Suffolk, our last cottage サフォーク、最後のコテージ
Yesterday we arrived at our last village where we are going to stay for a week. Our cottage is in a quiet village near a city called Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk.
This is an amazing cottage! It’s pity I cannot show all the photos of this small yet charming house. A thatched roof house! According to the owners (Colin and Carol) this cottage was originally built around 15th century. He told us he could guess the age of the house from the fireplace styles and beams..etc. I am sure there were several renovations from then. They bought this cottage which was abandoned for a long time about 20 years ago and they worked very hard(he is a carpenter) to make it again liveable and started renting it. Carol first saw this cottage when she was 15years old and decided to have this one day and started saving money as soon as she saw it.
There are two bed rooms upstairs, on ground floor there is a huge kitchen (much bigger than our kitchen at home), dining room with lots of antiques, two fireplaces, modern bathroom and large living room. This is set away from the road, and all we hear is birds. I heard sometimes deers come to the garden. There are many antique furniture and decorations as well as modern electrical appliances. In the cottage, Carol has already put a bottle of wine and big milk in the fridge and chocolate, fruit bowl big cake and many freshly cut flowers in vases in every room. It is a little pity to spend a week here just with my husband, I thought. I wish we could share this cottage with our children as well. My husband calls this cottage “Hansel and Gretel cottage”.
昨日、英国の最後の１週間を滞在する村に着いた。コテージは サフォーク州のBury St. Edmunds という市の近くの静かな村にある。
ここは本当に驚くべきコテージだ！写真全部でご紹介できないのが残念。何とわら屋根の家！オーナーのコリンとキャロルによると、もともとは15世紀？に建てられたのではないか、ということだ。大工のコリンいわく、暖炉のスタイルや梁などの様子からそうではないかと。夫婦は、20年前に朽ちていたこのコテージを買い、一生懸命に手入れし、住める状態にして貸し出せるようにしたらしい。キャロルは１５歳の時初めてこのコテージを見て以来、いつか買うと決めて貯金を始めたということだ。
二階には寝室二部屋。一階は、うちにあるのよりはるかに広い台所、アンティーク食器などか飾られたダイニングルーム、暖炉は二つ、近代的バスルーム・トイレ、そして広いリビングルームがある。聞こえるのは鳥の声のみ。庭には鹿が出ることもあるらしい。家の中はアンティークの家具や調度であふれているが、電気製品は新しい。キャロルは、冷蔵庫にはワインと牛乳、居間にチョコレートとフルーツの盛り合わせの鉢、ケーキを用意してくれ、各部屋には切り花が花瓶にたくさん飾られている。夫と二人だけというのが勿体無い？子供達も一緒にシェアできたらよかったな、などど思う。夫はここを『ヘンゼルとグレーテルのコテージ』と呼んでいる。
