September 2020 Archives

With being stuck indoors and at home for the majority of the year, I was happy to break out for my last visit to London for awhile and visit Peggy Porschen's cafe in Belgravia. The cafe is known for its Instagram-friendly floral displays on its pink fascade and its too-cute-to-eat sweet treats. Every season, the decor changes along with the themes of the treats. For autumn, new pumpkin-flavoured cupcakes have hit the shelves in various designs: pumpkins, maple leaves, oak leaves, and acorns.

The fascade of the shop has been decorated with pink and orange flowers and leaves with a white wheelbarrow filled with pumpkins painted in pastel colours. Pumpkins are also mixed with the foliage on the shop front. This is the Peggy Porschen "Pumpkin Patch".

As the chilly autumn days have settled in now with Sunday being particularly chilly, I ordered a hot chocolate and a pumpkin cupcake. The flavour of the cupcake was amazing; it was a pumpkin and spice flavour with creamy icing in good proportion to the sponge and cute embellishments.

More posts about Peggy Porschen on this blog are below:

Peggy Porschen Winter 2019
Summer at Peggy Porschen Cafe King's Road
Easter at the New Peggy Porschen Cafe, King's Road
February/March Heart and Floral Designs at London Shops
A Christmas Visit to Peggy Porschen Bakery

Chesters Bridge Abutment is located near the ruins of the Roman fort known today as Chesters at Hadrian's Wall. The ruins include the ruins of two bridges along the southern bank of the North Tyne river. The ruins can be accessed by walking down a trail between fields. I visited on one dewey August early morning and had a wonderful walk in the morning sunshine, and I had the place to myself. For photographs of my visit to Chesters, see Hadrian's Wall: A Visit to Chester's Roman Fort (Cilurnum).

The main structure of the Roman Bridge that remains it the octoganal shape, and other stones are scattered about. The second bridge had a tower, and its footprint can be seen amongst the ruins.

There were nice views of the river from the walk, and the morning felt like late summer. 

When I arrived at the bridge abutment, which was about a ten-minute walk, I could see the bath house at Chesters on the other side.

After visiting the ruins of the bridge, I made my way back down the trail.

The trail is located on the south side of the river by a set of traffic lights for a narrow bridge. Apparently, the trail can flood in high water, but it was nice and dry when I visited it.

London-based street artist Stik has launched a new sculpture in the east end's Hoxton Square. The sculpture, known as "Holding Hands" features the artist's 'stickman' figure with linked hands. I am not sure if this sculpture is a permanent addition to Hoxton Square or if it is up for a short time, but it is an amazing piece to see. A couple of Stik's artwork used to appear just off Hoxton Square, and you can see photographs of those on the link at the bottom of this post. 

My last post about Stik was after I had seen the mural collaboration with Stik and Thierry Noir on pieces of the Berlin wall on display in front of London's Imperial War Museum. I had previously covered Stik on my blog in the following posts:

Thierry Noir and STIK Paint "WALL", Berlin Wall at London's Imperial War Museum
Stik's "Past, Present & Future"
Bristol Upfest 2015
South Bank Street Art Festival 2013
Street Art: Stik
Baroque the Streets: Dulwich Street Art
Street Art: Thierry Noir

I am posting this now, but we may be on the brink of a new lockdown due to the coronavirus. I hope not. I don't think I could mentally cope with being locked up again. I think a lot of people feel pretty much the same. But, I am trying to keep positive because what else can one do other than to feel positive in the current times. I am looking forward to various things - meeting up with friends, seeing my family, trips abroad, visiting galleries and museums and theatre, leaving the house without feeling anxiety and danger, and so many other things that I had planned for 2020 but never got to come to fruition.

My first visit into London was in the middle of July, and I went to Covent Garden. I wanted to see if I felt safe. I didn't feel completely safe in some situations (using the tube), but I felt safe walking around. At the time, Covent Garden had put up their rainbow balloon for the month. This was so colourful, and it celebrates the rainbows we saw during the pandemic for hope and gratitude to the NHS, and also the rainbow symbol for Pride. The Pride parade, like other celebrations, had to be cancelled this year. (I had a birthday during lockdown so I plan to have two birthdays next year; fingers crossed that things will be better by then.)

I snapped photographs of various items in London. London still decorated during this time. Mayfair had banners "We LOVE London".

