Month: July 2020

One Sunny Sunday

~ Elizabeth Hurd ~ 6 Comments

“There is nothing like walking to get the feel of a country. A fine landscape is like a piece of music; it must be taken at the right tempo. Even a bicycle goes too fast.”                                   ~ Paul Scott Mowrer

DSC_0159“OK, keep your eyes peeled. After we cross the A46 your shortcut will be the third road on the right.”

It is always wise, when leaving the main road and heading into uncharted territory, to remind your husband that this was his idea and any chaos which may ensue is all entirely his fault.

It was a sunny Sunday in July, which happened to coincide with the seventh anniversary of the day I arrived to live in the UK. Tired of our four walls and the same walks around the home fields, we had packed our face coverings, hand sanitizer, the dog and a picnic lunch into the car and set out in search of adventure. Our destination: Woodchester Park in the Cotswolds. Continue reading →

The Lockdown Library

~ Elizabeth Hurd ~ 5 Comments

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.” ~ Marcus Tullius CiceroIMG_1707

“From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction – you must stay home.”

On the 23rd of March 2020, Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave a speech telling the nation it was time to pull together, do the right thing, and stay home. That is exactly what the majority did, working from home and only leaving for essentials or for a once-a-day outdoor exercise break. Society contracted in an unprecedented way and our lives suddenly revolved around our homes.

In the weeks before lockdown British people began stockpiling, and it was not just jumbo packets of toilet rolls flying off the shelves. People were buying books. Continue reading →