It’s June and another 30 day challenge from Becky. ‘The Life of B’ This month she is looking for a roof or roofs or even rooves. Follow the link for the rules.
My first one is the thatched roof of the tiny shop / post-office in the little Gloucestershire hamlet of Adlestrop in the Cotswolds. Open Mon / Thurs / Fri from 1600 – 1700 and Thurs 0930-1230.
Yes. I remember Adlestrop—
The name, because one afternoon
Of heat the express-train drew up there
Unwontedly. It was late June.The steam hissed. Someone cleared his throat.
No one left and no one came
On the bare platform. What I saw
Was Adlestrop—only the nameAnd willows, willow-herb, and grass,
And meadowsweet, and haycocks dry,
No whit less still and lonely fair
Than the high cloudlets in the sky.And for that minute a blackbird sang
Close by, and round him, mistier,
Farther and farther, all the birds
Of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire.~ by Edward Thomas (1878 – 1917)
June Square | 1st June
A wonderful poem. Edward Thomas is a favourite of J’s because of his lack of pretension. It catches the mood of your roof too.
I do love a thatched roof. When we were moving to the Cotswolds many years ago, we looked at a thatched roofed house (complete with a peacock in the garden) but I think I am glad we decided against it – they take a lot of maintenance, and apparently spiders love them. 😦
I follow a blog where the owner has a thatched roof. The ridge needs doing every 8 years so it is a lot of maintenance.
It’s not cheap either – I am so glad we decided against it. I can admire other thatched roofs and not have to worry about their maintenance. 🙂
Very true!