Lacock Village

This is the village that starred in Harry Potter movies and others. Film crew setting up in the courtyard today. Really lovely. We spent most of our time at the Abbey and adjoining house. Wonderful gardens and stuff! The first photograph was done here. We are loving this relaxed, take your time pace. We interrupted our tour for lunch at the local. When we went back we were recognized by my quilted jacket.

It's a great traveling jacket. Cosy, comfy, good pockets and really easy to find in a crowd over here. People do not wear colors here. I get lots of compliments on it though.

Kleenex are more like printer paper. Toilet paper comes in every color. Mushrooms are cheap, but nothing else is. I have yet to see a hedgehog. I really want to see one.

In Lacock they drive down over the bank, through the river and up the other side of the Avon River. It's OK. It's paved.

We have now discovered why we are buying cat food at a fairly frequent rate. The neighborhood mooches are coming in, getting food pouches out of the box and escaping out the cat door. We interrupted this in progress tonight. Cat annoyed. Us too.

Don't ask where the washroom is. They have no idea what you want.

Pedestrians don't have the right of way here. Really. They don't. When you get a walk light you better trot right along, as there is only enough time if you hurry. There is a frantic beeper to hurry you along.

You often see craftspeople working at their jobs. Stone masons working carefully on walls, painters scraping doors by hand and filling pockmarks, thatchers working on roofs. This seems to be the norm. It's fascinating. I'm not sure we value this work as it seems to be here. Actually, the keeping of all this heritage is really making me ask questions. How does it come about that these things are still in use and seem to be the standard rather than the exception? We tend to tear down or 'renovate' things. Mind you, we don't have the age that they have over here.

Gardens are massive and ancient. Even little postage stamp plots are well established. We plant and if it lasts 10 years we are thrilled with the lasting and perhaps tear it out and replant for a new effect. We don't plant for the third or fourth generation from now. Maybe it's just me. I know I'm thinking this trip will have a lasting impact on me. I really need to do some major weeding when I get back.