Thursday, September 23, 2004
England Road Trip 2004 Photos
We have photos from our trip in the photo gallery already! These digital camera things are great. No scanning needed. Check them out
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Wednesday, September 22, 2004
The Great South England Road Trip 2004
We have a very special treat for you. It is a post guest columnest Joy Owen aka Mum, take it away:
Hi All,
It’s Wed. morning, we’re back in London, and we’re having a sleep-in after all our travelling around England. Obviously not me and not Paul, he got up at 4am and headed off to Heathrow for his flight to Paris, we’ll see him back in NZ. His next week entails the Paris motor show, Italy to test-drive another Ford, then up to Scotland to test-drive a Landover. It sounds exotic, but he’s had a relapse of flu, and he’d rather be resting in bed reading a good novel!
But we’ve had a good week, despite coughs and snoring. It’s been a mixture of visiting relatives and exploring the sights. On leaving London, we weaved our way round the ring road (I’ll never complain about traffic again!) over to Langdon Hills in Essex, where I was born. Back then it was a little village where everyone knew everyone. Now, sadly it is purely a suburb of Basildon, which is not far away. I was disappointed to see that all the shops have gone along the high street and Auntie Audrey says she has to have a car to drive over to Basildon to do all her shopping. Vowler Road looked so narrow and our old house looked so small and a bit run down, but ‘Stonecrop’ was still on the gate, and no visible alterations have been made except Dad’s beautifully kept garden is no more. Auntie Audrey has a nice little place just round the corner in Berry Lane. She hasn’t changed much really after seeing her last 30 years ago, still quite active in a choir, in her garden and painting watercolours. I wasn’t able to catch up with my cousins, but I saw a family photo in the lounge and Auntie Audrey explained who was married to whom and which children belonged to each and what they are all doing. It’s interesting that 3 of my cousins are doing jobs related to health. Gaye, is a theatre nurse, Dawn manages a Rest Home and Annette, works in a home for the disabled. We had a photo taken out the back, I told Paul to watch out as there was an animal poo in the garden, Auntie Audrey was blasé saying it was from a fox! Apparently they often come into suburbs on the search for food.
From there we travelled up to Norfolk. We passed through Billericay, where we lived when we returned to England when I was 12. Billericay has retained all it’s quaintness and looks a prosperous town.
On reaching Reedham on the Norfolk Broads, where Auntie Doris lives, we needed to get a ferry across the swift flowing river. To do this, the car ferry was attached to chains that spanned the river. On the other side was Stephen, Jill’s son (my sister), who had travelled up from Suffolk to meet us. He showed us the way to Auntie Doris’s, just up the road, and there had a warm welcome from Auntie Doris and her dog, Holly (they live in Hollyfarm Road), who ran from one to the other in circles.
Later, we visited Annette (Auntie Doris’s daughter) and Rob. Annette has a room devoted to collectable china teapots and Rob has a garage full of motorbikes including a Gold Wing Honda with gold-plated trim! Paul was in his element talking with him. So while we chatted, Rose, Simon, Joseph and Stephen went down the local (The Ship) to play pool. They saw Amber (Annette’s daughter) and boyfriend, Dan, down there and came back stinking of smoke. The pubs here are worse for smoke than one’s in NZ!
Next day, after a leisurely chat with Auntie Doris, we travelled down to Great Yarmouth, to see a seaside town. It was just as I remembered Southend, (another seaside town of my youth) with it’s pier and amusements, the tacky shops selling rock, postcards, cups, t-shirts in fact anything that they can write Great Yarmouth on, to say you were there. We had a game of mini-golf (called putting, over here). It cost £4 each! but we had a fun time, and believe it or not, I won! Back at Reedham, we gathered up Auntie Doris for a meal at the Ship. Joseph and I had skate, a first for Joseph.
Time was moving on, and we realised that if we wanted to do a bit of sight seeing, we’d need to leave the next day, so Sat. lunchtime, we bayed farewell to Auntie Doris and headed towards Bath. We went through so many quaint villages with narrow cobblestone roads, thatched-roofs, stone or Elizabethan styled houses. I have so many photos all surpassing each other. I was keen to look in every church and pub, but after so many the family said enough! as we were not getting far. Any place with a castle, cathedral or where a famous person lived was just crawling with tourists and cost the earth to visit. It just makes you very aware that England thrives on tourism, and that tourists will pay exorbitant prices to see anything if it’s mentioned on a tourist brochure.
