Practice Makes Perfect Book Tour – Cotswolds Quirks
On the book tour for Penny Parks’ new book, ‘Practice Makes Perfect’, Penny talks about the quirks of living in the Cotswolds.
There must be something in the water…
I’m often asked what I love about living in the Cotswolds and, in truth, there are so many different answers to that question – the wonderful sense of community in our village, the honey coloured stone, the rolling fields and countryside… well, you catch my drift. But one of the notable quirks of Cotswold life is our particular penchant for a bonkers event.
If you happen to visit the Cotswolds, for example, on a Bank Holiday in May, you will find grown men and athletes hurtling down a virtually-vertical hillside near Gloucester in pursuit of a rolling cheese – yes, you did read that correctly. A nine-pound Double Gloucester Cheese to be precise.
And on that self-same day, you would see the streets of Tetbury decked out for a country fair, as men and women alike attempt an undulating and challenging course, whilst carrying a fully laden wool sack on their shoulders.
Neither one for the faint hearted!
If you like your madness a little more genteel, then of course you could opt for the Boxing Day Bibury Duck Race – try saying that after a festive tipple or two! – where thousands of people turn out to watch a flotilla of sponsored yellow ducks race their way along the River Coln.
[amazon_link id=”1471153061″ target=”_blank” ]
[/amazon_link]Or pop into Bourton-on-the-Water for a quick game of football in the river – splashing about on August Bank Holiday in an attempt to best the opposing team.
So whatever your inclination, there is almost certainly a Cotswold tradition that might float your boat – or indeed your duck. And it is this spirit of gung-ho adventure and individuality that makes the Cotswolds such a wonderful place to be.
And since my fictional town of Larkford is set in the Cotswolds, it is my very great pleasure to bring a little of this hearty hedonism to the page, where of course we can be assured that Dan and Taffy will make the very most of it.
You can buy [amazon_link id=”1471153061″ target=”_blank” ]Practice Makes Perfect from Amazon [/amazon_link] and is available to buy from good bookshops.
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