh - Blockley

Driving through the Cotswolds to the most precious looking villages....  We went to Northleach to see the Music Box Museum there. Quite a small building, but packed with all sorts of beautiful and old music boxes. The woman working there (Sally) was thoroughly happy to give her presentation about the various boxes, and at one point she and I  had a little conversation about 'hair slides' (we call them barrettes here in the states).  I had a rhinestone barrette in my hair that was quite new but looked vintage, and Sally just fell in love with it. Before my husband and I left the museum, I gave her the barrette, telling her that I bought it just before the trip and I'd go back and buy another one when I got home. She was thrilled beyond belief and I was happy to leave a part of me in that wonderful little village.

We also visited the Cathedral of the Cotswolds... St. Peter and St. Paul, built in the 1200s.  Honestly, when we hear about these centuries-old churches and homes, it just takes one's breath away to think of the care and maintenance that had to be given to these structures over the years. The British churches are all beautifully crafted, no matter how large or small... great care and attention to detail was given to build them, and extraordinary care is given daily to maintain them.

From there, we went to Moreton-In-Marsh.... found a tiny Greek cafe for lunch... and a very small bookshop filled with all sorts of children's books and old favorites. (I've hardly ever met a bookshop that I didn't like, in case you haven't guessed.)

We walked around the Batsford Arboretum.... the walk was pleasant and the day was sunny and warm, but the grounds were filled with more trees and shrubs than colorful gardens. After a seemingly very long walk, we came upon a huge castle-like home, and further on there was a beautiful church. Inside the back door of that very pretty church, there were shelves filled with old books for sale. I looked through them and found "Lost Horizon" by James Hilton. A basket was there to hold the money for the books, and we put an English pound coin into it. (Many of the smaller churches had such displays of books and postcards for sale, with unlocked baskets and boxes for the money.)  Once again, I found myself comparing the arboretum grounds with the gardens at Malmesbury.

Close to Batsford was The Sezincote Gardens, which featured a mansion filled with furniture and artifacts from India. We chose to walk around the gardens and not tour the home, being that we would have had to wait for the next tour group to begin.  The gardens at Sezincote were pretty, lots of flowers, ponds, statues, hidden and secret passages... but still... Malmesbury topped my list for formal English gardens on this trip.

What struck me as we visited all the villages were the dogs.... on leashes, right along with their owners, sitting quietly in restaurants and cafes, watching the world go by through very happy doggie-eyes. The English love their pets to the point of accepting them as part of their every-day schedule... they don't leave them home, they bring their dogs with them whenever possible, and it's just very heart-warming.

Off to Blockley we drove, towards our Bed and Breakfast destination.... the Blockley Mill House... an ancient mill which has been converted to the most wonderful home. Rooms decorated with plush furniture and antiques and books and paintings.... a huge pond in the yard which is kept filled with the water-wheel of the original mill... flowers and plants and trees and topiary all around the pond, with an open-air gazebo to sit under, and decks and porches to enjoy the view. While we were in the backyard, delicate spores of dandelions were floating in the breeze and the effect was magical. To top everything, church bells started ringing at eight o'clock that evening and continued for an hour.... absolutely beautiful beyond words.

Church bells ringing, doves coo-ing in the evening, well-behaved dogs in shops and cafes, quaint villages, beautiful gardens, delicious tea..... the Cotswolds was quickly becoming close to my heart.