[The Little Cottage], to Stroud and to market.. a lucky discovery!

the first night at The Little Cottage, I went to bed early and woke early at 4am, so I changed my blog a little, chatted on facebook to my friends and family on the other side of the world and went back to sleep until 8am!! Oh my lord, I've slept in was my first thought! But then remembered that I really had nothing to get up for in a hurry, so snuggled under the blanket and gazed out at the sky.
 I must remind myself constantly, that I am actually on vacation, and it is ok to sleep in.
A leisurely breakfast of the delicious fruits, oats, buckwheat and walnuts that I had bought the day before, a piece of yummy walnut bread and a cup of tea.

the cottage garden just outside our door. It does my heart good to see plants that I grow at home, comfrey, lavender and yarrow. I admit, I miss my garden, so to have these common friends around me, makes it easier to be away.

the tiles on the roof are made of actual stone. stone shingles. beautiful.

and over breakfast, while we chewed that delicious bread,  we decided to take a day trip to Stroud and then to Malmesbury.

and of course, not far, there are always modern reminders somewhere.
 

On the way to Stroud, we took some lovely backroads, and while they are all very cute and lovely to see, it was like every man for himself on the roads. the people are crazy here. They drive quite fast for road conditions and truthfully, are discourteous to anyone in their way, whether pedestrians, horse riders or other cars. I feel myself knotting up inside and sometimes actually feel like winding my window down and hurling abuse at them. Of course that does no one any good. Sometimes Joe gives them the royal finger. It is frustrating actually to be monstered on the road when we don't know which way we are going and we are not driving slowly, just carefully.

arriving in Stroud, we purchased the obligatory park and display ticket [something that we are getting use to, but find quite funny] and walked up the street through yellow autumn leaves scattered thickly.

Asking directions from a woman who pointed us up towards farmers markets!! How lucky, to actually be there today when the markets are on!

the markets were brilliant, fresh vegies from local farmers, chestnut mushrooms grown by an elderly man, meat, olives, soaps and essential oils, cakes, breads and the list of produce goes on...

buskers .. [this guy was brilliant.. his music reminded me a little of Ash Grunwald.. and I told him that. He thought the name was pretty cool, anyhow, I bought a CD from him.. a little reggae, a little blues..

and an organic tea room!! We went upstairs and had a cup of tea and a chocolate croissant. We had eaten our way around the markets with sausages and bread, so didn't want alot..

the market had the same energy as Mullumbimby, except it was cold. There were people dressed in colourful combinations, dread locks and I felt at home and for once, no one looked oddly at my hippie pants, my colourful clothes seemed to blend in ..

We bought some herb sausages to cook for dinner and some vegies to go with them and I bought some of the mushrooms for breakfast & we bought a bottle of mulled wine for me

vegies first

then dessert

Just as we were about to leave for our cottage home, I spied a little shop that seemed to call to me!! to the elemental pixie part of me.. and I went in. entranced by the absolutely divine faerie folk inside and the man with the pixie ears!  Would love to have bought one but the wings were made from dried bark and funghi and quarantine in Australia would not allow it through, so I had to be contented with a long browse and bought myself a little oil burner with hares and a crescent moon on it.

we never did get to Malmesbury, but spent the day, wandering through the markets and shops in Stroud, absorbing it all. I chatted to Joe about how I felt as if I had to see old homes, castles, National Trust buildings and other historic things and he reminded me that the purpose of the trip was to actually absorb being here and that is what we had been doing. I must remind myself of this,  that I do not have to visit museums or any other ancient monument unless I want to.  And I really don't.
 all in all, a really good day - of just being here.

tomorrow, we hope to visit Malmesbury and Woodstock. We have no idea what to expect, but that is the fun of this whole adventure. We choose it ourselves and then let the Universe take over.
[tonight, I am going to pour myself a glass of mulled wine and start writing Christmas cards.. what fun! to be actually writing them in the correct season]

a year later - 2013
ahh Stroud. I think of this gorgeous market town often. I love the CD that I bought of the busker, Tom McNair and I play it a lot. Sadly the oil burner broke in transit on the way home. I loved the farmers markets over there and I don't think I have ever tasted such delicious sausages as we had in Yorkshire and in Stroud.