Back in Rusper our friends have hosted an open garden for the village church.
And today our last day we are dressing in our garden party clothes and drinking G& T in the garden.
Our hostess Marie France
The weather is beautiful….. English style. Started out grey and cleared to blue skies by the middle of the day.
The guests arrived. Some walked from the village. Some drove from as far as London just over an hour away.
We had an hour and a half before we scrambled up the airport.
Gatwick is like all big airports. Lots of people and long walks up the gate. Ours was a good ten minutes of constant walking.
Then the theatre began. An announcement telling us boarding was delayed. That we had a full flight and there wouldn’t be room in overhead lockers for all the carry on bags. They offered free under plane storage and early boarding if people volunteered to check in their bags.
3 people came forward. Then a rather forceful lady started walking around the gathering line of people pulling out some and asking them to put their bags in the size measuring contraption.
It was actually quite funny watching grown men and women trying to cram oversized bags into the frame. If they didn’t fit they went to one side. Check in!
A women sitting near us tried to hide her rather heavy looking bag, a big back pack and handbag. She did it and later boarded!
We then sat on the tarmac waiting for take off. An hour later we did.
Arriving into Turin it was still light so we dropped our bags and headed out for a late dinner. Another salad Nicoise for me.
Next morning a long train ride up Lerici. We’re staying with our niece for 3 nights.
Our day started in Guildford about 40 mins from our friend’s house. So I planned on staying over the night with Ren.
Ren is a new friend from our Geebung choir. She is doing a house exchange and has room for me on her lounge. Yes …..me couch surfing at my age.
We met up with the the choir and did some street pop ups. One on the church steps.
Me in the white hat. back row
One at the castle.
One at the bandstand.
All 3 attracted a crowd.
We visited the market stalls. And even sampled a gin.
Two sopranos sample Gin. Good for the throat.
Heading back to Godalming where Choirblast is happening it’s a wonder we didn’t start singing on the 6 min train journey.
Lunch at the Pub with a jug of Pimm’s set us up for an afternoon on The Green.
A big area with several stages, lots of food trucks, a bar , coffee van, craft stalls and people scattered around on rugs and fold up chairs
Boards with the times and choir names were scattered around.
The light rain started but on we sat listening to choirs until it was our turn.
We finished quite late but Ren and I walked 20 mins home in rain but feeling very happy with our first big performance. I slept like a baby on my couch !
DAY 2
A sleep in was well deserved and breakfast in the garden was delightful.
Then our big day started. We performed at the The Court. Waiting on the steps in the shade everyone was feeling great. Ready for a 5 performance day!
Free time in between our performances gave us a chance to explore and listen to other choirs.
The NHS choir were beautiful and got a great response from the crowd. The nurses, doctors, support workers all worked on the front line during Covid and are so supported by the community it it is wonderful.
A children’s choir of 6 year olds stole our hearts.
The colourful choir ( not their name ) were so energetic and enthusiastic.
We drew a crowd with our fun numbers , a standing ovation for Come What May from Moulin Rouge.
Then we were performing the final concert. 🎶 We sang our party songs. Our Bangers and Mash up songs that everyone knows and love.
An early start for Ros and David who left Bath for St Ives.
Steve and I sorted our bags and cleared the apartment and were on the road by 9
The next few days we are wandering the Cotswolds. People love this area. There are always debates about which is the cutest villages.
I will run my own survey !
First up Castle Combe. A very small village, it was quiet apart from a few meandering tourists.
This tiny village was used in the movie War Horse and there was a display about this in the local church
I’d heard about Painswick from two people. One was a lecturer in my arts group who lectured for ArtsNational last year. She lives there and recommended a visit.
The second is one of the therapy girls, Donna whose rugby-0playing son played the the region and lived in Painswick.
It’s beautiful. The Main Street is narrow with some lovely shops. The side streets have beautiful houses, an arts centre with a good cafe, a church in a large park with lines of trees. Donna told me 99 trees were planted there.
The local cafe in the arts canteen was buzzing. Lots of lovely local ladies meeting for coffee and lunch. They chatted in what to me sounded like posh English accents and were dressed very ladylike.
The Painswick hotel was recommended for afternoon tea…… and is as lovely as it looked – but we had cute villages to see.
Painswick Hotel
Next stop Nailsworth. A lovely Main Street.
Studeley Castle and Gardens sounded great so we drove down narrow lanes to get there only to find out it was closed. We’ll have to come back.
It was time for Stow on the Wold. Our room for two nights is in The Porch – reported to be the oldest inn in England. Well I’m not sure if that fact, but it’s old. Up and down steps, low doorways, beams, old lights, dark common rooms but very comfortable rooms. Ours overlooked the small park opposite.