EL&N, or Elan Cafe (Élan Cafe Pink Love Hearts in Knightsbridge) were in the process of opening up a new branch on Carnaby Street opposite Liberty Department store. They had a message to the NHS workers.

Carnaby Street had blue decorations to welcome people back to the streets. The blue is for the NHS. 

Oxford Street, Regent Street, and Covent Garden had banners with the blue NHS heroes messages and the Union Jack flag.

South Molton Street near Bond Street tube station has messages for the time: Care, Love, Time, Hope.

Another area in Mayfair had "You are true heroes" banners for NHS workers.

Finally, Selfridges department store had big yellow lettering "Let's Change". This is for the environmental impact; during lockdown, the lack of emissions meant that the environment could breathe again. The air was cleaner. There are some things we need to change for the good of the Earth.

Elizabeth Street had "thank you" rainbow banners.

Covent Garden also had the artwork "Love, Hope, Joy" by Anthony Burrill.

I am hoping for positivity and positive change throughout the months ahead. 

Back in July, I visited the ruins of the Roman fort and town of Vindolanda in Northumberland. At the time, the museum was very busy, and I did not feel safe with the social distancing measures, so I did not stay for very long and decided to return. I returned to Northumberland in August, so I decided to visit the museum at the end of the day in order to see what I missed. I had previously looked around the  The museum was quiet at this time, so I was able to freely look at the exhibits without groups of other people, and I suggest readers who are looking to visit the museum should visit late in the day; I easily spent four hours exploring the museum and ruins. For information about the ruins of the town and fort, see my post here: Hadrian's Wall: Visiting the Roman Fort Town of Vindolanda.

Vindolanda is a unique setting that has uncovered many secrets of Roman life. Wood, leather, and other perishable items dating from around 2,000 years have been discovered here. The Romans had renovated their buildings, and upon renovations, they had placed their trash on the ground while they built up for new foundations, covering the trash with clay to keep it safe and dry. Some of the best artefacts discovered from Roman times has been found here at Vindolanda, which is located within the northern boundary of the Roman empire.

The museum at Vindolanda contains many of these artefacts. A large collection of different shoes gives an insight into the individuality of the wearers with different patterns carved in (and wooden clogs were used in the bath houses). Leather was also used to create boxing gloves, tents and bags to hold tools, very similar to what we use today. In fact, looking at all of the items, I feel that the people who lived 2,000 years ago were very similar to us. In fact, one of the leather items discovered is a little mouse cut from leather cloth. Was this just a leather-maker's fun or an idea at creating an item for a child? Was it used to help teach a novice how to cut leather?

A selection of pieces of armour and weapons of various type were also on display as well as a human skull that was found in a ditch and likely placed on display as a warning. The other human remains in the museum are the remains of a young child of about ten years of age who was discovered buried beneath one of the barrack rooms.

Items include leather for a horse, a horse's skull, a horse trinket. One section was on locks with wooden and metal lock mechanisms being discovered. The Romans also used a passcode for each day, and this would be required in order for others to get into various areas in the fort. A selection of crucibles is on display; these are a few jars of different sizes of pottery fired to heat up metals. Included are also personal entertainment items, such as game pieces (dice) and a wooden container to store these pieces in. Lanterns were also discovered; many of these were made of pottery, but there are others made of metal.

A room in the museum is dedicated to coins found.

Soldiers carried personal items, such as combs and needles in a wooden case. They had a kit bag and needed to make repairs to their clothing; this was probably done while they were out on patrols instead of in the towns where it perhaps they could use someone in the trade.

The cloth that they wore of wool would have been dyed. Yellow and brown were probably popular as well as grey, and they could also dye red.

Jewellery was also discovered, and each piece is personal and individual. This shows the tastes of the wearer and the style of the times. Jet was a popular mineral used for buttons, beads and other items. Buckles were commonly discovered as well as bronze pieces that held glass between intricate designs. Glass beads are commonly found, and many of these beads were made with one colour of glass with a dot of a different colour of glass in a pattern around the bead; this was apparently to ward off "evil eye" (envy/jealousy). I wonder how the personal jewellery items became lost to the owner. Perhaps they were stolen. They could have fallen off the wearer or placed on a table or in a dish which got tipped onto a floor and carried out or buried with the moss and bracken that was used to cover the floors of the rooms.

One of the most interesting items is a glass bowl painted with figures. It is known as the "Gladiator glass" for the image painted on it. The item was broken in antiquity and discarded, and two segments of it have been discovered in different places. The item had come from the Rhineland, showing the blend of culture in the Roman towns and forts in Britain.

