June 1 HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADELINE!
This morning, Collin, our B&B host, serves us a full English breakfast. Side bacon and sausage, a fried egg sunny side up cooked through but still soft, a fried thick sliced tomato, beans (like pork and beans out of a can, like I had for lunch as a kid so I love it) brown toast and marmalade. Oh, and good coffee. So we were set up for a good walk to the city library. I love the times that we spend in the libraries. Quiet and comfortable and time slows. I go to the art book section and pick a few books to take to a table. This time I chose Hopper and Chagall, Hopper for his simpleness of illustration but with a thought provoking story told...and Chagall for his color and imagination. All those attributes I would wish for in my own work. In a few hours we are ready for a late afternoon lunch so we stop by a nice fish and chip restaurant and also order white coffees. We wanted more information on just how a white coffee is made. Our suspicions were correct, at least in this establishment, it is steamed whole cream with a spoonful of instant coffee in it. I guess one balances the other as it was delicious. Fresh cod caught that day and hand-cut chips. Back to the B&B and to say goodbye to Collin and his wife as the garage sent a cab to pick us up. Our van was ready so off we started for Gloucester. David said there was a definite difference in the tightness of the wheel when steering...and my car door opened once more. It is inconvenient to wait for someone to let you out of a car. Requires patience. A practice I need to work on!
June 2
There is so much going on for the Queen's 60th Jubilee this weekend. It is the beginning of a month of celebrating. People dressed in red, white and blue, flags everywhere...from windows, on cars. I think most citizens think very highly of their Queen. Every city, town and village has some fun events planned together....most at least have a big picnic. Unfortunately, the beautiful weather turned into grey skies and rain. We headed for Cheltenham because they were holding their third annual Ukulele Festival at the town hall. How fun could that be! Many folks were heading there with the little stringed instrument slung over their shoulders. We parked and went to the town hall, ready to get tickets. That will be 30 pounds each please. “You are kidding! That is too much!” Too much for us and I think for most of the merry-makers in the city streets. So a good idea gone bad. We did walk the lively town center and ran into an English car show. Lovely classical English cars. Austins, Austin Healeys (SP?), MG's, darling little Morris Minors and a Morris Minor Woody, Jaguars, Triumphs and others I have forgotten, but all yummy! We came up upon one that David recognized as a British Model-T! The owner was in the car and said yes, ...Austin made almost exactly the same copy of the American Model T...I think into a few years beyond when the American public had gone on to other cars. In the evening we planned to attend a concert in the Gloucester Cathedral. Most tickets were sold out so we sat in the very back row of a most amazing Cathedral. For those of you who are fans of Harry Potter films, much of the scenes were shot in this awesome structure! Need I say more! The acoustics were the best I have heard. Notes trailed in the air for moments after the chorus or instruments had completed them (not an echo, just a lovely extension). The orchestration of the choir and orchestra (with brass and horns in harmony) was impeccable. I guess you can tell I was impressed and lifted a bit higher than my normal level. Pomp and Circumstance – Concert for the Queen. The English are the best at pageantry. Handel, Elgar, Parry, Vaughn Williams, Howells, Walton and Wesley...much of it sung at the Queen's coronation service 60 years ago. When I was a young girl (Canadian) I was very taken with the young queen. I got up in the middle of the night to hear the coronation on the radio (11 years old). I got up in the middle of the night to hear her Royal wedding. I had scrapbooks full of clippings of those events and also the births and goings-on of Charles and Anne. I still have those wonderful scrapbooks and as I wander the “Royal Land” these days I see many of these same photos in shop windows etc. At the end of the concert, not for the first time since I have been here, I sang God Save the Queen as loud as any Brit! David was also very moved by the anthem. We used to sing Oh Canada at the beginning of events and God Save the Queen at the end of events in Canada but since we are no longer part of the Dominion but a country on our own, we gave that up. The funny thing though (at least funny to me) is that we are still part of the Commonwealth of Great Britain. Canada, like others in this unique group, pays to remain a member! I guess it is hard to let go of family!