We became acutely aware of this when we tried to find some place to stay as evening approached. We had left Worchester (where there is a very interesting castle) and were planning to stay in Stratford-upon-Avon. Wrong, move. It was really crowded, No Vacancies anywhere. We travelled on to the next village, the same. We travelled to obscure villages off the beaten track, just the same. B&B owners phoned around, but all were booked. So, at 9pm, after looking for over 3hrs, we went into Cheltingham, to an expensive hotel and secured the last 2 rooms at the outrageous price of £190 ($600), this was discounted from £210 and Simon was on a fold-out strecher! Luckily, breakfast was included, so we ate up large so we didn’t need any lunch! I didn’t want to get in the same predicament for the next night, so I rang ahead and booked us into the YHA in Bath for £63 a night. No breakfast, but a room with an ensuite. So, we travelled through the Cotswolds en route to Bath the next day, got in touch with Auntie Peggy, Dad’s sister, and arranged to meet the next day. The afternoon was spent walking around Bath visiting the Cathedral, listening to buskers, viewing the Circus and the Royal Crescent built in the 1700’s by John Wood the elder and finished by his son. A feat of architecture building a row of terraced houses in a circle.
Next morning, we visited the Roman Baths, amazing to think the town had been built over them and that there is still much to be discovered if only they could get to it. Pity they are so ancient and you can’t enjoy them. Even to taste the water costs money.
We went out to Hinton Charterhouse afterwards. We arrived in the village, but for the life of me, I couldn’t find the road to Auntie Peggy’s. It’s no wonder, as after I’d been into the local post-office, I was told it was just up an alleyway round the corner. It was just wide enough for the car to squeeze through, then opened up slightly wider so we could park with a push.
Auntie Peggy’s house was one in a terrace block, with a tiny garden in the front. The front door opened into the tiny kitchen with concrete floor. Dear old Auntie Peggy is pretty bent over with osteoporosis, but as lively and interested as ever. It’s lovely to hear snippets of information about the family and me as a kid. Uncle Ray kept busy in the kitchen preparing lunch while we chatted away. Margot (another cousin) had taken the day off work to meet us. She and I looked quite alike and she had a lovely personality-just like me!! The house was so small that we had to split into 2 groups to sit down to lunch, half in the dining room and half in the lounge. Uncle Ray commented that this is the largest group they have entertained since they moved in there over 50 years ago, and there were only 8 of us!
Mid afternoon, we retired to Margot’s place in Frome, about 20mins. away. The family had arrived home early to meet us. Martin (husband), Chris (21) and Nick (18). Nick’s girlfriend, whom we also met, is a millionaire’s daughter. Her father made money selling Nigerian oil on the black market. Nick is an interesting character; he has dyed his hair jet black and wears punk clothes. He is in 2 bands as guitar player and back ground singer. One of the bands made a recording and performed Gladstonebury recently and is well respected around the area. He would like to play in a band for a career, but it’s not paying enough yet, but I reckon we should keep posted.
I know this post is getting mighty long, and maybe incredibly dull for some, but I guess it’s a way for me to write my diary. I’m almost finished!
Yesterday, we left Bath and travelled round a few ‘must see’ sights. These included one of the huge chalk horses carved into the hillside in Wiltshire, the Cheddar Gorge, Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral.
We walked over the windy hills to get close to the chalk<> horse, and were rather disappointed that it had been repaired recently, and by the feel of it, it had been done with concrete!
While travelling down Cheddar Gorge, we were made to stop for a while, as loose debris and rocks were being cleared by guys abseiling down and climbing up the gorge walls. At the bottom, the caves were swarming with tourists, so we left, I’m sure they cannot be better than Waitomo Caves.
Again, at Stonehenge, the site was thick, but we travelled up a side road and had a perfectly good view of the area with an Historic Places plaque telling us all about the area, this was good enough for us.
I insisted going to Salisbury Cathedral as Ted and I has seen a sculpture of Thomas Becket in the throws of dying, made by an ancestor of Joseph’s, but alas, the cathedral was undergoing extensive repairs and we couldn’t get to all of the grounds, and I couldn’t find it. The town was very old with many Elizabethan houses in good repair. Inside a jewellers shop we could see a part of the old wall of the town, seemed strange and made the shop very narrow, but interesting.
