Must update soon!

Hmm ... I've been neglecting my blog.

Must update soon!

Stratford-on-Avon

Chesterfield's pre-Christmas Market washout.

Most of the 200 stalls in this normally bustling market were empty on this Sunday in November 2007, when the pre-Christmas market should have been in full swing. Constant heavy rain kept the crowds and many of the traders away.




ABOVE: "Never mind the rain, dear."

I got very wet, but was happy with the picture opportunities that presented themselves on this rainy day.

RIGHT: Even Chesterfield's famous crooked spire seemed to be sagging in the wet.

BELOW: A local professional band playing 1950s Rock 'n' Roll brightened the day. I lived in Derbyshire in those days, and this excellent performance took me back to the first time I heard these now classic songs, and I suddenly felt 50 years younger.

Greenwich: Home of Whitebait Dinners

The Trafalgar Tavern overlooks the River Thames close to the former Royal Naval College (now the campus of The University of Greenwich), the National Maritime Museum and the site of the ill-fated historic tea clipper, The Cutty Sark.

Built in 1837 the tavern became popular with authors such as Dickens and Thackeray, and inspired Dickens as the setting for a scene in his novel Our Mutual Friend. Politicians of the day, including Gladstone and Pitt, attended Whitebait Dinners there, with fish caught from the Thames.

Towards the end of the 19th century, the building was turned to other uses including a seamen’s institute and a working men’s club, but reopened in 1965 after restoration to its former glory.


Nearby pubs include The Cutty Sark, serving 'doorstep sandwiches' and The Yacht, offering traditional fish and chips.

Greenwich now awaits restoration of the fire-ravaged ship, The Cutty Sark, which was built 32 years later than the Tavern and came to its land-locked dry dock in 1954.

A Visit to Burns Country

On a brief visit to Scotland earlier this year I was able to spend an hour in Ayr, remembered for its connections with Robert Burns.

The town is full of relics and memories of the famous Scottish poet, with many landmarks named after him and his works. The photograph on the right shows the Tam O' Shanter Inn, recalling the eponymous hero of the epic poem, and below is an illustration from a booklet on sale in the visitor centre, illustrating Tam's flight from the witch, Nannie, wearing a short chemise, or 'Cutty Sark. This was the inspiration for the figurehead of the famous tea clipper, which shows her holding the horse's tail. (See lower photograph).

The tower in the photograph above is in memory of William Wallace, who was given the title 'Guardian of Scotland' for his leadership of the rebels who defeated the English army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297.

The Cutty Sark at Greenwich before the fire

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The City of York

York Minster seen from the city walls on a dull, cold day in March. Daffodils were in bloom around the walls.

Below: Landmarks - Ancient and Modern

Left:
The Shambles.
(Old Butchers'
quarter)

Right:
The York Eye.
(At the National
Railway Museum)

The National Railway Museum: World's largest train set?

Dry Stone Walls

DRY STONE WALLS are as common in the highland areas of Britain as are hedges in the lowlands. I photographed these in the Yorkshire Dales. Dry stone walling is an ancient craft in which no cement is used, but the walls are extrtemely strong.