Oh, To Be In England.....

Yes, I was there. Off to England to visit the Queen, and a wonderful visit it was, though she didn't even know I was there. Right off the plane, we went to the Chelsea Garden Show in London. And flowers, we saw. People everywhere, and acres and acres of plants, and flowers, and buildings, and arrangements. Amazing.

This was a large block of foxglove. Almost every flower I could think of had a giant display. I have lots of photos of masses of garden glory. Amazing. Oh, I may have said that before. But it was. Amazing.

The chandeliers were part of a large display designed for the Queen's Jubilee Dinner. I'm not sure which was the winner.

After the show, we had a little tour of London on our coach and then off to the first of many little villages. For the first three nights we were in the village of Inkpen-at the most charming hotel and pub. We were the only guests staying at the Crown and Garter and the hosts couldn't have been nicer.

This was a coach inn in the seventeenth century. I am entranced by the history. In Iowa, we can't even consider the age of buildings like this, yet in England, people actually live in them. Every single day. By now, you must all know what a history geek I am. I am still swooning to think that I was able to walk on floors and touch walls where people actually lived and loved hundreds of years ago. It's the continuity, I suppose. But it gives me a thrill. It really really does. This was the perfect trip for me. I loved every thing about it and I will be sure to give details for weeks so please come back and visit me again as I revisit the Cotswald villages. Some of it is already a blur as I wonder where I was and when. "Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen." (Benjamin Disraeli)