A Fairytale Valley in the Cotswolds and My New Favourite Show

 I often read compliments about how beautiful and seemingly perfect my life is. I always respond by saying it’s not perfect, but truth be told, I think it’s as good as it can be.

Thanks to practicing gratitude and cherishing the simplest aspects of my everyday life, I seem to have cracked the code to happiness. I’m simply happy with what I already have, yet I still open to new possibilities, excited to see where life will lead me and how I can shape it. I believe life is a mix of external circumstances and our own efforts. These two forces greatly influence each other. A significant amount of effort will push your luck further, but at the same time, sometimes things just happen in life, and the best we can do is accept them.

I never complain in my professional life and try not to moan in private either. But this doesn’t mean I’m not affected by daily nuisances like everyone else. Two Sundays ago, our car decided not to work, and sorting out the chaos was unbelievable. But the worst part was being stuck at home.

We ended up getting a new car, which wasn’t ready to be picked up for another eight days. The old one still hasn’t been repaired, and we were taking daily trips to the sorting office by taxi, which was expensive and painful. I’m not telling you this to complain, but rather to remind you that everyone has their struggles, no matter how aesthetic their content may appear or how beautifully they talk about slow living :)

Once we got back on the road, I immediately asked my husband to take me to the Cotswolds because I had found a charming church and settlement located in a picturesque valley straight out of a fairytale—I just had to see it in person. Visiting these tiny, history-packed places has become a bit of a hobby for me over the last couple of years, and it only gets more intense. I have a list of places to visit, and my Google Maps is packed with pins of villages, farm shops, and medieval churches I’m yet to explore (and, of course, share with you).

A note to myself: start taking high-quality photos of locations (not just videos) so you can share them on the blog.

The village of Lasborough, near Westonbirt, is an ancient settlement with remains of a Roman villa. It was recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086 as having 13 households. St Mary’s Church has medieval roots, but the church we see today was rebuilt in 1862. The valley has a truly tranquil feel, with the peace and quiet disturbed only by sheep and the occasional local passing by with a smile. There is only a single-lane road and not much parking, but what can you expect from a medieval settlement? I’m pretty sure they didn’t plan for cars and tourists when designing the place ;)

Google also informed me that the church was featured in the BBC TV series "Lark Rise to Candleford"—a period drama from 2008, which seems like something I might give a go once I finish my new TV show.

Speaking of which, the feature of the church brings me to tell you about my new favourite show that I’m literally obsessed with. If you watched my latest vlog (click here to catch up if you haven’t!), you already know that Andrei and I are currently watching (at our snail’s pace of half an episode per day) "All Creatures Great and Small", and oh, I’m loving it so much!

This show has everything I love: countryside life, farm animals, farmlands, beautiful shots of the Yorkshire Dales, and an interesting storyline where we follow a rather eccentric vet and his new, fresh-out-of-college assistant. It’s based on the books of James Herriot, which are now on my TBR list (once I plow through my current pile). The show is brilliant, and as my husband said—if you enjoy my videos, you’ll love this show too!

That’s it for today. I just wanted to share something a little more personal, not SEO-optimised, hoping it feels like reading a letter from a friend. Let me know if you enjoy this format and would like me to write more.

As I’m closing my laptop, it’s 9:30 p.m. An “Autumn Mood” candle is cheerfully burning in the corner, spreading a delicious aroma of freshly baked buttery pastries. It’s time for a cup of raspberry tea with honey and half an hour of "All Creatures Great and Small" before bedtime. Oh, I do hope Siegfried will open his heart to love!

Much love,
Adriana