Stavely and getting there

Stavely at last!

Our next adventure began with a visit with friends we had met in Beaune. Jackie is Pat’s cousin. [I met Pat on my reconnoitre to Burgundy when we were in search of a property to buy. Jackie and Richard came to our joint at Waldara Drive and even stayed at Ewan and Di’s place in Anglesea on their trip to the Great Ocean Road]. It was good to catch up with them at their house in Sheffield.

From J & R’s place we hurtled up to Stavely (in the Lake District) in another hire car. As with all freeway trips it was long and tedious, so no good stories here.

So for the next few days we’re here. In Stavely. It’s a gorgeous little village, with more cute stone cottages than you could ever have a hope of shaking a stick at. It’s got a smithy (where we’re staying), a pub, a supermarket (quaint, built of stone), a pharmacy and a village hall. And not many tourists. They are all visiting the sights of the Lake District such as Beatrix Potter sites.

Yes, DJ and I visited a Beatrix Potter former residence. Cuteness insinuating itself from every window, door, nook and cranny. I won’t dwell on BP, but did you know she ended up a large landowner and quite a capable farmer, it seems. This because she married a local farmer who died and left it all to old Beatrix. When it was her turn to depart this life she left over 4,000 acres to the National Trust. Think of THAT!

I had a thought about Stavely. It is a proper noun, you know. It’s the name of a village – the one we’re staying in. But the word ‘Stavely’ could easily be used as an adjective, couldn’t it? You could say, “I’ve had a stavely sort of a day today”, and over time people would get to know how you spent the day. Or you could say of someone behaving in a particular sort of odd way as acting “stavely”. An adverb. To me, the word itself possesses a vast array of possibilities.

In any case, the Lake District is beautiful. I wouldn’t want to live here, but the landscape, the architecture, the lakes and the people are all so gorgeous. A great place to visit.

 

Toodles!