Sweet the skylark’s song,

Over fields of lavender,

Where tireless swifts soar.

The sun shone today for the first time in ages so I went off up the hills above Broadway to Snowshill and the Cotswold Lavender Farm.  The wonderful aroma of lavender fills the air here, it is a heavenly place.   I could hear a skylark singing his heart out although I could not see him.  But the sky was filled with the swifts; ceaselessly hungry they swoop and soar for flies.  They had to share the sky with a bi-plane which was looping the loop and doing wonderful aerobatic tricks, leaving smoke trails between the clouds.

On the way home I was brought to a halt so many times in farm gateways by the beauty of the Cotswolds.  I was mesmerised by a sloping field full of hares!  I have rarely seen hares in the wild but today there were whole groups of them feeding happily in full view and occasionally jumping for joy.  It was a privilege to watch them and take photos.

I meandered through Compton Abdale so that I could see the ‘crocodile’.  This is a very old stone carved to look like a crocodile which covers a natural spring so the water gushes out of its mouth.  It looked strange today dressed for the jubilee with a flower crown on its head!  There is a tradition of well dressing in England which apparently stretches to springs too!

I could not resist taking a photo of a typical Cotswold stone house complete with roses by the door and wisteria round the gate.

I will post my photos below for you to enjoy.