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Dispatch from LA

MARY ANN MOSS

It Went Like This

The Farthings, our Cotswold cottage in Broad Campden

Taken by a lovely young man from Yorkshire, Matthew in the lovely village of Stanton. We so enjoyed chatting with him.

Milky tea in the garden nearly every afternoon.

Out in the middle of nowhere, we found Hayles Fruit Farm and stopped for a delicous lunch of Cornish pasty with salad overlooking the rolling hills.

The Ebrington Arms pub in the tiny hamlet of Ebrington. Our favorite pubs were in the really out-of-the-way places.

Another visit to the Ebrington Arms for drinks on a warm day. Sister took her knitting with her most places.

Dawn walk at the Broadway Tower. We had it all to ourselves!

At the Slaughters Country Inn where we had lunch on the terrace after a walk from Lower to Upper Slaughter. The sun shone for most of our visit to the Cotswolds!

Hidcote Manor Garden. A glorious place! We stayed in the Northern Cotswolds near many gardens. We enjoyed mint pea soup in the cafe afterwards!

Our Airbnb near Henrietta Park in the Bathwick area of Bath was perfect in every way. We stayed here for 3 nights.

Most late evenings we went for walks on the many paths and lanes in our sleepy hamlet of Broad Campden. We loved staying here!

Driving into Castle Combe on our first day in the rental car from Bath. Such a splendid village!

Our friend and trip mascot: the wood pigeon. “My toe huts Betty!”

If you’re in a grade II Cotswold cottage as we were, the stairs are v.v. steep! Thankfully there was a bathroom upstairs and downstairs.

The splendid yew trees and hedges of Sudley Castle.

Dover Hill, where we went to visit the sheep one evening.

One of our evening walks on public footpaths from our hamlet of Broad Campden.

Many of the small churches in the Cotswold villages had exquisite needlepoint pew kneelers.

Gentle Readers & friends,

I meant to write this post weeks ago upon arrival back in Los Angeles.  My desktop computer is old and in need of replacement.  My photos aren’t connected to the cloud on that device so it’s a pain in the arse getting the photos from my phone to the computer via the usual methods..  Thus, I post far less than I would like.  But at last after 11 years, a new iMac is in the works.

I posted videos in the form of reels daily while away and those can be found on Instagram (they get automatically pushed out to Facebook) if you’re interested.  The link is down at the bottom of this website somewhere or you can do a search for my name using artificial intelligence or whatever poses for search engines these days.  I’m posting art on IG also and not here as much because of the photo situation. I love making reels.  Videos seem very easy for me, so lately that’s what I do.  Thanks for following along in the Cotswolds it was such great fun to read your comments and know someone was enjoying the videos of our trip.  I must be inconvenienced by technology as little as possible, so until the new computer is up and running I resort to dark ages communication.  No, not postcards in the post, but close.  Blog posts!

I didn’t realize I hadn’t posted here for nearly 2 months.  I write nearly daily in my old-school writing journal and so I have this idea that I’ve been in communication with you, but somehow the mental connection is all one-way via smoke signals.  Unless you’re a mind reader you’ve been in the dark.  I’ve been communicating with many of you since 2007, nearly 2 decades.  I have no plans of stopping, especially now when I find the voices of older women growing dim.  Now that I’m happily in my 60’s I plan to keep yapping about whatever I please to whomever wishes to listen.  Let’s grow old together shall we?

I want to get this out tonight, so I’m going to end this missive and return soon with more chatter about summertime, wig portraits, sketchbookery, and life.  I report to duty at school on August 9th to begin getting my classroom ready for my final year of teaching.  I’m 75% sure that this will be my final year, but since I’m flying solo and am my own financial master and commander, I may decide another year is prudent.  Time will tell.

Do inform me of your whereabouts and whatabouts.  This mustn’t be one-sided.  Curious minds want to know how my gentle readers are spending their time.

May you be happy, safe, and free from troubling thoughts.  More soon!

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Comments

  1. I too have been following you since the early days and love hearing from you whenever the muse moves you. I love the idea of growing old together from afar and wish you well whenever a missive appears in my box. I hope you feel the good vibes working their way down the coast. ❤️

  2. I have quite loved following you. Your dog journey and esp. your recent trip. Thank-you for sharing. I love your work.

