MissElaineous

Shades of Autumn

Shades of Autumn
I sometimes feel like spring gets all of the attention. Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” puts the spotlight firmly on daffodils, those harbingers of better weather and brighter days. Spring Break shenanigans are practically a rite of passage in the US; who talks about going on Autumn Break? It can feel like lions and lambs, Easter holidays, and… View Post

Crocodiles in the Cotwolds

Crocodiles in the Cotwolds
If I asked someone to describe the Cotswolds, they might talk about thatched cottages and buildings constructed from the eponymous honey-coloured stone. Adjectives like “charming” and “quaint” would likely be used to refer to the villages and hamlets that dot the region, which is itself an official Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. They would perhaps mention that the Cotswolds has… View Post

Lions and Tigers and Dragons, Oh My!

Lions and Tigers and Dragons, Oh My!
Despite living in the UK for nearly 20 years, there are still large swathes of the country I haven’t seen. I’ve been up to the Orkney Islands at the tip of Scotland but have never properly visited Cornwall. I attended a wedding in Norwich once, but much of the east coast—Essex, Kent, Sussex—remains an absolute mystery. Trips to London must… View Post

In Review

In Review
The past few weeks have seen me revisit some of my favourite stomping grounds, so this blog post is less about exploring new sites and more about the enjoyment of reconnecting with places you know well. Magical. Enchanting. Quirky. These words were used by a friend to describe her first visit to the Cotswold Sculpture Park, and she is spot… View Post

Autumn and Art

Autumn and Art
While my internal calendar is inching towards the end of June or perhaps the beginning of July, the world outside has clearly moved into autumn. Shorter days, colder temperatures, and brightly coloured leaves are making their presence known, encouraging MrElaineous and me to embark on one of our favourite annual traditions: a trip to Westonbirt Arboretum. I can’t really say… View Post
Cotswold Sculpture Park

MissElaineous and the Very Proper Adventure

MissElaineous and the Very Proper Adventure
The M4 is a British motorway that snakes its way across the south of the country, starting in London and passing near a number of major towns and cities before petering out just past Swansea. Chippenham is one of those towns in the middle, located just a few miles south of this main artery that ferries people east and west… View Post
Swindon, Wiltshire

Touch Wood: An Interview with Simon Webb

Touch Wood: An Interview with Simon Webb
George Bernard Shaw is said to have written that England and America are two countries separated by a common language, and there is perhaps more than a kernel of truth in this statement. Some are obvious: in August I wrote about how American buttermilk biscuits are nothing like British biscuits. The latter tend to be more hard cookies, perfect for… View Post

A Walk on the Wild Side (Plus Sheep)

A Walk on the Wild Side (Plus Sheep)
There are a few things you might expect to see when you go for a walk in the British countryside: Sheep? Most likely. Cows? Probable, especially in the area around Barbury Castle. Horses? Always a possibility. Intriguing architecture? Chances are good. Stunning landscapes? Guaranteed. But an elephant? Or a herd of zebra? These slightly more exotic creatures do not instantly… View Post

Wildlife at the Tower

Wildlife at the Tower
MrElaineous and I arrived back from a trip to Florida in mid March, and we had just about managed to unpack when we found ourselves in lockdown. We were used to working from home, but we suddenly found that rather than taking breaks with day trips, walking adventures, and weekends away, our world had shrunk to no more than the… View Post

CSI Garden Edition: Who newt this was a cold-blooded killer …

CSI Garden Edition: Who newt this was a cold-blooded killer …
A few weeks ago I was saddened to step into the garden to find a puddle of black feathers near the base of one of the bird feeders. It didn’t take a forensic team to determine what had likely happened: a sparrowhawk had snatched a blackbird in mid-air. These speedy raptors are masters at navigating hedges and trees and, just… View Post

The Colours of January

The Colours of January
Blue Monday is the name given to the third Monday in January, supposedly the most depressing day of the year. The idea is that the relaxation of the Christmas and New Year holidays has worn off, the credit card bills are due, and the Easter holidays (and warmer weather) are still a long way in the distance. While I tend… View Post

A WINTER RETREAT

A WINTER RETREAT
“We are addicted to busy-ness,” Olivia said as I focused on contorting my body to match the yoga pose she demonstrated. She wasn’t wrong. Indeed, it was the very reason that MrElaineous and I found ourselves at a yoga and meditation retreat in the Welsh countryside. When I was in the grips of burnout several years ago, we made the… View Post
Glastonbury

THE THREE Ms OF GLASTONBURY

THE THREE Ms OF GLASTONBURY
Outside of the UK, the word “Glastonbury” is synonymous with music and mud. Within the UK, the definition is pretty similar, with the annual(ish) music festival regularly dominating headlines. Tickets for the 50th anniversary in 2020 recently sold out in under forty minutes, and even I took the time to brainstorm how litter could be reduced at future festivals after… View Post

BANKING ON IT (PART 1): BARBURY CASTLE

BANKING ON IT (PART 1): BARBURY CASTLE
Outside of the UK, the term “bank holiday” is likely to be met with a puzzled expression. Is it a day to celebrate banks? Or a day that they’re closed? Or something completely different? After all, the UK is the country that also gave the world Boxing Day, which has nothing to do with pugilistic endeavours! The reality is the… View Post

WEIRD. WONDERFUL. WALES.

WEIRD. WONDERFUL. WALES.
Great Britain is composed of three nations: England, Wales, and Scotland. The United Kingdom adds Northern Ireland to the mix, and hence the official name of the country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The point of mentioning this terminology is that both Scotland and Northern Ireland are parts of the UK that are some distance… View Post
Cotswold Water Park

OF LIONS, LAMBS, AND A WALK ALONG THE BOW WOW

OF LIONS, LAMBS, AND A WALK ALONG THE BOW WOW
In like a lion, out like a lamb. This familiar quip about the month of March actually seems quite logical. After all, the beginning is still winter, with the spring equinox arriving at the tail end of the month. Which is, I admit, no guarantee of good weather, but this year it proved to be more accurate than anticipated. Early… View Post
Chippenham, Wiltshire

BLOSSOMS AND BLUE SKIES: A CHIPPENHAM MINI-ADVENTURE

BLOSSOMS AND BLUE SKIES: A CHIPPENHAM MINI-ADVENTURE
It’s a common joke, and one I’ve made before myself, that one of the best things about Chippenham is how easy it is to get to other places. From having the picturesque villages of the Cotswolds on its doorstep to train links to London, Chippenham tends to be viewed as a place you live, not visit. However, a recent morning… View Post
Cotswold Water Park

THE “OTHER” LAKE DISTRICT

THE “OTHER” LAKE DISTRICT
The English Lake District is one of the most visited (and beloved) regions of the country. Located in the northwest county of Cumbria, it is a dramatic landscape of rocky fells, steep valleys, picturesque villages, and, as implied in the name, lakes. It was a favourite haunt of the Romantic poets in the early 19th century, and it became a… View Post

POSTCARDS FROM FEBRUARY

POSTCARDS FROM FEBRUARY
Postcards feel like a modern day anachronism: bits of paper covered with photographs, a scribbled line or two on the back, and sent through a postal system that operates at human speed rather than almost instantaneously. Why bother with all this when you can pop a picture on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter in the time it takes to hit a… View Post
MissElaineous Travel Blog: Escape, Explore, Discover, Enjoy