The Magic Of England (Part 2): The Cotswolds

If you are nestled in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by lush countryside, senescent minuscule towns, antiquated thatched cottages and medieval parish churches, you might just think that you are living in a fairy tale. 

A true-blue, real living tiny village filled completely with thatched-roof cottages nestled deep in the Cotswolds!

You may wander along the meandering country lanes, or down quaint cobblestoned paths in honey-coloured towns, wondering if time had stood still. You may be cramped in a small thatched cottage with low ceilings and diminutive rooms, suspicious that you had inadvertently entered a dwarf's home, right out of the pages of a Snow White story.

And that was exactly how we felt every second of the 4 days that we spent deep in the Cotswolds. We stayed in a beautiful cottage in a tiny town called Moreton-in-Marsh, whose shops are all closed by 4.30pm! A sleepy, quiet but exceedingly tranquil town, draped in a delicious golden shade of the famous Cotswold stone.

Our little cottage in Moreton-in-Marsh

Time slowed to a grinding halt in Moreton-in-Marsh, where we sat around in our cottage playing card games all evening, where we spent quiet afternoons reading, where we spent many hours in the kitchen cooking and dining together.

It is a charming 2-level cottage with 2 bedrooms upstairs, and the living and kitchen areas downstairs

Such quaint finishing inside!

Moreton-in-Marsh is a lovely old town situated right in the middle of the Cotswolds, a magnificent pastoral area of outstanding beauty and historic significance. One of the most memorable experiences in the Cotswolds was the privilege of meeting 2 of the friendliest natives who brought us on a tour off the beaten paths in the countryside.

Imagine a good friend bringing you around her village, showing you all the nooks and crannies of the region. Imagine her bringing you home to her warm, cosy cottage - numerous times - where you sat around the fireplace, chatting with a group of equally contented friends, sipping on tea and gorging on some of the best English food we had ever tasted. Imagine leaving her company at the end of the day, totally contented and reluctant to part with the beauties of the Cotswolds. 

The "secret cottage" of Becky and Robin. The interior of their home is so cosy and magical, complete with a warm fireplace, low ceilings and amazing nooks and crannies!

And that was exactly how we spent the day with Becky and Robin, a husband-and-wife team who founded The Secret Cottage tours. Despite the drizzle on our day out, the beauty of the Cotswolds - with all the secret thatched cottages, tiny villages and beautiful rolling meadows - was showcased to perfection by Becky, who has an amazing knowledge of the most beautiful places to show us!

One of the houses in the villages around Cotswolds - doesn't this look like Snow White's house?

It is hard to believe that real families really live inside such resplendently beautiful houses!

Magnificent English countryside filled with animals just roaming around - curious horses, stubborn bulls who refused to give way to traffic, hippy sheep (see below!) and even hedgehogs!

Robin, her husband, was so hospitable and prepared multiple feasts for us back in their home. We would drive and walk around different villages in the Cotswolds, before returning to their home numerous times for morning tea, lunch and tea! This is, by far, one of the most intimate and cosy tours I had been on! The hosts were warm, friendly and put all of us at ease. The company of the other 8 guests was excellent, and we all chatted around the fireplace like good friends. 

Lunch - what a spread!

The Bees were thrilled by the underground wine cellar of Becky and Robin because there was a magic trapdoor which led them downstairs!

We were brought to quaint villages, majestically old country manors and archaic, serene parish churches in Becky's comfortable SUV. We went on charming country walks in the gentle drizzle and mist, feeling almost like we were characters in a Jane Austen novel!

Smelling and picking flowers along quiet, bucolic country paths

A pretty pub with beer mugs hanging all over their low ceiling!

Chastleton House - which has been around since 1612!

Oooh, I want to live in this house! So charming!

An old mill in Great Tew, one of the villages we traipsed through

A lovely, tranquil parish church with a small cemetary on its grounds. We looked around the tombstones that dated back centuries ago, and remembered a time long gone...

The Bees were delighted with the food and found everything to be so fetching and memorable. That day provided us with the most indelible experience indeed!

We simply love their tea spread! What alluring tableware and the most scrumptious of English scones and tea cakes!

If anything can fascinate picky Little Bee in terms of food, it must be superb!

Other than our very captivating day off, we took long country walks on our own, stopping to literally smell the flowers and just to admire our enchanting surroundings.

We had numerous meals in delightful, whimsical restaurants, cafes and pubs, indulging in some very delicious English food! Here are some excerpts from a selection of restaurants we visited...