  3. Dear MAM, I have been following your reels and have much enjoyed them! Thanks for posting them. I took a day trip to the Cotswolds in 2016, on a tour called “Becky’s Secret Cottage”. Alas, it was a victim of the pandemic as Becky closed her business.
    As for me, I celebrated the big 6-0 yesterday. My sister gave me a tiara! If I were part of the royal family in the UK, I’d be wearing a crown as often as possible. LOL
    Our semester starts the week before Labor Day. I met with our pension representative last week. Looks like I’ll be working another seven years. It makes all the difference with Social Security, apparently.
    Best of luck with your new school year! XO

  5. Although I did’t have tome to comment on every Insta post (my primary way of relating to the outside world these days) I followed diligently and pretend I was right there with the two of you at every step! It was such a satisfying trip! Thanks for sharing.

  6. I enjoyed following along with your vacation via IG, although I think I missed a few so will have to revisit. But IG will have to wait a few days, tomorrow I begin moving my son to his very first teaching gig in Colorado! High school social studies (and whatever else they may assign him) at a small town in eastern CO. He’s so excited to start teaching, but also getting nervous now that the time is actually growing near. I look forward to more posts from your front porch and your morning walks, and along with Iris and Otto. Enjoy your last few days of summer break!

  9. Gorgeous post! I was there in 1999 and would love to go back someday. Thanks for sharing. xo

  10. Retirement? I have to work until 70. Unless crypto comes back with a vengeance or I win the Lotto. Luckily my job is remote. So I’m up at a campground for the week. Cotswolds is on my bucket list. What was the body count? I’m watching all the Midsomer Murders. About 20 seasons. Filmed in location in areas near the Cotswolds. It is on Acorn TV on Prime if you like cozy murder stories.

    • I didn’t know detectives were still working remotely. Apparently I’ll need to investigate this series so I see the kind of work you get up to from the campground. Ta ta dearest VCB xo

  11. Oh! Thank you so much for allowing us to tag along with you! the photos are wonderful! the smiles on your faces are delightful, tea looked so inviting… recently intrigued with the Cotswolds your letter and pics were timely. have been painting roadside wildflowers and watching Melanie Chadwick who resides and teaches on the Lizard peninsula. your sketchbooks always inspire me…
    i hope getting ready for school resuming is easy.

    • I was just watching one of her you tubes today! Her voice is like a balm isn’t it? School did you say? I haven’t a clue. ha ha ha ha ha!!!

  13. Hi Mary Ann,
    I miss it when you don’t blog for so long. I am also technology-challenged tho so I get how it makes it hard. I have been following you nearly since the beginning and I comment frequently.

    I love your posts. I love your pictures and I love when you show the art you and sister are working on. I am so glad that you guys were able to get on the road again. Your trip looks like it was fabulous and I’m so glad to hear that you guys had a great time! Last Fall my boyfriend and I spent 3 weeks in South of France and Barcelona. Then Mexico for a week in January and in the Spring we went to Amsterdam for 2 weeks. It was all great! Next year is going to be Italy, I think…

    And Mary Ann!!! Guess what?! I DID IT! I pulled the trigger and I retired! I have been out of the race for a month now and I am loving it! I love getting up whenever I want without that annoying alarm. I love waking up and thinking, what day is it? Because… it doesn’t matter. Every day feels like a weekend but I get to go to the grocery in the middle of the week and don’t have to fight for a cart! I love waking up and thinking, what do I want to do today? Which could be most anything. And since I retired we took a week-long trip to Berkeley (for the fabulous weather) and stayed in the Hills. And in a few days heading off again! I love doing art projects whenever I want and I love that I can actual finish a project because I don’t have to put it away on Sunday night! I sometimes miss the people I worked with and I do (like one other gal said, miss the paycheck) but I don’t miss the work or “reporting” to others AT ALL!!!

    I hope that this year will be very chill for you and I hope you get an amazing group of kids. Having done pediatric nursing I am well aware that working with kids is WAY better than working with adults!!!

    Let me know if you are going to post an Amazon wishlist for your classroom!!
    Susan

    • Oh Susan!

      You retired and are zipping all over the place and enjoying your newfound freedom. How good to do what you please without constraint. Berkeley is gorgeous! I hope to follow in your footsteps, but I will stay closer to my Otto & Iris. Wishlist coming soon.

  14. Thank you for sharing! Love your fabulous photos. You always capture exactly what I want to see and/or what I would photograph. 🙂 Hope you have a great kick off to the new school year. And please do keep blogging!

