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Road to Scotland

25 Friday May 2012

Posted by in England, Food, Lake District, Travel, Uncategorized

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On our way to Scotland, we stopped at a motorway hotel in the countryside near the Lake District.  After a full day of driving it was a relief to get to our destination for the night, but it was a bit of a chain hotel.

The Westmorland on the motorway. Photo by me.

After looking over the high priced menu we decided to venture into the nearby village for dinner at the local pub.  I agreed to forfit my glass of wine with my meal, and drive us back along the narrow roads.

These narrow country lanes put you in fear of oncoming traffic. photo by me

It was well worth it.  We found a great pub, and enjoyed dinner with the locals. And I managed to get us back safe and sound quite easily.

The perfect spot for dinner. Photo by me.

I was quite proud of myself and we immediately retreated to the hotel bar for a glass of wine. I’m not sure I will ever get totally used to driving in this country.

Meanwhile, many areas in the country have difficulty with internet connection in the small inns.  If I miss posting for awhile, you’ll know we are enjoying the peace and quiet of a country inn.

Seaside Drama in Charlestown

22 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by in Cornwall, Sailing, Travel, Uncategorized

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We love Charlestown in Cornwall on the southwest coast.  We have stayed here before when visiting My Beloved Brit’s cousins. We stay in a classic pub with rooms right near the sea, and it feels like home.

Our home away from home while in Cornwall. photo by me

We had a full day of visiting and eating with the family, and went back to the Inn late afternoon to refresh. Before they came back over for dinner that evening at the “Rash”, MBB and I decided to take a stroll down to the sea at the end of our lane.

Trying to come home to its harbor. photo by me

We noticed one of the tall ships that usually sits in the Charlestown Harbour making its way through the gap in the seawall.  It seems to be a very tight fit, so of course we, along with many other spectators, decide to watch the maneuver.

Squeezing through. photo by me

Stuck? photo by me

They seem to be having some problems turning it in the tight space. And it is windy which makes things more difficult.

The crowds on shore discuss the situation. photo by me

Even the pigeons came down to look things over. photo by me

 

From a different perspective you can see just how tight a squeeze it is. photo by me

And then, to the dismay of the crew on board, the ship hits the wall and a huge rope falls in to the water and gets caught in the propeller. A diver is called in to remedy the situation in the freezing waters.

A diver is sent in to untangle the rope. photo by me.

They need to get it in to the safe harbor before the tides flood out...

...and leave it high and dry. This is what it looks like when the tide goes out. photo by me

Free at last...

They finally get the rope off the propeller, and guide it safely through the lock and in to the slip.  Then they can flood that chamber and it is at rest, safe and secure. They said before modern power was added to propel it, this was all done by hand pulling from the shore. I can’t imagine.

...and safely home for the night. photo by me

Such excitement!  I asked one of the observers why they had taken the boat out.  It turned out they had to take it up the coast to update their license and get their safety inspection.  Ironic.

We all walked back up the hill to our Inn to get ready for a carvery Sunday roast dinner. In the room, I looked out the window towards the sea to make sure all was calm before going down to the pub for dinner.  Looking down to the beer garden, i saw two pirates sitting down for their afternoon tea with friends.

Just another day in Charlestown.

Even pirates need a tea break in the afternoon. Photo by me.

 

 

The Olympic Torch Begins Its Journey

20 Sunday May 2012

Posted by in Cornwall, England, Olympics, Travel, Uncategorized

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What a great first day in England, jetlag and all.

We had the usual awful red-eye flight, on a totally packed plane with no sleep at all.  I’ll never get used to those dreadful overnight flights to Europe.

After arriving at Heathrow totally bedraggled, we decided to spend our Saturday driving towards Cornwall where we needed to be by Sunday to meet up with family. With frequent breaks and even a catnap in the car at a rest stop, we hit the really pretty part of Dartmoor Forest in Devon and decided to start looking for an Inn to spend the night. Of course, we had no idea that the Olympic Torch had landed at Lands End to the west of us by helicopter from Greece that morning, and was making its way through the area on the very first day of its journey, and ours, on English soil.

The torch is beginning it's journey through England. Photo by me

After searching in vain all afternoon for any kind of accommodation on the moors or along the southwest coast, we finally made it to Bodmin in Cornwall and found a great little hotel right in town that MBB had discovered online.  Checking in, we mentioned our trials and tribulations of the day because of the torch’s progress.

A great little hotel in the town of Bodmin in Cornwall. photo by me.

The gentleman behind the desk said he understood, and added that the flame was arriving in front of this hotel at 6pm with great fanfare.  What luck!  A room and the torch, and a great early supper of curry in the dining room watching the street outside as people gathered for the festivities. You couldn’t ask for a sweeter first day, and we even got some true sunshine by evening.

Everyone rushes in to town to see the torch come by. photo by me.

The excitement kept building for an hour waiting for the athlete to come running down the main street. photo by me

Then the church bells started ringing all over town, the police car escort flashed down the hill, and the crowd cheered as the runner came. photo by me

The torch bearer came by in a flash, but the crowd was thrilled. It really was an event of a lifetime. photo by me.

My Beloved Brit of course took full credit for planning such a wonderful day, although I think there was a bit of luck involved. None-the-less, I love him for turning what could have been day of only frustration into a memorable adventure.

UK weather forecast…toughen up

17 Thursday May 2012

Posted by in Cornwall, England, London, The Royal Family, Uncategorized

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For weeks now My Beloved Brit has been telling me that we need to toughen up for England.  Well, the hour has arrived.  We leave the end of this week for the “Grey Country”, and the forecast is for cold and rainy weather. How English!

