United Kingdom
Ripponden

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    • Day 20

      Ride Like the Wind

      August 15, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

      Today we are heading back to Coventry. But before we do we are heading up to The Alexander Palace for breakfast and to see where TV began in Britain. Alexandra Palace is a Grade II listed[2] entertainment and sports venue in London, located between Muswell Hill and Wood Green. It is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and the later Tottenham Wood Farm.[3] Originally built by John Johnson and Alfred Meeson, it opened in 1873 but following a fire two weeks after its opening, was rebuilt by Johnson. Intended as "The People's Palace" and referred to as "Ally Pally", its purpose was to serve as a public centre of recreation, education and entertainment; North London's counterpart to the Crystal Palace in South London.[4]

      Alexandra
      Location
      Alexandra Park
      London, N22
      Coordinates
      51°35′38″N 0°07′48″W
      Public transit
      National Rail Alexandra Palace
      London Underground Wood Green
      Operator
      Alexandra Park and Palace Charitable Trust
      Capacity
      800 (Panorama Room)
      1,750 (East Hall/Ice Rink)
      2,000 (Palm Court)
      2,500 (West Hall)
      8,250 (Great Hall)
      Construction
      Broke ground
      September 1865
      Opened
      1 May 1875
      Renovated
      1873–75, 1980–88, 2016–17
      Construction cost
      £417,000
      (£36.6 million in 2016 pounds[1])
      Architect
      Owen Jones, John Johnson and Alfred Meeson
      Builder
      Kelk and Lucas
      Website
      Venue Website
      Building details
      Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
      General information
      Inaugurated
      24 May 1873
      At first a private venture, in 1900, the owners planned to sell it and Alexandra Park for development. A group of neighbouring local authorities managed to acquire it. An Act of Parliament created the Alexandra Palace and Park Trust. The Act required the Trustees to maintain the Palace and Park and make them available for the free use and recreation of the public forever. The present trustee is the London Borough of Haringey, whose coat of arms shows lightning bolts depicting the Palace's pioneering role in the development of television.

      In 1935, the trustees leased part of the palace to the BBC for use as the production and transmission centre for their new BBC Television. In 1936, it became the home of the world's first regular public television service. The broadcasting system was the 405-line monochrome analogue television – the first fully electronic television system to be used in regular broadcasting. Although other facilities soon superseded it after the war, Alexandra Palace continued to be used by the BBC for many years and its radio and television mast is still in use. The original studios 'A' and 'B' still survive in the so.

      Breakfast was lovely as the owner of the cafe came out to talk to us and make sure we were enjoying our meal. We walked around the venue for over an hour before heading off to Stanstead to drop Miguel off. He is flying home to Xabia today. It will be sad to see him go. But hopefully I will see him in October after my cruise. We arrived back at Ritchie’s just after five o’clock and although we were going to take them out for dinner,we decided everyone was knackered so we ordered takeaway. By ten thirty I could not keep my eyes open so Ollie and I went to bed. He is such a lovely boy......
      Week diary that’s goodnight from me. X
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    • Day 12

      This Battered Suitcase

      August 7, 2018 in England ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

      This morning is sad to be saying goodbye to Rippendon and travelling down to Bristol to see Ann and Peter. Chris and Katie were up early as Chris is taking us to Stockport to catch the train. Katie gave us the biggest hug,I will miss them. We were quite early at the station so we purchased a coffe and ate our pork rolls we had made. Michael cooked a piece of pork yesterday with the best crackling ever. The pork now tastes a bit dry and uninteresting. Anyway back to the journey, it was straightforward no hassles and before we knew it we were being picked up by Peter in Bristol Parkway.

