June 2021 Archives

On a very wet and rainy day in late June, I visited the ruins of Wolvesey Castle. I had previously visited several years ago, but I lost my photographs at some point. Wolvesey Castle was the 10th century palace of residence of the Bishop of Winchester, and the ruins are also referred to as "Old Bishop's Palace". The bishop had the highest religious power and also a high level of political power, and their estates spanned to Somerset; they were extremely wealthy. "Wolvesey" (known as Wulveseye) is translated as "Wolf's Island". The ruins date from the 1100s, but the first palace on the site would have dated from 970.

Wolvesey Castle is located near the River Itchen and inside the old city walls. The river used to divert into two wide channels, but this was changed by the Romans in 70AD, who used the river to create a moat, and prevented flooding. In medieval times, the river was at least twice as wide as it is today. Along this river is a pleasant walk, and visitors can see a surviving part of the old Roman wall along the river here. The wall dates from the 3rd century, and it is the only surviving part of the Roman wall that can be seen today in Winchester. There are also pleasant gardens with rose bushes.

Further along the river and old wall, the pathway bends a corner and leaves the river behind. Not far along here is the entrance. The site of the Bishop's Palace (Wolvesey Castle) contained stables, barns, storage of wool, a prison, and other buildings in a courtyard. The original entrance was through the old city walls located nearly where the entrance is to the present day. The new palace (which is private and cannot be toured) is next to the present ruins and was a replacement for the old palace, and it was built in the 1680s.

The palace was rebuilt in the late 1600s because it was heavily damaged during the English Civil War. The original ruins date from the 1100s.

The east hall was designed for larger groups and assemblies, and it was built on a grand scale 27 meters long and designed lavishly. The boards throughout the location mention several key pieces of history and detail what the rooms are. The rooms are marked with gravel inside them while areas that were not rooms (and thus courtyards) are marked by grass. One of the stories is that there was conflict between if the English King or the Spanish Queen Matilda had the right to rule. King Stephen was captured by Spain, and Bishop Henry was ready to welcome Matilda to the throne, but he disliked her attitude and then went to fight for his brother's (King Stephen's) cause. He allowed the palace to be sieged and Matilda to be captured. After the conflict, the palace had towers built and was made to appear like a powerful stronghold. 

The kitchens border one side of the walls, which are actually very thin but appear to be thicker than they are from the outside.

The palace had one of the earliest examples of plumbing, and the drains for this can be seen below. The drains would have been emptied into the moat that used to completely surround the castle.

The palace was also the location of a wedding banquet of Queen Mary and Phillip II of Spain in 1554, and this was its last grand event. It was destroyed by Cromwell in the English Civil War in 1646.

The day was really wet, and it was impossible to keep feet dry walking through some of the puddles. Hopefully those of you who have explored Wolvesey Castle or who plan to do so after reading about it and seeing the photographs have drier weather than I had on my visit.

Summer has now begun, but with the cool and wet weather, you would not have thought it had. I am still hoping that the weather improves now that things are starting to open up more, but the restriction will be going on until at least the end of July. What have I done this month? I have finally managed to see a few friends, and I've had a "lockdown birthday" (although I did manage to have a meal and afternoon tea out for it this year, unlike last year). I have also had a few street parties with the football, weddings, birthdays, and anniversaries. These are, of course, socially-distanced and adhere to the current guidelines.

I am looking forward to some time off and have been sorting out the house (or trying to) while working full time. I am feeling a bit drained with everything, but that's what happens when there's so much lost time to make up for as we were stuck in these restrictions and lockdowns.

I had one visit to Covent Garden, one of my favourite places in London. If I am in the area, I like to see their flowers.

I also had the new summer edition peach crumble from Humble Crumble.

Craft Gin Club is a monthly subscription box featuring one full bottle of gin, mixers for the gin, snacks, and a monthly magainze "Ginned!". The "Ginned!" magazine contains a wealth of information about the products in the monthly box with features on the full-sized bottle of gin, and several cocktail and food recipes that you can use with your gin. June's box comes with a full bottle of gin from the Isle of Man and is inspired by mythology and folklore: Fynoderee Manx Dry Gin Elder Shee Special Edition. 

Fynoderee Manx Dry Gin Elder Shee Special Edition is a floral and fresh flavour of elderflower and pink grapefruit, rosemary and lemon thyme. The box came with two Coast British Tonic bottles to make a classic gin and tonic from using the monthly June gin. Coast is inspired by the world's coastlines, and the British Tonic is a crisp flavour with a hint of sea salt, grass, and citrus. It compliements the Fynoderee Manx Dry Gin quite well. Grapefruit slices and cardamon pods add a subtle flavour to the mix and came with the monthly box.

June's subscription box also came with a pack of Bahlsen Choco Leibniz biscuits, and I am already a fan of these. The bicuits are crumbly and slightly salty with a delicious chocolate layer on top. They pair with gin, and I've not paired them with gin before and never thought of doing so.

Tame & Wild Strawberry, Cucumber, and Lime Flower was one of the mixers received in the box this month. The brand is focused on using the best British ingredients and mixing fresh fruit with botanicals. The mixer was combined with the "Fairy Juice" mixer to create the June cocktail of the month. The "Fairy Juice" is described as a tart but fruity flavour, but I found it hard to describe the flavour. I enjoyed the flavour of the Tame & Wild mixer and found it refreshing and an unusual flavour.

I received the Bepps (black-eyed pea popped snacks) in the barbecue flavour, but other subscribers would have received the sea salt and black pepper flavour. I would have been happy with either flavour, and the snack was enjoyable. It's also vegan and gluten-free and make a healthier alternative to potato crisps.

Another savoury snack included in the June Craft Gin Club subscription box is Fairfields Farm's hand-cooked potato crisps in the Bacon & Tomato flavour. The company are a third-generation farming family that use renewable energy in East Anglia. It's another vegan and gluten-free snack.

The third savoury snack is also a vegan snack from The British Popcorn Co. Subscribers received their new Caramel & Espresso flavour. I am not a coffee drinker as I dislike it, but it was a subtle flavour that I was able to ignore and enjoy in this snack with a glas of gin and tonic. However, I wouldn't buy this flavour again as I'd opt for a different flavour. 