There is a room of bones of animals discovered at Vindolanda. Skulls on display include cattle, goat, deer, sheep, dog, and cat. Later in the museum, someone identified some of the breeds of dog kept by the Romans, and there was actually a pretty wide array of dog including hounds, spaniels, and terrier breeds. The cat skull shows that the Romans had cats; perhaps the cats were kept to keep away rodents or perhaps they came as pets or opportunists.

One of the items on display is a hairnet made of cloth, and there are a selection of combs, some within a leather case, and pins. 

There is also a selection of religious items, fertility items, animal/votive tokens and casts or moulds to create figured by pouring metal into them.

Another interesting item discovered is a timekeeping piece, the Calendrical Clepsydra. The item somehow measured water by allowing the water to drip through small holes, and the water level could determine what the time was. It could record the hours of the day based on the month and time in the month.

One room at the museum has a display of some of the items discovered made of wood. These include furniture, wheels, barrels/lids, bowls, tools, pipes, doors, toy swords, and a toilet seat that was probably in the commander's house. Some of the items contain writing or grafitti. It appears that some of the numerals and letters was a stamp made of metal that could be placed in heat to burn the symbol in place. One of the items is a personalised workshop desk, and visitors can see the stamps that had been punched into the item over years of use. Some of the boxes have designs carved into them, such as the lid with a design of a peacock.

One of the most interesting items of the museum are the Vindolanda Tablets. These tablets were messages carved into pieces of wood and then stored in a box. Several of these were discovered preserved, giving an insight into some of the inhabitants and their lives 2,000 years ago. A video in the museum describes the tablets and some of the messages from the number of soldiers available in the fort or accounted for, items purchased, various requests, and an invitation to a birthday party. The wooden block of wood was covered in wax and written on, and the tablets could be used many times.

One of the rooms in the museum details the people mentioned in the tablets and information provided about them so that a picture can be seen of the real people who lived in Vindolanda all those years ago and who are now lost to time.

When the country started to open up again at the end of June in 2020 after over three months due to the coronavirus pandemic lockdown, Covent Garden installed some artwork in the piazza. We have all been through so much, and much uncertainty lies ahead. The artwork was installed on buildings in the piazza, and it was created by Anthony Burrill. The artwork reads "Love, Hope & Joy". 

The wording reflects the time during lockdown and coming out of lockdown. Suddenly, the country was forced to lockdown without much warning due to the coronavirus from China; one minute, life seemed to be alright, and then we were suddenly informed to lock ourselves indoors. During that time, communities came together. There were many stories of people doing what they could to help, whether that was providing food to less fortunate or looking after one another in many different ways. The lockdown showed the vulnerablilities as there was really no way to plan for something on this scale.

The artwork that is blown up in large form in Covent Garden's piazza is also available as a print, and the profits of the work will go to NHS charities. To see the artwork, head over to Covent Garden before October.

Brodsworth Hall dates from the mid-1800s and is one of the best examples of an unchanged Victorian country house. The estate is located in South Yorkshire near Doncaster, and I went to visit it on one of the hottest days of the year toward the end of July. Due to coronavirus, the hall is not open at the moment, but visitors can explore the beautiful gardens. The hall was gifted to English Heritage in 1990.

The gardens contain many sculptures and sculpted shrubbery placed around the grounds.

There is a nice glimpse of a little church from the grounds.

I did not stay too long because the weather was a little too unbearable after having been in the sun for so long that day. I do hope to visit it again once it is safe to do so.

One place that I have never been until the end of July is Skegness, a seaside town on the Lincolnshire coast (east coast of England). Due to coronavirus, I have been steering clear of towns and villages. Normally, I'd schedule a visit to a new city, town, or village on my travels. I've been avoiding them and sticking to places that are away from groups of people. However, I rode through the town of Skegness, and although the main street was busy, it was not too crowded. I kept my distance, avoided the high street, and I did not stay long at all. Generally, I think most people were not out or not visiting at this stage. At some point, when it is safe, I shall return to Skegness and enjoy the seaside town.

Skegness is actually a really old town and was most likely a Viking town and named after a Viking ruler; "Skeggi" is a Scandanavian word that means "bearded". Skegness became a seaside resort in the mid-1800s, although it starting to get popular to visit seaside towns and enjoy the sea in the 1700s. The introduction of the railway meant that people could visit it from the midlands. Its heyday was in the 1890s-1945. 

