The Cotswolds

We booked at the Holiday Inn in Gloucester for a variety of reasons, mainly though because, being summer, there is aircon, there is a shower, plenty of parking, very central to the Cotswolds etc. So when I woke to hear the bath running then could hear G splash-splashing away I thought ‘interesting’.  So when he came back into the room with smoke coming out of his ears he said ‘I hope you can figure out how to turn on the shower because I can’t! 

Have to admit I had no luck either so ran a bath but the bath is so deep I was afraid I’d never get out.  And how would I possibly wash my hair.  So, in the kneeling position the bath was taken, had to put my head under the running tap for the hair wash, and lucky I had my own shampoo as theirs was attached to the wall behind me!!!  Makes for a great pic, I know.  Then went to use their hair dryer - of course, it is in a drawer! And is attached to the drawer so can’t really be pulled out far enough to use.  Almost needed another shower after all that but oops! forgot, we have no shower!!!!! Solved the shower problem when we asked the cleaning lady - easy, she said, just keep turning the back knob round and round and round and round!!!!!  Who would have thought it would be that easy????? The kind lady then showed us how to use the aircon.  Strange that there could be so many different ways to kill a cat!!!!!

After a lovely breakfast we drove to Cheltenham, did a drive through the town/city, saw some gorgeous houses and old buildings and the flower boxes and gardens were beautiful.  Our plan was to meet friends for lunch at 1 pm at the Thames Head Inn, just out of Cirencester so we drove around that town but being early decided to drive on to Tetbury for another look in Prince Charles’s Highbury shop.  Right on time we met up with old friend Diana (formerly Howard) Smith and her granddaughter Tamsyn, her husband Andy and daughter Eloise.  We spent many days with the Howards in the early 70’s, they had a property near Amesbury, Wiltshire.  Tamsyn stayed with us in Crest Ave when she was on a gap year in Australia back in the 90’s and it was so nice to catch up.  Her husband is a pilot with British Airways.  

After leaving them we drove through many small and some large towns, including Coate, Chalford, Brimscombe, Stroud, Brookthorp and Hardwicke.  

The longest part of the journey was getting from Hardwicke to our hotel - one device told us to go one way, the other another way, signposts suggested yet another way.  We’re weary but it’s been fun, I reckon England should be re-named ‘Roundabout’!!!!!