One of my usual walks

One of my usual walks ... it struck me that in actual fact it is full of beautiful plants ...

From the road ...



and some more plants, shrubs & trees etc. in a more garden or property type environment ...

SW Trip etc ... May 2015

Margaret & I left on Sunday 17th May to drive to Oxford (after leaving Ginny in kennel).

First we visited Waterperry Gardens - a Garden Centre and Gardens near Oxford. This was lovely - the weather was OK, not brilliant (windy & coldish) but dry! The NCCPG National collection of Kabschia Saxifrages is here.



We stayed over at Sabine Barns, a B&B located just 4 km from Oxford city centre - just by Farmoor Reservoir. It had original, exposed wooden beams, & free Wi-Fi access but we found it hard to find! Though Margaret had only fried bread and one rasher of bacon I had a full English breakfast. We had an evening meal at the 'Bear and Ragged Staff' - just down the road. Took the Park & Ride (bus lane!!!) to visit the Bodleian Library (Divinity School hall),



We saw the Radcliffe Camera and took a city tour taking in quite a few of the colleges (University, Brasenose, All Souls, Magdalen, Christ Church, St. John's); saw Christ Church, Alice's Shop, William Morris' original workshops, Said Business School, Carfax Tower, River Cherwell. Overall not really enamoured of Oxford - not helped by traffic issues. We also went around the University of Oxford Botanic Garden.

Set off in morning for Avebury ... a Neolithic henge monument containing three stone circles, around the village of Avebury in Wiltshire; contains the largest stone circle in Europe. Constructed around 2600 BCE, during the Neolithic, or 'New Stone Age', the monument comprises a large henge (a bank and a ditch) with a large outer stone circle and two separate smaller stone circles situated inside the centre of the monument.



Its original purpose is unknown, although archaeologists believe that it was most likely used for some form of ritual or ceremony. The Avebury monument was a part of a larger prehistoric landscape containing several older monuments nearby, including West Kennet Long Barrow and Silbury Hill. We went to the museum inside the Manor Grounds and the Village.



We then drove down to Salisbury via Marlborough - stopping in the small delightful town for tea at Polly's Tea Rooms.



The town boasts the second widest high street in Britain, (after Stockton-on-Tees) and is on the River Kennet.



We got to Salisbury and the Spires B&B but I made a bit of a poor job of parking so we were 5 minutes late by the time we had negotiated the one system around the cathedral! That night we went to Cranes at 7:30pm & had a pleasant but lonely meal!


This photo of Cranes Wine Cafe is courtesy of TripAdvisor

The next day after breakfast we covered the Cathedral,



the Magna Carta exhibition,



(Salisbury Cathedral’s Magna Carta is the best preserved of the four remaining original exemplars),



the Salisbury Museum (surprisingly good though expensive) and then we had a coffee in their cafetaria.

We then drove up out of the City, to Old Sarum (Situated just north of the city of Salisbury and west of Castle Road, the mound known today as Old Sarum



has been the site of a Neolithic settlement, an Iron Age Hillfort, a Roman military station, and a Norman palace and cathedral, before fading into history on a final sour note as a "rotten borough.").

The castle remains were impressive and so was the Cathedral.



We then drove up to Stonehenge and after eating a sandwich in the newish vistor's Centre



we walked done the quiet but tarmac covered road to the Henge ...



We enjoyed the site greatly and then got a coach back and set off for Bath (not always by biggish roads!).

We stayed at 4 The Cedars in Bathford - and v. pleasant is was too.

We ate in Yeti Yak Yeti that night - catching the bus into town on a filthy night for weather...



and the next day, after breakfast we moved the car and caught the bus into Town again. This time we queued for the City Bus Tour - seeing a lot of the city which became a spa with the Latin name Aquae Sulis - earlier than AD 60 when the Romans built baths and a temple in the valley of the River Avon, although oral tradition suggests that the hot springs were known before then. Bath Abbey was founded in the 7th century becoming a religious centre and the building was rebuilt in the 12th and 16th centuries. In the 17th century claims were made for the curative properties of the water from the springs and Bath became popular as a spa town during the Georgian era, leaving a heritage of Georgian architecture crafted from Bath stone, including the Royal Crescent,



Circus,



Pump Room and Assembly Rooms. Many of the streets and squares were laid out by John Wood, the Elder and in the 18th century the city became fashionable and the population grew. Jane Austen lived in Bath in the early 19th century. We caught sight of The Royal Crescent, the Circle, The Royal Victoria Park, The Assembly Rooms, The Abbey, Brunel's Castle (a railway viaduct!), and the River Kennet.

