Saturday was a huge improvement weather-wise. We arrived at Fairford air field in sunshine with only a few clouds. However Saturday is the air show’s busiest day, and the sunshine had ensured that everyone turned up. As a result there were huge queues to get through security, not helped by the fact that lots of people were just brazenly pushing in rather than going to the end of the queue. Security has apparently been increased this year because there is a high terrorist threat as well as the currently very active Just Stop Oil protestors. Anyway, the queue kept moving along and we got into the air show about an hour after parking. We walked along to the FRIAT area and I got a nice coffee and a Kitkat and we took our seats in the grandstand just in time for the Red Arrows display. It was very pleasant, windy but warm. After a while I headed into the marquee and I was just relaxing with my book when suddenly all of the aircraft enthusiasts, including James, came rushing in. I wondered what was up but then realised that there had been a sudden and heavy shower of rain, which was still battering loudly against the plastic roof of the marquee. James said that the rain cloud had arrived from behind the grandstand so none of them had seen it coming until it was upon them and the heavens opened. I wonder if there was perhaps the threat of lightning because there was then an announcement over the tannoy; “Please can all people leave the grandstand at once. This is not a request. Leave the grandstand at once.”
Luckily the cloud passed fairly quickly and everyone went outside again, and the weather stayed good for the rest of the day. I went back out to the grandstand to watch the Chinook going through its paces, and a couple more very loud planes. We left at about 4 p.m. and made our way to Bibury. That’s where things got controversial.
I had booked a cottage in Bibury for this holiday for several reasons. Firstly, although I liked the cottage in Cirencester where we stayed for the past two years, it was not as clean as I would like so I was on the lookout for a change. Secondly the cottage in Cirencester’s price was being hiked up which I thought was a cheek considering reason number one. And thirdly I was very taken with Bibury when we stayed there pre children in the 1980s, so when I spotted a National Trust cottage there I booked it. The cottage is in beautiful Arlington Row, and it is very picturesque. It is also lovely and clean. However I had totally forgotten how very tiny is Bibury. One hotel, one pub and a small gift shop are not a match for the many delights of Cirencester. And not only does the cottage have no WiFi, the village of Bibury seems to have no phone reception at all! James was not best pleased and when we drove the ten minutes to Cirencester for dinner he was very wistful for our old gaff. Never mind, it might be good to do without Wifi for a week, and Bibury is very pretty.
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