Windrush

In March, when Mike was working in Amsterdam I took Ron Weasley and Harry Potter for a walk in the Windrush Valley in the Cotswolds.

First order of business: find sticks...

and transform them into wizards' wands.

The walk took us from the tiny village of Windrush to the equally tiny Little Barrington, then to eat at the Fox Inn, and back to Windrush.

Little did I know our path actually led us straight to Azkaban, the infamous wizard prison...

and then to the Leaky Cauldron where Harry and Ron enjoyed hearty plates of sausage and mash and fish and chips.

We happened upon a Womping Willow...

Little Barrington

Solution for a chilly boy.

Surprise!

and another Womping Willow.

Castle Combe with Flat Eli

We received a visit from Flat Eli, all the way from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania! We took him on a walk to Castle Combe, Wiltshire, voted prettiest village in England.

It was a chilly morning, 0 degrees C when we left, and dropped to -1.5 on the way.

Castle Combe is fairy tale pretty, with only 350 residents.

Our walk took us from Castle Combe, through the woods to Long Dean, and then across a meadow to Ford, where we had an early dinner at the White Hart pub, then walked back.

Very fuzzy, very friendly donkey.

Mud and Sticks!

This was a favorite stile of Mike's.

I love how this tree is growing in, around and between an old stacked stone wall.

Piggies!

I like seeing livestock on our walks. I'm not sure if it's true, but it seems like the animals we eat in England have better quality of life compared with most US livestock. We see lots of small farms.

Arriving at the teeny village of Long Dean.

Icey puddles.

Notice old, overgrown stacked stone walls.

Flat Eli at the White Hart.

Video of us starting our walk back to Castle Combe from Ford. I love how Mike uses his stick to herd the boys.

Loads of love from England!