Ringing at Windsor Castle

Listen to the bells ringing!! (click here)

When I was asked to ring at Windsor Castle, I was amazed! The chance to ring in a castle? How could I resist? Plus it was on the anniversary of my Dad's death, so what better way to remember him, and honour him by doing something he loved doing - bell ringing. We drove down to Windsor on a rainy evening, so we couldn't see it at it's best, but the building is still impressive nonetheless and I still felt in awe when we pulled up outside. We waited to be let in by the guard after we were issued with ID badges, and I took the opportunity to be a tourist for a tiny bit. We were led through several quads and corridors and finally came to the ringing chamber. Because the ringing chamber was an after though, the bells weren't hung in a traditional square tower. These ones were hung in a round corner tower of the surround of the castle. The bells wouldn't be described as 'wonderful'. I believe I heard them described as 'lumpy', 'odd struck', 'tough to ring', 'anti clockwise', and 'out of tune'. I guess the romance of the fact that they were in the castle didn't make up the tone of the bells. Tonight however, they were rung for the Duke of Gloucestershire's birthday, as they do for every royal birthday, Christmas, Easter, Ascension day, and the Saints Day. After we rang the bells, we were taken all the way up to the bells. To get there we had to clime up at least 5 stair cases, and hoist ourselves up ropes to get right to the top but it was well worth it! We were right up in the roof at this point and the wind was whistling through the shingles. We also saw the clock chime, as it played St. David's song. I was really, really pleased to be able to get the chance to ring at Windsor Castle before moving back. Though the bells weren't quite as nice sounding as I'm used to, I still felt it was a privilege.

The Castle from the outside.
This is the type of tower we were ringing in.
St. George's Chapel
Inside the ringing chamber.
In the ringing chamber again.
These are the weights of the bells. The tennor (#8) is 26 hundred weight which is approximately 2,912 lbs.
One of the bells in the frame.
One of the bells from the top.
This is one of the sets of windows where in the 'olden days', you would simply have had a rope tied around your neck and would have been thrown out of the window!
The clock mechanism, we were told dates back to the 17 hundreds.
This is the 'junk' from the chapel. This is how it was described to me, I thought it was wonderful!
More of this so-called 'junk'
The cannon.
This is a peal board from 1748. I had to read it twice to notice that it took two men to ring the tenor (8th bell). And that was for the whole peal.
Notice anything strange.....?
The group making noise!

The Buddleia

I was out in the garden one day, putting the laundry on the line. The weather was beautiful; sunny but not too hot, and a light soft breeze. I was sorting out the socks from the knickers, and pairing the socks before putting them on the line (you'd understand if you've ever seen my laundry out) and my thoughts were drifting. As I got to hanging up the shirts, half way up the line I looked up and was face to face with a gorgeous butterfly resting on the buddleia. Otherwise known as a butterfly bush or tree, the bunches of flowers are like tightly packed lilac flowers. You can always tell when you're around a buddleia because there is a distinct smell of honey in the air; Hence why butterflies and the like are highly attracted to them. On this occasion, there were about six different varieties of butterfly on the tree, among them the white cabbage butterfly, and the peacock butterfly. I couldn't resist trying to get a picture of the latter because the purple-blue on its wings matched the buddleia.

The Reunion

Though it was a short visit, I had a blast with my friends! A lot of sight seeing, and driving plus a few chuckles and wheezes over drink at the pub. Hopefully the frivolities will continue on the other side of the pond when I join them at the beginning of October!!

Fun Times in Oxford!

Of course, another place we had to visit was Oxford. Though Cheryl had already been before it was Krystle's first time so I tried to get the most in without breaking the bank or our feet. We managed to go into the covered market, the Alice Shope, looked at Christ Church, walked along Corn Market street, shopped in some of the Varsity shops, shopped at Primark, and ate our lunch in the Botanic gardens while watching the funny punters. The weather decided to be on our side and we actually got some sun shine! Though it was all packed into a short space of time I feel we at least managed to get a flavour of Oxford, and did see most of the things we'd planned.

Corn Market street with a billion people on it.
Cheryl and me in front of the Bridge of Sighs.
View of Magdalen College and one of the green houses in the Botanic garden.
Magdalen through the gardens.
Cheryl eating lunch.
Krystle says cheese!
Our camera shy duck :)
Oxford sunshine.
Krystle and Cheryl riding in the front of the double decker.