      Ann was at the gym when we arrived but as it was a lovely afternoon we sat outside and caught up on all our news. Ann arrived home,showered and poured us all a G&T to start our visit off as we mean to go on. Michael and Ann prepared dinner a delicious whole trout cooked on the BBQ with lemon and herbs. It was cooked to perfection. In the evening the chocolate came out and we relaxed in front of the tv. A great end to a busy day. Goodnight dairy.
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    • Day 13

      Take it Easy

      August 8, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

      We are having a day I. Bristol today as we are going to the Hippodrome tonight to watch the musical SHREK. We are doing the Harbourside walk today to take in the estuary and the boats and old marine buildings. We stopped for lunch at one of the restaurants and ordered two sharing boards with delicious dips and a hot cheesy dip. We ate far too much as it was so scrumptious. Ann and I celebrated our day out with a glass of Proseco. Why not ? We are on holiday. The walk was very interesting and took in a great deal of Bristol’s history. I also managed to catch a few Wallace and Grommets on the way. By the time it was time for dinner nobody was really hungry so we ordered another sharing plate. This consisted of a ploughman’s and nachos. Michael had started to feel queasy by this time as he had eaten too much bread and cheeses.

      We headed off to the Hippodrome and had a drink in the bar before the start of the show. I felt sorry for Michael as he is quite tall and the seats in the theatre did not have enough room for his legs. So with his tummy cramping and his legs cramping it was not a good evening. Michael spent the second half of the show standing up at the back. The journey home was critiquing the show which we all agreed was not up our street. It was great for kids and more like a pantomime than a show for both adults and children. Plus the songs were not memorable and the story was too close to the film so no surprises. But I am glad I have seen the show. We all disappeared to bed as soon as we got nome, it was a busy busy day.
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    • Day 15

      Running Down A Dream

      August 10, 2018 in England ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

      What could be better than a day at the seaside. It was touch and go in the morning as the weather was inclement. But we decided that it was not going to stop us so we headed off to Barrow one of the nearest beaches to Bristol. It was quite an eye opener as when we arrived at the beach the tide was out. When I say out , you could not see any sea at all. It was on the horizon. Barrow is interesting as it has an old wooden wreck on the beach which can only be viewed when the tide is out so I was happy to be able to take photos of the wreck. As we could not find a decent place to have a coffee we set off for Weston Super Mare.

      I laughed when we arrived as the tide was out here too but you could see that it was on the turn and starting to roll back to shore. We were lucky as Weston had their annual sand sculptures on show which we all wanted to see so we spent a happy hour strolling around admiring the workmanship. The theme this year was Barnum and Bailey. So all the structures were circus themed. The nice thing about lunch today was we had a traditional fish and chip lunch with mushy peas. You cannot spend a day at the beach without having fish and chips and an ice cream in a cone. It was great.

      I have really enjoyed our day out. In the evening we had a smorgesboard of cheeses,onions,pickles and fruit. Then a night of relaxation. Another perfect day. Goodnight diary.

      Weston-super-Mare is a seaside town in Somerset, England, on the Bristol Channel 18 miles (29 km) south west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Oldmixon, West Wick and Worle. Its population at the 2011 census was 76,143.

      Although there is evidence in the local area of occupation since the Iron Age, it was still a small village until the 19th century when it became a seaside resort, and was connected with local towns and cities by a railway, and two piers were built. The growth continued until the second half of the 20th century, when tourism declined and some local industries closed. A regeneration programme is being undertaken with attractions including the Helicopter Museum, Weston-super-Mare Museum, Grand Pier and an aquarium. The Paddle Steamer Waverley and MV Balmoral offer day sea trips from Knightstone Island to various destinations along the Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary. Cultural venues include The Playhouse, the Winter Gardens and Blakehay Theatre.