Porch House
We walked up the Main Street to the town square. Beautiful old honey coloured buildings. Lots of city shops, including a 3 story antique shop. So much in there. So well organised! My friend Ginetta would love it.
Steve heading for the antique centre. And the car.
I found the town library. Modern looking inside a very old building. I think this village might be right up there with the best of the Cotswolds. Certainly consider this as a base for exploring the area.
The gardens of the Cotswolds are renowned. Mondays most are closed so we missed the famous Rococo gardens in Painswick and Studeley. Today we stoped at the old market town of Burton and bought a few things. And headed for Bourton Gardens.
The beautiful house was closed to the public but the gardens are open
The house and a small section of the garden.
We loved it. The white garden was stunning, and the way the garden was laid out was fascinating.
Another thing that is common to many UK gardens is the over planting. In Australia we tend to plant more sparingly. Here it almost looks crowded.
Nearby was the railway museum. Naturally Steve wanted to visit there. By luck the old steam train was about to leave.
The old steam train
Finally got to Studeley house and gardens. It was important during the reign of Henry V111 and is now maintained by the present owner and its priority is living in harmony with the animals of the world. Hence the elephants in the gardens
Our second day of wandering the Cotswolds took us up to Broadway – probably one of the best for a base with it’s lovely pubs, restaurants, shops etc. – very pretty place. It was hosting an arts festival when we were there. Lots of painters in the streets.
Broadway
Then Bourton Upon Water. Again soooo pretty but suffering a little from tourists so losing its small village feel
Bourton Upon Water
Burford a lovely medieval village. Chipping Norton home to the car man …… Jeremy Clarkson.
Then into Oxford. Very grand buildings, very crowded. Full of students flying around in their gowns. It’s exam time and they must wear their gown with a flower on the lapel.
I went to an Art Society lecture at Magdalen College. Similar to my ArtsNational lectures. It was great meeting people from Oxford who follow the arts.
Jo Watson the lecturer.
And our final morning was spent at the lovely Oxford Botanical Gardens. A very interesting garden with an excellent’Plants as medicine ‘ section. Well labelled. And a literary section
The literary table. You are invited to sit , reflect and write something. A lovely idea.
At the end of the day a beautiful lunch in a small village pub on our way back to Bill and Marie France in Rusper.
The choir travelled today. On the bus by 9 we left in drizzly rain. We are supposed to be doing several pop up performances but if it rains there will be no audience.
First stop was for a Bansky street art ! A busy artist his work pops up everywhere.
Banksy in Bristol
Off to the Clifton suspension bridge. The hardy climbers went down 130 steps to a cave to view the bridge from a different angle. But I was happy up top.
We lined up along the wall and did two songs for a small but appreciative audience!
Back on the bus to the centre of Bristol and another bit of Banksy street art
We walked towards the river and set up for a pop up concert but it rained. So along the wharf for lunch and a wine.
We tried again after lunch and succeeded.
The highlight of the day was going to St Stephen’s Cathedral. we had been invited uk join a local choir for a concert in the cathedral.
They made us so welcome. their musical director. Beth is from Brisbane but living in Bristol. Our Musical Dircector Jac is from this area but lives in Brisbane.
They made contact and set up this joint concert.
We rehearsed the song we were to sing together ‘What the World Needs Now’ It sounds great. And the choir. – all women were so friendly.
Each one of us received a hand written post card from one of the choir. What a thoughtful thing to do.
We also were treated to a cream sherry. Delicious and were told it is medical. Good for singers throat.
The concert started and we sat in the church and listened.
They sang about 5 songs. Then our turn.
The acoustics in the church were beautiful. I’m sure it enhanced our singing.
We finished with our joint song. What a great experience. I think this will be a highlight of our tour.
Back on to the bus to Bath and a few photo opportunities. The Royal Crescent is as i remember from 1976. Very elegant. Though the grass was under construction. A Robbie Williams concert is coming up so they were constructing the stage.
We walked as a raggedy group towards the city centre. Passing the Jane Austen Centre. It’s the 250th Anniversary for Jane and there are special celebrations everywhere
A group of girls emerged all dressed in period costumes which is a better sight than some of the hens groups we have seen around Brighton and now Bath.
Some outrageous and sometimes tacky dress ups have been spotted!
It was more Gin o’ clock so we found a great gin bar and tried a few of the gin combinations. We paid for 1 but after awhile the waitress appeared with a trio of different gins and a bottle of tonic.
frans travel tales 