The Uffington White Horse

One of the things that the girls said they'd like to see while they were here was the White Horse. So of course, I obliged as I had never been there myself. What a perfect opportunity to see something so monumental before moving back. Plus, it was only a short distance off our route home, so it worked out quite well. As per usual I did my home work and printed off the page of information from the link above and gave it to Krystle to read on our way there. After a few scenic turns along the way, we finally made it! Luckily the weather was on our side so we didn't have sheets of rain to compete with, just a bit of a breeze. But when you're that high up what else would you expect? Again, the views were stunning and we had a lovely walk up to the Horse itself (despite not being able to see the whole thing) and also to the Dragon Hill. The web page had a good history of the legend behind Dragon Hill, as well as the White Horse which made the vista even more enlightening.

Krystle and Cheryl on top of Dragon Hill.
Krystle marching her way up to the White Horse.
I think this looks like a dried up river or lake. Plus the ridges on the left look like a glacier passed through there at some point.
Dragon Hill. The white on top of the hill is supposed to be the blood of the slain dragon.
The White Horse (up side down) and the Dragon Hill underneath it.

Cheryl, Krystle, and Sarah do Avebury

It only took Cheryl 7 years, but she finally made it over to visit me in England! Krystle came with her so it was a double treat. Cheryl has family down in Dorset, so I went to go and pick them up from the near-by village of Avebury which is located half way between where she and Krystle were staying and my house. Luckily, Avebury is an historic village so before sweeping them off to the White Horse, we had a wander around the Avebury Henge. The link takes you to a website which goes over the history and the modern story of the henge. I couldn't word it any better, so I highly recommend you have a noodle through the the site. If you search Avebury using Google maps you can clearly see the ditch surrounding the ancient henge. Even if the archaeology goes a bit over your head, the walk is still wonderful, and you get great views!

Cheryl and Krystle wave hello!
Some of the ditch, and some of the ancient stones.
More of the stones.
The ditch and some of the stones from up on top of the mound.
More of the ditch closer up.

Ever Take Your Man Shopping??

My Mum forwarded this email to me, and I thought I just had to share with my readers. I have to say I never came close to this with Ed, nor with my Dad, but never knew what some men would do to keep themselves entertained while their wife/girlfriend shops. Bring new meaning to the term "now just amuse yourself for a bit, I'll only be a minute." The particular Tesco's grocery store they refer to is only down the road from where I live at the moment...I'll have to be a bit vigilante in future. Hope you enjoy a good giggle and wheeze!

"HOW MEN AMUSE THEMSELVES IN TESCO'S"

Proof of what can happen if a wife or girlfriend drags her husband or boyfriend along shopping. This letter was actually sent by Tesco's Head Office to a customer in Oxford :

Dear Mrs. Murray,

Whilst we would like to thank you for your valued custom and use of the Tesco Loyalty Card, the Manager of our store in Banbury is considering banning you and your family from shopping with us, unless your husband stops his antics...

Below is a list of his actions over the past few months all verified by our surveillance cameras:

1. June 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in people's trolleys when they weren't looking.

2. July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off a 5 minute intervals.

3. July 7: Made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to feminine products aisle.

4. July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official tone, 'Code 3' in housewares..... and watched what happened.

5. August 14: Moved a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.

6. September 15: Set up a tent in the outdoor clothing department and told shoppers he'd invite them in if they would bring sausages and a Calor gas stove.

7. September 23: When the Deputy Manager asked if she could help him, he began to cry and asked, 'Why can't you people just leave me alone?'

8. October 4: Looked right into the security camera; used it as a mirror, picked his nose, and ate it.

9. October 10: While appearing to be choosing kitchen knives in the Housewares aisle asked an assistant if he knew where the
antidepressants were.

10. November 3: Darted around the store suspiciously, loudly humming the Mission Impossible' theme.

11.November 6: In the kitchenware aisle, practised the 'Madonna look' using different size funnels.

12. November 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browsed, yelled 'PICK ME!' 'PICK ME!'

13. November 21: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, assumed the foetal position and screamed 'NO! NO! It's those voices again..'

