Saturday, February 16, 2008

At the Hunt

This morning went to Fairford to do something very British - we saw Hunters on horseback. They were not actually hunting - it was a scented course. (Hunting fox is now outlawed in England.) I was really impressed by the horses and the hounds I saw - Beautiful! The photo above shows the horses and hounds coming into the park next to the Fairford Church (the tower in the background.)

The hunters stop here and are given a drink and some snacks by a local club. It also gives the hounds a chance to rest...though most of them seemed more interested in checking out the crowd and playing with the other dogs! I was really impressed with how nice the riders were about explaining what the hunt was about, talking about their mounts and the hounds. The hunt goes on all morning and covers about 20 miles. There were lots of young girls on ponies that seemed to be keeping up with the group well!
It was very cold out but it felt nice to be outside and in the sun for a bit. I am still struggling with the flu but I was feeling so housebound that we went to the hunt anyways! Afterwards we went over to the church. It has the only complete set of medieval stained glass windows in England. During the war the windows were removed and put into storage.
I had visited once before but you really need to have some sun to appreciate the windows and the beautiful carvings around the ceiling. Today was perfect for it.
So much for sightseeing. I went into a sneezing fit and fainted. Looks like it is back to bed for a few days!

10 comments:

Gypsy Quilter said...

What lovely photos. The church is gorgeous. Thank goodness the windows were saved! Please feel better soon.

Tonya Ricucci said...

fainted? fainted? aaaagh. back to bed with you. great pics though and I'm glad you got to enjoy yourself out in the sun.

Clare said...

You did what? Stay in bed please. Lovely photos. Foxhunting reminds me of home so so much. We took DD to her first Boxing Day Meet Xmas 2006. She loved it, even though we were on foot.

Carol E. said...

Fainted?! What a scary moment! Please take care.

Darcie said...

You poor dear! I hope that the fainting was just due to your sneezing...and not something more. Are you feeling any better now?

I will have to show your blog post to my Mom. Her Dad (my grandfather...whom I didn't know) raised greyhounds...and she often talks about the fox hunts and the good times they shared with the neighbors and friends after the hunts...back in the 1930s and 40s. Her Dad and Mother were from Scotch, English, Irish, and Welsh heritage. (Yes...I'm all that and more!)

Rest well, Sio!

Magpie Sue said...

What a drag to be under the weather for so long! Sure hope you improve soon.

You didn't mention whether you bought anything at the auction...!

julieQ said...

Such a lovely scene! Hope you are Ok, be careful!!

Quilts And Pieces said...

Oh your pictures are wonderful! Very picturesque! We have a hunt club right by our house and we see them out every sunday morning. But our backgrounds aren't as cool as your pics!

Nettie said...

Thanks for sharing the lovely pics. Reminds me of Rupert Everett's dishy account of his first foxhunt (in his memoire). Hope you're feeling better. (I tried to respond to your email, but it wouldn't work for some reason. Thanks for the nice comment on my blog!)

Nettie said...

meant to say: hope you're all better now!