The attraction that brought me to Skegness, besides a quick drive around and to see what the town was like at a glance, was the Skegness Model Village. However, down the road along the coast is a Butlins and also several caravan and camping sites, so I think this area would normally attract many visitors.

Skegness has many attractions along the waterfront to make it an ultimate English seaside town. A fairground with rides and a boating lake is popular. (The rides were shut when I visited due to coronavirus.)

Gardens are also laid out near the beach with the boating lake and paddling pool with fountains. Due to coronavirus, some of the attractions, such as the paddling pool, were not in operation. Visitors could also enjoy other attractions or buy beach items.

The weather was hot when I visited; it was perfect beach weather. Had it not been for coronavirus, I may have sat on the beach awhile. I was tempted by the slushies. Slushies are perfect for a hot summer's day. A kiosk on the beach was selling them in different flavours; you could even buy alcoholic ones.

Most people seemed to be adhering to social distancing. 

The donkeys are a popular seaside attraction. Children can ride a donkey on the beach for a fee. They were actually quite popular.

The gardens along the seaside were lovely too.

The clocktower dates from the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1899.

The Great Northern Railway Company created a character for its marketing of the town. It is known as "The Jolly Fisherman", nicknamed "Jolly". He is still an important identity of the town.

On the road that follows the seafront were many touristy shops and arcades, ice cream shops, bars, cafes, restaurants, and various entertainment venues.

Further down the road is Mapledurham, a lovely town with a quieter beach. There are other attractions here, such as another boating lake (for children), and this is one of the few places where beach huts can be rented for a day.

I enjoyed my visit to Skegness and plan to return once it is safe to do so. There are quite a lot of attractions in the town.

Skegness Model Village was created over two years and opened to the public in 1962. It is located on the sea front in Skegness and managed by the aquarium next door. The model village consists of a model railway, a working model fairground, and a model village in landscaped gardens. Unfortunately, the last caretakers of the model village left the buildings out to the elements over the winter, so they got largely damaged although most were repaired when I visited. The train and some of the model fairground were not running at the time of my visit. The new management have been repairing the town and gardens from previous neglect. I really enjoyed my visit.

Walking around the model village, one of the things I noticed were the funny names on the buildings and the attention to all of the little details. Comical names were used for the different businesses. 

There is a retro lido.

A farmhouse.

"Semore Clearly Optician" and "Lucy Lastic Panties". 

"Willie Cheatum Greengrocers", "Bristle and Grunt pork butchers", and "The House of the Rising Bun, Nobody Does it Butter" bakery.

There was also a haunted abbey, complete with haunted skeletons and ghosts in the windows and graves.

A water feature winded itself around the model village. (There was a duck enjoying some time in one area of the water that was a little overgrown and a bird cleaning itself here by the boat house.)

"W.E Slapiton Painter and Decorator". Notice the little dog.

The cathedral had a wedding going on, and the bells were sounding as you approached it.

The Skegness Model Village is an absolute gem of a place. It was really a fun visit, and I was the only visitor for most of the time.

Roche Abbey is the ruins of a Cistercian monastary that dates from the mid-1100s, but very little records of the abbey exist today. The monks that formed the abbey came from Northumberland, and the abbey was dedicated to Virgin Mary. It probably supported a community of about 150, but only a handful were in place in the year that the monastaries were dissolved. The dwindling number of monks that lived in its later stage of occupation was probably one reason why it fell into ruin. The other was because the locals laid claim to the abbey and removed the timber, lead, stone, and other items after the dissolution; sadly, most of it was deliberately damaged or destroyed. A couple of impressive walls of the abbey remain in addition to a couple of bridges over the stream through the site, and the site was landscaped by 'Capability' Brown. Today, legends surround the abbey; it was used in the fictional Robin Hood story, is home to a few ghosts, and is rumoured to contain hidden tunnels. 

In the 1700s, the private owner hired Capability Brown to landscape the grounds. Unfortunately, this caused some damage to the site as some of the buildings were town down and large earth mounds and turf were brought in for the landscaped gardens. The site remained buried until the 1920s. The ground that had been built up over the ruins did protect them.

The site is managed by English Heritage, and the remains of a gatehouse can be seen upon entering the grounds. The abbey itself is located down a single-lane cobblestone roadway for about a mile, winding down a hill. There is a public footpath near the abbey, and apparently it has some nice views over the abbey, but I did not walk on the trail.

