Keep Calm and Carry On

We are biding our time while we wait to move in to our permanent home on June 15, less than a week away.

I went to see a play last Wednesday at the Everyman Theater. It was Tom Stoppard play, The Real Thing. which is an amazing play, he is a true wordsmith, so so clever. The play won a Tony for best Play of the Year in 1984. The acting was superb. I really enjoyed getting out. It was my second play having seen Murder on the Nile the week before with Andrew. The arts are alive in Cheltenham! There are several venues for theater and concerts.

We went to lunch at a country pub, the Craven Arms, on Tuesday when we were off work for the Queen's Birthday. The Craven Arms is in a little village named Brockhampton, all cotswold stone cottages and one massive estate house. We had a nice time with a coworker of Andrew's. She graciously offered to drive, since we are still without wheels.   The pub dates back to the 16th century and still holds many of the original features, including mullion windows that sit between the bar and restaurant, original open fires and traditional Cotswold stone throughout the bar. It has  has had some work done to it since we were there last. The character is still the same, rustic!! There was the pub cat taking a nap on the couch. We caught this photo of the owners dog trying to squeeze through the cat's door. Not quite!

Pub cat

New addition to the Craven Arms in Brockhampton

             

Saturday morning we took a walk around town to see the oldest church in Cheltenham, built in 800. It is very small but has some amazing windows.

Rose window in St. Mary's Parish Church

We visited on D-Day so there were flags hanging.

 We also found a lovely tea room, the Cheltenham Dandy,  and had a nice cup of tea.

We continued our short sightseeing tour by visiting the Holst Birthplace and Museum. Holst was a composer who was born in Cheltenham in 1874. He is best known for composing the Planets which he did on a piano that is on display in the museum. The house is also a study on what life was like in Victorian England. It is a regency style house with sitting rooms, music room, scullery, servants room etc. It even has a set of bells like the ones seen on Downton Abbey that ring for the servants.

 The rest of the week we have continued our culinary tour of Cheltenham, eating at restaurants, pubs, cafes, bistros, and anywhere we haven't been yet. So far we have not broken our one visit rule: no matter how good the venue we can't visit twice while there are still places we haven't been to yet. After we move into our house we will be eating peanut butter sandwiches for the next year.