One of the other mixers received is the CRAFTED drink range by The Cracker Drinks Co. Their drinks are made in small batches and mix well to create perfect cocktails, and I am more than impressed with these mixers. I received the Blueberry & Blackberry flavour, and other subscribers would have received the Cloudy Lemon flavour. The flavour I received had a cocktail recipe to use with spiced gin, and it was absolutely delicious. It was one of the best cocktails I have had from this subscription box, and I will be purchasing some of these mixers. The little carton made four cocktails, and I still had enough left over to make one more.

Overall, I found this box to be a real winner for me. I loved the snacks and the mixers and enjoyed a few good cocktails. 

Previous Craft Gin Club boxes that I have posted about are included below:

Craft Gin Club: May 2021
Craft Gin Club: April 2021
Craft Gin Club: March 2021
Craft Gin Club: February 2021

Photography has been a passion for me since I was very young. For one of my birthdays (I may have been eight or ten years old), I received a camera from my aunt. Not to show my age, but this was a point-and-shoot camera that took a roll of film that needed to be processed as a negative. I immediately went out to take photographs around the farm and promptly used up all twenty-four or thirty-six exposures on capturing animals and buildings. Of course, I was unable to see the photographs taken until the film was developed and returned to me, but I was already fascinated with the art of photography to capture moments.

Fast forward through my life and I found myself studying photography classes at university as a part of my degrees with a SLR camera, though I hated developing my own negatives. I was not very quick to adopt the new digital SLR technology as the results were never as good, but I eventually did and currently own a digital SLR that I use to take most of my photographs. With the improvement of mobile phone cameras, I do take photographs on my mobile phone too. With that in mind, photography has been an important part of my life.

William Henry Fox Talbot was a mathematician and chemist who spent time at his home at Lacock Abbey creating the science behind photography, notably the photographic negative and the process of creating many prints from one image. Camera obscuras and painters used smaller light boxes to draw outlines of paintings. Others discovered chemicals that changed colour on paper and other processes for it. A French inventor, Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, made some other advancements and was able to capture a faint image over an eight-hour exposure using an engraved process.

William Henry Fox Talbot moved into Lacock Abbey when he was 27, although he did inherit the property much earlier. Talbot was interested in botany and classical literature, and he would attempt to draw plants. While on honeymoon in Italy, he attempted to draw but was not very good, so he decided to try to invent a way for people who had no artistic talents to create imagery. He started to experiment with different methods in 1834.

The first image was exposed over several hours of the window in the abbey (see my post about Lacock Abbey here to see a photograph of the window). The image was the size of a postage stamp. It was created in 1835, but Talbot did not tell anyone. Niépce, who started to experiment in 1826, created an image in 1837 and told the world. Neither men knew that they were experimenting on the topic, so it was not a race.

Talbot continued to improve the process and discovered that chemicals added to the photographic paper continued to "develop" the invisible image in darkness. The process was named Calotype, and he patented the idea. A printing company was set up in Reading, and over 50,000 prints were produced, but the company was considered a failure.

The museum has several information boards, personal items, and a group of old cameras to see. After visiting the museum, I had a walk around Lacock village and ended up having lunch at one of the pubs. As lockdown was only just partially-lifted, some places were not yet open. Here's a selection of my photographs below.

My final visit was to the Tithe Barn, and it is located in the village. The barn was open to have a look inside. It is empty, but visitors can walk in to see the construction of the building.

That concludes my visit to Lacock. Additional posts about Lacock can be see below:

A Spring Visit to Lacock Abbey (Wiltshire, National Truse): Lockdown Edition
Visiting Lacock at Christmas (National Trust, Wiltshire): Lockdown Edition

After museums started to reopen, I decided to take a day off to spend time exploring some National Trust properties that I had not yet been able to explore as I had only become a member in the summer of 2019. I had the perfect weather for it, and my first stop of the day was to visit Lacock, a property and village that impressed me during a December visit, which you can read more about here: Christmas at Lacock. You may recognise some of the photographs of the abbey and village because it is used as a filming location. Two of the most famous franchises was filmed here: Harry Potter and Downton Abbey.

There are two parts to Lacock Abbey - the older monastary for nuns and abbey and the mansion house. The mansion house was actually built from the monastary. The rooms were re-purposed and extended for private family use. Remaining bits of the abbey can be seen in the cloisters and the rooms leading off of them. In addition to the abbey, visitors can walk around the gardens and wooded areas, explore a museum about photography, and enjoy the shops and facilities that the village has to offer. (The photography museum here focuses on the work of William Henry Fox Talbot, who lived at Lacock Abbey and helped to create the photograph negative to allow the image to be captured and reprinted on paper).

When I arrived at Lacock, I walked by the resident kitty, and he or she relished in some attention.

I had a quick look into the gardens and a walk around the trails to the abbey before it was open for my visit. The spring colour was welcoming after so many wet and cold days and being stuck inside my home for so long.

Unfortunately, many of the rooms off of the cloisters were closed to visitors because of the coronavirus pandemic as they could cause bottlenecks, though no one was around when I visited. I had the place to myself.

I entered the abbey to see what it was like inside. The first room (the Great Hall) was spacious one filled with sculptures floor-to-ceiling. Apparently there is a tradition in this room with one sculpture with a human and a goat. A former visitor balanced a sugar cube on the goat's nose, and the owner thought that this was funny, so a sugar cube is kept on the goat's nose.

Many of the rooms have had walls added or removed from its former days as a nunnery. The below is the Brown Gallery that contains some old paintings and a portrait of the last owner, Matilda Talbot. She donated the abbey to the National Trust in 1944. It was becoming too expensive to maintain.

Off of the gallery is the Pulpit Room, which is where nuns would have eaten and read from the Bible.

This long corridor-looking room was much larger and was the sleeping quarters of the nuns at one time. It has been divided into smaller rooms with a ceiling added. Twenty-five nuns would have slept in this area on straw beds and separated with screens.

This gallery contains the oldest door in the abbey.

The Blue Parlour is where Matilda Talbot would have had afternoon tea, and she painted it the blue colour. It appeared in "Country Living" magazine in 1923. The room was used by William Henry Fox Talbot as his study, and it was filled with books.

The South Gallery was a corridor that separated the guest area from the private area at Lacock Abbey. 

