May 2013 – Page 2

32 Photos That Will Make Your Stomach Drop

Thanks to my nephew for posting the link on FB. I think it needs a broader audience.
32 Photos That Will Make Your Stomach Drop.

Blenheim Revisited – The Inside Story

About a year ago I posted about our visit to Blenheim Palace, about our picnic in the grounds and posted a few snapshots from that day. Well we have been back, specifically to view the inside.

So I present for your delectation a few snaps from Saturdays exploration.

Starting us off is the head of Winston Churchill, possibly England’s greatest Prime Minister.

Some of the youngsters out there may not realise that Winston Churchill was the inventor of one of their current favourite favourites, the”onesy”. Of course it wasn’t called that back in the day. I present for you the “SirenSuit”

Churchill's "onesy" or SIren Suit — Churhills “onesy” or SIren Suit

Invented during time of war, designed to be pulled on over your bedclothes and worn when you had to dash to the air raid shelter.

Below is the bedroom in which Churchill was born. Given the grandeur of Blenheim this room seems rather cosy by comparison.

frieze — Frieze – Just one small selection of many

ornate — This small section is just a sample and this image cannot do justice to the skill and craftsmanship that went into creating Blenheim

pipes — Organ Pipes – belonging to the Willis organ, at the north end of the Long Library. It was installed by the 8th Duke in 1891 and is the largest privately owned organ in Europe.

silver — I’ve forgotten what this is, but it is impressive

One of many statues looking down on the Great Hall. Carved, I believe by Grinling Gibbons

windows2 — Windows & Statues – Great Hall – Blenheim Palace

After touring the house we had a spot of lunch on the terrace, overlooking the water gardens.

water3 — Lunch on the terrace – Water Gardens at Blenheim

water1 — Water Gardens – Blenheim Palace

As luck would have it, our visit to Blenheim coincided with a Mediaeval Tournament which was taking place in the grounds to the South of the palace. We strolled across the lawns, being buffeted by the quite strong winds that had blown up. The tournament was a jovial affair, presided over by King Henry

King Henry VIII - Jousting at Blenheim Palace — King Henry VIII – Jousting at Blenheim Palace

joust2 — A little more difficult this time. The ring was tossed into the air, rather than hanging from the pole.

swordplay2 — A dastardly knave sent packing

After the excitement of the tournament we returned to the palace. New this year is ‘Blenheim Palace: The Untold Story’ an audio-visual trail through the history of Blenheim. It seemed a little disjointed at times but was very interesting although the theatre room left us a bit perplexed, not sure what they were trying to convey.

After a beautiful visit we set off for home but not before stopping at what is becoming a favourite of ours. The White Horse at Ampfield where we had a lovely meal. I would like to make a personal recommendation and that is, should you ever visit The White Horse, choose the Faggots. That is if they are on the menu. They are made by the butchers in the nearby village of Hursley. They are delicious and very filling.

Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman dies

I don’t know much about Slayer but 49 is awfully young. My thoughts are with Jeffs family, friends and of course his fans.

View From The Conservatory

Well it’s been a while since I posted one of these.

I’ve been up and down healthwise, flu or something similar, and the weather has been dire to say the least. Now we have had a few sunny days and all the plants seem to be exploding into growth and the colours are fabulous.

Our remaining cherry blossom is looking beautiful and the lawn in our back garden is totally out of control. I’ve taken a few minutes out from work to make a quick perimeter patrol and fire off a few snaps.

Up above is a shot of a butterfly. I don’t believe I have seen one of these before, certainly never in my garden.

Does anyone out there know what it is ?

Here are a few more pictures, some with titles where I know what they are. Some remain anonymous. However, I hope you enjoy these facsimiles as much as I am enjoying the real thing.

My perimeter walk has also highlighted the amount of work that needs to be done around the “estate”.

This weekend has been earmarked for “slash and burn”. Perhaps not much of the burning but certainly there will be much slashing.

We have also decided to replace the fence which marks the back border for our property.

As you can see the fence has a somewhat laidback attitude. Something it took on early the year after the “Great Storm” of 1987. Slowly but surely the post has rotated in the ground and many of the other posts have rotted out so the whole fence has to go. Thats not bad considering it has had no treatment during the last 30 years. So, 25-30 meters of wooden fencing, a task which is a little to big for my DIY skills, will be replaced by a local firm. They have done work on two of my neighbours properties so I have been able to see the quality of their work.

Once that is done we will have a blank canvas against which to plan the transformation.

Here are couple of general shots showing the desperate state of my garden.

It would seem that something has taken up residence under our shed. A large hole and signs of escavation. Maybe that tatty fox, I spotted a couple of weeks ago, has decided to move in.