The stream on the site was dammed higher upstream to ensure faster-flowing water over the latrines and through the grounds. This was quite an innovation in that time. 

The walls of the early Gothic transcepts of the abbey still stand at their original height, and this was one of the best examples of early Gothic architecture in the U.K. 

Overall, the abbey was a nice ruin to visit, especially on a sunny day. Visitors can easily make out where the buildings were located and enjoy quiet time here.

At the beginning of August when we had beautiful sunny weather, I visited Wrest Park in Bedfordshire. Wrest Park is maintained by English Heritage. Due to coronavirus, the house is closed, but visitors can visit the park and gardens (via a one-way system in the gardens and cafe area). An earlier house existed at Wrest, but it was rebuilt in the 1830s and inspired by French architecture.

The house was used as a military hospital in World War I and sold to Sun Alliance Insurance before World War II, and it was used for agricultural research. In 2006, English Heritage took over the restoration of the house and gardens, and the park was open to the public in 2011.

The gardens were landscaped by Capability Brown in the mid-1700s. An orangery, marble fountains, and bathhouse were added to the grounds afterwards.

In front of the house are expansive views over a lake with wonderful views of the house on one end.

A pagoda and rainbow bridge (Indian bridge) is located in the parkland alongside the canal walks.

There are plenty of places to sit and enjoy the views.

I hope to return to Wrest Park once the house is open and once it is safe to do so.

I had a voucher to use for Pip Box, a vegan and cruely-free beauty monthly subscription box. Due to the number of make-up and skincare products that I am slowly getting through, I had cancelled all of my beauty subscription boxes a long while ago. However, I came across Pip Box and wanted to purchase from some cruelty-free brands that do not test on animals and are good for the environment. This will allow me to try some sample-sized cruelty-free make-up and beauty products. To see and read about what I received in my first ever Pip Box, the September 2020 edition, look below. According to the marketing, the box contents were worth over £83.00 this month.

Dr. Botanicals Moroccan Rose Hand Cream: This lightweight cream is created with rose water, coconut oil, and tiare flower extract to repair and nourish dry skin. This product is a small size and in an attractive floral pattern that is perfect for carrying around in a handbag. (RRP is £19.95)

Figs & Rouge Light Reflective Brightening Primer and Illuminator: This oil-free gel helps to create a glowing complexion and promises to brighten throughout the day to promote a youthful skin-tone. This product can be worn under make-up or make-up free. (RRP 35.00)

MEMI Luxe Lipstick in 'You Wish': This silky lipstick adds a creamy colour and also promotes the addition of moisture to lips, perfect for cooler autumn days. The colour I received is 'You Wish', which I describe as a light tan-brown colour, which is a good autumn colour. (RRP 12.00)

Lavera Sensitive Organic All Round Cream (travel tin): This moisturiser promises to help very dry skin and can be used anywhere. It comes in a compact tin. (RRP 2.00-7.95)

Beauty Made Easy Cube Lip Balm: I received the pink raspberry colour and scent for this product, which comes in a small square-shaped box and is made with natural ingredients to help cure dry lips. (RRP 3.99)

Weleda Pomegranate firming day cream: I received three small sample-sized sachets of this firming day cream.

Naked vegan snack bar (raspberry chocolish): I received a Naked cereal bar. I've had these cereal bars before, and they are made with natural and healthy ingredients without added sugar, gluten, and are vegan.

In addition to the subscription box, I also purchased the upsell of "Three extra products for 4.99", which promised to be worth over £35.00. The three products that I received are listed below (photograph above):

Vitamsques black gold dust sheet mask in 'purifying': This soothing and purifying facial mask contains charcoal powder and 24-carat gold dust. (RRP 5.99)

Laritzy Cosmetics liquid beam in 'copper': This liquid illuminator can be used as an eyeshadow or a highlighter to create a metallic and copper glow; it is available in four different shades. (RRP £4.00-14.00)

Lacura Kick Start 'Lemon and Tea Tree' Shower Gel: This shower gel can be purchased inexpensively at Aldi for a few pence. Although the product claims to be vegan, it is sold in a plastic bottle. (RRP .50p)

What's my verdict on the subscription box? Overall, I think the products are worthy to try, but I think the selection this month was too similar. In the box, there were two lip products and two skin-moisturising products (a hand cream and a general purpose cream). I would have preferred a different selection of one of those items. 