In this room is the famous window that was used to create the first photographic image, dating 1835. The image or a copy of it exists in the museum next door. The light coming in from the window exposed a small lightbox (a small wooden box with a tiny lens inside) placed on a mantle. Over time, this produced an image.

The dining room was the last room before exiting back through the Great Hall. This room contained several paintings. In the octogon space above the door in the below photograph, a portrait of Henry VIII by Holbein was present. It was sold to pay for repairs to the abbey and it has since been lost.

Due to the pandemic, not all areas are open just yet in Lacock Abbey. After visiting what I could, I headed back outside. 

The stables outside of the abbey contain the remains of a brewery, bakehouse, and other work buildings. This is one of my favourite areas of Lacock Abbey because the doors in this courtyard are spectacular.

After my visit to the abbey, I visited the Fox Talbot Museum at the entrance. This little museum details the discovery of photography and the processes of capturing an image through cameras to print. I'll be adding a separate post for this visit. I do recommend a visit to it as it is very interesting. I wonder what William Henry Fox Talbot would think now with almost everyone (at least in first world countries) having almost constant access to a camera on a telephone device that fits in a pocket.

For more posts about Lacock Abbey:

Visiting Lacock at Christmas (National Trust, Wiltshire): Lockdown Edition

Near Dalston in north London, a street mural of an elephant forcing itself between two buildings can be seen from the overground and from the back of the street below, if approaching on street level. The elephant was painted in 2014, and although it is looking a bit tired, it is still an exceptional mural to visit. The elephant was painted by Shaun Burner, a street artist originally from Sacramento, California. He often collaborates with other street artists, and his work can be seen globally. As far as I am aware, this was his only mural ever painted in London. 

The mural can be seen between Haggerston and Dalston Junction overground stops. It is behind a parade of shops on what is known as Glebe Road at the Richmond Road end. The mural can also be spied from the overground carriage.

We had the first day of summer yesterday, so I thought that I would share several photos of Eastcote House and Gardens throughout the spring. I have found that (so far), Eastcote House Gardens looks the most beautiful in the spring. Early to mid-April was probably my personal favourite time that I have seen the gardens looking their best with tulips and blossom. However, every time that I visit the gardens, there is always something new to see. 

In mid-March, I had a wander from Eastcote House Gardens along the River Pinn to Pinner. The weather was glorious, and it was one of the first sunny and warm days of the year after a spate of weeks of cool and wet weather. I walked down the High Street in Pinner and stopped a Foodie Wuwdies for lunch and enjoyed the weather in Pinner Memorial Park where there is a museum and nice park with a pond and aviary. Someone was playing the guitar and singing "Beatles" songs here. It was a lovely atmosphere, and it was in the middle of the third lockdown. 

In late March, I enjoyed seeing hundreds of tiny yellow daffodils. I had previously written about the larger daffodils, crocuses, and other early spring flowers. The smaller variety seemed to emerge later, so the garden was covered in yellow and purple.

Early April brought the first tulips and blossoms.

A week or two later in mid-April, and the sunshine made all the difference with the garden view and unleashing more beautiful blooms. This was my favourite visit.

At the end of April, the tulips were just passed their prime but still looking lovely. Later types of tulips (purple ones) started to emerge too, and the bluebells were beginning to crop up.

In early May, the tulips were mainly gone, and the garden seemed to be in a state of refresh with some blooms ready to emerge and different colours starting to show. Irises were the primary flowers in bloom.

Here's some photographs taken in late May with the iris flowers and wisteria in bloom.

In mid-June, different iris flowers were in bloom, and the wisteria was almost over. Roses were appearing as well as lavender, and the gardens were looking especially green and lush. 

Here are some additional posts about Eastcote House & Gardens:

Eastcote House to Pinner
Eastcote House to Ruislip
Eastcote House at Christmas
Snowdrops, Crocuses and Daffodils in Eastcote

Easby Abbey (formerly known in the middle ages as St. Agatha by Richmond), located in North Yorkshire outside the town of Richmond, dates from the 1150s and is one of the best examples of a pre-monastarian abbey in Britain. It was a successful abbey but became a ruin in the mid-1500s and was visited as a romantic ruin in the 1700s and 1800s and painted by Turner. Today, it also appears to be a popular place with many families having picnics, walking dogs, and children playing amongst the ruins. I visited the abbey on one hot summer's day at the end of August.

Before the abbey, there was a hamlet at Easby, and it was listed in the Doomsday book. Even at this time, the site was used for religious purposes of some sort. The Premonastarian priests (known as priests instead of monks) lived in the abbey, and they followed a less regimented structure to other orders. These priests were also known as 'white canons' due to their robe colours.

In the 12th-13th centuries, the Scropes family gave money to the monastary and had tombs in the abbey. Once the monastaries were dissolved in 1536, the abbey was stripped and became a ruin after only a couple of years.

Gatehouse

The monastary raised sheep primarily, and sheep can still be seen grazing in the fields here.

abbey church

The ruins of the abbey have some rooms and chambers underneath to explore.

This is probably the refectory where the priests dined.

The cloisters and the buildings off of them is where the monks lived and studied.

There is evidence of a water channel which was used for the latrines.

The above is the refectory building with the cellars underneath and a dining hall above.

In between the abbey walls is another exterior wall that allowed water to pass through the site for the latrines.

Easby Abbey is open to visitors for free and managed by English Heritage. 

I visited Petwork House and Park, a National Trust property, in the middle of May when the azaela were in bloom. The houses had just reopened that weekend from lockdown measures, although the whole house is not open just yet. For this reason, this is marked as a lockdown edition since some of the areas were inaccessible due to the current restrictions and should (hopefully) be open as usual in a few more months. This was my first visit to the property. The house dates from the 17th century and was the southern home of the Percy family from Northumberland. There is a deer park with over 700 acres of land that was designed by Capability Brown and views that inspired the painter Turner. The house contains a large collection of artwork (paintings and sculptures), including some by Turner, and a "Pleasure Ground" with a couple of scenic temples.

The property was a gift to the Percy family from the widow of Henry I; the family were based at Alnwick Castle most of the time, so Petworth was a southern retreat for them. The property stayed within the wealthy families for generations until 1947 when it was given to the National Trust along with the paintings and sculptures. Part of Petworth House is occupied by descendants today.