      Partly owing to the large tidal range in the Bristol Channel, the low tide mark in Weston Bay is about 1 mile (1.6 km) from the seafront. Although the beach itself is sandy, low tide uncovers areas of thick mud, hence the colloquial name, Weston-super-Mud.[5][6][7] These mudflats are very dangerous to walk in and are crossed by the mouth of the River Axe. Just to the north of the town is Sand Point which marks the lower limit of the Severn Estuary and the start of the Bristol Channel. It is also the site of the Middle Hope biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). In the centre of the town is Ellenborough Park, another SSSI due to the range of plant species found there.
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    • Day 15

      Mustang Sally

      August 10, 2018 in England ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

      Ann is at the gym,Peter is out on business,Jos is off carting. Michael and I are home doing our journals and playing words with friends. Our lunch is already sitting on the cupboard ready for our healthy fruit and muesli lunch. This afternoon we are going to view the new house and this evening we are catching up with the Grouts for dinner. The weather has broken today and it is raining. It looks like it is clearing up so hopefully by this afternoon it will be sunshine and warm again. We are having a quiet day today as Peter and Ann have quite a bit to do regarding their new house. So we are catching up on diaries and having a rest.

      This afternoon we were taken to see Ann and Peters new home. It is brand new, never been lived in and in a more central spot of Winterbourne. It is a lovely, well presented home and I can see Ann putting her mark on it and being very happy there. It was good of the. To show us as we are the first to cross the threshold.

      What did we do on our last night in Bristol? We ate drank and were very merry. Peter and Ann took us out to dinner at The White Hart a pub restaurant walking distance from their home. I was very good and only had one G&T as wine gives me reflux. The meal was excellent and the company first class. It was a fitting end to our time with the Lockett’s. It was also great to catch up with the Grouts and Josh their son whom I met in Xabia.

      At ren thirty I gave up and went to bed. Tomorrow it’s London. Xxxxxgoodnight diary.
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    • Day 16

      Shut Up and Drive

      August 11, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

      It’s time to leave the Lockett’s and head to London for our four day whirlwind tour. Ann has gone to the gym for her daily dose of exercise. Ann is a gym junkie of the highest order. There is one day of the week she doesn’t go to the gym,but she has a walking machine at home that she makes up her steps on. The home in Stone Lane is open for inspection today so we have to vacate and go and have a coffee at ten. Luckily there is a cafe within walking distance. The house is clean,tidy and ready for inspection. Our bags are packed and we are ready for our next train journey to London Paddington. We will meet up with Tabby, Ollie, and Audrey for our next adventure.

      Ann dropped us off at Bristol Parkway and off we went,happy to be on our next adventure. We arrived at London Paddington at 12.30, purchased an Oyster card and set off on The Hammersmith line to Kings cross. The number 91 bus was right out side the station so by 3.30pm we had landed in Crouch End. After twenty minutes of trying to find number 71 Miguel phoned Tabby and we realised we were only two months mutes from the apartment. We are now safely in the apartment,relaxing and waiting for Tabbys friends Tracey and Lisa to visit.
      As the kids hadn’t eaten Miguel and I took the kids to the pub next door. A lovely pub called the Railway, and left The girls to catch up on their memories. By ten thirty I was knackered and went to bed. Goodnight diary.
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    • Day 17

      One More Time

      August 12, 2018 in England ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

      Ok London here we come. The 91 bus to Trafalgar Square and then a long walk down The Mall to Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guard. We were too late to see the actual changing of the guards but we saw them marching back to their barracks which was colourful. We met up with Tabbys friend Nikki and her daughter Florence which was both good and bad as it made it awkward. We now had to deal with seven of us. It worked out ok as we all headed to the Science museum. Ollie loved it. Tabby and the girls went off to do their own thing. We visited the Victoria and Albert museum and after Nikki and Florence left to visit the butterfly collection in the Natural history museum we headed off to the embankment on the tube.

      It was quite a drizzly day and although we wanted to ride the London eye but it was impossible because the queues as always in London were far too long. The kids settled for a ride on a carousel. Along the walk to the embankment I noticed that there were quite a few things that the kids would be interested in like Shreks kingdom,the water world and the London dungeon. We didn’t have time today but maybe Tuesday. Big Ben was almost unrecognisable as the whole structure is covered in scaffolding and black protective mesh. But the Houses of Parliament were as grand as ever. Walking back to Trafalgar Square we called into a pub for lunch but as the wait was so long we just had a drink. In Trafalgar Square there was a protest by crowds of Punjabi Indians. The punjabis want to break away from India as they are being exploited. They seem to be a nice race of people. Miguel started to talk to a coup,e of the men and they were very polite. We caught the 91 home and went straight to the pub for a roast dinner. Tabby had the beef and Miguel and I had the pork. It was delicious. Arriving home we all agreed we were tied so it goodnight diary.
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    • Day 18

      Push It

      August 13, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

      It’s our Windsor day today. So up,showered, shopping at M&S for picnic food and while Tabby dried her hair I packed the lunches. By ten o’clock we were ready. Tabby was our designated driver today,so the hire car got a run. It was pretty straightforward to get there following the sat nav. We found a car park but were surprised at the price of parking it was $28 to park for five hours. As we had not booked the castle entry tickets, we could not visit the castle as the queues were horrendous.

      later British royal family and for its architecture.

      Windsor Castle
      Windsor, Berkshire in England
      Windsor Castle at Sunset - Nov 2006.jpg
      Viewed from the Long Walk
      Windsor Castle is located in BerkshireWindsor CastleWindsor Castle
      Location within Berkshire
      Coordinates
      51°29′0″N 00°36′15″W
      Type
      Three bailey wards with a round keep
      Site information
      Owner
      Queen Elizabeth II in right of the Crown
      Operator
      Royal Household
      Open to
      the public
      Limited access
      Site history
      In use
      Late 11th century – present
      Materials
      Bagshot Heath stone
      Events
      First Barons' War, English Civil War

      Scheduled monument
      Official name
      Windsor Castle
      Reference no.
      1006996[1]
      Listed Building – Grade I
      Official name
      Windsor Castle Including All The Buildings Within The Walls
      Designated
      2 October 1975
      Reference no.
      1117776[2]
      National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens
      Official name
      Windsor Castle and Home Park
      Designated
      31 August 1999
      Reference no.
      1001434[3]
      Part of
      Royal Estate, Windsor
      The original castle was built in the 11th century after the Norman invasion of England by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I, it has been used by the reigning monarch and is the longest-occupied palace in Europe. The castle's lavish early 19th-century State Apartments were described by the art historian Hugh Roberts as "a superb and unrivalled sequence of rooms widely regarded as the finest and most complete expression of later Georgian taste".[4] Inside the castle walls is the 15th-century St George's Chapel, considered by the historian John Martin Robinson to be "one of the supreme achievements of English Perpendicular Gothic" design.[5]

      Originally designed to protect Norman dominance around the outskirts of London and oversee a strategically important part of the River Thames, Windsor Castle was built as a motte-and-bailey, with three wards surrounding a central mound. Gradually replaced with stone fortifications, the castle withstood a prolonged siege during the First Barons' War at the start of the 13th century. Henry III built a luxurious royal palace within the castle during the middle of the century, and Edward III went further, rebuilding the palace to make an even grander set of buildings in what would become "the most expensive secular building project of the entire Middle Ages in England".[6] Edward's core design lasted through the Tudor period, during which Henry VIII and Elizabeth I made increasing use of the castle as a royal court and centre for diplomatic entertainment.