Lunch inside "The Marshmallow Cafe" - a very small and winsome cafe with excellent English food

Breakfast in "Mrs Potts Tea Room" - what a delightful tea room indeed!

Winsome finishings in the tea room

A traditional English breakfast which all of us love!

We browsed in quiet, alluring antique shops, and waved to friendly locals in their homes. It was an invigorating change for typical city souls like us to stroll down perfectly empty streets after 4.30pm and the whole of Sunday, revelling in a slower pace of life, understanding that life is so much richer beyond the silly frantic things we futilely chased after every day.

This is a community farm plot at the edge of Moreton-in-Marsh! We were captivated by the different types of vegetation, crops and flowers in various plots.

Most of all, we spend so much time with each other, laughing, eating, ambling and chatting ....  far far from the madding crowds :)

A splendid field of gold (likely to be rapeseed plants) just a 20-minute walk from our little cottage!

Elections Fever

Elections fever had been raging for the past 9 days, and it had never been a more exciting and breathtaking time in Singapore politics. For the first time, I am seriously torn with my choices (I never was!), and until now, am still ruminating over many questions. What do I want for my future as a Singaporean? What should we be thinking about when choosing our government? How can our national identity be solidified further? How sustainable is Singapore in the long term, and who can help us forge ahead? What defines happiness? Simplicity, contentment, being surrounded by the people you love? Or economic growth, stable jobs, high incomes? Do we want Singapore to be run like an enterprise? Or do we want the kampong spirit to be back, albeit in a simpler, less stressful Singapore? 

For those of us with a deep love for our country, we need to truly think about what we want as a future Singapore...and really analyse options from many different perspectives and parties. We had achieved immense growth as a country in the past 50 years and no one can disagree with that. Moving forward, are there more avenues of growth as our country matures? What defines future happiness? Future successes? Future growth? Are there other ways of analysing successes other than material growth or increasing GDP? What about the emotional health of Singaporeans?

On Cooling-Off Day, I had been reflecting about how enlivening this whole GE2015 journey had been. It is an awakening of sorts for Singaporeans, where we are able to immerse in open dialogue, liberal thrashing of different candidates and parties and mass rally gatherings. Most amusingly, such discussions are probably the root of many split party opinions within families and friends!

But I view all these as highly positive signs - that we are able to debate openly, sometimes irrationally, sometimes persuasively, but mostly vehemently. And by us doing so, it merely proves that all of us deeply love our country, that we care about where Singapore is heading, that we harbour hopes for the future of Singapore. And most importantly, that we all feel we can create change and have the liberty to choose. And the amazing thing is that all these rigorous debates were conducted in full respect of peace and harmony, with no violence, physical fights or acts of terrorism that had been so commonly linked to election seasons in many countries.

So I am truly thankful for this journey, allowing us to truly ruminate and reflect in the face of intense, spirited and energetic debates. Never have I felt so much like a Singaporean, even at the cusp of possible changes and possibilities. Never have I felt so gratified that I live in this country, witnessing the subtle ripples of changes that - hopefully - will create a better Singapore for our children, where open dialogue, intelligent discourse and a unified love for our country, exists. Whatever the results are tomorrow, we know that we have groups of passionate individuals who dearly love Singapore and who wants to help the country ride to better heights, however you define those heights. Majulah Singapura! 

"I am not a brave man, but I love Singapore and I love Singaporeans." ~ Chiam See Tong

Up Where We Belong...

I had been in a nostalgic mood lately, browsing through old travel pictures and dreaming of simple days of yore. 

This was a view of what paradise could look like for me, in a trekking trip to Nepal back in 1998. It was inexplicably magical to be surrounded by omniscient mountains, revelling at how the light of the setting sun brushed the tips of the highest mountains, igniting the resplendence of the Himalayas all around us. 

In that space, I felt small and yet contented - gratified to be a minuscule but fundamental chess piece in this gargantuan and turbulent world where all of us have a place and role to fulfill. And most importantly, realising that the most beautiful things in life are free yet priceless.

I hope to return to Nepal, up in the mountains where I feel most at home in, together with the Bees. So that they can understand that true beauty really costs us nothing, except for an appreciation for the natural phenomenon all around us. 

{100 Places}: Botanic Gardens

When the Singapore Botanic Gardens was awarded the UNESCO World Heritage privilege, I was filled with trepidation. When a place I had always treated as home becomes world renowned, I know it will be filled with curious crowds and new faces. Which is exactly what happened. On our recent visit to the Botanic Gardens last week, Hubby asked a service staff if there was any change in their work since the UNESCO World Heritage award, and she said that there were so many more people, sometimes people who had not been in the Gardens since their dating days 50 years ago. I also read that the park authorities are looking at ways to preserve the authenticity and infrastructure of the park in anticipation of 6 million footfall by 2020. Yikes!