June 3
Church this morning at a Methodist church in Bishop Cleeve. As usual these small churches have a good solid message to take away with us. I asked for a copy of the opening prayer as it had a twist of meaning to freshen the understanding of the subject of the service, environmental issues. After some good chats over white tea and cookies we were on our way to find a pub that served a carved roast beef dinner. It has now become a tradition! We wove our way from Bishop Cleeve through small towns on our way to another Steam Train in Bridgnorth. One town on the map was Bagginswood! I must find Bilbo! We traveled through a few woods, some deep and dark. Road signs pointing the way. Ahh, the GPS leading the way...the flag popped up! Bagginswood is close! What?! There was no town, no hobbits, no Bilbo. Nothing. Not even an old sign fallen over in the wild flowers. That seems right, doesn't it? What would I have done if I had found old Bilbo? Started a new adventure I guess! In Stourport we stopped to watch some very long thin boats go through the long thin locks. Each boater gets out and makes the water rise or fall themselves using tools they all carry with them to let the water in or out. In this case the canal led to the river Severn which flows a very long way sourced from mountains in Wales.
THOUGHTS and OBSERVATIONS:
>A man having breakfast with us at the B&B was referring to balding, himself in particular. He said, “But grass never grows on busy streets!”
>The person who gave the sermon today was chatting with me and remarked that the spoken English language in North America is turning out to be far more correct than British pronunciations.
>Here are some more town names to think upon: Pagans Hill, Dumbleton, Fish Hill, Wormington, North Nibley, Birdlip, Merrywalks, Puckle Church.
>And here are some pubs: Whistling Duck, The George and Dragon Free House, The Full Quart, Druid Arms, Willy Wicket, The Kings Head and The Kings Arms (David thinks that we will find one called the Queens Hats)...then there are the traditional double ones like...Hare and Hounds, Bear and Swan, Coach and Horses, Fox and Goose, The Rose and the Crown, The Horn and Trumpet, The Eagle and the Serpent, Horse and Groom, The Bucket and Spade, The Ship and Castle.
June 6
Tonight the light is still very much lingering in the sky and it is almost 11:00 pm. I need to catch up on a few days of reporting. The weather has not been the best for all these folks with four days off work for the Jubilee. But they are out and about having a good time, used to wearing layers and carrying umbrellas. Many had the same idea as we had. A steam train ride! This time it was the Severn Valley Railway, 16 miles long starting at the town of Brigport, a town we would recommend to visit. Hilly, on the river swimming with swans, lots of little shops, parks and walking trails...a large church tops it off, the tower presiding over all. There were four stops along the way and the fifth, Kidderminster is the last of the tracks. We chose to go to the railway museum along the way at Highley. An exhibit of gorgeous old engines painted in deep blues or greens or black with brass all shiny. And examples of “posh” cars that carried kings and presidents. The deck provided a good high spot to watch the trains come and go so of course it meant more picture taking of trains and billowing steam comin' round the bend! It is the whistle and the chug chug that goes to David's core. As we travelled we waved to families and dog walkers out on a path from town to town. Let's do that next time! Walk one way and train ride back! I think it is our accent (Canadian they always guess) that gives us some special privileges. It seems people can't do enough for us. This time we were taken on a special tour to an old sleeping car...with little kitchen set up with teapot and cups and saucers. Evidently railroad volunteers sleep there sometimes. The rooms were small and cozy and I could imagine taking the night train. Tuesday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY CYNDI!) we pulled up to the side of a community garden. It was fairly dark but we could tell that this area was home for a multi-ethnic group of folks as people were out on the streets celebrating. All of a sudden a fireworks display was in action a few blocks away. A long and very good one, some displays we had not seen before. I watched out the back window of the van. We heard the next day that there was a community party. Food, music, dance. We missed that part! David awoke in the morning to see a man working his garden just feet away, high wire fence between them. One at a time others joined him, each working their own allotments, but they all would make their way to talk with this first man...who it turns out was the main “farmer” in the group. There were some vegetable patches and flowers but the main product was garlic...lots of garlic. They grew it to sell. In the middle of the garden there were sheds of all shapes built out of old windows or anything that might make a wall. Metal roofs. The words “higgilty piggilty” comes to mind. The men were East Indian, most with long beards and turbans. I had to get my camera out and get a picture, hoping they would not mind. They waved from across the garlic plantings and walked toward me. We would love to have our picture taken they exclaimed and they lined up with big smiles...after which they pulled some garlic out of the ground and threw it over the fence. They were adorable! What a fun way to start a day!