Petworth House is located next to the village by the same name, and it contains a High Street and separate museum. It sprung up along with the estate. I did not visit the village on this visit; it will be left to explore for another day.

Upon entering the parkland to visit the house, I saw a cat and views of the temples and Pleasure Grounds with pretty pink azalea almost in full bloom.

After entering, the first room to visit is the Chapel. It is the oldest room in the house with the rest of the house built around it. It used to be its own separate building with the manor built next to it, but it later (the 1600s) became joined. The chapel dates from about 1300. It is used today for ceremonies.

The North Gallery room contains the largest room in the building for the gallery of paintings and sculptures. It was built specifically for displaying the artwork in the mid-1700s and then expanded upon in the 1800s. Originally, the room was painted white, but it is painted red today.

The Red Room is another room that contains a collection of paintings and was called "Picture Room" in the 1700s. It later contained paintings by Turner and also was decorated by William Morris. A painting of the room by Turner enabled the room to take on its original appearance; it was redecorated in 2002. One of the interesting items in this room is the globe. The terrestrial globe, created by Emery Molyneux, is believed to be the only one that exists and dates from the late 1500s. The continents are not all in the right place or the correct shape; it was built before current maps of the world existed and before the land was further explored to understand other land masses.

The "Carved Room" is the most-detailed room and a beautiful room with carved panelling on the walls. It was two rooms initially, and they were put together to form one room. The room contains a large selection of paintings and other decorative items, and the walls are covered with wooden carving; it is not wallpaper.

The "Marble Hall" was an entrance hall that overlooked the landscape with black and white tiles.

The "Dining Room" shown below contains a selection of paintings. Until lockdown, it also had a dining table that was set up, and I think the dining table would have brought more interest rather than just being a large room; perhaps it was taken away so visitors have more space to move around to avoid each other. I think the room would be better for this to be returned.

The "Somerset Room" was the last room that we could see during the lockdown restrictions. It dates from the 1700s and would have been a servant's area. It contains a large selection of paintings. Again, I think the room would look more interesting with a dining table.

Across from the house are the kitchens and servant's area. We could see part of the kitchens only.

We were shown the ovens and given a description of how they worked; they used to show them working during most of the time, but this has not been possible with the current restrictions. Hopefully they will allow them to work again when larger groups of visitors can come back and re-visit.

After the house tour, I had a quick walk around the lake. I was greeted by several geese.

There are some nice views over the house here, and Turner was inspired by such views.

After the lake visit, I headed back through the Pleasure Grounds.

The azalea were in bloom, and I was also treated to some bluebells just past their prime but still colourful and carpeting pockets of the ground in blue/purple. 

There were some nice views of the park land from the Pleasure Grounds.

That covers my visit to Petworth House and Park. I hope to visit again at some point when the restrictions are lifted.

The Medieval Merchant's House in Southampton is managed by English Heritage and is a surviving example of a restored 13th century merchant's shop and home. The building was constructed in the 1200s by a wine merchant, and it had later domestic and commercial uses afterwards. The building suffered bomb damage in the 1940s, and it was restored in the 1980s to resemble the initial appearance.

The building contains a cellar that was used to store wine and to keep in cool. The cellar is never open to visitors because of a large drop in the stairs at the bottom.

In the 1200s, Southampton was a major port, and the building is located on French street, not far from where the harbour was in those days. French Street was designed for the wealthier merchants, driving the poorer further away. In those days, the population of the city was roughly 5,000. The remains of similar houses can be seen in a vacant gravel lot next to the Medieval Merchant's house; they would have looked similar.

The front of the building on the ground floor would have been the shop with shutters that would have been lowered, and an internal door separates the private home from the shop. 

hallway separating the shop from private area; looking down on the great hall

The great hall has a tall ceiling to the roof, and stairs lead off of it to the bedrooms at either end upstairs. In the 1330s, the town was not as popular, and the French attacked it. The house seemed to have suffered some damage then. French Street's buildings then became used for tenants instead of shops. In the 15th century, the wool trade improved Southampton, and the building was once again used for merchants. It then changed its uses into cottages, back to a single house, and then a pub. It was also used as a brothel. The bomb damage suffered in World War II revealed the medieval interior, and action was taken to preserve the property to restore it to its medieval glory and to open it as a tourist attraction. It has been managed by English Heritage since 1984.

great hall; it would have been used for entertaining

hallway upstairs and one of the bedrooms

The front bedroom upstairs hangs over the front of the house slightly so that there is more room. The buildings built in this time have been built to hang slightly over the streets below.

bedroom

The room at the back of the building was the room where private business meetings would have been conducted as it was the most luxurious and actually contained stained glass windows. It was probably also where the moneys were kept as it would have been the most secure building. 

The exterior of the house contains a barrel which probably would have been what wine was sold in and also designates the purpose of the shop.

A block or two away is another timber-framed building constructed at a much larger and luxurious scale and looks as though it has been extended from earlier phases to create a much larger building. The road running down along the building would have gone to the harbour.

The Medieval Merchant's House is located in the centre of Southampton. The house is currently open on weekends for visits.

A herd of painted elephant sculptures have appeared at Westquay shopping centre in Southampton to raise awareness for the endangered animal. The elephants are in place until the 20th of June and mostly centrered around the newest part of Westquay outdoors and concentrated around the restaurants along the historical city's section of city walls. There are twenty-five of these sculptures, arranged by Elephant Parade who have previously arranged a couple of trails in London (Parading Artistic Elephants in London in 2010 and London Elephant Parade 2018) and nationwide (I saw them in Uxbridge: UK National Elephant Parade 2013-2014) in the UK.

Panalai by TikkyWow

I discovered all twenty-five elephants dotted around Westquay with some inside the mall. 