And; last, but not least:

14. November 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door, waited a while; then yelled, very loudly, 'There is no toilet paper in here.'

If this sounds familiar to anyone... you might want to consider leaving your partner at home.

Making the Upholstery Less Dirty

Before we moved, I wanted to clean our sofa and matching chair. We use them everyday and the grub just seems to sneak up on to them! So I rented an upholstery cleaner and had a go. The air turned a bit blue and the carpet and I got quite wet. I'm still not convinced the upholstery is any cleaner, but at least they look less dirty. D'you think?

The Rug Doctor! Starting with the back, but only getting wet in the process... Before, and..... ...after....I think :)

Before, and....
...after! More of a difference with the chair.

The Dining Room Chairs!

As one does when one is moving house to another country, one should reupholster their dining room chairs....so we did. For as long as I can remember, our six dining room chairs have been unique: One was upholstered, and the rest were not. I always assumed that this upholstered chair was my Mum's, the one with the arms was Dad's, and the broken one went to me and the rest were for our guests. And often when going through Mum's craft supplies we would come across a piece of folded fabric, and Mum would say something like 'ah yes, this is the fabric to do the dining room chairs'. A while back we even planned on buying the foam we needed to finish them, but then we didn't quite make it to the store and we couldn't find the staple gun so the project was postponed. And now finally when all the components have come together and the staple gun was found, we have six completed, and matching chairs! I am particularly proud of our accomplishment, and hope you're equally as impressed!

Before.....

And after!!

Ta da!!!

Henley Royal Regatta

My sister Catherine lives with her fiance Mark in Henley-on-Thames, the home of the Annual Royal Regatta. As Catherine and Mark were just moving in a year ago this weekend, we weren't able to actually see any of the regatta. However this year to tie in with the English Summer Theme, Ed and I planned a weekend away visiting Catherine and Mark. It was a mix of celebrations: the Regatta, one year since the two of them moved in, Catherine getting her Gold medal in the choir (more info on her blog), and Mark's *muffled*th Birthday! The weather wasn't promising to be perfect the whole weekend, so as with Wimbledon we planned for all occasions. I also came equipped with my summer dress, a light jumper, and my Father's boater hat. Though we wouldn't be buying passes to go into the 'holding pens' where the really posh people would be, I still wanted to play along and blend in. Therefore, I did my research. Though the rules are a bit more relaxed if you aren't holding a pass into the Stewards' Enclosure, they do wish that people maintain the long standing traditions of appropriate dress. For example, ladies are required to wear a dress or skirt suit with the hem line falling below the knee, trousers will not be permitted; shoulders must be tastefully covered, and they are encouraged to wear hats. The men on the other hand must come appropriately attired in lounge suits, jackets, or blazers, and of course sporting a tie or cravat. Jeans would not be acceptable under any circumstances! I love the idea of dressing up and mucking in with the hob-nobbers, not being one myself. It's quite like a wedding at our church with the fabulously well-connected. I saw similar hints of this at the church service on Sunday. Catherine and I sang in the choir, and watched from a safe distance as all the hats twitched in the congregation. After the boys joined us, we had a birthday brunch for Mark at he Catherine wheel, and we continued our observing at the water front. I brought my binoculars and gazed at the rowers across the river warming up and milling about. Catherine and I sat by the dock, and the boys stood as we enjoyed a thoroughly English ice-cream! To add to the decadence, we headed back to Catherine and Mark's just as the rain was threatening its presence and enjoyed Catherine's fabulous devil's food cake to celebrate Marks' Birthday. I must also add that on top of all this very grown up dressing up and socializing, the four of us stayed up late playing Scrabble (not very well), Cranium, and Hearts the card game. I'm really pleased I got to see this quintessential English event before I head back to the home land, and look forward to the next bit of fun!

A view of the river from our perch.
There weren't just row boats, but even old steam bots moored.
In this steam boat's wheel, there were a few duckling squeaking away. I've circled them as they blend in with the water.
This boat wasn't on fire they had a coal fire inside.
The ominous clouds....
Catherine guarding her ice-cream.
The boys with their Mr. Whippy Flakes.
Mark's birthday cake, and candle! (That's Pimm's in the glass by the way, not beer)
The boys playing with a very grown up game.
I thought this bear was great, cause he had the same hat it did!