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| Tuesday, 3-Feb-2004 00:00 |
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Castle Combe II - a walk in the Cotswolds
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the first evening we arrived there was a tremendous gale, which brought quite a few trees down and the next morning the village was cut off for a short while. so we went for a walk through the Cotswold hills - it was still a bit drizzly (think i need to get a waterproof cover for my camera!)
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| Monday, 2-Feb-2004 00:00 |
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Castle Combe
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We went away for a long weekend to Castle Combe in Wiltshire - reputedly one of the prettiest villages in England. although the weather was pretty grim, the village certainly is very attractive, with beautifully restored 15th century cottages all built in local Cotswold stone - originally they would have had thatched roofs, but now most have been altered to shingle roofs.
Some local history:
In the 5th century AD, the Romans built a fort on nearby Castle Hill, to defend the Fosse Way - a major route between Exeter and Lincoln - this fort was expanded by the Saxons in the 6th century, but very little remains nowadays. Following the Norman invasion of Britain in 1066, the manor was bestowed by William the Conqueror to Humphrey de l'Isle and by the time of the Domesday Survey in 1086, the village is recorded as having three water mills along the Bybrook river.
During the 15th century the village was an important centre for the woollen cloth industry, where the local weavers produced a much sought after red and white 'castelcombe' cloth, used for soldiers jackets ... there is also speculation that wool blankets were first made in the village.
Until 1947, the whole village was owned by the Lord of the Manor, but then it was auctioned and now all the houses are privately owned.
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| Sunday, 1-Feb-2004 00:00 |
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Photochallenge week 9 - my favourite vacation photos
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quite impossible to choose just one (and in fact my real favourites are from when the kids were young and we went camping in Brittany every year, but i haven't got a scanner so i can't show you those).
these range from the exotic to the mundane, and i think its very telling that the further away from home i am the less likely i am to include myself in the photos!!
why not enter YOUR favourite holiday photos? ... go to http://discuss.fotopages.com/viewtopic.php?t=180
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| Thursday, 29-Jan-2004 00:00 |
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snow
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the snow here is not very deep, but everything looks very pretty.
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| Wednesday, 28-Jan-2004 00:00 |
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... and we have got SNOW
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we had a sprinkling of snow last night, which all disappeared by midday, and in the last half hour it has suddenly come down thick and fast. I don't suppose it will last long, so i'll be out first thing in the morning with my camera!!
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| Tuesday, 27-Jan-2004 00:00 |
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the north wind doth blow ...
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and we shall have SNOW!
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| Monday, 26-Jan-2004 00:00 |
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tai chi
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i often watch this guy doing his tai chi in the mornings and wish i could join him ... i know a litle tai chi but am not as good as him. however it makes me feel relaxed just watching!
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| Sunday, 25-Jan-2004 00:00 |
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another frosty morning
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| Saturday, 24-Jan-2004 00:00 |
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winter morning
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| Thursday, 22-Jan-2004 00:00 |
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more birds
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back to the photos from my kitchen window ... it is the Great Garden Birdwatch this weekend (www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch) so i am just getting my binoculars warmed up in preparation (and making sure that all the birdfeeders are topped up so I can tick off LOADS of different species in my one-hour timed observation).
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