But this space is to reflect on the little beauties and happiness that Singapore Botanic Gardens had bestowed on us. It had always been home for us, with our weekly to monthly jaunts there, in various corners of this sprawling park. We love seeing the myriad changes of light in our different visits - the crisp, cool air of a coral-tinged dawn, the happy, yellow sunshine of late morning, the comforting shade of the verdant giants sheltering us from harsh noon, soft tangerine-golden rays of a setting sun that glistened on the lake, the lavender gloaming that made twinkling lights seemed so magical, and the dark, mysterious abode of sleeping trees.

The Botanic Gardens will always be remembered as a place where I grew up in. The jogs as a child with my parents and brother. The picnics with cousins as a kid. The place where Hubby and I brought our dogs to chill and relax before the kids came our way. The concerts my friends and I used to watch, sprawling on the lush meadow. And then fast forwarding to us in the same sprawled position - but watching Big Bee dancing on the same Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage. The breakfasts all over the Gardens - under the protective embraces of antiquated trees, beside the lake, alongside swans and pigeons. Outings with friends. Jaunts and discovery trails with the family. Too many precious memories are created here.

Our latest trip had us exploring a rainforest trail where we were surrounded by tall, venerable trees. Walking in the midst of towering trees provided us with much-needed refuge from the scorching noon heat. I had never hesitated about walking deep in the rainforests in the blazing heat of Singapore, because we would invariably be ensconced in a sanctuary of coolness and tranquillity, without the extraneous need for air-conditioning.

Another recent trip had us exploring the Botanic Gardens in the dark, as we strolled in the cool, crisp gloaming, after a tempestuous afternoon storm, only to find serenity amidst glistening wet grass and an orchestra of hidden singing frogs. It was so deserted that Little Bee joined the frogs in their choir with her loud, booming voice!

In time to come, I hope that our much-loved place will still maintain its authentic and unpretentious beauty, without too many touristy crowds!

Previous posts about Botanic Gardens:
Colours of Nature: The Colour of Drought
Colours of Nature: Strolling Through the Beginning of Time
Colours of Nature: Of Cygnets and Ducklings
Colours of Nature Part 2
The Macrocosm Of Nature
Soccer Babes
Light from the Heavens
Of Old Friends and Gatherings
Breakfast with Swans
Home of the Black Swans
Lazy Sunday Breakfasts
The Elusive Moon
Her Dance Odyssey
Grandparents

Learning At Home: A Magic Picture!

We hardly have time to do home learning during the school term these days, what with Little Bee's CCAs and school work. So, it was a much welcomed reprieve when we finally managed to squeeze in time to do some fun crafts during the June holidays.

This interesting "magical" craft amused Little Bee for a couple of hours! I tried this with Big Bee when she was younger, and she was amazed at the end product. It was truly gratifying when we saw the same sense of wonderment in Little Bee's eyes too!

This "magical" picture changes from monochrome to colourful with just a pull of your hand - what wizardry indeed!

You will need:
Thin card or paper
Scissors
Markers, colour pencils, felt tip pens
Small plastic folder
Tape

Step 1: Take a sheet of thin paper and fold it carefully into 3 equal sections.

Step 2: On the front flap, mark out a rectangle and the finger grip space. Cut away the finger grip space.

Step 3: Open out the card and cut out the rectangle. This will be the front of the card.

Step 4: Draw a decorative border on the front frame. Cut a separate piece of paper that is the same size as one section of the card, and draw your design, colouring the entire picture.

Step 5: Slip your completed picture into the plastic folder with the top against the fold of the plastic. Trim the plastic folder to the picture, and use the tape to stick the back of the picture to the plastic.

Step 6: Use a marker pen and draw an outline of the picture on the plastic.

Step 7: Fold the bottom flap of your card into the middle section. Slip the plastic-covered picture over the bottom flap. The bottom flap is now between the coloured picture and the outlined picture on the plastic flap. Fold the top flap down over the plastic. Grip the plastic and paper, and then pull the coloured picture out. Voila! The picture will seem to appear magically in colour as you pull it out. Enjoy!

Little Bee was able to work on this herself with minimal help from me. She had loads of fun! Experiment with different pictures like a hillside covered with white, fluffy sheep or a bare table top with a birthday cake appearing on it (I am excited to try this one out!).