Monday 3rd July 2017 in Worcester and Lydney.
An early start this morning, as we are off to Lydney to see our very good friends Annie and Paddy. A little early rain gave way to a fine day. The train service skirts the Severn Estuary with excellent views of the sand banks and mud flats as the tide was out.
Annie and Paddy were waiting for us at the station. We've not seen them for three years so it was a very "huggy" meeting. They drove us up to "High View", the house that they have been lovingly restoring and extending for four years. It is well named as it has views in every direction and you can even see both Severn road crossings in the distance. Last time we saw it three years ago, it was just a shell with no internal walls, plaster or even floors. We were almost completely lost for words.
When we entered, all we could manage were "Ooh"s, "Aah"s and "Wow"s. The house has been extended to the side and back; it is full of light and each room is decorated in a slightly different style. Every one of them is beautiful.
The house is almost completely off-grid with solar water panels for hot water, ground source heating, solar panels for electricity and rainwater recovery for the toilets and garden.
The front garden is given over to circular flower beds and a pond, edged with stone recovered from an old rear extension.
The back garden is mainly lawn with little copices of trees at the far end. In the middle is a "Shepherd's Hut" that provides luxurious "overflow" accomodation. Apparently these have become very fashionable since it became known that the Camerons have one! Certainly any shepherd would consider it the height of luxury! When Annie and Paddy showed it to their children, they said that the grandchildren could sleep there - but their children each said "No! The children can sleep in the house, we want to sleep in the hut". Don't blame them - we'd have said the same!
On one side is a vegetable garden with raised beds and a greenhouse.
As we were walking round, we came across this handsome creature basking in the sun. We looked it up and it appears to be a Puss Moth about 2 1/2in long.
We had a truly wonderful day with Annie and Paddy; there was much eating, drinking and catching up on news.
A final photo of Annie and Paddy in the lovely garden that they have created together.
Annie presented M with a bunch of fragrant sweet pea flowers from her garden. M lovingly carried her posy all the way back to Worcester feeling a like a little bridesmaid (R was less impressed as it brought on his hayfever).
M said that all she needed was a pink satin dress with a full skirt and little puff sleeves.
MM had another day off.
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