We had a coffee and then went to the Roman Baths - we were very impressed with this ... done really well.



We then left and drove up to Paul & Ann's ... then next morning home!

London - March 201

We went to London Tuesday 10th March to see Made In Dagenham, Women On The Edge
Of A Nervous Breakdown, John Singer Sargent (1856-1925), Portrait and landscape painter and muralist.



We stayed in The Rembrandt in Knightsbridge (see http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g186338-d193667-Reviews-s1-The_Rembrandt-London_England.html) for two nights and the first evening we dined at The Savoy Grill.



We booked for 5:30 and tuned up a few minutes before ... we were shown out (politely) as the staff were still having their pep talk I guess ... Others tried to get in at about 5:30 too but were shown out! We got in a few minutes afterwards. We got a nice table (on the back wall) and I had a champagne galls to start with - though Margaret had water!
The atmosphere and service was excellent but the early evening was let down by the food. My main (liver) was in one grilled piece, tough and tasteless. I had to order extra for bacon and a side of french fried. Margaret's pie was very was better ... perhaps the Chef was having a bad day?



We walked to the Adelphi to catch the show "Made In Dagenham" - we enjoyed it.



The next day we caught the Singer Sargent exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, after a coffee in the Crypt of St. Martin's-In-The-Field.

That afternoon - after a brief "lunch" of tea/scones at the National Gallery (where we went so I could see the Burlington Cartoon again!) we walked to The Mall Galleries and then down to the Millennium Bridge (or properly London Millennium Footbridge) - took some photos.

Then we went to the theatre for the matinee performance of the musical "Women On The Edge Of A Nervous Breakdown" - which we thought would be a highlight!



Sadly it wasn't. Neither of us enjoyed the musical - it was probably the tunes and the music - though bits were funny and the story line implausible but intriguing. We left a little underwhelmed and went back to the hotel glad that it was not an evening show ...

That evening as dusk fell we walked from the hotel via the Albert Hall and Kensington Road to walk along Kensington Palace Gardens to admire the houses and the gas lamps!


I managed to turn left as soon as we reached the Royal Garden Hotel - going down the first part of Palace Avenue instead of going past the hotel and down KPG!

Still we turned left and managed to get to KPG - though walking down was a bit of a disappointment I have to say.

We walked down left a short part of Bayswater Road before turning left again to walk down Palace Gardens Terrace to Vicarage Gate and then to Holland Street.


We had a booking at 7:45 at The Terrace At Holland Street. This tiny restaurant (about 22 covers!) is something of a hidden gem, tastefully decorated in various shades of grey, with a service that is very friendly and efficient. Their homemade treacle soda bread is a delight. I had a Prosecco to start with and Margaret had water. The cooking was precise and v. good, though the side of triple cooked chips I had was not brilliant.



The course I had was sea bream (a a glass of Italian red wine) and Margaret had salted baked beetroot and Goat’s curd. There was a birthday party in when we were there but not too noisy and what seemed to be a small office party - not too bad. All in all this is a fabulous little restaurant, serves great dishes, cooked well in an informal setting.

We got back to the hotel after we had coffees and Margaret had a dessert - buttermilk pudding with rhubarb. I had a grappe.

Next day we visited the Natural History Museum and The Science Museum.



Then we went to Kings Cross and had "lunch' in St Pancras at Fortnum & Mason's. We caught the train home at 13:35 and got home in time for me to pick up Ginny.

Crows

The carrion crow was one of the many species originally described by Linnaeus in his 18th century work Systema Naturae and it still bears its original name of Corvus corone. The plumage of carrion crow is black with a green or purple sheen, much greener than the gloss of the rook. The bill, legs and feet are also black. The beak of the crow is stouter and in consequence looks shorter, and whereas in the adult rook the nostrils are bare, those of the crow are covered at all ages with bristle-like feathers.