What's my verdict on the upsell? I would not bother with the upsell at all. The shower gel is a cheap Aldi brand that can be purchased for a few pence, and the mask and liquid liner/highlighter are both very inexpensive items. I struggle to see how these items would be valued at anything more than what was paid for them. 

The Gunby Estate is maintained by the National Trust and is comprised of parkland, a hall, and gardens in Lincolnshire. The hall is a Grade I listed building of modest size, and it was built in 1700. It has extensive Victorian gardens with traditional plants including several different varieties of fruit tree. A dovecote is located inside the gardens, and the stables have been converted to a tea room.

The property was donated to the National Trust in 1944 and is open to the public. The hall is connected to poet Tennyson who lived not far from the Gunby Estate, and some of his writing was completed while visiting the hall. At the moment, due to coronavirus, the hall is closed, but the gardens and parkland can be visited. A one-way system has been set up in order for visitors to enjoy the gardens safely.  

Visitors can enjoy a small selection of take-away snacks and drinks from the converted stables, and there are a few outdoor seats to sit at.

The dovecote, located in the below photograph, had a lot of pigeons hanging around it. 

The butterflies and bees were everywhere in the garden. There were so many butterflies and moths of different types.

I really enjoyed the gardens at Gunby Estate, and I hope to visit again once the hall is open to visitors. 

Buzzy Bee Bakery is a small bakery located in Cheshire. The bakery releases a selection of different flavours of brownies and cookies each week for home delivery. These cookies and brookies (a cross between a cookie and a brownie) are quite popular, and the brownie was nearly perfect. Customers can pick and choose the different flavours from a set of options on the website. I ordered a few items at the end of August.

Cheshire-based Buzzy Bee Bakery has been in operation since early 2018 when the company was launched and attended artisan markets with their popular sweet baked treats. Owner and baker Millie studied cookery school in London and has worked as a pastry chef in Australia and London before returning to Cheshire to start the business. Buzzy Bee Bakery create home-delivered cookies, jar cakes, and brownies and also offer other goods locally.

I choose the chocolate chip cookie, which was made with milk, white and dark chocolate. It was delicious, but I needed to save part of it for later because it was just too sweet for me. I also ordered the Custard Creme brookie, caramel brookie, brownie, and another chocolate cookie with multi-coloured sprinkles.

My favourite was the caramel and dark chocolate cookie and the brownie. All of the items were better slightly warmed up in the microwave, and all items would keep in the refridgerator for five days. This was perfect for me since the items were delivered to me the day before a mini staycation. I put most of the items in air-tight containers in the refridgerator, and they kept perfectly.

Mercato Mayfair has been on my radar since it opened at the end of last year, and I had been planning to visit in the spring. I almost did visit it a couple of times, but my plans fell through and decided to visit it in the middle of mid-March, but then the country locked down due to coronavirus. So, I never got to visit Mercato Mayfair until last month. Located in between Marble Arch and Bond Street is the Grade I listed church St. Mark's, and this church has been converted into a food hall and a food market. There are many cuisines available at the market to cater for hungry guests.

Throughout the month of August and September, my workplace has allowed my colleagues and I to take a half day by working extra time during the rest of the week. This has allowed me to get the tube into London during my lunch break when the transport is relatively quiet. Going into London has not been easy for me at all. On my first trip on the tube, I had anxiety, which was heightened on the return trip because there were as many people as there were seats in the carriage. And a few of these people were not masked.

The food is located around the church nave on the ground floor and the floor above, where there is a beautiful gallery that overlooks the church. Choosing what to eat was a little bit of a dilema, but I love pizza, so it won me over this time. Fresco Mayfair provided the pizza.

Visitors can also get dessert and snacks here. Gelato Badiani sells gelato and coffee in Mercato Mayfair. Pistachio ice cream is my favourite, so I knew I must try some, and they do sell some good and award-winning ice cream. The nutella version of the ice cream has won awards, but I had the pistachio as it is my favourite flavour. They also sell ice cream cakes, ice cream cookies, and ice cream sandwiches.

Those looking for after-work and social drinks will also not be disappointed. Jim and Tonic sells gin-based cocktails at the top of the converted church, and another bar serving beer is located opposite it, so visitors can decide what type of tipple they wish to consume. I had a nice gin cocktail.

I felt safe at Mercato Mayfair because it was not too busy when I visited, and staff were cleaning tables regularly. This is a beautiful building, and there is plenty of space to sit down for a meal and signage up to promote social-distancing.

