Hampshire, Jane Austen country, is blessed with an abundance of country cottages. On my ‘most missed’ list of all things English country cottages come pretty high, along with country pubs.
Today we snapped this beautiful cottage in the village of Dogmersfield.
This is well known turf to me as I used to walk across the country fields from my parents house to ‘The Queens Head‘ pub (which is now more of a restaurant).
Walking across country fields is something I grew up thinking was ‘a given’. When I first arrived in New Zealand I drove through the countryside thinking, ‘Wow, look at all this land to explore!’. Of course, I was completely ignorant of the fact that most of that land is private and inaccessible to the public.
What’s such a delight about walking in the English countryside is that one is never far from a ‘watering hole’ (pub!). Plus there’s always the chance one might spot deer, rabbits, foxes, squirrels (already seen a few of those in Grandma’s garden – but they’re too quick for me to catch on film!).
I’m in my element delighting and romancing in all the quintessential English joys! I have to say we’ve been extremely lucky with the weather thus far, though the forecast doesn’t look good. The whole of England has been locked in rain for weeks on end, whilst across the Channel they are having a heatwave, with temperatures mid-thirty degrees!
On the bright side, the rain has made for some beautiful gardens and here Sophie and I delight in one of the hundred or so hanging baskets, which adorn high-streets, pubs, railway stations and homes all over the countryside:
