July 2022 Archives

Street artists Aspire and Airbourne Mark have collaborated on a few murals in London in the past couple of years, but I never got to see the previous results in person due to pandemics and the work being tagged over. However, earlier this year, I discovered this new mural freshly painted. The mural is titled "Music to Prey To" and features a cardinal, the official bird for the state of Ohio, a praying mantis and scissors. There are musical notes, and the mantis is in Airbourne Mark's origami style featuring the mantis constructed out of a music sheet.

For those interested in seeing more form Airbourne Mark, I previously covered some of his work, in with a round-up of other artwork in early 2014 here, a round-up in 2015 here and here, in early 2016. In addition, see the below:

Airbourne Mark's "Workhorse" - Origami Riots 
Camden Street Art Self-Guided Trail
Airborne Mark Paints "Greek Mask" - Origami Riots
Airborne Mark Paints 'African Mask' - Origami Riots
Airborne Mark Paints "Paper Sprite" - Origami Riots

I'll be covering the artwork of Aspire soon.

Dorneywood, located in the Buckinghamshire countryside, is one of the most unique properties managed by the National Trust via The Dorneywood Trust. The house and gardens are only open for a couple of weeks each year, and tickets book up quickly. I managed to secure tickets this year to visit last weekend. The most important fact is that this home is a private residence of a senior government official.

Dorneywood house dates from the 18th century. It started as a farmhouse, but it was renovated after a fire and remodelled in 1919. The property was given to the National Trust in 1947 as an agreement to be a residence for a senior government member. The Dorneywood Trust maintains the house and gardens. We were told that the latest resident was Rishi Sunak, and he moved out only a few days ago as we had visited only a few days after the resignation of Boris Johnson. The prime minister decides which member of government can occupy the house, so it's anyone's guess as to who will next occupy it. 

Photographs were not permitted inside the property, and there aren't any new photographs of its interior online, so I will describe what I saw. Upon entry to the house, there's a small hallway with a door on the left. This leads into the dining room. There is a door almost immediately in front of you upon entering. There is a portrait painting, but I cannot remember who it was. Turning to face to your right, there is a large dining table, and the room (rectangular in shape) continues onto the right. There is a staircase and a couple of closed doors to this side of the house on the right-most side of the room). There is a fireplace in the room on the back left wall. At the back of the dining room (right-most wall) was a beautiful blue john vase that was quite large. However, the most impressive item in the room was the Rex Whistler painting, which appears on the wall at the back of the "hallway" and next to the staircase. 

Going through to the next room, it has been split into two sections. The smaller section at back includes a book with signatures of visitors, such as the queen and Churchill. There are books here, and many of them are modern. The majority of the room is a living area; it's cozy with some furniture and some paintings (Eton College), and a television is hidden inside a cabinet with the doors closed. The door is at the back.

Going through the door is a small hallway with some artwork; I think it was a floral wallpaper here. This leads immediately to the largest room, which is very light and includes a door to the back of the house with views over the gardens at the back and on the side. There is a lot to look at here, including the impressive fireplace with marble and various paintings and other artwork. A book on the table contains a note about a pinball game Churchill played on his visit and beat the time. The pinball game is also on display.

I drew a map of the gardens and house. The beds and garden areas are in green. The house is in red, and other buildings in brown. There is a lilly pond in blue and a swimming pool also in blue. The gardens date from the 1930s.  

Upon arriving at the property, the house is sign-posted across a green lawn. On the left side is an attractive-looking cottage.

On the right is an old barn or stable with beautiful stained glass windows.

At the back of the house are impressive flower beds.

I saw some white lavender growing, but it doesn't smell as nice as the standard purple lavendar.

On the side of the house is a lower garden in a circular shape.

There are beds around this, but they are mostly over. On the other side of one of the beds is a smaller circular bed with a sculpture in the middle.

Passing by the sunken garden, there are hedges and the sound of running water. This leads into a lilly pond with a greenhouse.

Dorneywood is only open a couple of days a year, so you have to watch for tickets to visit. The house tickets are timed, and they must be booked in advance. The house is open a couple weeks a year because the National Trust invested around 250,000 to make repairs.

The Tower of London's moat has been filled with over 20 million seeds that have erupted into bloom and colour this summer. Called "Superbloom", the wildflowers celebrate the Platinum Jubilee year for the Queen and have been planted to attract bees and other insects. The planting mimics the popular Poppies at the Tower of London installation in 2014. Areas of the moat feature a soundscape to listen to while walking around, and there are sculptures commissioned for the attraction, such as "The Queen's Garden". The Queen's Garden is designed to be viewed from above and is inspired by the 1953 coronation crown; it can be seen in the photograph below.

As these are real wildflowers, we are at mercy of the weather and seasonal changes. I had actually booked one of the first days of Superbloom at the beginning of June during the Platinum Jubilee weekend, but the poor weather conditions this spring meant that the plants did not grow and bloom until later. Now, we've had exceptionally warm conditions, so this has given a shorter blooming season for some varieties of flower. As I had booked an early June session, I was allowed to re-book, so I opted for mid-July during the heatwave but just after the record-breaking two days of high temperatures. Visiting after this heatwave meant that a lot of the plants were over their best, sadly, and it very much looks like August.

Superbloom has not attracted the same level of popularity as the poppies in the moat, so visitors do not need to book for the viewing paths around the top of the moat. Tickets must be purchased for the walk around the moat, and it's possible to book during the day.

One of the attractions was a slide from the top of the moat into the flower-filled moat, but due to the hot weather conditions, the slide was closed.

I admired the butterflies and bees, which were everywhere I looked amongst the flowers. While walking through, a soundscape could be enjoyed, and other pathways winded around with planting and sculpture.

Some of the flowers and combinations were filled with gorgeous colour.

After walking around the moat, I had a quick walk up the pathway to look down on it. I enjoyed this natural installation to "wild" the Tower of London moat with colour and insects. Visitors can enjoy the blooms until the later part of August.

Castle Coch (translated from Welsh to "Red Castle") was owned by Lord Bute, an extremely wealthy landowner (one of Britain's wealthiest at the time) who also owned Cardiff Castle and Tredegar House. The castle is a 19th century Gothic Revival design, but the earlier castle on the site was placed by the Normans and built after 1081. Ruins of the castle, which were destroyed in other uprisings, were purchased in the middle of the 1700s, and it was inherited by Bute in the mid-1800s. Bute was interested in art, architecture, and antiques, and he employed William Burges to rebuild the castle as a summer residence. The castle appears as a "fairy tale castle", and visitors can see it from the major roadway.

I visited the castle on Good Friday, and a lot of people were at the castle to hunt for Easter eggs. When first entering the castle, you are welcomed into the internal courtyard, and you can see why this is called "red castle". A stairway on the left takes you to the first rooms on the tour.

The first room is the banqueting hall, which is elaborately decorated with murals and statues.

There is an impressive view over the surrounding grounds; as we are on a hill, we can see below and even see into Cardiff from the castle.

From the banqueting hall, a small room at the back leads to the drawing room. The murals depict "Aesop's Fables".

Lady Bute's bedroom is at the top of the stairs, and it is a circular room with drawings of monkeys along the ceiling. Some of these monkeys had to be repainted as they looked too suggestive for Bute. The room was designed after the main architect died, and it is similar in style to the Arab Room at Cardiff Castle.

Lord Bute's room is actually a small room just down (or up) the stairs from Lady Bute's room. He would have shared the room with her, which would have been considered to be odd for that time period.

At the top of Castle Coch was a chapel, but all that remains of it today are the stained glass windows. Ten of these can be seen here at the castle, and the others are on display at Cardiff Castle. They probably would have held a special meaning for Bute on his Scottish and Catholic heritage. Bute was very religious, and the small chapel was removed sometime in the 1890s for reasons unknown.

I had a wander around the exterior hallway of the castle to get to other rooms.

The basement of the castle is one of the surviving parts of the medieval castle. It has a vaulted roof and was used as a store room.

Also on display was a diarama. The Pentyrch Hunt has been associated with Castle Coch for most of the 20th century as it was the meeting place. This was an organised hunt, led by Bute as the master of the hunt. 

Another room lay empty on the side and was displayed as a bedroom - Lady Margaret Bute's bedroom. Further down the hallway was the kitchen, which was filled with children and adults partaking in crafts.

I took a couple of photographs of the front of the castle looking a little empty.

That concludes my visit to Castle Coch. It's been on my "to visit" list for awhile.

Llanerch Vineyard is located in Wales, roughly a twenty-minute car journey from Cardiff centre. Visitors can stay at the hotel on site or enjoy a meal in the restaurant as well as take vineyard tours and tastings of the wine. The oldest plants in the vineyard were planted in the 1980s, if I remember correctly from the tour, and the hotel and restaurant came later with renovations and a grand reopening meant to take place in 2020 but then pushed back. I visited to kick off the Easter weekend this year and stayed a night in the hotel, had a tour of the vineyard and tasting, and enjoyed lunch and dinner at the hotel.

The vineyard is located in the quiet Welsh countryside. 

Upon entering the building that doubles as the visitor centre, restaurant, and hotel receiption, we saw a plaque of dedication by the royal family, which only took place a few months ago.

We were greeted by a beautiful and trendy flower wall.

After checking in, we dropped off our luggage in the spacious room before going to the bar to have a cold drink ahead of the tour. We were first taken to a small room where we were able to listen to some brief history about the vineyard, although the majority of the history was discussed in the vineyard. This was the tasting part of the tour, and we were shown the Cariad wine and had two tastings in the room. We were told how to tell if wine is sweet or dry and also how to pick out the flavours in the wine.

After the tasting, we walked into the vineyard to see the plants. As we visited at the start of April, we saw some of the buds on the vines and saw the vines pruned back.

We were told about the vineyard's history at this point and how the trees on the right acted as a barrier to create a perfect spot for growing grapes. We enjoyed our third and final tasting outside, which was the sparkling wine called "Haif".

After the wine tasting and vineyard tour, we headed back to our room. The restaurant below us was buzzing with people enjoying the day and the sunshine and warm weather. The room was a large one and consisted of two bathrooms, a large bedroom, and a living area with couch, tables, and television. The decor was clean and trendy. A free bottle of the Cariad wine was provided to us in the room, and it is an enjoyable and easy-to-drink wine. I read a book and enjoyed some while we waited for dinner.

Dinner included a two-course meal. I had tomato soup to start, and I had to opt for a lunch option (Jamaican chicken) as there wasn't anything on the dinner menu. The main meal and starter was very tasty with good ingredients, although the menu options were limited.

I also had a dessert, although I was less keen on it as it was a bit bland in flavour.

The next morning, we had breakfast. This included many options - cereal, pastries, cold meats and cheeses, and a Welsh breakfast. 

The food was very tasty again, and we left well-fed and cared for. I would definitely visit again for a relaxing stay.

Tredegar House is a red brick house that dates from the 17th century (during Charles II), and it is located near Newport in Wales. It was owned by the Morgans, one of the most important families in the area. There are nintey acres of grounds to explore at this property, which is maintained by National Trust, and I visited it over the sunny Easter period.

There is a pleasant stroll through the gardens in order to get to the house, although there appears to be a one-way system, and if you go through the house without first going to the stables and orangery, then you have to walk all the wall around the walled estate to get back in. I saw some people going back through the house the opposite way so that they could get back, but I did not realise this.

The spring flowers were in bloom; I am sure that summer is a nice time to visit.

I headed to the house and entered the first room, which was a hall with fine wooden panelling and beautiful carvings.

The dresses on display in the first room were created by volunteers based on a portrait of Rachel wearing the dress. In the early 1700s, pastoral dresses (shepherdess) were fashionable with the wealthy women.

In this golden room, stairs were placed out the window by Courtenay Morgan as an easy way to escape the house to visit the gymnasium that was located in the Orangery.

We saw some 1920s-style dresses in another room.

One of the rooms toward the back of the house was set up as a Punch and Judy room.

The King's Bedroom, draped with a yellow bedspread, was Evan Morgan's room. He inherited the house in the 1930s and was the last owner. He was considered one of the "Bright Young Things" in the 1920s and interested in art, the occult/magic, and Catholicism. He worked with carrier pigeons during World War II but got into trouble for telling secret information to Girl Guides. He was openly gay so never produced an heir, despite being married twice, and the property went to Newport Council in 1951. In 2012, it is on lease to the National Trust.

In one of the storage rooms were old appliances, such as a Hoover vacuum that reminded me of the one my grandmother owned that always frightened me.

The red bedroom belonged to actress Lois Sturt, who married her friend Evan in 1927. They eventually separated in 1937, and she died soon after as she wanted to restart her acting career but took drugs.

The other lady who married Evan was Olga Dolgorouky, child of a Russian aristocratic family who fled Russia. She was a society girl and married Evan, who was 22 years older than her, for financial gain. They had a short marriage, and she lived in the house during World War II. She did contribute to the war effort and volunteered at the hospital.

Tredegar House has an interesting series of rooms that help to document the lives of the workers who lived and worked at the house. 

The Game Larder, which was closed...

The Still Room was where the maids worked on creating jams, pickles, scones, and fruit cakes for the afternoon tea. This room was located next to the Maid's Sitting Room to ensure that they could keep an eye on the jams so that they would not boil over.

The pictures above and below are the maid's sitting room.

The above picture shows the expensive spices and other ingredients, which could only be opened by the head house keeper.

The Servant's Hall is in the courtyard, and it was large enough to accommodate the servants and their families and friends as well as servants belonging to other house guests. The grandest servant dance was Servant's Ball on Twelfth Night. It was even attended by tenant farmers and tradespeople of the estate. It was always opened by head of the family who entered at the stairs, and Lord Tredegar would take the Housekeeper on the first dance. (Above is the servant's hall.)

There was a courtyard outside with a shop and some flower beds with some modern buildings.

The Orangery is pictured above.

The view of the house above is taken from outside and about three-hundred meters from the side of the lake where there is a boathouse.

The other side of the Orangery contains the stables.

Below is a view walking toward the entrance to the house.

I hope to visit Tredegar House again sometime to see the gardens and to visit more of the rooms of the house that were not open during my visit.

After a few months of using up some of my bottles of gin that I had previously purchased and pausing my Craft Gin Club subscription, I decided to order the new July 2022 Craft Gin Club subscription box. In this subscription box, members a full-sized bottle of gin, mixers, and snacks each month. Also in the box is the monthly "Ginned!" magazine, which contains gin-related information and gin cocktail recipes. This month, the full-sized bottle of gin is Forty Spotted Tasmanian Classic Gin from Australia and celebrates the summer. 

Forty Spotted Tasmanian Classic Gin is based on the classic London Dry gin. Citrus and native pepperberry are used to create the gin, and I love the bottle, which is designed to be displayed upside-down with the stopper or lid serving as a stand. Unfortunately, I did not care for the flavour of this gin at all. This was my least favourite of the subscription boxes that I have tried so far. I'm sure others will love it, though.

The tonics included to pair with the gin are Nexba Pepperberry and Lemon Tonic water, and they are also from Australia. Nexba has created them for Craft Gin Club, and they are sugar-free. Pineapple garnishes are also included to pair with the classic gin and tonic featuring the gin of the month bottle and Nexba tonics.

In addition, there is also a classic cocktail that can be made using the provided syrup, named Summer Down Under. I wasn't keen on this flavour for the cocktail of the month either. 

KIND Bar is one of the snacks included to pair with the gin, and the flavour is "almond and coconut" or "caramel almond and sea salt". I received the "almond and coconut", but either flavour sounds nice to me. This did pair well with the gin and added a sweet touch to the Disaronno gin cocktail.

Another mixer was included to use to create additional cocktails. Bundaberg Ginger Beer is another Australian drink, and it was created in 1968 and a household name. It can be used as a mixer or drunk on its own over ice. The flavour is described as spicy and sweet.

Eat Real Creamy Dill Lentil Chips were also provided in the box, and this was a sour cream flavour to have as a snack with the gin. I would have preferred these with a different flavour or plain. I did not like these because I dislike that flavour, so I gave them away. This is something I'd have eaten if it was plain. They are vegan too.

Additional two drinks or mixers were included in this month's box. Disaronno Sour was also sent in their new range of instant cocktails. It's a sweet almond liqueur with lemon. GUNNA Sundowner Lime Lemonade is based on the Australian Lemon, Lime, and Bitters soft drink. It's more flavoursome that a typical soda drink, and it's low in calories and also vegan.

Made for Drink Chicken Salt Fries were the last snack that I received, and this is an iconic Australian staple, and it pairs well with gin and tonic. I did not think that I would enjoy the Chicken Salt Fries, but they were really good.

I enjoyed the cocktail that I made with the Disaronno Sour, and this was one of the best cocktails that I have had. It just goes to show that the gin can produce the right flavour for me based on other mixers and flavours. 

Darlish creates ice cream using botanicals and flavours of the Middle East. One of its popular treats is the baklava ice cream sandwich, and I must say that it is absolutely delicious! Darlish first opened its doors in St. Albans in 2018, and if you have not guessed it, the name "Darlish" is inspired by "delish" (meaning 'delicious'). Ice cream is important in Persian countries, and rose water ice cream is traditional and dates back to 4,000 BC. The ice cream is made in small batches and light, comparable to gelato.

I tried to baklava ice cream sandwich, and you can pick your own flavour of ice cream for this. I went with the rose, saffron, and pistachio. I primarily tasted the rose flavour as the other flavours were a bit muted, but I love rose, and I love pistachio. The baklava was also delicious with the bottom layer soaked with a sweet honey. 

When I arrived, there was not a queue, but a queue soon formed behind me to seek out the ice cream. This does look to be a popular place, and it's not a surprise with the delicious ice cream on offer in these refreshing flavours.

I visited the ruins of the Roman market town, Venta Silurum, which was the market town of the Silures tribe. The city was founded around the year 75, and the settlement here was the largest Roman settlement in Wales. At 44 acres only, it was small but thrived around the year 200 and became quite wealthy. The town was enclosed with a ditch and timber wall, and a stone wall soon followed; the walls still circle the modern-day Caerwent village, as it is now called.

The Silures tribe were fierce fighters and gave Rome a lot of trouble. For 25 years, the tribe fought the Romans, so the town was a strategic one. Venta Silurum was considered to be a "foreign" town (or tribal town) with Roman ideas of administration. People in these tribal towns were not considered Romans like the military towns were. Towns were established as a way to adopt Roman ideas. The best interest to keep the peace was to build these town and then allow them to have their own form of self-government. (Information panels can be read around the town.)

Located in a row toward one of the main roads stood a row of shops and houses, and these date from the 4th century. One of the rooms excavated had mosaic flooring with under-floor heating. It would have been a large home.

A little further along is the "Courtyard House", which was excavated in the early 1980s. Three different buildings were located on the site, and they were replaced with a larger house with a garden.

Through a small gate toward an open field was the next location: the ruins of the forum and basilica. The marketplace and civic hall was the centre of town. The forum had a row of columns with shops on three sides and a central piazza. One of the sides to the forum was the basilica, a very large hall with columns.

The last building to visit was the temple, which was built sometime in the year 350. The main walkway to the temple would have contained statues and offerings. 

That concludes my visit of Caerwent.

I've heard good things about PunchDrunk, a group of artists and directors who bring performances and stories to life through immersing the audience in them. I have never been to a PunchDrunk performance, so this was my first visit, and it has been over ten years since their last production. When I heard about the release of tickets late last year and also that the performance would be set at the time of the Trojan War, I scrambled to make the purchase once they were available in January. Unfortunately, Saturday turned out to be one of the hottest days of the year so far (along with the previous several days and next few days), so they have had to cut down the production times to two loops instead of three, which meant that I ended up missing a third of it.

Visitors are expected to explore the venue, which is carved up into separate sections between Troy and Greece. The rooms included a Trojan town square with some shops (flower shop, restaurant, a shop selling clay votive offerings to the gods, etc), a Trojan residential town square with some interiors (homes, bathroom, bedroom, etc) and in an upstairs area, there was a bar and bedroom with circular bed. There was a room filled with a maze of tents, which probably represents the army tents erected by the Greeks. There was another room that looked like the inside of a ship or warehouse with crates of arrows, a horse, and other items. There was a large stage area with what appeared to be an anchor or a battleground in the Greek side, an altar to the gods and goddesses with sand, a forest, and offices. There was also an upstairs section with a long banqueting table and a bedroom at the back.

The actors came on thirty minutes after we arrived, which cut the loops of the acts down. Apparently, the performances are acted out in three loops, but due to the weather, one loop was cut. Visitors decide which acts to follow, and they follow the actors and actresses into different rooms. When the characters split up, visitors decide which story they wish to follow. 

The stories follow some elements of the Trojan war and stories of the aftermath of the war (not Odysseus though). Characters are based from the books. The actors and actresses do not speak, so you don't know who is who, and a lot of it will not make a lot of sense. I last read Greek mythology and the books over twenty years ago, but I did not know who was who. 

Visitors who bring other guests are expected to split up to get more out of the experience, which I agree with. You are supposed to follow the stories and characters that you wish, and it's not possible to do this with another person. Also, some of the stories are quite busy with small rooms, so not everyone can fit inside some rooms or see what is going on without being blocked.

Visitors must wear face coverings, and everyone is given a mask to wear inside. This allows everyone to know who is an actor.

There's so much to see, and the performance is capped at three hours, though it was shorter. I dived between Greece and Troy, though I saw the most part of both finales - Troy first, then headed to Greece when it was over to see the finale. Then, we were ushered out. I had the 13:30 entry slot, and we were ushered out at 16:00. I would have preferred more time to explore, but I didn't seem to see repeat loops as suggested. Overall, I felt disappointed that it was cut short due to the weather - understandably for the safety of everyone (actors and audience).

I took the bloke with me, and he did not want to go his own way, so that dampened the mood. Also, he did not understand it and did not enjoy it at all and moaned the whole time; I don't think he gave it a chance. I admit that I did not understand most of it either as I did not know which character it was, but I was exploring my way and was able to make sense out of what was going on. 

Overall, it was not my favourite immersive experience, and I felt that it could have been better, and I feel that maybe it would have been if it were not for the hot weather.

Earlier this year, I photographed some new paste-ups in London, which I thought were great because of their placement and supportive comments. The artist has spent time on writing inspirational and comical words and phrases. These have then been placed up around London's walls, often using a part of existing street art and paste-ups for additional meaning. Below is a selection of the @supportivepinkynotes.

"When in doubt, just follow your heart to London"

"Won't you come on over?"

"Shit happens. Don't touch the shit 'cause it stinks"

"If I'm loving somebody - it's because I can, not because I need"

"I'm still a mess since the moment you've left. But one day I'm gonna be fine"

"Love is a losing game. You can start again, whenever you want"

"You can't change your past, but you can fight for your future"

"Even if you're not ready for the day - it cannot always be night"

Let me know if you see anymore of these @supportivepinkynotes. They were all found on and just off of Brick Lane.

Buildwas Abbey dates from the 12th century, and it formed part of a Cistercian monastary. The ruins are managed by English Heritage, and despite the roof being lost soon after it closed, the ruins are in a pretty good shape. The site was partially fenced off in one area when I visited due to brittle stonework, and the site was free to visit. At one point, it appeared to be ticketed due to a structure at the entrance. Today, this contains a second-hand bookstore. Unfortunately, there were not any information panels around the site.

It's not too large of a site to explore. The first ruins at the front of the site were rows of columns that appeared to make the abbey. Part of the transcept was fenced off. 

There were a couple of rooms to peer into.

At further down the site and at the other end was a final room with stairs down. There were patterned floor tiles here.

A family appeared to be having a picnic here, and there were a few people doing a professional photo shoot in the ruins.

It's a very small site, and I probably spent fifteen minutes wandering around the ruins and taking photographs (and waiting for the people doing the professional photoshoot in the rows of the columns to move). The second-hand bookstore was quite a nice feature, and I put some coins in the can and took a couple of books home.

Located in the Somerset Levels, Muchelney Abbey is a set of ruins and a couple of surviving buildings of a Benedictine abbey that dates from the 7th century. It was damaged by Vikings and rebuilt in the 10th century. The abbot's house is the re-purposed 16th century Tudor house. The parish chirch of St. Peter and St. Paul next to the ruins were built using stone from the ruins. A rare feature at the location is the monks' lavatory, and it is located next to the abbot's house. It is intact, and visitors can climb up stairs to see the seating with archways below where someone would clean out the mess.

The abbey was built on an island in the middle of marshy land, and the site was actually used with other religious buildings in 693. The abbey was mentioned in the Domesday book.

Visitors to the abbey can explore the abbot's house, which now houses some items as a museum. The remaining part of the cloisters houses some interesting stonework, carvings, and tiles from the abbey. The abbot's house survived because it was used as a farmhouse.

One of the rooms on display was the kitchen. It is thought that up to 50 monks would have lived at Muchelney in the 12th and 13th centuries, but there would have been less in later centuries due to the Black Death.

Other rooms had different functions to the life of the monks, and some other rooms contained items on display.

A few rooms retrain traces of wall painting, and visitors can make out some of the patterns and colours. The "painted chamber" is one of those rooms. It is thought to date to the 1500s.

The abbot's room is the most lavishly-decorated with beautiful carvings over the fireplace and stained glass in the windows. It dates to the 1500s.

Outside the house, visitors can see the footprint of the old church and some tombs buried in the ground.

The thatched lavatory is a rare example in England of this type of building which has miraculously survived. It is the best-preserved latrine building in Europe and could be accessed from the first floor of the dormitory.

Muchelney Abbey is under the management of English Heritage.

While in Galloway in Scotland, I visited the Wigtown Martyr's Stake. The importance of this monument is that it marks the spot where Margaret Maclauchlan (around 63 years of age) and Margaret Wilson (around 18 years of age) were tied up on stakes and left to drown in the rising tide in the mudflats. Both were part of a group that resisted new religious beliefs in the mid-1600s. The Scotland Presbyterian church believed that Jesus Christ is the head of the church, but the Stuart kings believed their divine right to rule, and many resisted this. These two women were amongst those that did not support the king's religious beliefs.

At the location here where the stake exists today was where the river Bladnoch flowed in and out of the sea with the tide, and the car parking area today, which is used to access walks and this monument was once where Wigtown harbour was. It was thought that the younger Margaret would change her mind after watching the older Margaret drown, but they both died. They were buried in a local churchyard. Both women were betrayed by an informer and were put into prison for a month before the drowning. The accounts were recorded as one of the many injustices under the Stuart monarchs. 

There is an information board about the martyrs and a bench overlooking the lowlands out to sea and the mountains in the distance here, which you can see captured above. Just below this is the start of the trail.

A few of the wooden planks (installed to prevent from getting wet footwear as the land is marshy and waterlogged) have come loose, and the sign at the entrance alerts visitors to the uneven walkway.

The walkway is not too long, and another fence exists on the other side where the stake is with the same notice.

The stone on the stake reads "This marks the traditional site of the martyrdom".

Today, there is a lot of grassland and marshy grasses instead of a tidal river, so it is a pretty peaceful place. Sheep were grazing in this area as well in a little fence just beyond the stake.

This is a sad story in a sad and dark era for Scotland, so the stone monument marks the space in rememberance to the two women and to all who have suffered.

Curry On Naanstop is a street food business inspired by Mumbai street food, and they were runner-up winners to BBC Britain's Top Takeaway in May this year. I visited their food stall at Seven Dials market, which opened up toward the end of 2019. The owners created the business in 2018 after moving to England in 2008 and being disappointed with the selection of Indian food. They purchased a food van and painted it in bright colours, selling their meals out of it around Croydon. 

I visited Curry On Naanstop and Seven Dials market in May and tried their chicken curry and naan bread. The meal was very filling and tasty. The curry itself was not hot in flavour, but it had a fragrant taste. There are other items on the menu that I'd love to try.

It was good to see Wheelcake Island (see my post here) back at Seven Dials market (and Cucumber Alley, which used to be a tiny mall with small independent shops), and I also visited Boolay Crepes, the delicious crepes that I had earlier this year from Yolkin, which had to shut their doors due to the past two years. The crepe didn't taste as nice as it did as it wasn't nearly warm enough, and they do take an age to make.

I visited Seven Dials after work, and it was a little too early for the crowds and too late for lunch. 

You can read my first post about my visit to Seven Dials Market here.

...And, just like that, spring 2022 was history. This post is arriving a bit late due to various reasons, although it was not a particularly busy spring when compared to past years. You may remember that the year did not start out particularly well as my grandmother suddenly passed away on the same day of the Russia/Ukraine conflict (at the end of February), and the the project I have been on at work has been a very challenging one. I've also had to sit out and wait a six-month probation, which was completed in the middle of May. So, that's a bit of good news.

A beautiful little garden park in Cardiff

However, other personal goals have been delayed for one reason or another. The cost of living has spiraled due to post-pandemic reasons and also due to the war. On top of that, the bloke was struggling from mid-May as there were issues with his workplace, and there was talk about closing and not being able to pay wages. This dragged on for nearly two months, and it's just been resolved this week...at least until second stage funding is needed. Hopefully that won't be any issue, though. We have had a whirlwind of disappointment. I'd hoped to go away in late June, excited to have passed my probation, but when I had come to make the booking that very weekend, the issues kicked off with the bloke's job. It seems like we cannot win. We have still not been away for years, and I don't mean since the start of the pandemic like most people. I really do mean years. Okay, we had a handful of long weekends in the U.K. in the past two years, four long weekends in Europe spanning eight years, and a fleeting visit to my cousin's wedding in the states, but the last proper holiday was when we went to Ireland for two weeks with my parents in 2014!

Eactcote House Gardens - iris flowers

So, we have had to wait this out. Because of the fuel cost and these other worries, we have not been going out too much. There's been many weekends at home. My new job doesn't allow the half day fridays, which I really miss, so I've not had that much-needed mental break and balance. Having that time was a perfect refresher for my mental health, and I mainly used to to unwind and for exercise. Eastcote House Gardens was a favourite place for me in 2021 and when we were locked away.

Yellow flowers at Eastcote House Gardens

Wisteria - Eastcote House Gardens

Wisteria

There were a couple of weekends away. Over Easter, I visited Cardiff, and we were lucky with the weather. 

Psychic Sally

One of my friends got tickets to Psychic Sally at Uxbridge, so we headed over to see that. There were several very sad stories and a couple of funny ones too. There was an older lady whose life partner had suddenly passed away in the garden, and she found him as she was bringing him a cup of tea. There was another person whose brother or cousin was brutally murdered in Canada, and no one knows what the motive was. There were other sad stories too. My impressions were that Sally is just an entertainer. She throws words, names, and scenarios out there and expects the audience to take the breadcrumbs while she listens and throws additional information out to keep the momentum as well as to provide some encouragement to the living.

Masala & Coal

There were a couple of after-work drinking sessions with two-for-one cocktails with a friend, which were enjoyable. Masala & Coal is in Ruislip Gardens, one of the local pub venues. It's more than a pub. Think Indian-style tapas and cocktails. You can read more about my bottomless brunch experience at Masala & Coal here.

Masala & Coal 2-4-1

Buckatree Hotel

There was a weekend visit to Shropshire, and the weather was very nice on the first day. The hotel (Buckatree Hotel) was a voucher, and it was lovely. It included a three-course dinner and breakfast. The room was quite large, though our room over-looked the car parking and road into the hotel whereas other rooms had garden and lake views with balconies. Food was pretty good, and I enjoyed a couple large glasses of wine and a book outside. 

Pornstar Martinis

I learned how to make excellent Pornstar Martinis (passionfruit martini) at home. They're better than most that I've had in pubs and restaurants. I had two or three drinking sessions with friends.

A yard-bombed postbox with a vase of knitted tulips

Yarn-bombed postboxes are a big thing here. Postbox toppers is what they're called, and new ones get added for each season. There were a lot put up for the Jubilee, but I never got to walk and see most of them as some of them got damaged. I liked the above one.

Eastcote's The Black Horse

There are a lot of wonderful restaurants and pubs in this area, and I decided to try The Black Horse, a pub at Eastcote. Instead of English pub food, it's actually an Indian restaurant with delicious meals. I really enjoyed the food here, so I will visit it again. Apparently, they do music in the evenings on sunny days. The day I visited was a rainy one in between nice weather, so it was a bit disappointing.

One of my friends had a birthday in early April, and she wanted to have a Sunday roast. We headed over to Arens Bar and Grill and then stayed later with drinks and cocktails. You can read about my bottomless brunch at Arens here, or you can see my post about their Sunday roast in their older venue between Eastcote and Northwood Hills here. Since then, they've moved into a pub in Ruislip, and the decor is completely different.

Peggy Porschen Easter

I loved this Peggy Porschen's Easter cupcake.

The cornflowers and wildflowers started to make an appearance, and I love them. This field is where I walk to get the tube and in the grounds of a school that had some renovation work during the years of the pandemic. 

Last but not least, I captured a photograph of the June moon looking very full and bright.

I have previously posted about the little faces across east London that I have been seeing since early 2017 or at the end of 2016. The artwork is from J.Ace, and they have been popping up all over east London, primarily in and around Brick Lane. However, the artist has currently gone global in a bid to paste up over 400 little faces all over the world by the end of the year. I happened to spot one in Winchester the other week; I just happened to see it by chance when I was not even looking. A lot of the photographs below are of the artist's little faces, but many of them have been broken or disappeared now.

A green man 

A postage stamp with a face on it, which I discovered in Winchester near a postbox.

A face with green jewel eyes

A face that had been painted over

A red-haired girl and broken girl with a polka-dot headband

A close-up of the red-haired girl

A clown with sunglasses

A little blue face

A buck-teeth green face with upturned nose

Another buck-teeth face

A woman wearing a face covering and a man with a large nose

A broken woman with a face covering and another face

Another close-up of the broken polka-dot headband woman; her style reminds me of Amy Winehouse.

More posts in this blog with work by J.Ace are below:

Ceramic Characters by J.Ace
Ceramic Street Art Masks 2
Ceramic Street Art Masks and Skulls

Located in Bridgend in Wales on the top of a hill in a residential area is the castle Newcastle. This castle was built to guard one of the river crossings, which controlled the Vale of Glamorgan. There was an original wooden and earthwork castle on this spot, but the replacement ruins that can be seen today date from the 1180s. Henry II constructed the castle. The doorway is a good example of Norman construction, and the castle was built with high quality stonework. It is open to visit, but there's not much that remains to be seen today.

The castle would have had two stone rings around it. The castle was never used as a residence, which is what some of the other castles in the area became, so it became abandoned. 

St. Illtyd's Church is located next to the castle and just outside the main stone wall that surrounds the site. I spotted a couple of gargoyles on the tower, snapped a photograph, and walked back to the car.

Re:Claim Southampton is a new street art festival that took place in Southampton in September 2021. The festival included street artists Lours, Carleen de Sozer, Jane Mutiny, Soul'd, Van Jimmer, My Dog Sighs, Elno, Jim VIsion, Mister Samo, and more. Some of the street art produced during the festival is below. Wom Collective, which includes a collection of street artists Lours, Carleen de Sozer, Mutiny, and more, contributed to some of the walls.

Lours

Mutiny

ALSO

Jim Vision

WOM Collective - Carleen de Sozer

Van Jimmer

Soul'd

JCX

unknown - nony?

Additional artist's posts from Re:Claim Southampton can be seen below:

Mister Samo Paints for Re:Claim Southampton
My Dog Sighs Paints for Re:Claim Southampton
Elno Paints for Re:Claim Southampton

Tucked on a corner at the junction off Winchester High Street (on Trafalgar Street) is a mural featuring Disney-style bluebirds. The birds are painted onto the wall, using the wall "furniture" and other street furniture as incorporation into the artwork. Three of the birds sit on pipes that follow along the side of the building, a couple sit on a box and plinth on the wall, and others fly. 

At the bottom of the wall and on the ground is a pile of grenades, and the innocent-looking birds are picking up the grenades.

The artwork does a great job of blending in and using the features of the wall to its advantage. Are the birds deliberately trying to set off the grenades to destroy the buildings, or are they a victim of human destruction?

Naomi Blake is a sculpture who was born in the former Czechoslovakia in a region that is now Ukraine. She was born in 1924 to Jewish parents and was originally named Zisel, which meant "sweet", but her parents changed her name in 1948. She survived the Holocaust and was a teenager imprisoned at Auschwitz and a survivor; many family died there. She endured more struggles and tried to escape to Palestine after the war where she was shot and had to recover in hospital; this is where she started to make carvings of figurines. Her sculptures depict her experiences as a refugee and survivor. She has displayed her work since the early 1960s. One of her permanent sculptures is "View" in Fitzroy Square.

The sculpture appears to be an organic form with a circular "window" where the viewer is encouraged to look through to frame or glimpse what is on the other side. The sculpture was placed here in 1977 for the Queen's Silver Jubilee event.