Kelmscott on A Rainy July Weekend

So, lots of things to say, as well as photographs to share.

I'm an admirer of William Morris. I have been for a long time: the writing, the designing, the art, the philosophy and politics of the man. If you want to know more, I commend the Fiona MacCarthy biography of William Morris. Really - go, read it.

On a rainy Saturday in July, I finally got to visit Kelmscott, the beautiful cotswold house where Morris, his family and (from time to time) assorted Romantic artists lived and worked for many years - an important, almost-pilgrimage, for me. There would have been more photos, but, hey, dark and rainy does not make for ideal photographic conditions and juggling a camera, a handbag and a huge, very wet umbrella presents its own challenges.

In the village of Kelmscott there is a rather lovely and very old church. The family of the owners of Kelmscott Manor (Morris rented) are buried there. William and Jane Morris are buried there themselves and, yes, I visited their grave, though it's difficult to find behind a large bay tree. The exceptionally wet weather didn't make for a reasonable photograph of the craft movement style grave, but I delighted in the re-discovered medieval frescos in the church.

And so to Kelmscott Manor, via a rather attractive, warm and comfortably dry village pub that served excellent beer and sandwiches (The Plough Inn, if you are asking, and it has Hooky on draught, amongst other delights).

May Flowers

After the recent exuberance of peonies, I felt I should share the beauty of some of the wild flora that has to compete against such glorious extravagance, along with some of the less in-your-face commercial crops. 

Peonies

Commercial peony cultivation is a thing locally. I mean, really locally. Every year I wander out and take lots of photos of peonies in all their glory and every year I tell myself that I have more than enough photos of peonies and really don't need to take any more. But every year I wander out and take lots of photos of peonies in all their blowsy glory.

Here are some of this year's peonies.