      Windsor Castle survived the tumultuous period of the English Civil War, when it was used as a military headquarters by Parliamentary forces and a prison for Charles I. At the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, Charles II rebuilt much of Windsor Castle with the help of the architect Hugh May, creating a set of extravagant Baroque interiors that are still admired. After a period of neglect during the 18th century, George III and George IV renovated and rebuilt Charles II's palace at colossal expense, producing the current design of the State Apartments, full of Rococo, Gothic and Baroque furnishings. Queen Victoria made a few minor changes to the castle, which became the centre for royal entertainment for much of her reign. Windsor Castle was used as a refuge by the royal family during the Luftwaffe bombing campaigns of the Second World War and survived a fire in 1992. It is a popular tourist attraction, a venue for hosting state visits, and the preferred weekend home of Elizabeth II.
      We had booked a Hop on Hop off bus so at least we were able to see the town and Eton college which was situated in the town of Eton. I found this journey fascinating as I did not know where Eton was. We also saw the building where Beatrice and Eugenie took ballet when they were younger. William and Harry attended Eton too. Eton College is an English independent boarding school for boys in Eton, Berkshire, near Windsor. It educates more than 1,300 pupils, aged 13 to 18 years. Wikipedia
      Houses: 25
      Founder: Henry VI of England
      Founded: 1440
      Head Master: Simon Henderson
      Color: Eton blue
      Motto: Floreat Etona; May Eton flourish (Latin)
      Total enrollment: 1,314 (2013)
      We also passed Runnymede where the Magna Carter was signed. Arriving back in Windsor we walked by the river and then found Jubilee park where we had lunch. The park was small but had a lovely fountain. Getting back on the bus we alighted at the long walk and walked to the gates of the castle. Next door to the long walk entrance was a very cute pub where we had a rest and a drink. Tabby did a bit of shopping in TJ max. Our five hours were up and it was time to head home. We are once again tired out. Holidays and having fun are exhausting. Michael cooked us a lovely dinner of pork belly with crispy topping. The meat was accompanied by green beans, peas and broccoli. We finished off with strawberries and clotted cream. My night was not finished,three games of UNO and an hour of Fortnight and I was ready to drop. I am now playing words with friends,then it’s goodnight diary.
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    • Day 19

      Times Like These

      August 14, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

      There has been an incident on the bridge by the Parliament. A motorist has zigzagged across the road on the bridge into cyclists. Thankfully no one has been killed but the bridge is in shutdown this morning. We are off to tower bridge this morning to take photos and have a wander around. Hopefully there is a coffee in it somewhere. Ollie has the squirts today,Michael seems to have them everyday. Travel seems to change everyone’s bowels. When we finally left for our trip to London on the ninety one bus,Ollie was definitely not himself. This was soon proved when he vomited on the bus. Luckily someone had left a newspaper on the bus and this was used as a receptacle. The morning for Ollie must have been a nightmare as we had to find a toilet too. It was decided to take him home,as it was cruel to keep him walking around London.

      Michael was our saviour and he volunteered to take Ollie on the long trek home. Tabby, Audrey and I carried on to meet Mark Thorburn. We met Mark for lunch at a food hall near the Elephant and Castle and Tabby was able to catch up on all his family and theatre news. He is a jolly man who would not be out of place in a Billy Bunter movie. He was recalling his and his wife Sandy’s luck in winning a trip to Brisbane with Qatar airlines, premium class no less. After lunch we crossed the road to the Southgate theatre. The Toro cheerleading squad from Rancho Carne High School in San Diego has got spirit, spunk, sass and a killer routine that's sure to land them the national championship trophy for the sixth year in a row. But for newly-elected team captain Torrance, the Toros' road to total cheer glory takes a shady turn when she discovers that their perfectly-choreographed routines were in fact stolen from the Clovers, a hip-hop squad from East Compton, by the Toro's former captain. The show was lively,fun full of energy and Audrey loved it as did Tabby and I.

      After the show we headed back to Crouch End on the tube. The tube was packed to capacity with commuters leaving the city. It was so hot and bodies were crushed against each other. Audrey looked so tiny with all the people crammed around her. Alighting at Kings Cross we were soon crossing the road and catching the 91 bus home. Ollie was much better and Michael as usual was being Masterchef cooking up a storm. Unfortunately Tabby and I were not hungry but I made the effort to eat as he had done such a good job. It was then repacking for our trip back to Coventry. We did watch an interesting programme called In the Factory which gave the viewer an insight into how Tikka Masala was made,bottled and shipped all over the world. An early night followed. Goodnight diary.
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