The rest of the day was spent at Whightwick Manor and Gardens, my favorite so far. The original owner, Theodore Mander, built the red brick and timber-beamed mansion in the 1880s...after hearing a lecture by Oscar Wilde entitled “House Beautiful”. He was so inspired not only to build a beautiful house but also to furnish it with the stuff that makes one know that beauty is next to love. He hired William Morris to furnish the interior with his fabulous wall paper and fabric designs...and they are still there on the walls and hanging in windows out of direct light. Original William Morris! (Marcia, you will appreciate this!) Objects throughout the house demanded attention and so I gave it. Luscious appointments and cubby holes and if you were alert you could pick out phrases either painted or carved into wood. Phrases that were chosen out of famous poems or prose that suited the room or place one was sitting. An example, outside the entry to the mansion....”The welcome ever smiles And farewell goes out sighing.” ...Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida. Another, over the fireplace...
To watch the corn grow and the blossoms set,
to draw hard breath over plough-share or spade,
to read, to think, to love, to pray-
are the things that make men happy. Ruskin
These phrases were for the enjoyment of he and his wife but also their guests. Theodore's son went on to hang paintings and sketches by Rossetti and Burne-Jones and enlarged the William Morris collection. He also created a garden of the same quality with yew hedges and roses. I am not sure how much the garden has changed since he began but there are lots of huge displays of rhododendrons hugging grassy fields, and a pond where I came upon my fellow citizens, Canada geese. The whole family which included five goslings. This site is now a National Trust holding.
Wednesday, today, we spent our time at another much larger manor and garden. Attington Park, recommended to us by visitors at yesterday's site. It turns out he is a docent/guide here and was in costume of the day. We took the tour which was lead by an Opera singer, an older opera singer, dressed in costume of a lady in the 20's. Once we were treated to a few operatic solo lines and another time, she danced the Charleston. She was really quite good. The Mansion was built for the first Lord Berwick and there is history up to the 8th Lord Berwick when the line stopped because there were no children. Times were bad and the last Lady of the manor gave it to the National Trust. She was Teresa, Italian born and raised in wealth, and was a beautiful, gracious and wise woman with lovely taste. Not having to work she could dabble in so many of her talents. One of them being 1930's fashion. They were invited to Royal Coronations and the specs were given to everyone on what was appropriate for the occasion. Well they almost looked like the King and Queen themselves at King George Vl's event. I was glued to the presentation on a screen...Coronations of George V, Vl and Queen Elizabeth at 29 years old. What a treat for me (and Pam you should have been with me). There was also a weird and wonderful contemporary art exhibit placed very carefully throughout the house. It was called “House of Beasts” as each piece was geared to the animals in the park or farm. An outrageous one was a fat compact snake-like 2 ½ x 2 foot figure completely covered in carrier pigeon flight wings. A very large feathered snake! Another was an airy ball of peacock feathers, presumably done to show the audacity of strutting aristocrats, as she had taken all the eyes out of the feathers and called the figure “Blind”. One of the rooms in the “ladies half of the house”...was one that was used to run to when there was an argument between husband and wife. It was for sulking, then healing, with nothing but happy lovely paintings done directly on the walls. Hmmmmm? The deer park and gardens cover 4,000 acres, only half of what it once was. We walked to the walled garden. Could have stayed here for hours. Some cute reddish piggies greeted us...well I am not sure they even noticed us... dirty noses snorting around in the mud. Still, they were cute and I tried for photos but they would not stay still. The gardens had everything you would want to pick or pull for a meal and laid out in a pleasant way. Many arbours and bean poles and other structures built with thin branches and twigs in most creative styles. I have not looked at a spring vegetable garden for a long time. I had a familiar longing to plant. Hoping no one would mind, I snapped off a blade of green onion and chewed on it. Cows were grazing free on the manor roads in some places. You know that look they give you....just a stare that you cannot read...maybe just a curiosity stare. But they are dear. Once when David and I lived in Enumclaw we had a large garden. The cows often visited us as their field was on the other side of the fence. We went off kayaking one summer and came back to disaster...the cows could not contain themselves and pushed through the fence, eating each and every ear of ripe corn! We had to laugh! “The sheep in the meadows, the cows in the corn.”
THOUGHTS AND OBSERVATIONS:
> We passed by a shopping center and noticed that the main establishments were Burger King, Starbucks and Travelodge.
> On the side of a truck (lorrie) PERFECT BRITISH BACON.
> Listened to George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue in the car...surround sound. Loud. Brilliant!
> Have heard “Rule Britannia” on the radio a few times and also heard an explanation of it. Originally it was written...”Rule Britannia, Britannia rule the waves...” as a sort of fight song for those in the armed forces and the people of England. Somehow it got changed into “Rule Britannia, Britannia rules the waves” as if they were boasting about being top dog on the ocean (which they were). The English would not like you to think they were boasting! It is a wonderful and powerful song.