Unknown and Cowplant by Studip Phantasma

Amulet by Nopparuj Chenarn

The Chics of Dumbo by Ceet Fouad

Patchie Indigo by Patricia Collins and Somboon Ambiance by Lilli Tan

Stories by Akibo Lee and Holy Cheese! by Esther Springer

Funky Shoes by Sasha Ostoja

Raffles Landing by Diana Francis and Nima Nima Mayoly Ruiz

Jan by MilanTheArtist

We Love Mosha Chiang Mai by Boony

Karmina by Phil Alexandrino

Rainbow Reef by Nara Strete and Porcelain Patchwork by Narin Kantawong

Unknown

Mrs. Striple by Nongkran Pornmingmas

PENSAMENTO VIVO by Julia Black

The elephants can be seen until June 20 and are located in four locations around Westquay shopping centre in the middle of Southampton. Previous charity trails in Southampton are listed below:

Zany Zebras Charity Trail in Southampton
Go! Rhinos are Loose in Southampton

After months of being unable to enjoy afternoon tea, I was finally able to do so again. I celebrated my birthday by enjoying the bottomless champagne afternoon tea from The Rubens at The Palace near Buckingham Palace in Victoria, London. I love a good bottomless champagne or Prosecco afternoon tea, and The Rubens at the Palace did not disappoint. This edition of their afternoon tea is known as "Royal Afternoon Tea" because the pastries have been inspired by the royal family. 

The afternoon tea dining room overlooks the Mews of Buckingham Palace, but I opted for a seat inside the restaurant instead of looking out the window where there was less table space. As the first one in, I had the option.

First up, the teas. We had the option of afternoon tea from the list. I selected the Darjeeling Second Flush, which comes from Jungpana estate in the Himalayas. A lot of the estate is not accessible via vehicle, so the tea is picked and carried down steps. The bloke selected the Chai Cinnamon tea, which comes from Ceylon. I just realised that I forgot to try it, but it smelled good. I enjoy cinnamon, so it would have probably tasted good as well. The tea is described as being better for the winter months, but cinnamon (to me) is for any time of the year.

Next up, the champagne. The bottomless champagne afternoon tea consisted of regular top-ups of empty glasses of champagne. The champagne was Emile Leclere, an 80% Pinot Meunier and 20% Chardonnay blend. I found it to be a semi-dry champagne and went down well. It's not a bad champagne at all for bottomless afternoon tea.

The sandwiches included coronation chicken with toasted almond, ham and cheese with tomato chutney, smoked salmon and cream cheese, egg, and cucumber and cream cheese.

The scones included a plain and a special scone - honey and white chocolate. I actually could not tell the difference between the scones, though maybe I got two of the same flavour. There was not any way to tell them apart. They came with clotted cream and a blackberry or black raspberry jam.

The tea was placed on a tall tea stand that is placed on the floor next to the table, and the server went over everything with us as is expected.

First up, we have the "Fruits from the Queen's Orchard", a seasonal glazed fruit-shaped mousse that is inspired by the fruits in the Windsor Castle orchard. I received a glazed peach mousse, and this was a good call for me because I do love peach.

Next up, we have the seasonal Rubens eclair. I believe the flavour was blueberry, and it is inspired by Prince Charles' sustainable farming. This was the only pastry that I felt lacked flavour.

The royal macaron was next on the menu, and this macaron is carmelised apple and coffee ganache. It is a tribute to Prince Philip and his love of apple desserts. I dislike coffee, and I felt that the coffee flavour was too over-powering with the subtle apple, which I was unable to taste. 

The centre piece was a pastry called "The Crown", which is a cinnamon chocolate mousse, brownie biscuit base, and cocnut marshmallow. I could not taste the cinnamon, but the dark chocolate was divine, and this meshed perfectly with the coconut marshmallow. The pastry is inspired by the queen's love of chocolate.

And finally, we have the Bread and Butter. This is a bread pudding with cream, rose, and raspberry with a lemon sponge. The sponge was a tart-pastry consistency instead of a soft sponge, and this was a nice flavour of lemon. Apparently, this type of pudding was a favourite of Princess Diana.

As it was my birthday, I was presented with a slice of opera cake with a coffee flavour. Unfortunately, it was a coffee flavour, and I dislike the flavour, so I just ate the birthday chocolate and the raspberry.

At the end, I checked out the toilets. The toilets are awesome here with marble, though the chrome taps did not really match the slight gold of the rest of the detail. 

I am so happy that I got to enjoy afternoon tea again, and hopefully the next time will not be too many months away.

Last year was a full lockdown birthday, and this year is a partial lockdown birthday. Last year, we were still completely locked down due to the pandemic. This year, some places are open, but they not fully open; some places are still closed. Due to this, there was really no point in taking off my birthday. However, I was able to have a meal out after work, and I got a sheet cake from Costco to enjoy with the neighbours in a socially-distanced street birthday party in the evening. There is plenty of cake left over for a street party on Sunday for the European football game and proceeding BBQ.

The cake is a vanilla cake with cream inside. It is nice, and it's not too sweet. I also got pistachio ice cream from my favourite local ice cream parlour to enjoy with it. Just under one third of the cake was enjoyed on my birthday, and plenty more is ready to be enjoyed on Sunday.

I booked "The Case is Altered" pub in Eastcote for my birthday dinner. It was not really that special, unfortunately. It took ages for the food to arrive. It took an hour to get the main course. When I arrived at the pub, they were not too busy with probably three outside tables booked; they were set up with a big screen for the game on Sunday. However, when I left, all of the tables were full, and this may have contributed to the wait. I had buttermilk chicken as a starter, chicken kiev for the main, and a chocolate pot with popcorn on top for the dessert. I wish that it had been better service considering.

I was on the move all day so did not have time for a break at all, but it was a fun day.

I am sick of the lockdowns now. While other places are opening up and I am seeing more friends and people I know (living in other countries such as the states) enjoying trips away and road trips away, I am feeling beyond frustrated that I am unable to do the same as the restrictions make everything difficult and keep places shut. I also worked out that I have only seen my parents twice in seven years. I would have gone last year had it not been for the sh*tshow that occured. So, I am feeling beyond frustrated at this. 

And that wraps it up for my birthday in 2021. Once things are "normal", I will be making up for birthdays. I will do what the Queen does - have two birthdays a year! I suggest we all do the same. The more parties, the better!

Westwood Manor is a manor house, built initially in the 15th century in Wiltshire near Bradford-on-Avon. Although built in the 15th century, it was added onto in the next two centuries. For example, the windows and plaster design are Gothic and Jacobean in design. The manor house is located next to a church, and one of the owners of the house invested money to make improvements at the church. The last owner was an Edgar Lister who collected furniture, musical instruments, and tapestries. He was responsible for the design and installation of the tropiary garden. The property has been maintained by the National Trust since 1956. I visited the property one afternoon in late May.

