Uffington

After spending the day slobbing around the house, either reading the papers (me) or watching bad tv (Matt), we decided to get out and do something. I wanted to see a Norman castle, but there were none close by, so we decided to go visit the Bronze Age remains at Uffington Castle. In this photo you can just make out the kites flying in the sky. It was a beautiful evening: windy but bright and clear. Here we're half-way up the hill looking out onto Vale of White Horse in Oxfordshire.

The chalk horse at Uffington is spectacular. Unfortunately from our position on the hill, it was impossible to get clear view. Later on we stopped on the road home, hoping we'd get a clear view, but it was still difficult to see.

Here's an aerial view I pinched from the web.

A detail of the chalk horse, taken from the top of the hill.

LIke Silchester, the area is run by National Trust in conjunction with the local farmer. The hill is used for grazing. The lambs are getting so big now. Here is one with a ewe.

Another lamb with sheep. Some of the lambs looked black but others were dark brown.

Uffington Castle was on the other side of the hill. The summit is approximately 290 metres. It's a nice gentle walk to the top if you're fit. I was puffing pretty heavily all the way.

Not quite as much castle as I was expecting. All that remains are the ditch and walls. On the day we visited the castle grounds were filled with grazing sheep.

Matt in front of the remains of the castle. The weather had changed by the time we got to the top and we were surrounded by rain clouds.

And at the end of the day, we were too tired to cook, so we stopped in at the local fish and chip shop on our way home. Matt had the cod, but I had the scampi, which were very tasty.

Faculty Library

This summer, I'm working at the English Faculty Library, pictured. In theory, it should be a nice quiet place to catch up with my reading, but in reality it's been quite busy. Although most students have gone home for the holiday, there are a number of summer schools running. Blake, Shakespeare and Virginia Woolf seem to be the most popular authors; however, I did help someone find the Canadian Literature section yesterday.

Silchester

Last Sunday, Matt and I drove out to Silchester to see the old Roman town there. Here he is standing on the remains of the wall. Silchester is unique since, unlike many other Roman cities and towns, it was abandoned. It remained untouched for close to 2000 years and was only recently excavated. At the moment, it's surrounded by grazing land.

We walked along the walls, which are quite high! There were lots of other people out and about, walking their dogs, etc. It was a really nice evening.

This is the amphitheatre. I don't know if I was able to capture its essence, but if you're thinking 'parking lot' that's pretty close. Archeological aren't sure what the amphitheatre was used for. A few small bones were found in the area but little else. Interestingly, it's just outside the city walls. Either it wasn't worth protecting, or they wanted to keep the carnival and civic separate.

A designated organic farm, as per DEFRA and the EU. We thought the name might be a play on words!

The effects of the drought are pretty obvious in this picture. I'm not sure if this is a marsh or the water table, but as you can see, the cattle are pretty keen to graze on what little green grass there is.

View of pasture from the wall

Holidays in East Anglia

Orford Castle in Suffolk


Unremarkable beach, but it is near the nuclear power plant at Sizewell, which the fictional Larksoken is based on in P.D. James' Devices and Desires


Matt and Barney, the dog, on the boardwalk at Southwold


View of Norwich from Mousehold Heath


Cloisters, Cathedral, Norwich


High tide at Felixstowe

Yorkshire

Yorkshire, May 2006

In May, I attended a conference in York. Matt came along with me and we were able to do some sightseeing in the area. York is a beautiful place; the original city walls, seen here, are thronged by tourists and locals alike. Although there is a guard rail in this section, many of the paths, which are narrow and quite high, are open. Not for those with a fear of heights or falling!

The Moors. Heathcliff was unavailable for pictures.
The Dales. It's beautiful here, a pastoral idyll. I now understand why Dad was so taken with Yorkshire.

I can't remember the name of this town, but it's about an hour or so from where the last picture was taken. That's the great thing about Britain. One moment, it's rural; the next, it's coastal. It was a beautiful day. We were really lucky with the weather.

We stayed the night in Scarborough and spent the morning at the seaside. There was a band playing Cole Porter when we passed by. We didn't stop for too long; the warning notice strongly cautions against loitering. If you want to hear the music, you have to pay for a seat downstairs!

Late evening in Scarborough.

Wiltshire

When my Mom came to visit in May, we spent a weekend in Wiltshire with Dad's cousins.
This is the village church in Bishop's Canning. Our walk through the village began here.
These I believe are French cows. Meuh, rather than moo.
The donkey looks friendly enough but just out of the shot is a sign warning that he bites. So no feeding.
This is a lovely leafy path that ran behind the big estate. Really nice. There was a man training dogs, so we passed by a few pups who were attempting to master the 'stay' command with varying degrees of success.
My mom, interrupted.

Winchester

We drove to Winchester one day in April. It was early spring and still fairly cold. The county Hampshire is known, by the road signs at least, as Jane Austen country. It's lovely rolling green hills, ideal for rescues.
The cathedral at Winchester.
Matt in the great hall, 'holding' up a reproduction of King Arthur's round table.
Matt walking in the town centre.
The front of the cathedral.
Detail of ceiling bosses

Ireland

Ireland, February 2006
The view from our cabin on the ferry over. We were directly under the bridge and felt each wave as it broke on the ship's prow. We did manage to get some sleep, but it felt like napping on a roller coaster. Lots of ups and downs. But as my brother pointed out, at least the bed didn't come equipped with a safety belt.


Stonework at Jerpoint Abbey, Thomastown, Kilkenny

As above

Wales

Wales, Februrary 2006
The cathedral in St. David's was our starting point. It's the smallest city in the UK. And, of course, it's only a city because it has a cathedral. We stayed in a little guest house down the road, run by a bachelor, who was ably assisted by his whippet. Although the accommodation was fairly basic, the breakfast was staggering. Exactly what you'd expect from a man: rashers, sausages and pudding, beans, tomatoes and mushrooms, plus waffles, plus toast. We didn't need to eat again that day.

Picture for my brother.

As above.

Carn Menyn, southwestern Wales. It's believed that this is where the rocks used in Stonehenge came from.
Matt and I
This sleepy looking little coastal town is credited as being the birthplace of Welsh nationalism. Somewhere, out of frame, is the university where courses in the Welsh language were first taught. Although things have calmed down considerably since the seventies, the Welsh still aren't too keen on the British. Consequently, most of the day-to-day negotiations fell to me. And it's true, the Welsh hate the English. But they like Canadians!

A lovely little waterfall first made popular by 19th century tourists.


This atmospheric valley was immortalized in print by someone I can't remember who completed one of the Bronte sister's manuscripts. More details to follow.


We drove to the north and made our way through Snowdownia National Park. I think this is part of Snowdown Mountain.