  16. Thrilled to receive your missives, whenever and however you can send them. tech stuff is such a challenge. i admire your success and commitment to ‘bettering’. you’re way ahead of me!
    best wishes for your next group of young minds. ❤️

  17. Fantastic post. I am solo as well and hesitant to pull that retirement trigger. I will need to do it at some point. Thank you so much for shall your lovely pictures. Best regards,
    Neila

  18. I love every word, photo and sketch. The Cotswolds have always been on my bucket list, but that’s where they’ll have to stay. Thank you for making it possible to enjoy them vicariously through your generous and entertaining posts.

    💕 Sheila

    • Aw thanks Sheila, my pleasure to share with you. Travel is a privilege for those who are able to do it and I always keep this at the forefront of my mind. Ever grateful.

  19. I have been following you almost the whole time you’ve been blogging and have enjoyed the whole journey. I’m glad you continue to post l miss the heyday of blogs.
    I just got back from Iceland where I had a wonderful time. I posted some photos on my instagram feed. Suehatfield864.

    • I’m in love with what I’ve seen of your trip – went over and had a look. That bunk inside the boat looked enticing! Love hearing from you Sue.

  20. Lovely! Beautiful! Wonderful! What an inspiring and gorgeous post. I love and appreciate your blog. Sending happy thoughts from Seattle, where I’m sitting in my garden and watching the birds and squirrels go about their business.

    • The very best one can do, even better than trips abroad are the visitations to our gardens by all the little live things. And we being there to witness. YES to that, Debs.

  21. I so enjoyed seeing all the beautiful places you visited in England, which is where I am originally from, well Wales actually, but I have been living in the USA for 48 years now…Most all of England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland are gorgeous. thank you for taking us along with you both.

    • I look forward to returning, Susan. We were so close to Wales and I was dying of curiosity to see that wild land. One day. Let me go make a nice cuppa tea now.

  22. Thank you once again for the vicarious vacation. Your words are always insightful and photos are so artistically lovely.

  23. Though I followed your every steps, while you were in the Cotswolds, this recap was fun to see again! I recognized all the places you hit, and LOVED it as you did. As result, I have a trip planned to Edinburgh and the Kingdom of Fife next summer! Your air b n bs inspired me, and I did a deep dive to find the perfect place from which to come and go, as you and Sister did! Come join if you get lonesome for the UK….that happens now, you know!

    • Oh Melissa that sounds so good. We did enjoy making our arrangements in advance and having all that looking forward time. remind me again when it gets closer to your trip so I can follow along if you post about it somewhere.

  24. PASTYS were what my Great grandfather took to the Cornwall Mines……way back, since I am in my 80’s. Keep on writing. Mary

    • Mary,

      Thanks so much for chiming in. My friend Chrissy from Cornwall told me all about the history of the pasty and how the rolled edge was to hold onto, not so much to actually eat in those days. Imagine! We hope to get to Cornwall sooner rather than later. xo

  25. Thanks for the overview of your travels, though I followed along through your reels on Instagram happily.
    One day in the future I’d love to revisit this lovely area.
    I hope you can retire at the end of this year! As my husband said” you miss the money, but you don’t miss the work!”
    I’m sure you’ll treasure this last class( or two) of students. Happy end of summer.

    • They are reputed to be full of the dickens, but we shall see what some proper training can yield. And plenty of nonsense thrown in for good measure.

  26. I love following your adventures. Thanks for listing. Your trip to the Cotswold is so inspirational.
    I just returned from a 10 day trip to Alaska, where I taught Bluegrass Fiddle to kids at a music camp. It was so much fun.

  27. I’m grateful for your posting and hope you turn up the dial on the megaphone. We need your point of view and view through the lens! Happy last year maybe and keep that passenger seat open for us in your travels and local vistas! Please.

  28. Hi Mary Ann,
    I followed some of your posts but wanted to say hello.
    Your trip was amazing. I could tell
    How delightful!
    I just retired this month. I ve been spending time with family and sleeping in.

    I worked at Pavilions Newport Coast and Newport Hills for about 13 years almost.
    The last 7 at Newport Coast.
    I miss the crew I worked with and the guests quite a bit! But it was taking its toll physically.
    I believe I made the best decision. I’m enjoying the adventure.

