Monday 16 March 2009

To World's End... and back

Our friends, Graham and Ursula,
live in a small Oxfordshire village.

After we have enjoyed
Graham's world-famous 'Pot au Feu'
Ursula and I step out to take the air
and leave MrM to analyse the rugby with Graham
aided by generous quantities of 'Old Hooky' Ale.
Ursula is new to blog tourism
and is surprised but delighted that
a window with a reflection in
is sufficient excuse for a photograph.

We wander down Middle Street
and wish that we could see over
the high wall to the garden beyond.

A bright orange vintage tractor!
Everyone should have one in their back garden.

And then I get distracted
because Ursula makes me laugh a lot
and so there is no record
of the donkey,
or the child at the level crossing
or the beautiful china bowl in a cottage window
but this carving did catch my eye.

We stop in the Church but not for long
because a rather deaf elderly lady
with a hysterical dog
is waiting to lock up.

The village has a history dating back to Saxon times
and apparently it was once famous for apricots.
Ursula did not know that.

The pleasure is always in the small details.

Thank you, Graham and Ursula, for your hospitality.
I only wish that I had taken a picture of the Pot au Feu
.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Forsythia!
(I think -- behind the tractor.)

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the beautifully inscribed colophon.

trash said...

Whilst I appreciate the delicacy of the work that has gone into the carving I am afraid all I could think when reading the comment from Anon was 'Sounds like an extremely polite thank you note to a skilled surgeon'!


Apologies Alice for lowering the tone ;-)

kristina said...

I know G would love one of those tractors for the allotment!

He would also appreciate the stone carving, as he once did a year-long stone carving course and always has an eye for wonderful details like that... K x

Unknown said...

Alice - you have such an amazing eye for a clever photograph - you really should be publishing those gorgeous 'no subject in particular but wonderful eye candy' type coffee table books

Gina said...

I love seeeing and reading about your "small details". Thank you for sharing the pleasure.

Jackie said...

I think its your eye for detail, both visual and verbal, that makes me enjoy the Magpie Files so much.

Anonymous said...

I might need to put an orange tractor on a quilt very soon!

Unknown said...

Oh what a wonderful corner of the world! Just lovely.It makes me want to emigrate.

I would like to see what is on the other side of the wall too, and the donkey? You must pay more attention to taking pictures and stop chatting and having so much fun :)

Anonymous said...

James wants one of those tractors - both his favourite things in one! All we now need is the garden to put it in......

blackbird said...

Yum!

(Oh, I wonder, now, how my Grape Hyacinth have fared the winter!)

Anonymous said...

Is it a colophon, or is it an ampersand? Either way, I love the texture of polished stone, especially when it looks creamy like a bar of lavender soap.

I must confess to coveting farm tractors, particularly when they are painted red to make some sort of statement such as "Look at me, I a am riding a big red tractor". It must be a bloke thing - the more pulling power, the better.

More pictures of stone and big red machines - yes please!

Anonymous said...

Of course Discerning Admirer is quite right. I should have reflected a bit more before positng my comment as this is truly one of the most beautiful AMPERSANDS I have ever seen. There is a difference, as any publisher would tell you!

alice c said...

Welcome to Anonymous - thank you for your erudite comments - I have discovered what a colophon is and that it is not an ampersand. I was thinking that if you signed your comments '&' or some such identifying sign it would prevent you from getting muddled up with other Anonymice.

Anonymous said...

It is amazing how much more one notices things with a camera in hand!