After that, it was straight to London on the M3, M25 and finally the M1. It’s been nice to chill out today. Rose has been reading, Simon has made an attempt to study with interruptions from watching Joseph on the computer, I’ve been write this and we’ve been doing washing. Next, we need to go to the bank to change some money into Euros for Germany. We leave early catching the tube to Heathrow. You’ll have a few days to digest this before the next instalment.
Just forgot to mention the weather. It's been sunny/cloudy with showers at times. A cold wind in exposed places. So, I guess, what you'd expect for England in autumn.
Cheers for now, love Joy.
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Hi All,
It’s Wed. morning, we’re back in London, and we’re having a sleep-in after all our travelling around England. Obviously not me and not Paul, he got up at 4am and headed off to Heathrow for his flight to Paris, we’ll see him back in NZ. His next week entails the Paris motor show, Italy to test-drive another Ford, then up to Scotland to test-drive a Landover. It sounds exotic, but he’s had a relapse of flu, and he’d rather be resting in bed reading a good novel!
But we’ve had a good week, despite coughs and snoring. It’s been a mixture of visiting relatives and exploring the sights. On leaving London, we weaved our way round the ring road (I’ll never complain about traffic again!) over to Langdon Hills in Essex, where I was born. Back then it was a little village where everyone knew everyone. Now, sadly it is purely a suburb of Basildon, which is not far away. I was disappointed to see that all the shops have gone along the high street and Auntie Audrey says she has to have a car to drive over to Basildon to do all her shopping. Vowler Road looked so narrow and our old house looked so small and a bit run down, but ‘Stonecrop’ was still on the gate, and no visible alterations have been made except Dad’s beautifully kept garden is no more. Auntie Audrey has a nice little place just round the corner in Berry Lane. She hasn’t changed much really after seeing her last 30 years ago, still quite active in a choir, in her garden and painting watercolours. I wasn’t able to catch up with my cousins, but I saw a family photo in the lounge and Auntie Audrey explained who was married to whom and which children belonged to each and what they are all doing. It’s interesting that 3 of my cousins are doing jobs related to health. Gaye, is a theatre nurse, Dawn manages a Rest Home and Annette, works in a home for the disabled. We had a photo taken out the back, I told Paul to watch out as there was an animal poo in the garden, Auntie Audrey was blasé saying it was from a fox! Apparently they often come into suburbs on the search for food.
From there we travelled up to Norfolk. We passed through Billericay, where we lived when we returned to England when I was 12. Billericay has retained all it’s quaintness and looks a prosperous town.
On reaching Reedham on the Norfolk Broads, where Auntie Doris lives, we needed to get a ferry across the swift flowing river. To do this, the car ferry was attached to chains that spanned the river. On the other side was Stephen, Jill’s son (my sister), who had travelled up from Suffolk to meet us. He showed us the way to Auntie Doris’s, just up the road, and there had a warm welcome from Auntie Doris and her dog, Holly (they live in Hollyfarm Road), who ran from one to the other in circles.
Later, we visited Annette (Auntie Doris’s daughter) and Rob. Annette has a room devoted to collectable china teapots and Rob has a garage full of motorbikes including a Gold Wing Honda with gold-plated trim! Paul was in his element talking with him. So while we chatted, Rose, Simon, Joseph and Stephen went down the local (The Ship) to play pool. They saw Amber (Annette’s daughter) and boyfriend, Dan, down there and came back stinking of smoke. The pubs here are worse for smoke than one’s in NZ!
Next day, after a leisurely chat with Auntie Doris, we travelled down to Great Yarmouth, to see a seaside town. It was just as I remembered Southend, (another seaside town of my youth) with it’s pier and amusements, the tacky shops selling rock, postcards, cups, t-shirts in fact anything that they can write Great Yarmouth on, to say you were there. We had a game of mini-golf (called putting, over here). It cost £4 each! but we had a fun time, and believe it or not, I won! Back at Reedham, we gathered up Auntie Doris for a meal at the Ship. Joseph and I had skate, a first for Joseph.
