Hours fly,
Flowers die,
New days,
New ways,
Pass by.
Love stays.
Henry Van Dyke (from the poem Katrina’s Sun-Dial)
23 Comments CherryPie on Jul 20th 2014
The first hint of Charles Wade is seen even before entering the house: the post-box to the left of the door carries his coat of arms together with his motto NEQUID PEREAT, which means ‘Let nothing perish’. The phrase not only reflects the purpose of the collection but also the way in which Wad went about his work, whether restoring a broken object of using scraps of paper for drawing, including both sides of each sheet. this is a marked contrast with modern attitudes, where consumer goods may be recycled but rarely repaired, and basic materials are used once and thrown away.*
*From the Snowshill Manor and Garden guide book 2010 edition.
16 Comments CherryPie on Jul 19th 2014
Built in the 15th century and extended several times since, Snowshill Manor owes its current form to many people but above all to Charles Paget Wade, who restored it to house his collection, displaying what were to him the essentials of colour, design and craftsmanship.
Nestling in the head of a Cotswold valley, Snowshill Manor has the stature of an idyllic country house. The manor of Snowshill has a long history and was first recorded when the King of Mercia gave it to Winchcombe Abbey in 821 AD. After the dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century, another monarch, Henry VIII, included it in his dowry to Catherine Parr. After a succession of somewhat less regal owners and tenants, Charles Wade purchased it in 1919. He spent three years restoring it in order that anyone with an interest in design and craftsmanship could marvel at and learn from his collection. The extent of his achievement can be seen today in the huge number of items on show in the twenty rooms of the manor house.*
*From the Snowshill Manor and Garden guidebook 2010 edition.
10 Comments CherryPie on Jul 18th 2014
A perfect summer’s day was followed by a perfect summer’s evening. How could I resist sitting on my patio with a glass of wine watching the sun go down behind ‘my oak tree’?
I sat enjoying the warm air and the sounds of nature…
I wondered if my friend the hedgehog would show his face, but he proved a little shy this evening. The frog that surprised me a couple of weeks ago, when I found him sitting on the top of the watering can was also absent. I was however visited by a bat buzzing around the garden on a quest for an evening snack. After he left, a large moth flew into the house and thankfully flew straight back out again. I shut the door quickly so he could not make a return visit.
A perfect way to spend an evening 
12 Comments CherryPie on Jul 17th 2014
Belly pork and black pudding accompanied by onion mash and red cabbage…
Delicious 
More about our visit to the ‘Haunch of Venison‘ can be found at the end of my ‘Salisbury Day Two‘ post.
14 Comments CherryPie on Jul 16th 2014
The sun was shining through the trees showing the leaves off in a glowy light. There was a gentle breeze, the birds were singing, the rabbits were grazing and I tuned a few heads as I cycled past…
A perfect evening
16 Comments CherryPie on Jul 15th 2014
Thinking of my dad on the anniversary of his birth
10 Comments CherryPie on Jul 15th 2014
