Stratford-upon-Avon

After a long day of travelling by bus and train, my cousin Helen was a welcome sight. And dinner with the rest of the family was wonderful. It had been about 8 years since I last saw them all.
The next couple weeks were fantastic. Helen likes to keep busy and with her 2 daughters Jo and Nicola,  I always had options on what to do for the day. Helen and I routinely went on walks in the mornings and evenings with their dog Murphy. Whom had a dodgy temperament. He was known to bite on occasion. A rescue dog, but they're making progress with him. He's always on good behaviour on his walks.
One really nice walk was a misty morning, where the fog gave a mystical atmosphere along the canal in Wilmcote (the parish my cousin lives in). The little bowed bridges here and there where great for photos. And I was fortunate enough to have chatted with some nice folks cruising along in their longboat on the canal. I watched as they used the lock to go from one height to another on the water. I had never seen that before. Really neat.
They were kind enough to offer me a ride, since I've never been on a longboat. Of course I took the opportunity and hopped on. They don't move fast, just a nice slow coast. This man lived on his boat and paid to dock his boat in different locations. Some people stay in one place year round. Others move along.
You can get to many regions via the canals as they were once used for transporting. The UK has a nation wide canal network. Vital back in the Industrial Revolution when roads where mostly medieval mud. Coal was the main commodity transported along the canals to reach London. But there were numerous goods and commodities transported in large quantities by water. Towpaths were walkable along both sides of the water for horses back in the day. Which is now more for leisurely strolls.
I spent a couple days exploring the town of Stratford-upon-Avon. Started with looking at the shops in the shopping centre and along the streets. Went to the Royal Shakespeare theatre to have a look around. There were costumes, photographs and paintings displayed from the theatre performances. Some with major actors that would occasionally work with the theatrical actors, giving helpful tips during rehearsals.
The Swan theatre looked nice. Lot's of wood to help with acoustics. And there was a tower I went up that gave a nice panoramic view of the town.

From there I went to the Holy Trinity Church. The resting place of William Shakespeare. Then passed by Hall's Croft, which was Shakespeare's daughter's (Susanna Shakespeare) home. Inside was full of furniture, paintings, fine china, ornaments, etc. that she kept.

Walking down that main road toward Shakespeare's birthplace was nice. I really like the different designs the timber framed houses had. And some with the heavy, large oak doors with decorative engravings and large ornamental knockers. So neat.
I didn't go inside Shakespeare's birthplace, just looked at the outside. I think I'd have to be more into poetry and theatre to really appreciate his lifestyle, history and belongings. As it is, I never understood poetry. I have a hard time understanding what poets are trying to say. Guess I'm more of a direct person. Plus, my budget couldn't afford it. Visiting all the houses related to Shakespeare were not cheap.
However, I'm told his wife's house, Anne Hathaway's Cottage, was very nice to see. There was a lovely garden around the thatched roofed home. Maybe one day I'll visit it as opposed to just looking at the outside.

My cousin Jo took me out for a nice day's drive to see the Cotswolds area. Our first stop was the Broadway Tower, a 20 m folly overlooking the countryside. Passed a beautiful countryside estate on our way to the quaint village of Lower Slaughter, where a picturesque old mill sat along a canal.
From there we ended our drive in Bourton-on-the-water. Known as one of the "area of outstanding natural beauty" locations in Britain.

Another place I enjoyed was a wooded park in Warwickshire with numerous trails one could walk, horse ride or bike along. Of course, we had visited this location a few times with the dog.
My great Aunty Ena had her 92nd birthday while I was there. She lived in a care home as she suffered from memory loss and was too frail to be completely on her own. Helen spent a lot of time with her and   visits to either the care-home or her coming over was common. We had some great times. Even had more extended family come for visits. Aunty Ena had 3 children, one lives in Australia whom I visited, and the other 2 here. One being Helen, the other Lesley.

It was great to get a chance to see Lesley, her husband Pete and their 2 daughters, Sarah and Jill.
Nicola had taken me to Shakespeare's mother's Tudor Farm, MaryArden's Farm. We were lucky to be there on a day when a bunch of children were on a field trip. The kids were dressed up in clothes suited to the era. Very cute.
Demonstrations of the daily living routine took place. Like making bread in the kitchen over a fire, or stew and their dinner manners at the table. Craft and skill demonstrations as well. There were many different farm animals and even birds of prey with a falconer. It was interesting to talk to the falconer. He keeps the various raptors at his home and spends a lot of time with them. The birds were quite attached to him. Lots of love there. It made me very happy to see that bond.
Other animals like pigs, sheep, geese, horses, goats and cattle where there. I learned about hedge laying, an old country skill using sticks from hedges to make barriers. Sure was an interesting place. Very interactive.
I also spent a day walking around another town called Warwick. I visited the museum, St. Mary's church, Smith Street, St. John's House museum and the Lord Leycester Hospital. I thought the St. John's house was nice. History from 400 years. A Victorian style kitchen with all it's wears, a schoolroom, costumes, toys and games, childhood displays and a little garden.
The castle there is quite large, but I needed more time to visit after all I had done in the day, so another on my to do list for the future.
The next day, my cousins drove out to Malvern Hills. We did a quick stop in Worcester to see the cathedral and grabbed some sandwiches for a picnic lunch up there. It was lovely. Great views of the Severn Valley and 3 counties.
After spending a few more days at my cousins, I got another job placement for work. This time in Bedford with a young man.
Bedford was a small place. A nice canal ran through it, but other than that, not much to see. On my breaks I'd try to run to Priory Lake to get a chance to change my environment. Find a little nature. The town was mostly stone buildings and pavement streets, so it always had this dirty feeling to me. Even though it wasn't littered. Just that feel of all grey and no greenery.
My placement lasted 1 month before I switched to a new client. Our personalities didn't quite jive, so we talked about it and thought it best to change. At least it wasn't as stressful as the elderly lady I cared for before with the lack of sleep I got.
Now I'm in a town called Northchurch in Hertfordshire. My new client and I get along splendidly. She has a very comfortable home and her family is so welcoming and caring. I'm happy working with her and feel relieved to have such a great client and location.