Time was moving on, and we realised that if we wanted to do a bit of sight seeing, we’d need to leave the next day, so Sat. lunchtime, we bayed farewell to Auntie Doris and headed towards Bath. We went through so many quaint villages with narrow cobblestone roads, thatched-roofs, stone or Elizabethan styled houses. I have so many photos all surpassing each other. I was keen to look in every church and pub, but after so many the family said enough! as we were not getting far. Any place with a castle, cathedral or where a famous person lived was just crawling with tourists and cost the earth to visit. It just makes you very aware that England thrives on tourism, and that tourists will pay exorbitant prices to see anything if it’s mentioned on a tourist brochure.
We became acutely aware of this when we tried to find some place to stay as evening approached. We had left Worchester (where there is a very interesting castle) and were planning to stay in Stratford-upon-Avon. Wrong, move. It was really crowded, No Vacancies anywhere. We travelled on to the next village, the same. We travelled to obscure villages off the beaten track, just the same. B&B owners phoned around, but all were booked. So, at 9pm, after looking for over 3hrs, we went into Cheltingham, to an expensive hotel and secured the last 2 rooms at the outrageous price of £190 ($600), this was discounted from £210 and Simon was on a fold-out strecher! Luckily, breakfast was included, so we ate up large so we didn’t need any lunch! I didn’t want to get in the same predicament for the next night, so I rang ahead and booked us into the YHA in Bath for £63 a night. No breakfast, but a room with an ensuite. So, we travelled through the Cotswolds en route to Bath the next day, got in touch with Auntie Peggy, Dad’s sister, and arranged to meet the next day. The afternoon was spent walking around Bath visiting the Cathedral, listening to buskers, viewing the Circus and the Royal Crescent built in the 1700’s by John Wood the elder and finished by his son. A feat of architecture building a row of terraced houses in a circle.
Next morning, we visited the Roman Baths, amazing to think the town had been built over them and that there is still much to be discovered if only they could get to it. Pity they are so ancient and you can’t enjoy them. Even to taste the water costs money.
We went out to Hinton Charterhouse afterwards. We arrived in the village, but for the life of me, I couldn’t find the road to Auntie Peggy’s. It’s no wonder, as after I’d been into the local post-office, I was told it was just up an alleyway round the corner. It was just wide enough for the car to squeeze through, then opened up slightly wider so we could park with a push.
Auntie Peggy’s house was one in a terrace block, with a tiny garden in the front. The front door opened into the tiny kitchen with concrete floor. Dear old Auntie Peggy is pretty bent over with osteoporosis, but as lively and interested as ever. It’s lovely to hear snippets of information about the family and me as a kid. Uncle Ray kept busy in the kitchen preparing lunch while we chatted away. Margot (another cousin) had taken the day off work to meet us. She and I looked quite alike and she had a lovely personality-just like me!! The house was so small that we had to split into 2 groups to sit down to lunch, half in the dining room and half in the lounge. Uncle Ray commented that this is the largest group they have entertained since they moved in there over 50 years ago, and there were only 8 of us!
Mid afternoon, we retired to Margot’s place in Frome, about 20mins. away. The family had arrived home early to meet us. Martin (husband), Chris (21) and Nick (18). Nick’s girlfriend, whom we also met, is a millionaire’s daughter. Her father made money selling Nigerian oil on the black market. Nick is an interesting character; he has dyed his hair jet black and wears punk clothes. He is in 2 bands as guitar player and back ground singer. One of the bands made a recording and performed Gladstonebury recently and is well respected around the area. He would like to play in a band for a career, but it’s not paying enough yet, but I reckon we should keep posted.
I know this post is getting mighty long, and maybe incredibly dull for some, but I guess it’s a way for me to write my diary. I’m almost finished!
Yesterday, we left Bath and travelled round a few ‘must see’ sights. These included one of the huge chalk horses carved into the hillside in Wiltshire, the Cheddar Gorge, Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral.
We walked over the windy hills to get close to the chalk<> horse, and were rather disappointed that it had been repaired recently, and by the feel of it, it had been done with concrete!
While travelling down Cheddar Gorge, we were made to stop for a while, as loose debris and rocks were being cleared by guys abseiling down and climbing up the gorge walls. At the bottom, the caves were swarming with tourists, so we left, I’m sure they cannot be better than Waitomo Caves.
Again, at Stonehenge, the site was thick, but we travelled up a side road and had a perfectly good view of the area with an Historic Places plaque telling us all about the area, this was good enough for us.
