Now in Ireland

We have made it to Ireland and have had a couple of drinks (Guiness for me, of course) and a great meal. The hotel put us on the only floor that did not have internet connections so we elected for another room. We have not taken any photos the last couple of days (probably much to our readers' relief) but we are alive, happy and well. We are no longer using the English mobile number so, if you must contact us, use our Australian mobile numbers.

Lavender Garden - Thursday 16 July

We and the Greens then did a flying visit to a lavender farm at Snowshill, Gloucestershire. There was a lovely aroma pervading the area until a diesel-fuelled tourist bus pulled up beside us and shared its fumes. The lavenders to the front here form a display of various varieties of lavender for we tourists. In the background you can see some of the actual commercially farmed lavender.

Hidcote Manor Gardens - Thursday 16 July

Again we met up with Peter and Lyndall Green; this time at the extensive gardens known as Hidcote Manor Gardens at Hidcote Bartrim, near Chipping Campden in Gloucestershire. Much of the garden is made up of adjoining "rooms" with hedges being the "walls". Some of the rooms are formal but the dominant theme is 'cottage garden'. Most plants are of the British Isles with a few exotics here and there. There are also further flower and vegetable gardens and also orchards on other parts of the estate. There are lots of photos in the album but here are three samples. I finally managed to get a photograph of those big bumblebees (on the thistle along with a honey bee). The avenue of beech trees was probably once the formal entryway to the Manor House.

Stoke Bruerne - Canal Museum - Wed 15 July

Wednesday we went to Stoke Bruerne near Towcester (sounds a bit like Toaster) in Northamtonshire to meet up with Gonzo. Here a canal museum has been built on the old, but still used canal; part of the Midlands canal system. Nearby is the the Blisworth Canal Tunnel which is over 2km long (photos in album).
In the other direction, a flight of locks progressively takes the canal boats down the hill on which Stoke Bruerne is situated.
Most of the boats we saw on the day were operated privately by live-in owners or on charter. There are no lock-keepers at this point so those on the boats are primarily responsible for operating the locks. Vija had a wonderful time chatting with some of the people on the boats. It is a very slow way to travel especially when faced with a flight of locks.

Canberra meets in Warwick - Tuesday 14 Jul

We met up with the Greens today in the Warwick area and wandered around Warwick, Leamington Spa and the village of Berkswill. Peter and Lyndall know the area well and took us to some marvelous places that we would have missed otherwise. The highlight of the day was the Mill Pond Garden adjacent to the Warwick Castle. Here are two photos of the mill pond on the River Avon. The first is of a now disused bridge that was once the main river crossing for Warwick. The second is a view from the garden to where the pond and the river passes Warwick Castle. The third is of Lyndall, Peter and Vija at our table at The Bear Inn at Berkswell. This is a 14th century building and I was taller than the ceiling and some of the major beam were at about my mouth level. Good food and ales though.
There are many more photos in the albums.

Warwick Castle and Stratford - Sun 12 July

Our British Heritage passes were about to run out so we decided that w'd better do Warwick Castle today situated in Warwick, Warwickshire. It's advertised as a working castle but in reality it is a walled hall (or mansion). Mind you, the walls are massively impressive featuring gigantic turrets. The Hall is very impressive and features lots of armour and weaponry. It is very touristy with lots of demonstrations, e.g. falconry and archery, and lots of exhibits and models. It's great fun and we enjoyed the visit but it really is more of a tourist treat than historically educational. Do have a look at the photos in album. Here we have a damsel, not in any distress, trying to entice a knight in shining armour.
Then it was back to Stratford upon Avon to catch the last three of the Shakespeare related buidings including his birthplace (another of those places that do not allow photographs). We also went for a walk along the Avon just to obtain this photo especially for our readers.

To Stratford upon Avon - Sat 11 July

It was off to Stratford upon Avon. It was a fairly easy drive down the motorways mainly and we arrived early enough to take in two visits. First was Ann Hathaway's Cottage and gardens. The cottage features additions and alterations made since it was built in the 1500s including furniture from all periods up unto the mid 1800s. It was originally part of a 100 acre farm/woodland and the gardens are relatively modern. Then it was on to Mary Arden's Farm (W Shakespeare's mum) and the adjacent Palmer Farm both of which have a strong historical workng-farm theme. Here we were also treated to a little falconry.