After a week in the country, we packed our bags, ready to leave for London. In some ways, neither of us wanted to go. Yes, we were excited for London and all that awaited, but we were so very happy here, we knew it would be hard to say goodbye.
Once our things were together, we decided on a last walk, about two miles. We headed toward Monkton Combe, walking well-trod paths. It was a lovely day and we took our time.
I loved spotting this beautiful pheasant. He was quite far away, but it seemed like he was posing for me!
We stopped at the church graveyard and paid our respects to WWI war veteran Harry Patch.
The tombstones in the cemetery were a little the worse for wear, even some that weren't that old.
The lovely old church was closed and locked tight. A pity. I love a country church.
We ventured past the church, overlooking Monkton Combe, where a long blackbird of some sort had quite the view from a chimney pot.
Then it was back to the cottage.
We had one more bus misadventure. We thought it should arrive at our stop at 3:20 but it didn't come. Finally, we crossed over to Hope and Anchor and Sean, one of our waiters, called us a taxi.
And, we made it in time!
What a full day! When travel posts resume, we'll head to London! But first we're going to take a little travel break so I can catch you up on life at home!
Sharing with: Talking About It Tuesdays / Friday Face-Off
56 comments:
Those little country churches really add to the character of rural villages. Given the dwindling congregations I am not sure how they get the funds for maintenance and other costs associated with a building and a graveyard, and when I was last in Britain we saw several that had been converted into libraries or other establishments. The structural integrity had been maintained though.
I truly enjoyed your tour of Bath. I didn't know it existed when I was in London in 1969. No Internet or cellphones back then, so that's my excuse for my ignorance.
I can understand why the church is locked, but it does make me sad the destruction and vandalism that can occur in an empty church. I'm really enjoying your trip. I hope you have a wonderful week. I am so thankful I "met" you here online. I treasure our brief exchanges. Happy Thanksgiving!
Hello Jeanie,
Great photo of you and Rick. I like the pretty pheasants.
The church is lovely. Looking forward to your London posts.
Take care, have a great day and a happy new week.
You sure know how to get the most out of your vacations. Thanks for 'taking us along' with your beautiful photos and great descriptions.
Enjoying your travelogue tremendously!!!!
I'm glad you had a good time in this more quiet area of England! I'm sure it was quite the contrast from your time in London, although you can still seek out some more peaceful, green areas in a large city. But the pace of life tends to be quite different!
...all good things come to an end!
Really enjoyed your stay in Bath, lots of beauty in such a nice town.
I really enjoy your travel photo journal here.
Such a lovely place. It also looks like you had decent weather too.
cathy
I am thinking that I have liked your Bath holiday better than I will your London one, but we shall see.
I'm wondering if for one brief moment you might not have thought of staying. I know I would have. Always love your posts, Jeanie. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Week.
Too bad that church wasn't open. I love empty churches and those are sooo old!! Thoroughly enjoying your travel adventures. :)
I get why you could have stayed longer. And why you wanted to go to London. For me it's like one leg of the trip is over which is sad because they means the trip is moving along. But your bath holiday looked amazing, and I bet London was too. Have a great holiday, and I'll be waiting to read all about London. hugs-Erika
I love following along! You seem to be walking comfortably on this trip. I’m looking forward to your adventures in London!
I've always loved English country churches and even more the churchyards. I don't think I've ever seen an Englisg cemetery where there weren't stones that were close to falling over and seldom any that were really well maintained. To be honest, I prefer it this way. It has a lot of a "The Woman in White" atmosphere.
Have a lovely Thanksgiving, Jeanie. Hugs - Carola
Loved seeing the pheasant and the lovely church. Enjoy your Thanksgiving Jeanie.
Awesome tour you guys had. Nice pictures
What an adventure you had thus far. Cannot wait to hear more. Janice
As your self-appointed bird identifier, Jeanie, I am happy to advise that your mystery black bird is a Western Jackdaw (Corvus monedula), a highly intelligent and entertaining member of the family. My word, you had Rick AND a jackdaw. What a lucky girl you were!
I'm like you in loving the countryside of any country, but particularly Britain! Glad the pub folks helped out with the taxi!
