Panaramic view of downtown Burford and surrounding countryside.            Photo and enhancement by Chris Duffy

This picture was taken right before we got rained on for the umteenth time. You can see the storm coming in the distance.  They never lasted long, but they sure came often enough. The entire town of Burford is on the slope. It starts at the top of the hill and goes till it hits the valley floor.   I really liked how you could see the countryside from many vantage points.

On another note: I spent most of today burning CDs of my DATA files so I can put them on my new computer.  Who would ever have guessed it would take all day to make 9 CDs, but then my old computer locked up several times and it took multiple tries to get it to reboot.  No wonder I ordered the new one; this old one is a tired puppy.

Tomorrow . . . or perhaps Monday . . . I'll be shutting down the old computer and loading the CD's on the new computer.  Then I'll call Comcast and have them walk me through getting my cable modem to working and my email working on the new machine.  I'm not sure how long it will take me to get up and running again, but hopefully it won't take too long . . . I'm kind of addicted to Xanga.  

Burford, England                                   Photo and enhancement by Chris Duffy

I keep going back to pictures of Burford, because that was our "home" while in England. The cottage we rented was up this hill, across the highway and another three blocks walk.  It was no big deal walking TO downtown Burford, but after shopping for several hours the climb up this hill seemed awfully steep. 

Most days we got in the car and headed out in a different direction, visiting many of the small towns in the area, and yet we never got more than 25 miles from Burford except when we went into Oxford.

Swan Hotel in Bibury, England                         Photo and enhancement by Chris Duffy

Like most of the little rivers and streams we saw in England, this one was just about two foot deep.  I suppose it must get a little deeper at some times, otherwise there would be no need for the higher walls.  At any rate, I thought that the folks in Bibury did a magnificant job showcasing their stream.  They even have this little spillway, which adds a lot more interest to the otherwise placid waters. I especially liked the little park too, with it's bird bath and flowers.

On another note, I talked to Alice again today and they are totally out of the apartments now and into the house.  They have still not handed over the reserved money to their builder because there are still 3 or 4 things that he needs to complete . . . like a countertop in the laundry room, screens on the windows, replace the damaged carpet in one room, etc.  She was exhausted Wednesday evening, but not quite as tired tonight.  She said she LOVES her new deep bath tub.

Oh, and my new computer arrived today, but I haven't even had a chance to take it out of the box.  I'm going to take my time getting it set up, afterall, there is NO DEADLINE.  It'll get done when it gets done.

House in Bourton on the Water                      Photo and enhancement by Chris Duffy

Lest you think that every house in the Cotswolds district of England is an adorable enchanted cottage, I offer this picture of a "fixer upper" that's being worked on in Bourton on the Water.  It looks like it's straight out of an Alfred Hitchcox movie set.  But I'm sure with enough time and money, it too will take it's place as one of the delightful English cottages being rented out to tourists.