SOUTH WEST ENGLAND–Part I

22 JUNE 2023, Leeds, England

South West England reminded us a bit of Ireland…lovely, rolling green hills and lots of sheep (in some places). Most of the roads from Oxford to Devon were Motorways (dual carriageways), but the land was flatter and there were very tall shrubs on both sides of the road so we couldn’t see as much scenery. The weather was much warmer (low 80’s—very hot to the Brits) and we even had a few thunderstorms and a bit of hail.

In Devon, the home we stayed in is over 100 years old, right on the edge of Collumpton’s village center. The walls are nearly two feet thick so it stays very cool most of the time. There are so many interesting arches, wooden beams and features that add so much character. It is quite charming. And the garden is a world unto its own, with four separate levels of beautiful roses, annuals, perennials and vegetables plus a fish pond, a hot tub and several spaces to simply relax and smell the flowers (one of my favorite things to do!).

Almost everything is within walking distance, which is a very fun lifestyle. We walked to dinner, to the butcher (to finally get some THICK steaks—so far, most steaks have been very thin—even the rib-eyes). We walked to the barber shop, the nail salon and the beautiful Anglican St. Andrew’s Church that serves as the community’s center. Everyone is friendly and there are also lovely pots of flowers. When walking to get my haircut, there was a fishmonger’s truck parked on the sidewalk, selling fish caught that morning.

And the best part of being in Collumpton was being with Karyl Huntley-Sadler and her husband Paul Sadler. I’ve known Karyl since 1995 when she became minister of the Golden Gate Center for Spiritual Living in Corte Madera, CA (10 miles north of San Francisco, in Marin County where I lived for almost 20 years). We became quite close through the years (she with Gary too) until I moved to San Jose, CA to be with Gary. We’d stayed in touch some, but only recently reconnected more deeply. We’d only met Paul a couple of times, but from the very beginning we all found ourselves to be quite compatible. He’s a sweetheart too! Our whole visit was filled with wonderful conversations, yummy food (including Karyl’s homemade trifle, below), much laughter and much love. Paul was a bit under the weather most of the time, yet still we all had such a good time.

While taking it easy, we were able to watch the Trooping of the Colors—an annual UK celebration of the Monarch’s birthday held in June when the weather is best, regardless of the actual birthday date (Queen Elizabeth=April, King Charles=November). It was especially fun to watch this pageant in the UK with someone who was born in the UK (Paul). This year the troops being honored were from Wales, which had more meaning to us since we’d just been there. For the first time in over 35 years, the Monarch (Charles, at age 74) reviewed the troops on horseback, together with his sister Anne, his brother Edward and his son (and heir to the throne) William. Their spouses rode in horse-drawn carriages as did the adorable children of William & Kate, George (9), Charlotte (8) and the very cheeky Louis (5). Watching the precision marching of 1500 soldiers, 400 horses & 300 musicians (many on horseback guiding their horses with their feet!) was quite a treat! Afterward, the Royals watched a fly-by from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

Two days after we arrived in Devon, we drove to Glastonbury—a place Gary visited long ago that really moved him. The Abbey was much larger than I expected and has legendary status as the earliest Christian monastic site in Britain and one of the most decorative–originally adorned with lavish sculptures and carvings, paint and gilding, colored glass and floors carpeted with patterned tiles. In its adjacent museum, we read: “…certainly the more grandly constructed a church is the more likely it is to entice the dullest mind to prayer….” It makes me sad to see once-magnificent structures like this stripped of its valuables (under Henry VIII) and in ruins, but it still felt very sacred. I also love that in the 10^th Century one of its great abbots, St. Dunstan, devised the coronation ceremony that is still used today. I was deeply moved at the nearby Chalice Well and its surrounding gardens and water features. There were several places where it was easy to find deep peace and tranquility and that felt really good. Glastonbury has become a place where Christian and pagan beliefs seem to mingle. People come here from all over the world for rituals, personal enrichment and festivals. It’s quite an experience!

The next day we drove to nearby Tiverton and its Great Western Canal where we first had “cream tea” at a charming tea garden (scones with strawberry jam and “clotted cream”—butter the consistency of a hard cream cheese is close to what it is—quite yummy). We then took a 2.5 hour barge ride down a lovely canal that was built in 1814. What made it extra special was being pulled by a huge Shire horse walking along an adjacent towpath—the last of the horse-pulled barges. Would you like a 60-second meditation? Click on the video below, recorded when everyone was asked to be silent for 15 minutes, and simply listen to the sounds of nature (and the clip-clopping of the horse). It was magical!

        

        

Because this part of our Ireland/UK adventure was filled with so many fun and meaningful experiences day after day, we’re breaking our South West England blog into two parts. Besides, it’s about time we gifted you with a shorter blog or two. Most of them have been pretty long, but hopefully you are enjoying them all.

In Part II we’ll talk about our 3 fabulous days in Cornwall. Stay tuned!