Idyllic village

Have you been to Lacock? Heard of it? If you haven't, I've got you covered. I took plenty of photos in this lovely village. Enough for you to feel like you've been!
Of course when we arrived, we first wanted to see where we would be spending our evenings.

Okay. Twist my arm. If I have to stay here...SO DREAMY!

Such a fun part of going on holiday. First views of places you have never been. The stuff of dreams.

I spent the first hours in Lacock with my mouth gaped open. I couldn't believe the charm of this idyllic village.
I mean...look at this place! 
Such loveliness.

 

Dazzled

Right when I walked into the flower show, I knew I was in a happy place!
The colors. The smells. Simply brilliant.
No explanations needed.
Enjoy the wonder.

Teapots! I was giddy!

Daffodils. Nature's teacups!

I love tea parties!

Yes, they are real. No fake flowers in the whole bunch. Amazing. 

Exercise was worth it

Sometimes I wonder what we are thinking when we put an itinerary together for our holidays.
This day in particular, we did a lot. I mean, we should have just spent the entire day in Chawton visiting all things Jane Austen. That would have been more than enough. But no, I never want to miss a thing!

We decided months before we left that we must climb the steps at Salisbury Cathedral.
After all, it was on our way to our next destination.

With minutes to spare, we made it in time for our 3:00 tour. And remember, we were driving (on the wrong side of the road-wink wink.)

We snapped a few pictures and met up with our tour group.

This was our tour guide. She was amazing. Never got tired once. She does this tour at least twice a day. I mean this in the nicest way possible. She is no spring chicken! She is older than us, but wow-she is in great shape. She climbed those steps like nobody's business. There are 332 steps to the top. She easily ascended every one.

Every step brought us magnificent views of the cathedral.

A few facts: The Cathedral was built in 38 years using 60,000 tons of stone, 2800 tons of oak and
                      420 tons of lead. This wood is tudor.

Again, we climbed 332 steps. My calves got a work out!

The spire is Britain's tallest and weighs 6500 tons. That's alot!

We were WAY up there!

Bird's eye view from the top.

I love the English countryside.

About halfway up, I peered out a small window. Look what I spotted. A Mini! Same color as mine!

The Cathedral was designed by Christopher Wren.
The foundation was started in 1220 and finished in 1258.
I remember the guide pointing out a pillar to us while we walked through the roof area. She asked us to notice the intricacy of it. "Not many will see it, but you can see by the way it is carved that the maker did it for the glory of God."
I found that very profound.

I was thinking about how we climbed all those steps.  It was work, but the view from the top was worth the effort.  Kind of like marriage. It's work. But worth every hard step. We had to keep that perspective because driving in the UK tended to test those views!   

Showing up

What are you reading these days?

Lately, I've experienced an influx of those in my sphere of influence who are getting some hard health news.

Cancer.

What a scary word.

Breast cancer
Liver cancer
Multiple Myeloma

Again. Scary words.
I came upon this book about a woman who was diagnosed and how her friends came alongside her during her battle. Such wise words inside.

Our first inclination when a friend gets some hard news is to want to fix it. But, before you go telling someone what they should do, stop and think for a moment.

This isn't your battle. It's theirs. They get to make ALL the decisions on how to proceed. Our job is to be a supportive friend. 
We are privileged to walk with them and just listen.

It's about that old saying..we have two ears and one mouth. Wise wise words. 

Ambling through the village

Giggling. I heard it, but couldn't find the source.
I looked to the left. Then the right. Nothing.

More giggles.
"Up here. We're up here!"

It took me a moment, but there they were. Two girls. Up in a tree! I totally wasn't expecting that!
And wow, they were WAY UP there!
We had ourselves a good little chat and then in motherly fashion, I told them to be careful. 
They promised, "We will." And then off we went on our merry way.

That moment. I loved it. The innocence of climbing a tree on a perfectly sunny day. Two friends. Risking life and limb for a birds eye view!

I much prefer to have my feet firmly planted on the ground!
This was our walk up to Chawton House from the Jane Austen museum.
The Great House was owned by Jane Austen's brother, Edward. Jane spent lots and lots of time here.

There is a church on the property.
I love to wander through old churches. I think about those who gathered and what their stories were.

This is a statue of Jane Austen as you enter the graveyard. Jane is not buried here, but in Winchester Cathedral.

However, her mother and sister are.

Jane died quite young. I'm sure it must have been so difficult for both mother and sister to carry on without Jane. 

I loved capturing dreaming spires while on holiday.

The windows and doors always intrigued me.

    And of course, I never missed a chance for tea and scones!

Table

I love to write. No surprise there.

Being able to see Jane Austen's writing desk gave me such joy. I snapped many photos and just stood and stared for a long while.

How difficult it must have been to write with a quill pen. How labor intensive. And look at the small surface she had to work on.
Made me realize how convenient I have it to just sit at my computer and tap out words so easily on a surface that is at least triple the size. 

As I near the finish of a writing entry, I wonder if she ever felt the same emotions I do. Is it good enough? Will anyone read this besides me?

Yes, Jane. You are well read. A much beloved author. 

Happy thoughts

We're getting another round of snow. What else is new!
I'm going to Italy. Okay, not literally. But, I'm sure having fun clicking through photos of our holiday a few years back. Here's a few for you to enjoy.

The start of a lovely day.

I remember this photo completely. I couldn't understand a word they were saying. I don't speak Italian. But you can certainly smile in any language. A lovely, sunny day in Cinque Terre. A wonderful memory.

Hubby and I. We were hiking and met a mother/daughter from the same state we are from. It's a small world after all.

We hiked from town to town. Not for the faint of heart. We came across some rough terrain. It wasn't easy, but I'm so glad we did it.

Ice cream helped! We found a little cafe along the way. A serendipitous moment. Oh, the happy memories.

If you ever get the chance to wander to Italy, be sure to stop at Cinque Terre. I want to go back.