Walmer Castle, Deal

21 Friday Feb 2014

Posted by pat in England, Gardens, History, Travel, Uncategorized

Tags

While the boys in Ramsgate were out to sea racing their hearts out this past summer, a friend and I drove down the coast just south of Deal in Kent. I thought it was the perfect place to recall on these last days of winter.

Dramatic skies, but perfect touring weather. Photo by me.

It was a short drive from Ramsgate, and after a short stroll on the pebble beach…

The beach across the road from Walmer Castle. Photo by me.

… we found the castle. It was a bit of a strange tour.

The actual castle was built during the reign of Henry the VIII. But the interiors had all been renovated to suit a more modern Duke of Wellington who entertained Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother when he held the post of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports for 23 years.

The centuries old castle. Photo by me.

We found it rather dark and gloomy and quickly retreated to the more inviting gardens.

Walmer Gardens. Photo by me.

The artichokes attracted a constant flotilla of bees. Photo by me.

The kitchen garden as we see it now, dates back to 1725, although it is likely that fruit and vegetables have been grown there for at least three hundred years when it was a garrison.

The kitchen garden was a favorite. Photo by me

Onions all lined up in a row. Photo by me.

It was the perfect day to explore a garden.

Runner beans in the garden. Photo by me.

Winter Scenes

11 Tuesday Feb 2014

Posted by pat in Art, paintings, sketching, Travel, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Central Park, MOMA, New York City, Snow

I am back from New York City, and busy in the studio trying to complete three canvases I have been working on since before Christmas. Tonight there is a possibility of freezing rain. Winter.

I am never happier than in my studio when the work is going well, no matter what the weather outside.

But as content as I am, I miss the snow and museums of last week’s visit to New York.

Even as I work at my easel, my thoughts continually return to those amazing winter scenes of Central Park. Perhaps because I grew up in New York, no matter how cold or uninviting it may seem to most tourists, I still gain new energy from it whatever the weather.

The last Friday of my visit I got up and out early so I could get to the Museum of Modern Art right as it opened. Usually that is not the smartest strategy, but I figured with the frigid temps (high of 22 degrees that day), the usual opening line would be diminished.

I was right. I walked right up to the ticket desk and passed information to check my coat. There was an amazing multi-screen installation in the upper lobby which I went in and out of all day.

I was ready for MOMA.

Always one of my favorite museums, I have read recently that MOMA is getting ready to do a major renovation. I’m not sure how I feel about that. So much of the museum seems still familiar to me from my youth, even though I know they have changed things before now.

Still, walking through the galleries, I feel like I have come home.

I’ll never tire of the museum, no matter what they do to expand or rearrange it.

And even though some of the more contemporary exhibitions can be daunting, I still find favorites mixed in.

I am not as much into experimental or performance art. I still prefer paint on canvas or paper, or sculpture that seems to recall rather than confound.

But the whole package is sublime, and the images kept me warm all day whether inside…

…or back out into the winter fantasy of Central Park.

Sometimes a winter day is the perfect day to be in the city.

All photos by me of Central Park and MOMA.

Winter Escape

06 Thursday Feb 2014

Posted by pat in Art, Art Museums & Exhibitions, Travel, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Central Park, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

I have been putting a lot of hours in at the studio over the past several months and loving every minute of it. What better way to spend this long, cold winter.

Fifth Avenue, next to Central Park, in New York City.

But at times the artist needs to go out in to the real world to find new inspiration and increase their artistic vocabulary. A good friend of mine, and wonderful painter, was having a show in New York City this week, and I decided it was the push I needed to go up north and revisit the area that had inspired me so much in the past. And a little snow never hurt anyone.

Entering Central Park early in the morning.

After one plane delay, and many icy encounters, I reached New York City. And it was magical in the snow. I started my visit by entering Central Park’s south edge early the next morning…

Entering the Mall area.

The avenue of old elms was closed to pedestrian traffic for fear of falling ice and branches.

Benches are waiting for spring.

And ended at the Metropolitan Museum of Art….

The lobby of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

which was bursting with forsythia. Spring must not be too far off.

I spent hours wandering through the maze of galleries…

visiting old favorites,

Degas and Ballet…classic beauty

and discovering new surprises.

In the Asia wing, these classic statues...

