Tuesday 12 July 2011

Cotswolds Birthday Treat



It was my Birthday on Sunday. Alan and Miss P had a surprise lined up for me. A much needed break! A trip to Bibury in the Cotswolds. Home to the Arlington Row cottages owned by the National Trust. Bibury has a watermill, a couple of tea rooms, an antique shop, post office, a couple of gift shops, a trout farm and more...




















The Swan Hotel - Bibury


Alan capturing the next photo



Although Miss P did appreciate the beauty of this village,
the highlight for her had to be the wildlife.

It was lovely watching the young coots being fed




As coincidence would have it, one of my birthday cards looked like this:

My parents chose this card as they thought it was very "me"
and could picture me sitting in the garden. Neither they or
me knew that I would be going there on my birthday and
see the same house!


This cottage looked just perfect!

Filled with pretty flowers and...

...a vegetable plot




Another lovely house! You can't beat the Cotswold honey coloured stone and the stone roofs, the perfect combination.

I had a fantastic day! I love the Cotswold, I am always inspired by the stone walls, cottages & their beautiful gardens and how well kept the villages are.

Monday came around all too quickly, back to work. Speaking of work....

MY ABSENCE:
You may have noticed that I have been absent for a while. I have had a lot on lately as I am working on several projects at the same time including my website. It is all taking longer than planned.

I would like to be able to concentrate on one project at a time (the best way of doing things) but with the nature of it, I am having to deal with all of it at once. When you have an old property, some repairs and work just can't wait. With summer here, it is the time when they have to be done now rather than in the winter months. The garden is still giving us a lot of work too, we have recently discovered that our sewage pipes etc. need to be completely rerouted via our back garden. We have an underground well there which we need to take into consideration. Sadly, some of the work we have done over the past couple of years has been for nothing....a stone wall and steps that Alan built will have to be dismantled as the pipes will have to go through there.

One of the reasons that you have not heard from me much lately, is that I been having migraines...being on the computer for long periods of time is a trigger. It is also why I had to cut down on how much time I spent working on my website and blog. I really wanted it launched by now but at what cost? Looking back, I have been doing and expecting too much of myself over the past few months.

Over the past couple of weeks I have decided to postpone the launch of the website until the Autumn. July & August are not the best months to launch a website. I will however sell a few things on my Suzy Gaby and Maud blog until my website is ready to be launched.

That's it for now. I hope that you are looking forward to the holiday season whether you are staying at home or going away.

I'll try not to leave it as long until my next blog post :-)


A bientôt!

Isabelle X

27 comments:

TheBlackPinafore said...

it is incredible that such things really exist

Wendy said...

I'm sorry to read you've been having migraines. My Mum gets them and it's dreadful to see her suffer. It looks so painful. I hope you get them under control.

Your day out was magical -- beautiful place and lovely photos too.

Radka said...

Thank you for sharing your lovely Sunday with us. I have visited too, it is a such pretty place:-)

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday again, Isabelle! Thanks for resending message, I got it this time! What brilliant photographs as always. Good to see Alan on the job, there. You must rest sweet stuff. Your health is so important and you are quite wise to take breaks and step back for awhile. I'll reply back to you when I have more time but just wanted to pop in tonight before I go and clean my fridge (sigh). xx

Thedarkerside73 said...

A belated Happy Birthday to you!

That little village does truly look beautiful that is one of the lovely things about living in this part of the country.

Sorry to hear things have been hectic for you, and having dreaded migraines. Your health is always the most important thing you have so it makes sense to slow down and take a step back. You will get to where you want to in the end. Hope you get to enjoy the rest of the summer and find time to enjoy it and relax a little.

Take care


MBB x

KC'sCourt! said...

Happy Birthday - the village is one seek out too
Julie xxxxxx

Lula Belle Style said...

I always look forward to your posts, and this one just lifted my day with the gorgeous pictures and historic connections. Looking forward to your website.

hens teeth said...

Hello Isabelle, good to read your post.
Your birthday trip out ... oh my, what a stunning place, thank you for posting.
I think you are being sensible, your health is all that matters. x
All the best with your works around your house and garden.

fabriquefantastique said...

lovely photos, think I stayed at The Swan in '62. I was again in Bibury a couple of years ago, in the spring, it was jammed with tour buses.

OhSoVintage said...