And we’ve planned for a week in Scotland at the beginning of the trip before returning to the south so I can witness the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, which may drive him to the edge of his sanity.  He always says he had enough of being chilled to the bone in his youth.  He never wants to be cold again and we stand a good chance of it in Scotland.  They predicted snow flurries earlier this week.

Sunny Cornish hills. Pastel by me.

Luckily our first stop is Cornwall to visit with his cousins.  A good thing.  If there is one place in England that has a chance of sun and warmth in the spring, it’s Cornwall.  And it doesn’t hurt that he gets to reconnect with family.

So until we get a bit settled and un-jetlagged, I may miss a few posts.  But then I’ll report to you from across the pond.  And hopefully the sun will shine.

Portraits of the Queen at the National Portrait Gallery

15 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by in Art, Art Museums & Exhibitions, England, London, paintings, The Royal Family, Uncategorized

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In honor of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the National Portrait Gallery in London is mounting a stellar exhibition of over sixty of the “most remarkable and resonant portraits of the Queen made during her 60 year reign”. The show runs from May 17 – October 21, 2012.

I am thrilled that I will be in London in a couple of weeks, and this is on my list of things to see in the midst of all the Diamond Jubilee excitement of that weekend. It is fascinating to have one figure that has been interpreted by so many artists over such a large span of years. Artists include Cecil Beaton, Andy Warhol and Lucien Freud to name just a few.

Queen Elizabeth II by Dorothy Wilding 1952, copyright William Hustler and Georgina Hustler, National Portrait Gallery, London

 

 

Bond, James Bond, meets the Queen?

13 Sunday May 2012

Posted by in England, entertainment, movies, Olympics, The Royal Family, Uncategorized

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A new Bond movie is in the works, Skyfall, with Daniel Craig once again playing Bond. The new film will be released October 26th in the UK, November 9th, 2012 in the US.  Judi Dench returns as M, and the new plot revolves around her character as “her past comes back to haunt her”. Javier Bardem joins the cast as the “villain”, and the new Bond Girl is Berenice Marlohe as Severine. Sounds intriguing.

From the new James Bond film, Skyfall, Photo: Francois Duhamel/Sony Pictures

According to speculation in an article in The Telegraph, The Queen  agreed to make a cameo appearance in the film.  James Bond 007 is to have knighthood bestowed on him by the Queen, and the scene will reportedly be beamed around the world during the opening ceremony at the Olympic Games.

Bond, of course, cannot comment.  His future missions are top secret, after all.

Garden Update…May

12 Saturday May 2012

Posted by in Gardens, Uncategorized

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The warmth of May has finally brought the first waxy white gardenias with their gorgeous green leaves.  The small star gardenias out front have bloomed but they barely last.  Now the real things are getting ready to go in to full bloom, filling the path to the studio with their scent, and they will go on for weeks.

 

The first buds appear, and there are so many of them!

Pure white

I love how these pop up overnight.

Full bloom. Let the party begin. And the scent...

...even the garden statue is ecstatic.

 

 

Hail to the Sandwich

09 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by in England, Food, Uncategorized

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My Beloved Brit is a devoted sandwich fan.  And you will be happy to know that this year England will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the sandwich.  People were probably slapping something between two pieces of bread before that, but that is when it “officially” got its name.

wikimedia, photo by Jon Sullivan

The 4th Earl of Sandwich, John Montague, was playing a game of cards one day in 1762, when he asked his manservant for some meat to be served up to him between two slices of bread so he could continue playing uninterrupted. Soon, his friends, were asking for a light repast “same as Sandwich” and, voila, the meal of infinite variety was born.

The Earl, who was also First Lord of the Admiralty, also funded Captain Cook’s exploration of the Pacific and was rewarded when Cook named the first land he discovered the Sandwich Islands (now known as Hawaii).

Sandwich, which is located in Kent, will be celebrating this anniversary in high style along with the rest of the UK this May12-19 which is British Sandwich Week.  An astounding 11.5 billion sandwiches are eaten in Britain every year. The nation’s favorite is chicken, but egg and ham are nipping at the chicken’s feet, so to speak.

Keep you posted on fast breaking sandwich news.


“Face Britain” Does a Portrait of the Queen

22 Sunday Apr 2012

Posted by in Art, Art Museums & Exhibitions, England, entertainment, London, The Royal Family, Uncategorized, United Kingdom

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The Diamond Jubilee celebration is just beginning and the events are becoming more and more spectacular and creative leading up to the first week in June.

Gloiana ready for the jubilee

The Queen’s 94ft royal barge Gloriana that will lead the Thames Diamond Jubilee Flotilla was lowered in to the Thames on Thursday.

And now Face Britain has projected a huge composite portrait of the Queen on Buckingham Palace.

Projected images of the Queen, made up of over 20,000 self-portraits by children, is covering Buckingham Palace for three days this week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Prince’s Foundation for Children & The Arts’ original project goal was to give every child the chance to create their own self portrait. By bringing them together, it could create a snapshot of the 2012 generation.

“We began talking to the TV programme, Blue Peter, to ask if they would help us to promote the project to children and teachers. One of the editors had the brilliant idea of not just collecting and displaying the children’s self portraits but knitting them into a single composite image of HM The Queen – each portrait forming a pixel of the larger image.”  They projected over 20,000 self-portrait images submitted to Face Britain onto Buckingham Palace this week.

What a fabulous idea.

Newton added, “We had to get the Queen’s approval, of course, because we’re projecting on to the front of her home,” he said. “I’m delighted to say Her Majesty loved the idea and loves the imagery.”

And all of these young children are introduced to the glory of creating art.  Well done.