The great hall is the first room entered, off to the left of a small entrance hallway. Besides the King's Room on the right, the part of the house open for tours is on the left. The hall was built in 1490, but a later addition was the ceiling. The ceiling would have been much higher to give the impression of a larger room. This ceiling was added to create a room above.

On the other side of the hall is the dining room, and it was built on and added to over the years. It would have had more carvings on the ceiling wooden timbers originally. 

Upstairs, the first room is the Music Room (Great Parlour). The room contains two musical instruments at either end. The plastered detail of the ceiing and fireplace is amazing. Apparently the fireplace was destroyed, so this is a replacement.

Off of the music room is a tiny landing for which two bedroom doors shoot off. The first bedroom that I looked at was the Corner bedroom, which is a modest room.

The second is the Panelled Bedroom, and the interior fittings date from the 1600s. 

The King's Room is currently closed to visitors due to lockdown and distancing procedures. However, since I was the last person to visit the house on the day, they allowed me to see inside the room. This is the best room of the house with the detailed plastering and panelling. The room is named after the panelling, which dates from the 1650s, and depicts a painting of a portrait all of the monarchs from William the Conqueror. (However, a few of the monarchs are missing - Stephen, Henry V, Henry VI, and Mary Tudor). 

The tropiary garden was the next stop for me. I did not know how to get there until a member of the staff told me about the little door in the hedge. This led me through a small and dark courtyard but opened up into two larger courtyard with different designs. One contained a long pond, and the other one contained a courtyard made of these tropiary plants and a smaller pond. Both made good photographs and showcased the house.

After visiting the house, I walked over to the church and the building next to it, a fairly large room for the church events. It was set up for snacks, and I had tea and a slice of Victoria Sponge cake. I enjoyed this outside where I was surprised to see the Westbury white horse in the distance. For over two years, I passed by this horse on the train when I lived in Bath and would commute back to (and from) Hampshire some weekends.

I did not visit the church, but it was open. I thought that I should make a move to get back to London before the traffic. 

I enjoyed my visit to Westwood Manor and recommend it for an afternoon. Make sure to leave some room for a drink and cake (or a scone).

Calke Abbey was the location of a priory that was erected sometime around 1115. The land was passed between families after the dissolution of the monastaries and eventually has an Elizabethan house constructed on the site in 1575. This house was incorporated into a later extension of the house that was changed throughout the years. The Harpur family lived in the house from the 1620s, and the house was rebuilt in the early 1700s. The family were responsible for the items seen in the house, and these were mainly left untouched from the 1880s. The National Trust took over the property from 1985. I toured the house and some of the parkland and gardens in late May.

There appears to be a lot of secrets about the house; there is a tunnel under the house to a brewhouse and outbuildings, but we were limited to what we could see. This is the "lockdown edition" because some rooms and areas were shut off from the public due to social distancing measures.

Next to the house is an ancient deer park, and it is a site of special interest because of the rare wooded pasture. There are deer currently in the area, ponds, park land, and sheep pasture as well as wildflower meadows and a walled garden.

When I arrived at Calke Abbey, I walked around the pond in a circular loop walk. On this route are ancient trees; the tree is known as the "Old Man of Calke" and is 1,200 years old. It is an oak tree. There are a few ancient trees at Calke.

This circular walk passes through two ponds and below the deer pasture.

Calke Abbey's house and stables have not been completely restored. The house was left to ruin from the late 1800s until it was taken over by National Trust. Parts of the interior of the house have flaking paint and plaster or rooms filled with items that have not been sorted through and seem to tell some story. The family gained so many treasures over their time in specific items like taxidermy, insect collections, stones, bones, and fossils.

One of the treasures at the house is a state silk bed. It dates from the 18th century but was left packaged up because it did not fit the house; because it was stored away, it is in perfect condition. I could not fit the whole silk draperies in my photograph because the room is so small, but you can get an idea.

In this room were items of jewellery and racing trophies. There is so much in the house that only favourite or noted items have been put out on display.

The largest room housed the fossils, taxidery, skull of a crocodile, and some items discovered from the middle ages or earlier.

The library was one of my favourite rooms. All around the room were paintings of horses. The family, with the vast stables outside, were famous for breeding horses and racing them. All race horses are a descendant of one of the winners that the family raised. One of the last people to live in the house helped to train houses and to give training for them to help the military.

I also viewed the walled gardens on the estate, which is a short walk away from the main house.

In addition to some walled gardens and kitchen gardens, there are coal sheds and stove houses. The coal pits go underneath these houses and next to the walled garden.

A final stop was to visit the grotto, which is carved into a field made into the hillside a short distance away from the house and in a meadow bordering the deer park.

None of the stables were open, but the stabled here are vast. I am not sure how many horses they would hold, but it must be a lot.

That concludes my visit of Calke Abbey. I hope to return someday in order to see the areas that I could not see due to the lockdown.

Derby is the birthplace of the factory system, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site along the River Derwent to Matlock Bath where there were many factories, settlements, and the first railroad system. The Silk Mill, which is now the Museum of Making, is one of the buildings that form this special heritage. The Silk Mill was opened in 1721 and employed workers and machinery on a very large scale as never before. Settlements were erected alongside the factories along the river, and the Derwent Valley Mills (as it is now known) attracted people and business owners to the area.

The Silk Mill operated until it was sold to a chemical factory (maybe in the later 1800s) and manufactured skin cream, flypaper, cough drops, and ice cream powder. A fire that started at a nearby flour factory destroyed the building in 1910, and it was rebuilt in 1911.

The museum explains the history of Derby as being a settlement controlled by the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons at different points until the Norman invasion. It is thought that the name "Derby" is a Viking word meaning "deer settlement", and the deer forms part of the city's crest as in the lead plaque pictured. The other item in the display is an alabaster cross, and this was mined and carved locally. The influence of Derby for business people and other important people is also shown in the people who had connections and lived locally; a Roman ring with a fly was found in Pompeii and given as a gift to a person locally.

A large area of the museum was dedicated to items produced locally, such as the matchbox above. There are many items produced locally from bricks to lamp posts and post boxes to fashion to computer games to automotive parts to models to test aerodynamics of trains.