In the Asia wing, these imposing statues…

face off with this contemporary brushwork.

It was as wonderful as I remembered.

A group of artists spend their morning sketching.

I only gave up when my legs couldn’t walk one more step, and stopped at the American Wing Cafe to take a break.

I think I’ll dream about forsythia tonight.

And remember enough images for a seasons worth of inspiration.

Sissinghurst Gardens 2013

25 Saturday Jan 2014

Posted by pat in England, Gardens, Travel

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Kent, Sissinghurst Castle

My inaugural post on this blog was about Sissinghurst Castle Gardens. I visited there a few years ago, and after a visit this past summer, it remains one of my favorite gardens in England. I thought with the east coast blanketed by snow and frigid temperatures this week, it was the perfect time to visit an English garden, and Sissinghurst deserved a second post.

The library at Sissinghurst with Vita’s portrait over the fireplace. Photo by me.

Vita Sackville-West, the renowned poet and writer, and her husband Harold Nicolson, diplomat and author, began the transformation of the house and gardens in the 1930s.

photo by me

It was a labour of love.

Sissinghurst Castle Garden

Harold was the architect, and Vita orchestrated the romance of the garden.

Both partners input shows very well in the well-organized garden rooms overwhelmed by color and shape and magnificent blooms. It takes an army of gardeners to manage it all.

The gardens are famous for Vita’s White Garden, which she wrote about in her diaries.

It is thought to be the first truly planned out white garden, and it is one my favorite “rooms”. I would love to see it in the moonlight at its most dramatic.

An entry into the white garden. Photo by me.

You are able to go up in the tower on winding stone steps, past Vita’s study, to the very top for magnificent views.

The tower from the White Garden. Photo by me

And along the way, are clips of poems and writings of both Harold and Vita about the planning and transformation of the garden. It was very inspirational and creative.

At the top of the tower. Photo of me by a friend.

At the top of the tower. Photo of me by my dear friend.

And the views from the rooftop were incredible.

The orchard, from above and a more intimate view…

Because the walls hold the warmth in, there is a great variety of plants familiar to those who garden in the southern locations of the U.S.

We walked for hours, and although much seemed familiar, there were always new surprises.

Even with a stop for lunch in the garden at the coffee shop, and a gift shop/ice cream break, it was hours spent in the actual garden rooms.

This is one of the first years I remember seeing sprinklers moved around many of the gardens. It was a dry, warm summer in England by their standards.

The herb room was one of my favorites, with well-marked plants revealing the actual appearance of these famous herbs that we often only see dried in spice jars.

The center of the herb garden. Photo by me

I love Sissinghurst. Would love to visit it in every season.

Morgan Motors in Great Malvern

17 Friday Jan 2014

Posted by pat in England, Travel, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a Comment

Tags

cars, Malvern UK, Morgan, sports car

After driving through the Cotswolds’ countryside last summer at the end of our British holiday, we had a night booked in a hotel near Tewkesbury. As we took our exit from the motorway, My Beloved Brit noticed a sign for Great Malvern. “That’s where Morgans are made!” he excitedly exclaimed. I saw a day trip in our future.

The only way I knew the Morgan is from NCIS, the tv crime drama. Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard, the character played by David McCallum, has a Morgan…a classic British car, with a great history of style…which the character restored himself.

MBB called the Morgan headquarters, and found out we could get on a factory tour the next morning.

Driving the back roads through the Malverns, which are lovely rolling hills, we found the sign for the showroom on the backside of the town of Great Malvern.

When we entered the Visitors Center, it was jammed. Many of the visitors were from Norway and had brought their Morgans to the factory as part of an annual rally.

The guided tour was long (2 hours), but MBB was in heaven.

I must admit, seeing a car built by hand and not on a mechanized assembly line was quite a treat.

It is one of the oldest sports car companies in the world, and although they have modernized somewhat, the tradition of handwork is still strong.

The factory had back orders on the books for the next four months.

But even greater than that, they have an apprentice program where youth are brought in for four years. They go to college for classes one day a week. The other four days are at the factory learning to be craftsmen. Hopefully they work up through the ranks learning new skills and become seasoned car builders.

This is the part of the British education system that I think we could learn from. Trades are still an option in the school system.

There were very few women on the lot except in the offices, and stitching the upholstery. That is traditional too, it seems.