I insisted going to Salisbury Cathedral as Ted and I has seen a sculpture of Thomas Becket in the throws of dying, made by an ancestor of Joseph’s, but alas, the cathedral was undergoing extensive repairs and we couldn’t get to all of the grounds, and I couldn’t find it. The town was very old with many Elizabethan houses in good repair. Inside a jewellers shop we could see a part of the old wall of the town, seemed strange and made the shop very narrow, but interesting.
After that, it was straight to London on the M3, M25 and finally the M1. It’s been nice to chill out today. Rose has been reading, Simon has made an attempt to study with interruptions from watching Joseph on the computer, I’ve been write this and we’ve been doing washing. Next, we need to go to the bank to change some money into Euros for Germany. We leave early catching the tube to Heathrow. You’ll have a few days to digest this before the next instalment.
Just forgot to mention the weather. It's been sunny/cloudy with showers at times. A cold wind in exposed places. So, I guess, what you'd expect for England in autumn.
Cheers for now, love Joy.
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Saturday, September 18, 2004
Family galore!
The Owens
We headed out to Heathrow last Saturday to meet Joy, Rose and Simon (Joseph's Mum and sis and bro). It's a bit cheesy waiting at the arrivals gate watching all the happy reunions. We felt like we where in the movie 'Love Actually'. Have I turned into a cynic in my old age? Or was it just that we got a bit fatigued conscientiously scanning the crowds of people flowing out from the gate. Whilst waiting I spotted Stephen Fry, presumably also waiting to greet a love one. He is very tall in real life, which is a bit of a switch as celebrities are usually shorter than you expect when you see them in the flesh.
Our patience was rewarded when we spotted Joy, Rose and the considerably taller than I last saw him, Simon (o: We tubed it home and let the weary travellers relax. They had come from LA where they made the necessary pilgrimage to Disneyland and Universal Studios.
Tourist outings
The next day we ventured into town to check out the National Gallery. I particularly enjoyed the East Wing which displays paintings from the 1700 to 1900. Normally I enjoy the Monets and Renoirs the best but on this visit I really enjoyed the Degas paintings especially a striking image of a women getting her hair brushed which was painted in different shades of red. Of course Degas' famous paintings of ballerinas where very good too. The building itself is a work of art. The elaborate ceilings, in some areas, looked like they had been freshly painted with bright golds and other regency colours.
Outside in Trafalgar Square a huge stage and screen had been erected and an orchestra was warming up for an outdoor performance later in the evening. It was a performance of a score written by the Pet Shop Boys to accompany a famous silent movie with a Russian theme. The original score was by Shostakovich. The rehearsal sounded amazing.
We didn't stick around as we had a prior date with Paulette and Reinhold in Hampstead. Their daughter Ellie stayed with Joy and co in Orewa for 6 months and really enjoyed her time there. They treated us with some yummy Riesling from Luxembourg (probably not available in the UK) and some traditional sausage pastries. After a good chat we went into the village to an oriental fusion restaurant called Dim T. Talk about huge portions. I had wide noodles, wok fried with Thai topping/seasoning and tofu. Yum!
Joseph and I had to work the next week so we left the others to their own devices. They visited Greenwich, Buckingham Palace and the Tate Modern...and enjoyed some nice sleep ins. Paul (Joseph's step dad) arrived on Wednesday. That night we went out for a curry. The next day Paul, Joy et al, including Joseph, headed off in the car to Essex and Norwich.
Steve's birthday
Thursday was Steve's birthday. Rae had organised a surprise meal for him with friends at The Black Lion. Pam and Brian, Peter Hamilton, Valda, Laurie, Laurence and myself arrived a little earlier so as to surprise Steve. He looked a little shell-shocked when he entered the restaurant with Rae (o: The meal was delicious. I had a courgette and Stilton soup to start and scallops with salad for main. Double Yum! We then had a cake I bought from Sainsbury's. The waitress (thinking she was efficient) brought out pieces of the cake before we asked for it. We actually had bought candles so we could put them on the whole cake and present it to Steve so he could blow them out etc. Instead we improvised and each got to have a candle on our individual pieces. Why not share the fun around (o: Rae is a great baker and was planning to make a cake. However there was a little mix up with the ingredients and the oven caught on fire! Birthdays can be stressful eh.