Another large room contained many thousands of items categorised by their raw material - metal, wood, stone, glass, ceramic, synthetics, etc. There were so many items on display.

One room was set up for the Midland Model Railway. This railway was built upon the 1951 version that many local people can remember visiting at the Derby Museum & Art Gallery. 

In the entrance of the museum, there is a disassembled car hanging up and the cafe and entrance displays. The cafe serves snacks, lunch, and breakfast. I was the first customer of the day, and when I left the museum, it had gotten quite busy. Above the cafe and at the shop level was an engine part.

At the entrance of the museum, I saw the old metal gates which a sign informed were the original gates of the factory here. 

After visiting the Museum of Making, I headed to the Derby Museum and Art Gallery, but not before I stopped off at The Dining Room for Sunday roast lunch. The Dining Room receives a lot of great feedback online, and I had booked it in advance. I ordered a cocktail and roast chicken, and the bloke had roast lamb. I thought that the food was okay, but it was not the best roast that I have ever had. The cocktail was delicious, and the chicken was good. I was disappointed in receiving so many beets (not pictured, but we received a whole cup of pickled red cabbage and some beets on the plates) and pickled cabbage, and the roast potatoes were not crispy. 

The Derby Museum & Art Gallery is a mixed museum. There is a section of artefacts from different countries in Africa and Asia (including masks, samauri armour, stone tools, decorative and ceremonial items, and fashion items), a room with taxidermy and skeletons, a room of prehistoric items, a small room with Egyptian mummies, and a room with a gallery of local artist Joseph Wright's paintings. 

There was also a room with war items.

In the taxidermy and skeleton room, there is a skeleton of an award-winning dachshund that was born in 1888 and died in 1897, the taxidermied body of a winning racing pigeon, and the skeleton of a 120,000 year old hippo that used to live in England and was discovered in Derbyshire. There were also a selection of fossils, which I enjoyed. The taxidermy and skeletons, Egyptian mummies, and mummified cats always creep me out a bit.

The prehistoric room contained a longboat that is 3,400 years old, Roman items, and Viking items. It also has a few stone tools from prehistoric times and early humans from 40,000-60,000 years ago.

After the museums, I had a walk around and checked out Derby Cathedral. It is open for a short time on Sundays. Unfortunately, there was an event taking place that over-ran when I went to visit, so I could only peek my head in to look inside.

I'll also add that the night before, I had an excellent meal at The Forge. The food was tasty, and it was a unique experience. You are served the meat on hot stones that you have to cook. I ordered a bottle of Prosecco, and the whole meal went down a treat. I only wished that I had ordered onion rings as I saw them later on others' plates (but I was first to get my meal), and they looked like the big, proper battered onion rings. Oh well, it's on my starred list to return to next time I am in the area.

Overall, I enjoyed getting out to Derby as my first break away for the year and soon after the restrictions had lifted. I am hoping that it is only on the way up from here.

Katherine's Gift and Coffee Bar is located in Derby and serves up a range of drinks, snacks, lunch, afternoon tea, and a selection of gifts. While I was in the area, I stopped by to try their famous "unicorn"-themed drinks. They are famous for their milkshakes and hot chocolate with the "unicorn" theme (think glitter and rainbows). I dislike milkshakes, so I tried a hot chocolate. It came served in a tall glass - a pink-coloured hot chocolate mixture with thick whipped cream, edible glitter, and multi-coloured sweets. I also had one of their cookie sandwiches, which was the best cookie that I have had in awhile. They had a range, and I liked it so much that I got another one to go.

I was in a bit of a rush because the bloke did not want anything, so I've starred this little cafe to visit again the next time I am in the area. What's better is that they do afternoon tea and host parties in their cafe. I really wish that they'd open up one in London!

I was finally able to get out to explore recently, and for the Bank Holiday, I went to Derby to see the latest charity sculpture trail: Derby Ram Trail. The trail features thirty 5-foot painted rams around the streets of central Derby, and it kicked off at the end of May and will remain in place until the middle of August; shortly after, the ram sculptures will be auctioned off. The trail is a collaboration between Wild in Art, who organise these sculpture trails, and Derby Museums. The trail aims to help provide funding for the city's museums.

"Groovy Derby Ram" by Pea

I was pleased that the sculpture trail could be completed in the city centre without having to walk too far away (or drive) as lockdown has been tough on me and I've not been used to walking or wearing shoes (or exercise since I have worked all of the way through).

The ram trail rams appear to be inspired by the city's sculpture "The Derby Ram" by Michael Pegler, which is pictured above. It is made from millstone grit and is actually probably about twice as large as the painted sculptures. It appears to have been sited here in 1995, according to the carved information block in front of it.

Although I have seen all thirty of the rams on my visit, I have included a photograph of most of them for you to see below.

"Captain Stone" by Liam Sharp

This features a graphic novel character that was part of an exhibition at the museums in 2017.

"For those About to Rock" by Sue Hetfield

This sculpture represents Derby's music festivals with a feature on rock music. The denim jacket features symbols of badges important to Derby.

"Flamsteed's Ram" by Catherine J Bell

This ram represents Derbyshire's John Flamsteed, a 17th century astronomer who helped to map the stars for navigational purposes.

"Nurse Nightengale" by Elaine Lim-Newton

Florence Nightengale, the famous nurse, was from Derbyshire. It is dedicated to the staff and patients of the Derby hospital.

"Pride in Derby" by Marie Arroyo Lopez

"Play" by Lynn Hollingsworth and "Royal Ram" by Donna Newman

The "Royal Ram" represents Royal Crown Derby's selection of pottery using its rich colours and design.

"Bee Happy" by Phillippa and Rachael Corcutt

"Doodle Derby" by Carla Dee

This map focuses on Derby and all of the things that you can do there, including some historical notes about the city.

"Wooly Rammy (a ram in sheep's clothing)" by Rebecca Morledge

"Derby Industries" by Sarita Gnaniah

"Pirate Sheepmate" by Reilly Creative and "Secret R.A.M." by Jess Perrin

"Ram Gogh - Starry Night" by Donna Newman and "Joe's Rainbow" by Ella Annetts

Both inspired by painters (Van Gogh) and Joseph Wright, these two rams sit side-by-side. Joseph Wright was from Derby, and the museum has many of his paintings. One of them features a landscape with a rainbow.

