This is the gate the Queen drives through when she is in residence.
Monday, 7 August 2017
A lovely Sunday.
Nick and Els took me on a lovely drive to Cliveden Estate, a stately home run by the National Trust in Buckinghamshire. It was once the home of the Duke of Buckinghamshire.
This is a part of the UK I did not know anything about so it was a special day out because we also passed Runnymede where the Magna Carta was signed back in by King John on the 15 June 1215.
Nick took us on to have a look at the site and we were able to walk over to the installation of bronze chairs to represent the signing. It is set on a beautiful field framed by trees and next to the Thames River. The National Trust look after the site and the area has been signposted and upgraded recently to celebrate an anniversary of the signing. It is a popular picnic site today and many families were walking and picnicking on the grounds.
These surprises and special areas of history make the UK so interesting. Who knows what you will see next?
We drove on towards Maidenhead and Cliveden Estate. Els used to live here many years ago which is how she knew about the estate although she had never been there before.
There is a hotel here,400 pounds a night to stay here!!! Nick and Els thought it might be a nice place to have a weekend break until Els looked it up online and saw the costs involved.
The grounds are extensive and beautifully maintained by the trust who are upgrading and working on the restoration of the front terrace overlooking the Buckinghamshire countryside.
We visited the little chapel overlooking the countryside called the Oriental Chapel,
featuring glass mosiacs panels depicting the apostles and paintings of the virtues of Faith, Hope, Charity etc.
We walked along to the partarre and admired the colourful plantings of gladiolus, begonias and salvias etc in triangular box hedge gardens. A formal design with views out over the countryside and back up to the house.
The walk ended with a statue of Greek classical origins set in a half moon shaped planting of colourful bedding begonias.
We walked back up to see the perennial borders which were really striking and superbly planted with graduating heights of reds,yellows and bronze colours.
After we explored Cliveden gardens we drove to Bray where we had a drink at a 15th Century pub called the Hinds Head. The famous chef Heston Blumnental owns this place and it is cooky like his cooking.
This town has two Michelin starred restaurants in a small village. The Fat Duck and Riverside so all you foodies will know where to go for a dining experience.
After our drink we drove to Windsor and walked around the town and castle walks. The Queen was in residence so flags were flying. I did not realise that she could walk out the gates and pick up a pizza!!!
It was a lovely strolling around the castle walls and into the Royal railway station now a shopping mall. Surprising to see the beggars on the street here outside the palace. We saw The leaning house and the gate the Queen drove through. Unfortunately the light was not good for photos so it was hard to get a good perspective but it is an impressive castle.
We left about seven and drove back to London for tea. It was warm enough to sit outside and eat our dinner. We had lots of delicious left overs from our barbecue last night with Jenny Durling. Such a good night that was too. We missed Lou and Jonathon but hopefully they are having a great holiday in Spain,swimming and relaxing in the sun.😎😎😎😎
Friday, 4 August 2017
London in Summer
The weather has been marginal for summer since returning from Ireland. Cool and cloudy, with heavy rain which has kept temperatures fairly low so getting out and about has been daunting.
I went in to the city on Tuesday to have lunch with Brad and go to a baroque string concert at St James. It was chaotic in the Crypt where we met for lunch. Full of tourists,families on holiday and queues for food so we abandoned that place and headed to St James Square where it was quieter but then the rain started. It bucketed down so brolleys became a weapon or shelter whichever you came up against.
The day ended well as Lou and Jenny met me for a drink and a meal at the local pub in Stroud Green. It was great to catch up with Jenny and hear she had managed her shift to her new flat successfully.
Anyway the concert was great and well worth the effort but I was not keen to stay on town so set out for the bus in the rain. Puddles everywhere so I was drenched by the time I got the 91.
Another day Lou and I watched the movie, "A Man Called Ove". We had read the book and enjoyed the movie,another one similar to, "I Daniel Blake".
Later I took Lou and Jonathon out for dinner at their favourite Italian restaurant in Foothill Road. It is not far from here so we walked to and from and the skies cleared enough for a pleasant walk.
Lou and I walked Coco the dog on Tuesday night. It turned out a much better evening than earlier so we walked up towards Highgate and then back down the walkway to Finsbury Park along with all the other dog walkers.
Monday was not such a miserable day so I cleaned the flat windows and cleared the washing backlog before going for a walk in the park. Later I went into Trafalgar Square to the National Gallery to complete my circuit of the old masters. It was a bun fight inside as the tourist season has hit top gear and the galleries were packed with people and public transport rather hot and stuffy so I was glad to get back to the flat.
I made Coronation Chicken for tea which Lou likes and then she introduced me to a new detective programme set in the Caribbean which we are now addicted to. Must say the travel bug suggests these islands would be a nice place to hang out in.
Anyway my time in the UK is coming to an end. This weekend I stay with Nick and Els out at South Ealing before catching my flight home on Monday.
A day trip to Faversham
It was a place I had read about and Brad also recommended it as a place worth visiting. It is an historic market town with its location noted in the Doomsday Book back in 1066.
The settlement though goes back to the stone ages and the first settlers would have walked here from Europe according to the stone ages artifacts found around the river.
The trip takes about an hour from St Pancras on the South Eastern line and you travel through the 'fruit bowl' countryside so orchards and granaries flashed by as well as hops and vineyards which made for a pleasant trip.
Once I arrived I found the visitor centre to see if there was a way to visit the Mt Eiphram Gardens or Balmoral House gardens but as I expected they are hard to access without a car so I settled for a walk around the town.
They had a historic route map to help the quest so off I went to find the pond and the river where there was a walk along the salt marsh which I thought would be worthwhile. It was refreshing to get out into open spaces and feel the wind on my face.
The town is known for its gunpowder production-500 years years of explosive history according to the records. It was probably tbe first place in England to manufacture gun powder. Needless to say a few explosions are noted in their historical records!!!
The Oare marshes were the site of a huge manufacturing site now home to salt marshes and migratory birds.
Nowadays the brewing industry has a presence here as did oyster harvesting and The manufacture of carbon dioxide cartridges for quarrying.
The town is full of historical buildings with their original facades preserved. Timbered and brick dwellings date back to the 16th Century. The Market Place features a very well preserved Guildhall but only the original Tudor piles survive. Fire has taken it's toll here too.
There are old abbey remains here too with a carving of it out of a stump. Quirky. Abbey Street had some particularly attractive houses with little gabled windows and very small ornate doors leading off the street. You would not need to be a six footer!
The port area is on a river now silted up from its original heyday but many boats are still tied up here and some are grand old ladies.There are some canal boats here too.
I had a lovely lunch in a garden shop down in the old port area. There was an amazing old tool shop here too with restored forks and spades and everything you could imagine in a garden.
I enjoyed walking along the river, eating blackberries on the way until the rain started so I headed back to town to look at the op shops where I found a few treasures to take back to town.
I got back to Waltersville Road in time to cook up some spicy chicken for dinner. Lou and Jonathon were packing for their holiday to Spain so it was nice to have a final meal together. Jonathon had been to Ireland for a few days so it was a nice catch up time.
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