Little Wandering Wren …. chats!

Would you like to take a little wander with me  in the picturesque West Oxfordshire Cotswold village of Clanfield? You know you're home in England when the local Inn is called The Plough... The Cotswold Plough Inn and Restaurant Spring is a lovely time to visit this pretty village.  The daffodils are adding a cheery burst of colour against the Cotswold stone wall Every house has a certain charm, even on a grey day... Blakes Kitchen in the old Post Office has done wonders for village life. It used to be that you would stay home and invite your friends around for a nice cup of tea. Why we always say ' would you like to come round for a nice cup of tea '? I'll never know. Blakes Kitchen, The old Post Office, Clanfield   Why stay home when the choices are way more exciting in the local cafe from a cappuccino to a local beer, cider or Cotswold gin. They even have a micro-bakery With lots of Easter Hot X Buns of course......

If you are a regular follower of my blog you would know how much I was looking forward to a return to my homeland to catch up with family and friends.  White Horse Hill, Uffington - return to my childhood With temperatures in Bangkok a scorching 34 degrees and humidity in the nineties, it was due to be a welcome change from my  sweaty Betty  Thailand life. Wrong! Imagine my surprise to find myself in the middle of a heatwave here in Great Britain, with temperatures, if not the humidity, matching Bangkok. Woo hoo, Great Britain!  As you will remember last week we were huddled round log fires and barbequing in the rain, sheltering under umbrellas.  All change this week and the Gardens of Britain are looking glorious after a drop of rain and some sunshine. Here are some of my favourite Homes and Gardens pictures from my time here. 1. Friars Court:   Hidden Beauty in Rural Oxfordshire Celebrating its 100...

I'm a little bit country. My childhood was spent living in a village in the Vale of the White Horse with my pony riding on the downs. Childhood memories of an English Summer come thick, fast and always with a big sneeze. I have largely outgrown the grass-fuelled hayfever of my youth, by not trotting around country lanes, becoming a city slicker helped. Somehow on life's rich journey I ended up living in some of the most amazing cities in the world Bruxelles, Hong Kong, and Melbourne. I love going back to my roots! I wanted to give a little shout out to Lechlade, a pretty local town on the edge of the Cotswolds. It was recently yarn bombed by the Women's Institute and  looks fantastic.  I love the town's spirit, you see they have been subjected to two arson attacks which destroyed their Community Memorial Hall. I heard they lost all the towns flags. Well the woolly street art has really brightened the place up. Thre...

Wordless Wednesday [ I'm on the way back to Australia and couldn't resist Blogging from the skies. I love Wifi on airplanes!  Here is the best of my British Chrissy photos!] Hark! The Herald Angels sing Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer : Oxfordshire Pubs I saw three ships come sailing by. ...Bristol by day and night In The Bleak Mid Winter: Carols at Shrivenham, Oxon by day and night Oh Come All Ye Faithful:   advent wreath with candles  The Holly And The Ivy : Longcot village church door O Holly Night:  Longcot Parish Church, Oxfordshire Linking with thanks to the following - Merry Christmas one and all! Our World Tuesday Mosaic Monday Wordless Wednesday Communal Global

It's been a cracker of a British week! We've had everything here starting with a Princess born, Wren veterans at VE celebrations, a visit to a Sir Christopher Wren inspired garden, and  a General Election. It's a real trip down memory lane for me returning to the   English countryside where I grew up. 1, I remember Wren... I was a country girl living in a small Oxfordshire village. Learning to ride my pony and cantering across these hills, or perhaps more like careering wildly out of control,  I had a spirited and young chestnut mare. I never thought I would end up with a life of city living in Australia. 2, I remember Wren I gave birth to my two daughters in Cheltenham maternity hospital. They were easy uncomplicated births but on the third day after Daughter No 1 was born my car was stolen from the hospital car park. It was eventually found in Brighton six week later... I remember sobbing my eyes out  with our new baby ...

Flying is in my blood... I am at my happiest with my suitcase packed  and my passports at the ready... Sunrise on the way to England in March  Talk about a crazy few weeks,  I was home with hardly enough time to work out which way is up...  before I'm off crossing the international date line. Hey, the good thing is that if you keep going long enough,  you find extra days in your life and  there is no time for jetlag! Firstly there was my Royal Brunei flight  from Melbourne Australia to London Heathrow... Leaving Australia takes hours - sorry for the blurred photo! Ok confession time. In the spirit of being open and transparent, I need to declare that I embarked here on a new adventure. I did ponder whether I should share this with you, for fear of being labelled a right spoilt brat, princess or even Little Wandering Wowser… Deep breath here goes. Twenty-eight hours travelling time and counting down… I ...