    • I love Pavilions and usually go to the South Pas store – closest to me over here in NELA. Glad you’ve retired and are off your feet all day long. I’ll be joining you soon in retirement. Almost there.

  29. Hi, Mary Ann. I so enjoyed your reels over on IG. What beautiful landscape and strolls you saw and had. Thanks for sharing. I’m off IG for the rest of the summer, and sorry to miss your artwork. Hope you can share it here with your new computer. I always enjoy your sketches.

  30. This Diane repeats what the other Diane just said. Your trip, journal, and everyday blogs are such treats. We went to the Cotswalds for a day last year but alas! it was the tourist version, better than nothing, but…In a month, a little Ireland and than a week in London. Love the Brits. Hope you can swing retirement from teaching this school year because I can’t think of anyone else (well, maybe besides me) who will lap it up and enjoy the fruits it bestows. Also, love the hair!

    • Any version is a good one I am sure, of the Cotswolds. They are just splendid. I’ve never been to Ireland, but hear it is grand and green. I’m wearing “Angie” as I type this and enjoy reaching up every now and again to fluff her and make her even bigger. A good crown is a joy forever. LOL!

  31. Your lovely post inspired me to comment this morning. I’ve always been here, mostly lurking and enjoying the vicarious travel and art. I took several of your classes way back when and you feel like an old friend. I was invited to go on a Cotswald adventure years ago and I was “too busy”. Yes, now I regret it. I’m with you on the technology. It’s hard but worth it. I have an instagram account that my 2 sisters and my grandchildren (11 of them!) follow. I love those “likes” and comments and they keep me going looking for interesting stories and things to photograph for them. Please keep inspiring and uplifting us followers! thank you

    • I agree about the comments and engagement on social media and here on the blog, Judith. It’s no fun to post without feedback and interaction. Which is why I love hearing from people on the other side of my dispatches. Thanks for chiming in. Appreciate xo

  33. Yay! I subscribed and now I can comment! I have followed you for many years but couldn’t comment, and suddenly decided to try subscribing. It worked! Watching your journey with Carol has been wonderful, as all your journeys are. I’m here in my abode in Massachusetts just dreaming….

    • Oh that’s odd about the commenting. Who knows how it all works for sure. Not me! Thanks Chris in Mass. I’ve never been, but have heard it’s lovely over there in the east.

  34. Ohhh you are such a delight !!!! and your pictures AND words aren’t bad either, ha : ) So so good to see you and Sister had a marvelous time – what a wonderful and beautiful country – thanks so much for sharing, I truly enjoyed it : )

    Blessings and glad you’re home safe and sound !!!!

    Sandra : )

  35. What a perfect vacation! Thank you for taking us along. I’m going to England for Christmas to visit family who are in the UK for 2 years. They’ve rented a charming old farmhouse in a village outside Cambridge. I will take art supplies! Love your journals and photos.

  36. Hi Mary Ann! Your blog/email had no pictures (😆) for the first time… I’ll see them the other ways described. Wanted you to know that your prior posts have me inspired to take my own Cotswolds discovery tour this Fall Break (Oct) Good luck getting ready for this next school year… I’m right there with you from Atlanta Ga😉

    • Just saw the pics! Delightful! Thanks for sharing… it looks as charming as I imagined… I can’t wait😉

  37. Sweet post. Loved going with both of you to Cotswold. Just like old times. The two of you are entertaining . Better than tv.
    I hope you have a joyous school year, with sweet memorable new faces. The kind that stay with you for sometime.

  38. Do post often! I love your stories and photos and drawings= we old ladies (79 here) do have to stick together! Have a wonderful school year!

  42. Beautiful!! You’re such a bloggy inspiration!!

    I used to blog daily on blogspot forever ago and now that I am comfortable in my 40s, have been itching to fire up the Macintosh to blog again. I love that you are your true, authentic self and that you share so much with us.

    I’ve been following your posts for a few years now and love to hear that there isn’t any plan to slow down! Getting your dispatch is such a treat and I savor every word!

    • Thank you, young friend. I started the blogging in my 40’s and never dreamed I’d keep it up. Send me your link when you start up again. would love to read and follow along on your adventures.

  43. Aloha…i have been receiving your dispatches since 2007! WoW what a blessing. Enjoyed everyone of your overseas adventures, staycations, classes, fur baby updates and shenanigans!
    Looking forward to your retirement journey!! Mahalo Nui Loa

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