The Lums
Today, Saturday, I've been pottering around doing tasks in preparation for the arrival of the Lums this evening. I'm looking forward to it. It's been quite long in the planning and now they are nearly here! Rae and Steve have been great gathering all the necessary kiddie paraphernalia. Their house is going to be full for the next month. Our little flat coped quite well, housing up to six people. So, it's another trip to Heathrow for me...
(0) comments
We headed out to Heathrow last Saturday to meet Joy, Rose and Simon (Joseph's Mum and sis and bro). It's a bit cheesy waiting at the arrivals gate watching all the happy reunions. We felt like we where in the movie 'Love Actually'. Have I turned into a cynic in my old age? Or was it just that we got a bit fatigued conscientiously scanning the crowds of people flowing out from the gate. Whilst waiting I spotted Stephen Fry, presumably also waiting to greet a love one. He is very tall in real life, which is a bit of a switch as celebrities are usually shorter than you expect when you see them in the flesh.
Our patience was rewarded when we spotted Joy, Rose and the considerably taller than I last saw him, Simon (o: We tubed it home and let the weary travellers relax. They had come from LA where they made the necessary pilgrimage to Disneyland and Universal Studios.
Tourist outings
The next day we ventured into town to check out the National Gallery. I particularly enjoyed the East Wing which displays paintings from the 1700 to 1900. Normally I enjoy the Monets and Renoirs the best but on this visit I really enjoyed the Degas paintings especially a striking image of a women getting her hair brushed which was painted in different shades of red. Of course Degas' famous paintings of ballerinas where very good too. The building itself is a work of art. The elaborate ceilings, in some areas, looked like they had been freshly painted with bright golds and other regency colours.
Outside in Trafalgar Square a huge stage and screen had been erected and an orchestra was warming up for an outdoor performance later in the evening. It was a performance of a score written by the Pet Shop Boys to accompany a famous silent movie with a Russian theme. The original score was by Shostakovich. The rehearsal sounded amazing.
We didn't stick around as we had a prior date with Paulette and Reinhold in Hampstead. Their daughter Ellie stayed with Joy and co in Orewa for 6 months and really enjoyed her time there. They treated us with some yummy Riesling from Luxembourg (probably not available in the UK) and some traditional sausage pastries. After a good chat we went into the village to an oriental fusion restaurant called Dim T. Talk about huge portions. I had wide noodles, wok fried with Thai topping/seasoning and tofu. Yum!
Joseph and I had to work the next week so we left the others to their own devices. They visited Greenwich, Buckingham Palace and the Tate Modern...and enjoyed some nice sleep ins. Paul (Joseph's step dad) arrived on Wednesday. That night we went out for a curry. The next day Paul, Joy et al, including Joseph, headed off in the car to Essex and Norwich.
Steve's birthday
Thursday was Steve's birthday. Rae had organised a surprise meal for him with friends at The Black Lion. Pam and Brian, Peter Hamilton, Valda, Laurie, Laurence and myself arrived a little earlier so as to surprise Steve. He looked a little shell-shocked when he entered the restaurant with Rae (o: The meal was delicious. I had a courgette and Stilton soup to start and scallops with salad for main. Double Yum! We then had a cake I bought from Sainsbury's. The waitress (thinking she was efficient) brought out pieces of the cake before we asked for it. We actually had bought candles so we could put them on the whole cake and present it to Steve so he could blow them out etc. Instead we improvised and each got to have a candle on our individual pieces. Why not share the fun around (o: Rae is a great baker and was planning to make a cake. However there was a little mix up with the ingredients and the oven caught on fire! Birthdays can be stressful eh.
The Lums
Today, Saturday, I've been pottering around doing tasks in preparation for the arrival of the Lums this evening. I'm looking forward to it. It's been quite long in the planning and now they are nearly here! Rae and Steve have been great gathering all the necessary kiddie paraphernalia. Their house is going to be full for the next month. Our little flat coped quite well, housing up to six people. So, it's another trip to Heathrow for me...