> Our windshield wipers squeak with a tone like they are saying repeatedly...GO ON...GO ON...GO ON.
June 7
Well, just one more manor and garden. Tatton Estate and Gardens. This time the manor was “okay” and the gardens, miraculous! I might just be tired of other peoples choices in decor. This was not to my taste as was the one with all the William Morris and other arts and craft movement pieces and furniture. This was Victorian / Regency. Lots of pompous paintings of the family and male friends standing like Napoleon. But the gardens! They were re-designed in the mid 1700's and have been kept up and improved since then. The vistas are many, the kind you have to “look through” to the distance for the best effects. I have never seen such large rhododendrons and there were many of them scattered in bunches all in complimentary colors, my favorite being orange flowers mixed with cream flowers. Topiaries were snipped in the craziest shapes with green leafed pancake stacks on top, or huge birds with fanned tails. And a outdoor room of roses... different colors in bloom and ripe with aroma. A good conservatory. A fabulous Japanese garden which was so familiar to us as the plantings were the same as in Washington State. And the usual lakes and streams and forests. An added attraction was an art exhibit of outdoor installations. At the ponds in the Japanese garden there was a huge white face, looking up, resting in the foliage. Plastic, blow-up. It was pleasant to look at and a surprise because of it's size. On top of the water, stretching from side to side was a suspension bridge of wooden board slats held together by rope or something that allowed it to be pliable....suspended by three huge balloons that were moving with the wind and causing the bridge to move. It would be quite a trick to make your way over the bridge...but it was art, only to look at. A very small van was in a clearing, complete with a plane model attached to the top. Inside the van there was a small chaise lounge with a bedside table and belongings of a woman draped and placed around. When you looked in the windows a voice began to read a story (perhaps from the book that lay in the created scene). The plane represented a similar one (only bigger) that this women had helped to develop during WW ll when she was in the service. There is more of interest to tell, but I have quickly forgotten it all. Along another garden path we found a small camping trailer in a clearing. The light on the outside was green which meant we could go in. We thought we were going to see some arty way to construct the inside of a small camper but much to our surprise we ended up sitting on a camper couch surrounded by screens...and sound...both of outer space. We took a trip past planets and stars and entry into the earths atmosphere. It wasn't all serious, some humor and good moving space-art on the screens. It felt like the space capsule we were in was vibrating. I think it lasted about 10 minutes. We knew we had travelled away somewhere to witness something very special.
Heading up to The Peak National Park we were treated to the high country. The High Peak is only 636 feet but it is a hike to the top to see a grand view. We settled in Edale, the center for hikers and climbers in this area. It felt like a remote mountain town. We stayed in the Car Park and talked to a very wet man who was just coming in from 6 hours of hiking, in hail and snow. He was pretty high in spirits. I don't think the rain holds these Brits down. They have good gear and are ready for anything. However, it holds us down. It rained all night. A train went though often, pretty quiet, no whistles. This trekker’s town is situated between Manchester and Sheffield, two cities that one could commute to to make a living. There is a very long trail, 265 miles, called the Pennine Trail, that ends here at this hiking center.
June 8
It rained in sheets...and sometimes the sun came through just to remind us of it's presence beyond the wet greyness. We drove most of the day through medium and small towns and hills and valleys of incredible vistas. Much of the area seems more affluent. Perhaps because there are good jobs in Manchester and Sheffield. Our cozy home is parked next to a primary school which is now closed for a 3 day bank holiday...more Jubilee festivities. All around us are black and white cows, bunny rabbits with tails like flags when they hop hop up the hill, strutting pheasants and sheep that we are wanting more information about. All the mother sheep are spotted brown, black and white with marvelous white faces that look a bit like cows. They have horns also. Some curl, some bend over a bit and some are straight and long. They are quite regal when they walk. Bigger than the white sheep we are used to seeing. And...all the lambs at their sides are black. ???