But it is a tight-knit group and as our tour ended we saw groups of workers sitting on the floor or out in picnic kiosks having their lunch, often bread and apples and cheese, and most likely talking about the weekend soccer match.

The whole operation is so very British.

We were able to see cars being made start to finish.

From the first frame,

to the upholstery and finishing

and the last paint job.

A very interesting day.

Winter at Highgrove

19 Thursday Dec 2013

Posted by pat in Gardens, History, The Royal Family, Travel

≈ Leave a Comment

Tags

Cotswolds, Highgrove

Highgrove in the snow.

I came across this photo this week as I was busy putting up our Christmas decorations…very appropriate with all the snow still crisscrossing our country. This is Highgrove, Prince Charles’ home in The Cotswolds in England where he and Diana raised their two boys.

We toured the gardens this past summer, and they were spectacular. This particular view is from the cow pastures which stretch out for miles in front of the home. I loved the vines almost covering the front of the entry. Mike and I lingered at this spot for quite a while just taking in the perfect English countryside.

Happy Holidays to all, and safe travels if you are going to visit loved ones.

IWM Duxford

30 Saturday Nov 2013

Posted by pat in England, History, Travel, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a Comment

Tags

Duxford, Imperial War Museum, IWM

Our very first week in England this past summer, on our way south from Cambridge, we noticed a sign on the motorway next to an airfield for the Imperial War Museums, Duxford. My Beloved Brit was familiar with the airfield and museums, but had never been. Even though it was raining, we decided to pop in for a little lunch and a look around.

Big planes and little planes and everything in between. Photo by me.

Of course MBB was in heaven. All these planes and miles of British history in one spot. There are acres and acres of airplane hangers filled with exhibitions.

Photo by me.

It was fun to explore British aviation history in building after building located at the actual site of the famous British WWI and WWII airfield. There are over two hundred aircraft as well as tanks, military vehicles and boats. I think my favorite building was the Battle of Britain exhibition. It brought that part of history alive.

The famous Memphis Belle. Photo by me

And another astonishing piece of “history”…The Concord, which I remember seeing taking off from Dulles Airport near Washington DC many years ago.

The famous Concord. Photo by me

It looks so small now and dated, but amazing that it went from England to the U.S. in 2 hours and 56 minutes in 1974. Sounds like heaven after the 8 1/2 hour flight we had just had a few days earlier.

The cockpit of the Concord. Photo by me.

Photo by me.

All in all, a fascinating day. Wishing everyone safe travels after the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Cornish Footpath

23 Saturday Nov 2013

Posted by pat in Cornwall, Travel, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Charlestown, foot paths

Early one morning this past summer, I woke up and had a lovely breakfast in the pub downstairs from our room at The Rashleigh Arms.

Our pub with rooms, The Rashleigh, where we stay in Cornwall.

I decided it was time to walk off some of this toast and marmalade, so as My Beloved Brit went upstairs to shower and get ready for the day, I headed towards the nearest footpath at the end of the village of Charlestown in Cornwall.

The bottom of the town near the sea, where the footpath up the cliff begins. Photos by me.

It was time for a climb.

I thought this week was the perfect time to share these pretty pictures.

Back down again. Another splendid UK footpath.

I am thankful for these splendid walks through the English countryside. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Broadstairs, Kent

09 Saturday Nov 2013

Posted by pat in Food, Travel, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Broadstairs, Kent, Morelli's

A bit up the road, north of Ramsgate, is the seaside resort of Broadstairs.

Broadstairs. Photo by me

It was “Folk Week” when I visited this past summer, and the resort area was absolutely chock-a-block, as the Brits say. After driving in circles and finally finding a convenient parking spot, a friend of mine, who had spent summers there in her youth, and I walked in to the resort along the chalk cliffs.

The town of Broadstairs overlooking the sea. Photo by me.

We walked along the cliff top and noticed that Charles Dickens had lived and written here in centuries past, from 1837 until 1859. He described the town as “Our English Watering Place. He wrote David Copperfield while staying at Bleak house, located along the cliff-top.

But of course, the main attraction was and is the beach…

Broadstairs Beach. Photo by me.

…and the popular ice cream parlor in town, Morelli’s. The line wound down the street outside the shop. Beach towns are all the same, aren’t they? Sand and sweets.