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Wednesday, September 08, 2004
China Photos
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
A weekend of tours
Richmond
Three weekends ago we went on a lovely London Walk in Richmond. It was a beautiful sunny day and we walked from the town towards the Thames. I was impressed by a 2000 year old pine tree near the Old Palace. Both Mick Jagger and Pete Townsend have houses in Richmond and the walking tour took us past them both. We continued up the hill to gain a great view of the area including Richmond Park and the town. White Lodge, the lower school of the Royal Ballet School is situated in a old royal hunting lodge in Richmond Park. I visited it once to do an A level exam. At the highest point in the park is King Henry VIII's Mound. Apparently this is where Henry went to wait for a rocket to be fired from the Tower of London to indicate that Ann Boleyn had been beheaded. Here you can also view St Paul’s Cathedral in the distance through the trees of the park. This is an amazing sight as the two points are very far away. The view is protected by law so the trees have to always be trimmed to allow it. Cool.
Houses of Parliament - Palace of Westminster
I only seem to learn about a country's culture and history by visiting it and therefore am now starting to get to grips with the Saxon, Celt, Norman and Roman influence in Britain (the later of which was richly present in Bath), and the Royal families of Tudor, Stuart, Hanover and Windsor. I've still got a long way to go though. Our visit to the Houses of Parliament, formerly the Palace of Westminster, did a lot to add to and solidify our knowledge. The amazing building was full of busts, portraits and sculptures of past monarchs, lords and prime ministers. We saw the actual document on which the Regicide of Charles I was authorised. This document has the signatures and seals of parliamentarians, including Oliver Cromwell, to authorise the killing of the then king Charles I (apparently an arrogant little man who believed in the ultimately power of the Royals). Hence the word Regicide instead of Homicide. However and Charles I's son Charles II was restored after two years in hiding and gained bloody revenge by seeking out every person who signed the death warrant of this father and slaughtering them. He even had Cromwell, who had been dead for three years, dug up and dragged around, eventually cutting off his head and displaying it in the palace. Gross!
The Queen's Robing Room was very impressive with portraits, frescoes and an ornate ceiling. As the name suggests this is where the Queen prepares to open Parliament. Her crown gets its own horse drawn carriage. In the Central Lobby there are four large and beautiful mosaics depicting each patron saint in the UK St’s George, Patrick, David and Andrew. We also learnt about the origins of Black Rod and the tradition of a newly appointed Speaker of the House of Commons having to be dragged to accept the role. Apparently in the old days being the Speaker of the House would be a dangerous role and they were often killed. So you can understand why they were reluctant! Black Rod has the role of knocking three times on the doors of the House of Commons when the Houses are officially opened for the year. This is because no Monarch is allowed into the House of Commons, although King Edward apparently disguised himself to get into the public gallery so he could hear an important debate during WW2 involving Winston Churchill. Interesting eh. Well I think so, I hope I'm not boring you (o: The political system is of course similar to the NZ one so I recognised a lot of the processes and traditions. The House of Lords is undergoing reform. In time there will only be 20 hereditary peers. Others will be appointed based on their achievements. There used to be several hundred hereditary peers who treated the House as a Gentleman’s club. The House of Commons is decidedly plainer than the House of Lords. At the entrance is a great bronze sculpture of Winston Churchill. His foot is very smooth as people are allowed to rub it as they go past. On the other side of the entrance is a bronze sculpture of Lloyd George. He was very short. At some stage a sculpture of Maggie Thatcher will go in the entrance area as well. The power balance of the Houses is now reversed from the old days. The only way the Lords can make a protest is by holding up a bill which may cause it to be carried over to the next term.
Buckingham Palace
This was the most impressive palace I’ve seen so far. I guess because it is still a working palace. The décor is magnificently opulent. There was a lot of gold gilt on the ceilings and walls. John Nash was in charge of the interior design. He was a theatre designer as well and you can definitely see the theatrical influences. The tour takes you through the State Rooms including the Ball Room, Grand Hall, the dining and drawing rooms and Marble Hall. The Music Room was my favourite. It was circular with natural wooden flooring, had a lovely view of the garden, and the most amazingly ornate ceiling. Many famous musicians have played in that room I can just imagine enjoying a concert there. Each clock, piece of art and furniture would be worth thousands if not tens of thousands of pounds. A few would be worth millions! The Ballroom is used for investitures, i.e. where recipients of honours receive their insignia from the Queen. The investiture sword was proudly on display. Arise Dame Lou
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Three weekends ago we went on a lovely London Walk in Richmond. It was a beautiful sunny day and we walked from the town towards the Thames. I was impressed by a 2000 year old pine tree near the Old Palace. Both Mick Jagger and Pete Townsend have houses in Richmond and the walking tour took us past them both. We continued up the hill to gain a great view of the area including Richmond Park and the town. White Lodge, the lower school of the Royal Ballet School is situated in a old royal hunting lodge in Richmond Park. I visited it once to do an A level exam. At the highest point in the park is King Henry VIII's Mound. Apparently this is where Henry went to wait for a rocket to be fired from the Tower of London to indicate that Ann Boleyn had been beheaded. Here you can also view St Paul’s Cathedral in the distance through the trees of the park. This is an amazing sight as the two points are very far away. The view is protected by law so the trees have to always be trimmed to allow it. Cool.