"Football WOrd Cloud" by Melanie Hubbard

"Herding Together to RAMp Up Quality" by Pip Claffey

"Mondriram" by Tim Sutcliffe

"Ramtastic" by MrASingh

"Ramble" by Caroline Coates

"Ar'Baaa'retum" by Kathleen Smith

"The Orrery" by Stephanie Sian Coley

The orrery is the subject of one of the paintings of Joseph Wright, which showcases a lamp placed in a study in a darkened room to mimic the sun, and it is studied for movement and natural patterns.

"Memories Fade but Warmth Remains" by Lynne Hollingsworth

"Rameses" by Judith Berrill

The Egyptian inspired the sculpture because the museum is home to a couple of Egyptian mummies on display.

The ram trail will be on until the middle of August, so be quick as the time is flying.

I have explored different parts of Ruislip Woods this year and have now covered all of the different parts of the woods that form what is known as "Ruislip Woods". Ruislip Woods covers 730 acres of woodland located in the north of Ruislip, and each part of the woods has a distinctive name. Directly above Ruislip Lido is Copse Wood, which is on the highest point and known as Duck's Hill, and on the far eastern side is Poor's Field (see Copse Wood and Poor's Field); the southern part is known as Park Wood. Mad Bess Woods is another part of the woods, located at the top with a main road separating it from the larger part. Off of Breakspear Road or on the other side of Mad Bess Woods is Bayhurst Wood. My final exploration of Ruislip Woods concluded this month with a visit to Bayhurst Woods.

The woods is surrounded by farms and farmland such as the view seen below with horses. There is a bridlepath through Bayhurst Woods and the other woods. Bayhurst Woods is partially on a hill with some gentle climbs and walking downhill in places, and with the bridleway, this means that parts of it can be very muddy and slippery. I fell once on the mud down part of the track that descends down a hill.

I started with the walk from the parking to an almost-circular walk around the woods starting from the northern part of the road. Bayhurst Woods is not a large area, so it is easy to walk around. 

I came across the remains of some old vehicle that has become to turn to dust and be reclaimed by the earth.

On the northern section of the woods are a little patch of bluebells. There is a ridge here and some sort of pond of stagnant green water that looks man-made.

After seeing the bluebells, I continued my walk through the woods and found a very large and old beech tree that had fallen. 

And this bench is near where I fell as it is down a hill almost in the middle of the woods.

Along one of the trails in the middle of the forest was a tribute to Captain Tom who was 100 years old and raised over a million pounds for charity last year.

There were also bridle path signs and various trail signs through the woods. Bayhurst Woods is part of the Hillingdon Trail.

I think Bayhurst Woods used to do something with scouts. There were quite a lot of picnic benches (most of them rotted) in the middle of the woods in various locations, and part of the woods in the middle appeared to be a clearing at one time.

In addition to the rotting picnic benches, I came across this little building and shipping container. I am not sure what purpose it served, but perhaps it was for refreshments and events.

When I was leaving the woods on one of my visits to Bayhurst Woods, I came across a man who was feeding the birds. He said that he often feeds them and people like to photograph them. I tried my luck, but the birds were so quick and did not stay put. They would flitter down, take some seed, then rush away. I got a few photographs, but they were not very good. I am not a bird expert, but there were some with yellow and blue markings and some black/grey or brown with a bit of white (not magpies) and robins. The robin turned out the best.

For more posts about Ruislip and Ruislip Woods on this blog:

Bluebells in Ruislip Woods
Ruislip Woods - Park Wood
Ruislip Woods - Copse Wood and Poors Field
A Wintery Walk in Mad Bess Wood (Ruislip, West London)
A Snow Day in Ruislip
Visiting the Battle of Britain House Ruins in Ruislip Woods
Ruislip "Summer of 1939" Vintage Car Show
Ruislip Fairy Village
Easter in Ruislip (Easter Eggs & Duck Pond Markets)
Ruislip Lido Railway & Ruislip Woods Open Day

I've kept my Craft Gin Club membership for another month, and like April, I have not had much of a chance to enjoy it. For those who are not familiar with Craft Gin Club, let me introduce it. It is a monthly subscription box featuring a full bottle of gin, various mixers and snacks, and a monthly magainze named Ginned!. The Ginned! magazine contains information about the products in the box and highlights the special gin of the month (the large full-sized bottle) as well as includes various cocktail and food recipes that you can use with your gin. May's box comes with a stunning bright turquoise bottle that was made as a special edition especially for the monthly box: Cuckoo Solace Gin. Unfortunately, I cannot locate the photographs of all of the items that I received in my box this month.

Cuckoo Solace Gin was created by Brindle Distillery in Lancashire, and it is made from olives, herbs, and lime. It has juniper and citrus flavours that a reminiscent of the Mediterranean.

In the box, I also received two bottles of Marlish English Tonic Water, which is a sugar-free mixer created in Northumberland. The farm use sustainable practices, such a solar power, to create their products. The water comes from spring water found in local hills, and it takes 150 years to filter.

I also received Purely Plantain Chips in the Sea Salt flavour. Plantain is similar to a banana, but it contains more vitamins and fibre; the ones used to create the chips are sourced from Ecuador and help support the local economy. They were nice, but they were actually very filling paired with the gin.

I also received a bottle of Pedrino Sherry & Tonic Spritz, which is used as part of the mixer for the cocktail of the month. The mixer contains ruby port and tonic water. It is a good cocktail mixer.

I also received a Mallow & Marsh marshmallow bar. I love this brand and do purchase from them, so this was a welcome addition. I've never had it paired with gin before, though, and they have been increasingly difficult to find for the past eighteen months.

Also received was a can of Thatchers cider, which is made in Somerset, and this was paired to make a cockail from the magazine. I received the Thatchers Rosé Cider flavour, but others received the Haze; I would have preferred theHaze flavour. The cider was mixed with gin and apple juice to create a cocktail.

What did I think of May's Craft Gin Club subscription box? I thought that it was okay but not as good as the first couple of months that I was a subscriber. The gin was okay, but it was not my favourite, and I didn't feel that the cocktail recipes really hit the spot this month. Nonetheless, I am looking forward to June's box.