I had planned to visit Waddeson's house this summer. It was one of the items on my list as I had attempted to visit it last spring, but it was booked up, and I never got to return. Due to coronavirus, the house is unfortunately closed in 2020, and I doubt that it will reopen now. Visitors can visit the park and gardens at Waddesdon, and at present, they were putting together outdoor cinema. I did visit the grounds and the ground floor of the house last winter as a part of the Christmas and Winter Light at Waddesdon Manor (Bucks, England).

The entrance into the parkland from the house leads to the aviary or a walkway around the grounds. 

The aviary has some colourful and noisy birds on display. I managed to spot a few. One of the birds sounded like a small child making noises. We actually thought it was a child making funny noises until we got closer to the cages. I spotted the bird making the noise quickly, which was the one sitting on the rock in the image below.

If you enjoy spotting birds, you can spend awhile looking inside the cages to see if you can find the bird. Sometimes they move; sometimes they sing. Sometimes, they are up high in branches. Sometimes, they walk along the ground. Some of them blend in more than others.

After visiting the aviary and seeing the birds, I walked around the small rose garden.

The sun came out during the visit after a wet and dreary morning. 

I also noted that autumn seems to be making its way and summer is ending with the changing of the leaves.

I am hopeful to visit Waddesdon once things get back to normality, which I really hope is soon. I think it may be mid-2021, though, sadly. Let's just hope for things to get better.

Kedleston Hall is a National Trust property located in Derbyshire. It was built in the mid-1700s and built to impress. The family (Curzon) had owned the land since the 1200s. The hall contains items from the Middle East and Asia since one of the family was Viceroy of India between 1899-1905. The property has an area of grounds to explore, and the gardens at the back host a nice collection of wildflowers, which were in their prime during my visit. Unfortunately, the house is not open to visitors due to coronavirus, so I was only able to explore the grounds and gardens. The property became managed by the National Trust in the 1970s with the condition that the family can continue to live in part of the hall. The family had links to slavery/coolonialism and anti-suffrage, so it's probably a bit controversial for some visitors, but then history is very controversial because of social and political evolution.

The gardens are very beautiful with wildflowers.

Since I was unable to explore the hall and other buildings, I hope to return to Kedleston Hall when things are safe and open to do so.

Hidcote Gardens is located in Gloucestershire, England and is a set of different gardens in 'rooms' created using hedges. The estate was purchased by American Lawrence Johnston and his mother in the early 1900s. Johnston fought in the Boer war. Both he and his mother had ties to the Arts and Crafts movement to allow gardens to be enjoyed by all, and the gardens became a well-known example of an Arts and Crafts garden. In 1947, he allowed the National Trust to keep up the gardens.

At Hidcote, there is a surprise around each corner, leading to an garden within a garden, boundaries set by hedges. Each area has its own theme.

I visited during coronavirus, and measures have been put in place for a one-way system around most of the gardens but not all of it. However, the gardens have also been neglected this year and are not looking the best.

I hope to visit Hidcote in the future, once it is safe to do so and once the gardens are looking nice again.

The Cookie Cup Girls is a small bakery that creates cookie cups and cake slices for home deliveries. Batches of orders are created weekly with different flavours and then shipped to customers during the week. I ordered a box of six cookie cups at the beginning of August, and the cookie cups can be eaten cold or slightly heated in the microwave for 20 seconds. I heated mine as they tasted just a little better and a little on the gooey side.

The flavours included a salted caramel brownie, a biscoff blondie, a vanilla Smartie cookie, a Snickers cookie, a milkybar cookie, and a Caramac cookie. 

The cookies came in a small box, individually-packaged and ready to eat. They were all very delicious, and my favourites were the Snickers and Smarties ones.

I recently visited Crich Tramway Museum in Derbyshire. This was my second visit to the museum; my first visit was in the summer of 2012 (Derbyshire - Heights of Abraham and Tramway Museum), and I arrived toward the end of the day and managed to ride on one of the trams, have a quick look around the museum, and check out some of the classic MINIs that were scattered around before they left. That first visit felt a little bit rushed, so I decided to visit the museum again as I was in the area. Museums are also suffering due to coronavirus, and there were not many people at the museum.

Visitors to the museum were assigned a socially-distanced seat on one tram. Normally, visitors can enjoy multiple tram journeys with hop-on and hop-off service. Due to coronavirus, visitors get assigned one tram journey and can go back later to request another one, if available. 