Houses of Parliament - Palace of Westminster
I only seem to learn about a country's culture and history by visiting it and therefore am now starting to get to grips with the Saxon, Celt, Norman and Roman influence in Britain (the later of which was richly present in Bath), and the Royal families of Tudor, Stuart, Hanover and Windsor. I've still got a long way to go though. Our visit to the Houses of Parliament, formerly the Palace of Westminster, did a lot to add to and solidify our knowledge. The amazing building was full of busts, portraits and sculptures of past monarchs, lords and prime ministers. We saw the actual document on which the Regicide of Charles I was authorised. This document has the signatures and seals of parliamentarians, including Oliver Cromwell, to authorise the killing of the then king Charles I (apparently an arrogant little man who believed in the ultimately power of the Royals). Hence the word Regicide instead of Homicide. However and Charles I's son Charles II was restored after two years in hiding and gained bloody revenge by seeking out every person who signed the death warrant of this father and slaughtering them. He even had Cromwell, who had been dead for three years, dug up and dragged around, eventually cutting off his head and displaying it in the palace. Gross!
The Queen's Robing Room was very impressive with portraits, frescoes and an ornate ceiling. As the name suggests this is where the Queen prepares to open Parliament. Her crown gets its own horse drawn carriage. In the Central Lobby there are four large and beautiful mosaics depicting each patron saint in the UK St’s George, Patrick, David and Andrew. We also learnt about the origins of Black Rod and the tradition of a newly appointed Speaker of the House of Commons having to be dragged to accept the role. Apparently in the old days being the Speaker of the House would be a dangerous role and they were often killed. So you can understand why they were reluctant! Black Rod has the role of knocking three times on the doors of the House of Commons when the Houses are officially opened for the year. This is because no Monarch is allowed into the House of Commons, although King Edward apparently disguised himself to get into the public gallery so he could hear an important debate during WW2 involving Winston Churchill. Interesting eh. Well I think so, I hope I'm not boring you (o: The political system is of course similar to the NZ one so I recognised a lot of the processes and traditions. The House of Lords is undergoing reform. In time there will only be 20 hereditary peers. Others will be appointed based on their achievements. There used to be several hundred hereditary peers who treated the House as a Gentleman’s club. The House of Commons is decidedly plainer than the House of Lords. At the entrance is a great bronze sculpture of Winston Churchill. His foot is very smooth as people are allowed to rub it as they go past. On the other side of the entrance is a bronze sculpture of Lloyd George. He was very short. At some stage a sculpture of Maggie Thatcher will go in the entrance area as well. The power balance of the Houses is now reversed from the old days. The only way the Lords can make a protest is by holding up a bill which may cause it to be carried over to the next term.
Buckingham Palace
This was the most impressive palace I’ve seen so far. I guess because it is still a working palace. The décor is magnificently opulent. There was a lot of gold gilt on the ceilings and walls. John Nash was in charge of the interior design. He was a theatre designer as well and you can definitely see the theatrical influences. The tour takes you through the State Rooms including the Ball Room, Grand Hall, the dining and drawing rooms and Marble Hall. The Music Room was my favourite. It was circular with natural wooden flooring, had a lovely view of the garden, and the most amazingly ornate ceiling. Many famous musicians have played in that room I can just imagine enjoying a concert there. Each clock, piece of art and furniture would be worth thousands if not tens of thousands of pounds. A few would be worth millions! The Ballroom is used for investitures, i.e. where recipients of honours receive their insignia from the Queen. The investiture sword was proudly on display. Arise Dame Lou
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