Belated birthday greetings. What a lovely surprise day out. Stunning photos of wonderful cottages and what a coincidence with that card! Look after yourself, health comes first.
Ruth x

Marilyn said...

Please take care of yourself and avoid triggers to those nasty headaches!

Your special day out was wonderful. I loved the swam and the young ones following.

The work at home-ugh! Always something when you have your own place to keep up with and it must be done. Take care. ♥♫

Auntie sezzzzzz... said...

What a lovely Birthday treat!

Please listen to your body, and do not push it. It knows what it can handle. Please do not exceed this. You already have had the headaches.

Good wishes with all the projects.

Gentle hugs,
~♥~

Cathy said...

What a wonderful birthday you must have had! Any girl’s dream trip.... Please take care to avoid triggering those migraines. We are here with you and will wait patiently, sending good wishes along the way! Hugs, Cathy

Nata per sognare said...

Cotswolds will be the destination of my next vacation,
after these your pictures can not wait to leave.
An extraordinary place.
Angela

Nata per sognare said...

Happy Birthday!!!
Angela

Het Hoogerhuys said...

It looks a little like St. Mary Mead,
where Miss Marple lives!
I love it !!!!!
Sandra

Carole said...

I know how frustrating it is for you to not have your website up. I don't get migraines but my hubby does. I don't know how you all function with the pain.

Good luck with everything.....

... did enjoy the tour!!!
How I wish we had gardens and architecture like yours!

x
C

salty pebble said...

i always sooo enjoy your beautiful, newsy posts, lovely places you visit and home comforts, but like you say you must think of your health and relax, especially with the dreaded migraines. looks soooo beautiful that cottage you saw in the cotswolds- and how lovely that family bought the same image for you without knowing- thats just lovely!!

take care of yourself,

kazzy xxxx

June said...

What a lovely Birthday treat - wonderful cottages and wildlife to share with your family. Migraines - horrid things.
June

loveandlilac said...

Bibury is so beautiful. I love Cotswold stone - cottage heaven!
Migraines are horrid. I've had them since I was a child. Imigran works very well for me. I hope yours improve.

Monica said...

Hi Isabelle,
I do love Bibury, and always have fun when I go there. Hope I will be back soon to see those amazing cottages and gardens. Thank you for sharing their beauty!
So sorry for your migraines, I also have chronic head/neckaches with annoying side effects after a car accident... I just try to take it easy, and do all one step at a time. Even if, I agree, sometimes it's very hard... :)
Take care,
hugs,
Monica x

Jane Gray said...

What a lovely post! I agree that you can't beat Cotswold honey-coloured stone; every cottage looks like a picture postcard.
I have also spent too long at the computer (while writing my novel, The Time Sculptor's Secret), and agree that it can be a trigger for migraines. I use Migraleve, but I've heard several other sufferers recommending ginger - in any of its forms - to ease the nausea. Taking a break from the computer sounds like a very good idea though!

Sweet Mary said...

I love in a small modern house in New Zealand but am slowing turning it into an English cottage. I used to live in the UK and loved staying in B&B's in small villages.
Really enjoy reading your blog.

Sylvia said...

Belated Happy Birthday, Isabelle !
What a nice surprise, I visited Bibury years ago, such a lovely place !
I'm sorry to hear you have migraines, hope you're feeling better soon !
Take care,
Sylvia

Tracy Glover said...

What can I say? This pulled my heartstrings and made me long for an idealised England of cream teas and cosy cottages, the perfect one that exists in my head.
What a beautiful place. You must have enjoyed it so much.
I hope your migraines go away. I rarely suffer from headaches and have only had a few bad ones, so can't imagine how awful it must be to have them regularly. You are right to avoid the triggers, that amount of pain is horrendous. x

Reading Tea Leaves said...

Its always lovely to see a post from you Isabelle. I often post infrequently so I understand. Its difficult fitting everything in.

Bibury is impossibly pretty isn't it, so quintessentially English!

Happy belated birthday and take care of yourself. Migraines can be nasty. I get them occasionally.

Jeanne
x

Karena said...

Isabelle...I absolutely LOVE your blog..it takes my breath away...your beautiful pictures...your love of vintage 30's looking furniture...colors...flowers...Oh my it is a visual heaven...I am new to blogging I have so enjoyed meeting the wonderful women in this amazing "world" I just wanted to say hi...thank you...and so glad your out there.....blessings Karena "A Loblolly Life".......