June 9
We continue to drive, pulled to Cockermouth by Rick's book that tells us that we will be able to watch border collies working the sheep. They are so so energetic and willing workers. Maybe we will be able to find out about the brown spotted sheep with horns and black children. And the lambs have lovely fluffy tails. Usually are the tails clipped short? Alas, the place closed down about three years ago. Darn! That is what you get for taking a 2010 guide book with you! The drive there was worth it though. Sheep free to wander without fences, a stone ring in the field, cows and sheep in the same fields. Mist, sometimes actual clouds envelope us. I am filled to the brim with this soft beauty and a constant awe-struck smile remains on my face. David says, “What peace there is to be had by wandering these hills and dales especially with the liquid skies you can see forever, each area in a different phase of weather.” We wander through a town where bells are tolling from the church steeple. The sound of the bells is ever changing into a new melody, new cadence. “Is someone getting married?”, we holler out the window. “Don't ask me, I'm from Norway!” I see people along the way that are almost the image of someone I've loved and lost. There is Marlene, beautiful hair like a next for birds, and a mouth set in concentration. And there is Abbey, long lost from me. That slim body topped with gorgeous red hair. The white freckled skin. We ferry across the famed Lake Windemere in the Lake District and head to Beatrix Potters summer home where she did much of her illustrating and writing. The house was left just exactly as she left it...and it was just as you would think it should look like. A cozy home filled with things she loved. Lots of rabbits, mice and hedgehog trinkets around set in the perfect places to catch your attention. And the garden! Kind of messy and overrun a bit. Mr. McGeggor's spade stuck in the middle of the lettuce. And I got a photo of that lettuce...quick before Peter's great grandchildren appeared to nibble the new green leaves to the ground! On to more of the Lake District as we make our way through Keswick to Cockermouth. The hills get higher and less smooth, more humps and bumps. My map says that the highest is 978 feet but most are at mid 500s to mid 700s. These are mostly rock outcroppings and grass. We also see what seems like birds in the wrong places...like Oyster Catchers in the fields. They are the same size and shape as ours but their bodies are both black and white. That long orange beak is the biggest clue. And a black headed tern is also more inland than expected, moved to wetlands. We spy a brown bird with a tall straight tuft. The only bird that matches is a Crested Lark, very rare in this area. Did I tell you that Julie Jose identified our very colorful Spanish bird? Hoopoe. Pink-orange fanned crest with black and white striped wings. He is here in Britain also... pretty special find I think.
June 10
Church this morning at Cockermouth Methodist Church. Chatted with lots of good folks at coffee. I love to hear their stories. Of course everyone has a relative in Canada or the States. Most have visited! We walked down the street to Wordsworth House. This was the house that William and his sister Dorothy grew up in. A fine house, not huge but large enough to have family rooms in the back of the house and visitor rooms at the front. His father worked for a wealthy man who owned the house and needed his agent to come off looking good. A large garden in the back is still constantly being worked on. William had advantages growing up but his mother died early and his father a few years later...so the fancy house disappeared. He and his sister had a strange relationship...I bought a book about Dorothy and look forward to digging deeper into that strangeness. It is said that some of Wordsworth's poetry might have been written by her...as women did not publish at that time. All those beautiful words about nature, from a mind (maybe two minds) that noticed all. To finish off the day we found a stone circle to explore. It was quite different than others. The entrance stones were lined up with two large stones at the other side of the circle which was also lined up with a “cut” or “V” in the mountains. Besides this there was a chapel area, a stone oblong ring inside the big circle and it was set opposite to where the sun rises on the first of May. David noticed some long lines of waves in the grass covered earth. We can only imagine what all this was about. But I think all people since the beginning of time have felt the need to connect with something beyond themselves. The dear sheep, moms and babies, were moving about the stones.
June 11
We are in the English borderlands, nearly in Scotland. We hiked on and along Hadrian's Wall! The wall was built in 112AD! It doesn't seem very tall or intimidating now but there were lookouts built every mile and many Roman soldiers to man it. There were also many forts in the area, to house the military. The fighting men built the wall which stretches 70 odd miles from sea to sea, east/west. There wasn't much fighting going on most of the time so this kept them all busy and out of trouble. The wall kept the English in and the Scots out....but not forever! The hike was exciting in the midst of such history. Also, a museum is next to one of the Roman forts that is still visible but only with a low layer of remaining stones. Air photos cleared up much of the mystery of how the fort was laid out. There are artifacts and models and a short very interesting film. Now we head off to Scotland!
THOUGHTS and OBSERVATIONS:
> Along the way we saw sheep being herded (probably for shearing) by an ATV. It looked like the driver was having fun. A buddy and two border collies were outside the fence watching. I wonder how the dogs liked having their jobs taken away?
> Lonely stone houses in the English border country. Cozy curtains in the windows which would look out at fields, hills and valleys and not another home.
> Apartments along the village streets can be the prettiest and sweetest. All in stone, all attached to each other but kept so well, each with a personality of its own. It is where I would choose to live.
> Absolutely no billboards. How refreshing!
> A bakery named BURNS THE BREAD