This species breeds in western and central Europe, with an allied form or race C. c. orientalis (50–56 cm or 19 to 22 inches in length) occurring in eastern Asia. The separation of these two populations is now believed to have taken place during the last ice age with the closely allied hooded crow - now given species status - filling the gap between.

Fertile hybrids occur along the boundary between these two forms indicating their relationship, and most carrion crow populations show sign of extensive gene flow from hooded crow (a genomic region involving pigmentation and linked traits is maintained strongly different between the two crows however). The range of this hybrid of these two species appears to be moving to the northwest.



The rook is generally gregarious and the crow solitary, but rooks occasionally nest in isolated trees, and crows may feed with rooks; moreover, crows are often sociable in winter roosts. The most distinctive feature is the voice. The rook has a high-pitched kaaa, but the crow's guttural, slightly vibrant, deeper croaked kraa is distinct from any note of the rook.The carrion crow is noisy, perching on the top of a tree and calling three or four times in quick succession, with a slight pause between each series of croaks. The wing-beats are slower, more deliberate than those of the rook.
Like all corvids - carrion crows are highly intelligent, and are among the most intelligent of all animals.

Though an eater of carrion of all kinds, the carrion crow will eat insects, earthworms, grain, small mammals amphibians scraps and will also steal eggs. Crows are scavengers by nature, which is why they tend to frequent sites inhabited by humans in order to feed on their household waste. Crows will also harass birds of prey or even foxes for their kills. Crows actively hunt and occasionally co-operate with other crows to make kills.

Crows have become highly skilled at adapting to urban environments. In a Japanese city, carrion crows have discovered how to eat nuts that they usually find too hard to tackle. One method is to drop the nuts from height on to a hard road in the hope of cracking it. Some nuts are particularly tough, so the crows drop the nuts among the traffic. That leaves the problem of eating the bits without getting run over, so some birds wait by pedestrian crossings and collect the cracked nuts when the lights turn red.



The bulky stick nest is usually placed in a tall tree, but cliff ledges, old buildings and pylons may be used as well. Nests are also occasionally placed on or near the ground. The female alone, who is fed by the male, incubates the 3 to 4 brown-speckled blue or greenish eggs for 18–20 days. The young fledge after 29–30 days. It is not uncommon for an offspring from the previous years to stay around and help rear the new hatchlings. Instead of seeking out a mate, it looks for food and assists the parents in feeding the young.

London 1st to 3rd December 2014

Down with Alison and Peter, we got to the hotel (the Rembrandt) at 2 or thereabouts.

Then for an early dinner Bistro Zedel's,



before going to The Prince of Wales Theatre to see 'The Book Of Mormon'.



Next day after breakfast we got to the Tate Britain



at 10:00 .... Jane & Stan got there at 20 to 10! We found each other just before 10:30! We went around the Turner Exhibition and then got a cab to Dishoom's.



This Bombay cafe was very good ... We had two types of samosas, Bhel and calamari plus an IPA Kingfisher and 2 Lassis then got Holeen, a special dark dhal sauce and Gunpowder Potatoes! For desserts Stan and Margaret had ice lolly-type Mango and Pistachio Kulfis and I had a Kala Khatta Ice plus Jane had a nice Cinnamon Ice Cream. We had coffees and tea too.

Back to the hotel via H&M to get some gloves for me ... on the Tube was David Robb



Then to The Savoy for Tea



... before Dirty Rotten Scoundrels!



Then back to the hotel. In the morning after breakfast we went to the Victoria & Albert Museum ...

Saw Constable - the Making of a Master



then, after coffee and a quick look in the courtyard,



we went into the 'Wedding Dress' exhibition



then to the Japan section and having looked at the China bit we then left to go for our train home...



We did have a tea and scone in Fortnum & Mason's at St Pancras.



Train back home, though delayed - we got into Leeds at 18:42 instead of 17:48.

Home to frost and a frozen gate at 19:35.