Arizona | Life in the English Cotswolds

The second half of 2016 went just as quickly, if not quicker than the first. No sooner have the nights drawn out than Midsummer Day is upon us and, gradually at first – and then rapidly – the nights close in on us. In England our really warm summer weather does not arrive before July and with luck extends well into October. In bad years it never really arrives at all. blewbury-manor-copyright

In July I travelled just about as far west as is possible in the UK for a few days holiday in Cornwall. Cornwall is a land of contrasts with picturesque, small fishing villages, spectacular cliff walks and golden, sandy beaches. Inland, the scenery is bleak moorland with granite outcrops and the houses appear to squat low in the landscape to shelter from the gales that sweep in off the Atlantic. Luckily, the evening we went to the Minack Theatre was warm with only the lightest of sea breezes. Lucky because the theatre is carved into the cliff face. The idea of Rowena Cade, in the 1930s she and her gardener spent a winter moving rocks and to create a stage and seating. This Herculean effort was more than worthwhile, it was… well, click here to see for yourself. 169 copyright 172 copyright

August saw me on the other side of Atlantic Ocean in the American State of Arizona visiting another cliff-face achievement, the Canyon de Chelly. The houses of the Anasazi people were carved out of the sheer rock face hundreds of years ago and can only be reached by precarious toeholds. Today it is the home of the Navajo. The canyon is unique amongst the National Parks of America for it is the only one that is… check this link to find out what. Canyon de Chelly (3) copyright Canyon de Chelly (5) copyright

There is nothing like a bit of bragging and September saw me unashamedly showing off about the small lake I created some years back. These days, it looks as if it has been there forever and is home to numerous wild duck, fish and small mammals. Originally a rubbish dump click here to see how it has been transformed. pond-build-3-copyright pond-2-copyright

I am always telling you how beautiful our Cotswold Hills are and how lucky I am to live in the middle of the secret valley, away from traffic and houses. In October, I took you all on a virtual tour of the valley. The crab-apple tree lined lane leads to the wonderfully winding river that features on the blog header. After a mile of visual treats the lane narrows even more as it passes our tiny, stone cottage. Occasionally, there is a traffic jam – but rarely by cars. To take the tour again click here. secret-valley-2-copyright cotswold-traffic-jam-copyright

In November we went treasure hunting – looking for fortune in the garden. We didn’t have to dig it all up, only walk around it for we were searching for plants originating in China and Japan. The little-known story of how Robert Fortune, a 19th century dour Scotsman travelled to the for side of the world to fight with pirates before smuggling out what has become one of our most popular drinks is told here. dicentra-spectabilis-copyright tea-plantation-copyright

Travels and ancient buildings in Sweden and the south of France, hidden Exmoor, and attracting butterflies to your garden all featured in December‘s review. If that all sounds too exhausting, take a slow, slow canal longboat ride through the stunning scenery that can be found within a few miles of the university city of Oxford (here). 133 copyright

2017 is seeing a lot of changes politically and culturally both here in Britain, in the USA and elsewhere in the world. Some can’t wait for what will happen and others are dreading it. Whichever ‘side’ you’re on, come and escape to Life in the English Cotswolds and the secret valley which will always be, hopefully, a little haven of peace. dorn-valley-copyright

Best wishes for 2017 and many thanks for your post -and future – support.

For most people living outside the United States – and perhaps a large number of Americans too – the word ‘canyon’ sums up the deep and stunningly beautiful chasms of the Grand Canyon. Certainly, for me, so familiar with those dramatic images from my earliest schooldays, television documentaries and travel journals, I had never considered that there might be any others. Or that they could be very different in character. Then I visited the Canyon de Chelly (pronounced ‘dee shay’).

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The Canyon de Chelly National Monument is located in the north-east of the state of Arizona and fully within the Navajo Nation. Today about forty Navajo families live there.

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Unique amongst the National Parks, the Canyon de Chelly is privately owned by the Navajo Nations Trust and is jointly managed by them and the National Parks Service. This arrangement was agreed after many years of negotiation in 1931.

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Strict controls on entry are enforced to preserve the floor of the canyon with most parts accessible only when accompanied by a Navajo guide. One trail, the White House Ruin Trail, is an exception and it is the one that I explored, now a number of years ago, hence the rather poor quality of the images.

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Long before the Navajo came to the canyon it was occupied first by the Anasazi and then the Hopi peoples making the canyons one of the longest continuous inhabited places on the continent. These early peoples built their homes not just along the valley floor but also in niches hundreds of feet up in the sheer rock face, reached by toeholds in the rock. The ruins are now preserved.

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Sadly, I had very little time to explore the canyon but for my visit the weather was perfect, warm and sunny. On the drive leaving Arizona, we were caught in a duststorm – another new experience for an Englishman used to the benign British climate where extreme weather of any kind is virtually unknown.

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