Thursday 21 March 2013

Beautiful Britain





I just can't help but be inspired by the wonderful country I live in, but none more so than the Cotswolds. I spent last week there with Mr Harlem and we had a wonderful time. The cute, topsy-turvey villages are quintessential England. From their sandy colour brickwork to their tiled roofs and walled gardens, there is nothing remotely ordered about the mishmash of houses and shops. The roads go from wide to breathe-in narrow, hills flow right down to the entrance of the villages and gurgling streams pool into ponds full of mallard ducks.






I've been several times over the years and I always have the urge to walk for miles then settle in one of the many welcoming pubs by a fire and enjoy some good food and fine wine.





Of course I like to find time for a little shopping too, and last week in the slightly-larger-than-average village of Winchcombe I had a delightful few hours mooching around shops with names like -  Sprogs (kids stuff) The Winds of Change Gallery, Me Me Me (clothes), and enjoyed tea and scones in Food Fanatics Delicatessen - yum!  I came home mainly with tasty treats in my bag though having a particular fondness for art, had money been no issue there were several pictures in the gallery I would have treated myself to.




I always play a game with my lovely man - which house we'd have if we could have any. I'm always hard pushed to decide if I would want a small cute one, all chintzy and cosy...




Or one with a thatched roof...



Or something big and sprawling, mansion-like...




Or even something quirky - of which there are many to chose from...





Whichever one I choose, in my imagination, I'd be sure to see something else on my next visit that grabs me more, depending what mood I'm in. And I'm already looking forward to my next Cotswold trip, though between now and then I wonder if I'll set another story there? Without intentionally setting out to, I have three books all based in the Cotswolds, I guess that shows how under my skin this beautiful part of the world has got.

Thanks for reading

Lily x




PS - My books set in the Cotswolds...





4 comments:

  1. Thanks for the lovely tour...sigh...would love to live in those sweet places.

    Cheers
    Liz

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    1. Aw, thanks for stopping by, Elizabeth. Yes it is lovely, and they're very lucky people who call The Cotswolds home.

      Lily

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  2. I enjoyed the Glass Knot a great deal. I wonder if live couples would be as open to a big shake up in their relationship as the characters in your book? Hmmmm. . . I look forward to reading any book of yours and I loved the hockey series and Scored!

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    1. It was a shake up, wasn't it? That's what makes stories like that such fun to write and setting The Glass Knot in such a peaceful, tranquil place seemed to work really well for the mood of that book.

      Thanks for stopping by and for your very kind words :-)

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