In addition to the trams, some other bits of old English town and branding/signage is located at the musuem: pub, tea room, sweet shop, telephone box, post box, police box, and so on.

Visitors to the pub or tearooms had to sit outside.

On the plus side, there were plenty of great photo opportunities with one of three trams that were running at the time. 

Three trams were running. The first was a green and white tram, the Blackpool 236, an open-top tram dating from 1934. The second is a brown and yellow Leeds tram from 1926, number 399. The third tram also dates from 1926 and is a Blackpool number 40 with white and red colour. I read on the number 40 Blackpool tram. This may have been the same tram that I rode on when I visited before.

The tram journey was socially-distanced with plenty of space between other passengers. The trams were washed down before the next visitors, so this meant fewer trams running and hygiene measures in place to allow everyone to be safe. 

I did manage to get an ice cream from the ice cream shop.

After visiting the trams and the tram ride, I visited the museums. There are three parts to the museums. The first museum is a general history museum about the history of trams and their use as a postal and passenger service. The second museum has a small section on mining and another on early transport, starting with horses and then going to railroad information. The third museum showcases different trams and tram models from the different decades. 

A ticket to the Crich Tramway Museum is valid for a year, so visitors can come back and visit as many times as they would like.

Rufford Abbey is a Cistercian monastery that dates from the 1100s and that was transformed into a Jacobean home and hunting fields after the monasteries were dissolved. The property is set in acres of grounds, parkland, and a nature reserve in Nottinghamshire. The monastery was never a very large one, and the building was repurposed into a home. Today, the parkland around the abbey is popular for visitors as there are gardens to explore with various activities and sculptures, boating, and a couple little shops selling gifts, souvinirs, and ice cream. The abbey is maintained by English Heritage and the Nottinghamshire council. It is also rumoured to be haunted.

Due to coronavirus, I was unable to go inside the ruins. It was not clear on the English Heritage website at the time of my visit in late July that the ruins were not open, but the grounds are open and are a popular place for families to visit. The stables next door to the abbey contain a gift shop and ice cream shop, and there is seating behind the building.

A quick walk around the grounds revealed an orangery and sculptures.

Sculptures were dotted around the gardens. Below is one called "The Hand", designed by schoolchildren based on Makaton, which is language that uses pictures and symbols to communicate.

Below is a walled garden with sculptures and a seat, known as the Girlguiding of Nottinghamshire Centenary Seat. It was designed by girl guides.

There is also a maze and a memorial wall inside the gardens.

The monks were very strict at this abbey and spent most of their time in prayers. In the early 1500s, only 16 monks lived at the abbey, so it was a small community.

Outside the abbey is the "Queen Mother's Walk", which was dedicated to the Queen's Mother in 1981 for her 80th birthday.

The ghosts include the "Black Monk" (I assume a monk in a black cloak), the ghost of a baby that snuggles up to female visitors, and the "White Lady", who was rumoured to be a lady who met her death at the Tower of London. There are also rumours about another lady dressed in black. The reports of these ghosts have been told by many people. The ghosts have been blamed on one of the previous owners as he experimented with black magic. There was also a loose flagstone at the bottom of stairs that revealed a grisly discovery of a skeleton with a bullet hole through its skull. With so much history and a terrible murder, it is no wonder why this place has its ghosts.

The gardens in front of the abbey were beautiful and in full bloom during my visit. An information panel about roses was located in the gardens and explains the origin of the rose probably having originated in China before being used as a symbol in ancient Egypt and then brought from the Middle East to Europe in the middle ages where it became a symbol.

The rose garden was redesigned in 2009 for the abbey, and a new variety of rose planted here is named "The White Lady" after one of the famous ghosts of the abbey.

Information board about the monastery and life in a monastery were located in front of the abbey.

I will have to return to Rufford Abbey as soon as it is open to the public again.

After visiting Rufford Abbey, I visited Laxton. Laxton is the last place in England where the open fields are maanged as they would have been years ago. Hedges do not mark barriers, and the farmland is managed into strips for each farm in different areas. The Dovecote Inn is located in the village and opposite a little tourist information room (not open during my visit) where I had dinner. The Dovecote Inn is known for good fish and chips. 

I had the gammon, which was good, followed by the chocolate dessert. Unfortnately, I forgot to take a photograph of the pub on the way out.