Just meandering off the subject of houses and a trip to Yorkshire. Some good stuff first: two hours on a train from Cheltenham, brilliant. Apparently it takes longer than that to travel short distances up here, where they still have diesel trains, so getting south quicker always seems to have been the priority. Move the House of Lords to Sheffield not York, they have enough old tourists in York and Sheffield needs the money. It’s a great place, young and possibly vibrant. First stop off the train, the art gallery. A short walk from the station, and over the main … Continue reading A Yorkshire diversion

This is actually what was the Gloucester Folk Museum at the bottom of Westgate Street in Gloucester City Centre. It might be something else now as this was taken some years ago. Wonderful building. Just up the road is a completely wooden fronted house but you can’t see it from the street. You have to know the location of the narrow alleyway where it is to find it and hope they have left the door to the alleyway open. Gloucester is chock full of history, and there are times when we just take it for granted. Continue reading House 11. With shop attached.

This place overlooks a park and hence the shot. Taken a couple of years ago in the winter sunshine. Lovely round ended house, which was empty when I passed it by and took this. I like to know the history of houses, but doubt I’ll ever know this one. One can never tell a house by the ‘cover’. I recall going to visit a house with a view to buying many years ago, and it looked great in the picture, great when we got there, but once inside neither of us could get out quick enough. Bad vibes was our … Continue reading House 10. Regency view

This little person is probably the youngest wassailer at the Stroud Wassail on Saturday and seemed to be enjoying it, closing her eyes to fully appreciate the dancing and music. Brilliant day out on a damp and cold January day, a superb tonic for the winter. You can see more images of what went on right here and there will be more added there in the coming week. Continue reading Youngest Wassailer?

Find out all about it here. Like the January sales when it’s gone it’s gone. so if you are in the Stroud area of Gloucestershire go take and take a look, there really will be dancing in the streets. Continue reading Today’s the day, to wassail away, the perfect way to cheer a January day.

Looking forward to a day out in Stroud tomorrow to take a look at the Wassailing. It’s a brilliant excuse for a fun day out with the addition of dancers and music throughout the day, it helps that it’s the same day as the famous Farmer’s Market where one can buy some brilliant locally produced food and goodies, as well as an excuse to buy locally baked bread from the Sunshine bakery in the Shambles. I call Stroud the “Capital of Bread” as it has several bread shops where locally baked excellent bread can be bought, and a Greggs! Sunshine … Continue reading A day out in “The Capital of Bread” with the Wassailers.

The term ‘far out’ would be more than adequate description for this place which is on the route to the Old Man of Hoy. It’s situated just after you get off the ferry to the island. People climb up the Old Man of Hoy which is a tower of Rock in the sea just on the edge of this very far flung part of Orkney. People who climb the Old Man must have no sense of self preservation. Continue reading House 9. Orkney, an awkward commute.

This is above Tideswell in Derbyshire where we went for a walk last year, bright and bracing walk in a lovely part of the world. There’s a plan at the back of my head to finish all these drawings in colour in the future but I get more pleasure out of the drawing part than the colour. So it may be a while. The other obstacle to the finals in colour is a change of mind, and my constant predilection to never finish…. I’ll get back to this later. Continue reading Follow that sign

This house is in Suffolk and I just got a glimpse of it when passing through there last year. Very small bijou living. I wonder how an estate agent would describe this one? Continue reading House 7. Enough room to swing a toy mouse, perhaps.

Anyone polite enough to follow this blog, and read it, will know that I’m a keen plotter. I’ve just given up my old allotment as I’ve moved house away from the area and it seemed daft to drive to it. But I have another. I’ve been given a transfer, and have now joined the Premier league of plot areas. A smaller plot than the last but enough for me. The other plotters there, are by the evidence of a good look around, the top team. I feel like a third division player dropped into the Manchester United team. A clogger … Continue reading Lane lights in the Cotswolds and plot flowers.

You’ve probably seen a few of these in the last couple of days, looking for inspiration and not finding it. Merry Christmas and a Peaceful New Year to anyone who bothers to drop in here, and a special thanks to those who voice encouragement. Continue reading Man goes shopping…

Another French house in the same location as the previous two posted here. What to make of this? Looks like a rather elegant French birthday Cake with the max security disguised as rather elaborate over wrought iron. Again this house looks out over the Atlantic and the beach. I’ve lived in loads of houses, none like this, and am endlessly fascinated by them. The longest I’ve ever lived in one house is 14 years and that was when the offspring were young and was in the middle of lush green Cotswold countryside. My parents lived in loads of houses all … Continue reading House 5. A French neighbour, the Flying Scotsman and pastry.