i said i was going to keep my cool upon arrival, but i couldn’t help giving a little cheer when mark the taxi driver said we were here

finally the roses are united: rose & the roses at rose cottage

that’s my bedroom window right there. it’s all so impossibly quaint

this is one of the other cottages. and there on the left is the walk-through, which leads to a communal garden and out into the fields

so pretty

this picnic table set is basically wooden slabs placed on tree stumps. i actually managed to sit on the bench and write in my diary without incident

the door to my rose cottage. i know i sound like a total chick from the desert but…well…

aw. there’s my kitchen window looking out onto the herb garden. guests are welcome to pick whichever herbs they like to use in the kitchen. it almost makes me wish i liked to cook

i’ve been trying to get my hands on some lavender sprigs but the bees in this garden are as large as tiny buffalos

a path into the ‘parking’ area. there’s a note on this tree that warns pet owners to keep their dogs leashed as there have been badgers around. i like that it specifically states that zuzi sees one crossing the field every night at 8:30. how british of the badger!

inside i was greeted by the basket of complimentary eggs, cherry tomatoes, milk, butter and a cut of pork from the local butcher’s

also in the basket was this huge loaf of granary bread. it has been sustaining me throughout my stay

the living area. i actually fell asleep on this couch earlier today. i was so exhausted from literally running around (being late and getting lost) for the past two days

this is where i’d like rose to be, on this wall. gorgeous fresh flowers from the garden and votive candles would make her great company

the bedroom and a set of towels for two. *sigh* this cottage has made me miss my loved ones. i hope to one day come back with them. but we’d need a bigger cottage

sitting on the bed

there are four windows in this room if you include the skylight and…

this little spy hole behind the door

i share my room with john wayne

funky radio on the nightstand

everything here serves a purpose, with an unpretentious flair. there are two doors inside the cottage. the bathroom door has a latch on the inside AND the outside to keep it shut. i don’t know why i find this so charming!

after a tour of the cottage grounds by zuzi, i left for my walk, which i got hopelessly lost during. the next few photos are by a chipper me, excited and confident that she understood zuzi’s directions

beautiful yet ominous clouds. i did the stupid-although very typical-thing and left the map that mark and zuzi provide their guests with at home. also, my phone had a less than 50% charge

sheltered bench, bulletin board and mailbox

peekaboo house with a lovely thatched roof

i ended up at the white horse inn, but i was too early for dinner so i left, intending to head back to the cottage. after this was when i got hopelessly lost and returned for directions ( i only found my way back here because it seems all roads in edwardstone lead to this pub. plus i could hear the kids who were there earlier from a kilometer away)

are you lost too?

i finally made it back to the cottage after racing against the sun. the directions the guy at the pub gave me were so helpful and simple: left, right, left

this reminds me of a 15th century still life. why not?

day one journal entry. i will scan these properly once i’m back home