Cock peasants are definite poseurs 😄
Beautiful!! I love that little church. It makes me think of Father Brown!
Such lovely sights reminding me f fave shows:)
How lovely to have that beautiful cottage for a week and to be able to walk from there and explore. Now looking forward to hearing about your sale, etc. and then back to London.
Buses in the countryside are a bit of a hit or miss. You were brave to try it though.
Fun pic of you two! And the bird. Sad about the church but yay for the help and being on time! Looking forward to more!
Thanks for taking us along. Such pretty countryside views. The church is awesome. Looking forward to hearing more about your visit to London. Happy Thanksgiving week.
So sorry that our vacation is over. I really enjoyed it. Thanks for taking us along. I love those old churches. We have a lot of them around here. It’s especially nice when they maintain their integrity. Have a happy Thanksgiving.
What a beautiful walk! (And an excellent use of your time, too...) And it was a treat to see another appearance of a charming pheasant. Beautiful church, too... and gorgeous weather. Seems to me that you got lucky all around!
The countryside has been gorgeous -- am looking forward now to your despatches from London!
Thankyou for sharing your time in Bath. It brought back so many memories for me. Now I’m looking forward to accompanying you to London! I wonder what will be in the forthcoming shares :))
This is such a wonderful adventure you have shared with us Jeanie. It certainly does my heart good to know you had such an amazing time. Lovely photos and I very much appreciate you sharing them. Thank you :)
Does anyone Out There not know the pheasant poem?
https://www.ronnowpoetry.com/contents/plath/Pheasant.html
lovely farewell post Jeannie. It has been fun traveling with you via your posts and lovely words. Sharon
Wow! This is the best post. The photo of you and hubby is amazing. A great photo. Thank you for sharing your trip.
We love this area of England, we were down in Somerset this weekend for a family reunion. I'm glad the weather was good for a wander. It certainly is a shame when the churches are locked, at Mum's Church in Oxfordshire they have a roster for opening and it's amazing seeing the visitors book, who does pop in! I had a pheasant pop his head in to say hello yesterday at home - beautiful birds!
such a lovely pheasant. And i do think it a shame that churches are locked these days. I used to love to go and sit inside a church and just contemplate ...
Well, of course I'm looking forward to your London adventures. :)
Too bad about the church! Often they are unlocked and open. Maybe they've had problems at this one.
Bath is now on my bucket list. Beautiful place! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful adventures there with us. I look forward to hearing about London.
what a beautiful place and another great post!! the pheasant is beautiful!! that is an awesome picture of the 2 of you!!
Your countryside farewell is captured so beautifully—it feels like a bittersweet goodbye to a place filled with charm and quiet magic. The details, from the posing pheasant to the tribute at Harry Patch’s grave, truly bring the experience to life. I can imagine how hard it must have been to leave! Looking forward to your London adventures and catching up on home life in the meantime.
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Aww a lovely farewell to Bath.
I am so enjoying your travel holiday reports and photographs.
Looking forward to London blog posts but have a breather and enjoy thanksgiving.
Sending lots of good wishes to you.
All the best Jan
Rick looks as if he has made himself quite comfy at that bus stop! .....but how infuriating that the bus was cancelled!
I can understand your apprehension at leaving the countryside for the metropolis of London, Jeanie. That said, I will be looking forward to the resumption of your travels. In the meantime, Patrick and I send our best wishes to you and Rick and families for a very Happy Thanksgiving. Thanks for your blog friendship, much appreciated.
Just wanted to pop over and wish my dear friend a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you have a pleasant day, Jeanie.
~Sheri
Beautiful photos, Jeanie. The old country church is lovely! That pheasant likes posing for you. I am looking forward to London!
Everything is so old in the UK. Just amazing.
It looks like a delightful trip. I love old churches also.
Enjoy London!
Thanks for sharing
I'm so happy you showed this post for FFO. Thank you and have a very nice weekend.
Thank you for took us on your trip together.
Love the photo of you and your hubby, Jeanie! And the crow (?) on the chimney pot is fabulous. So is London. I hope you had fun there! Happy new week to you!
Love the photos! Someday I would love to visit as well :) thanks for sharing the travel photos!
That pheasant is stunning. And I love the happy photo of you two.
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