There and Back

We had visited the Sherwood Pine cabins before, and enjoyed ourselves greatly. So this time we asked Hayley and Izobelle to share a cabin with us and it proved a good choice - enjoyed by all! This site is just a mile or so from the real Sherwood forest which was a place to visit during the week. This was our cabin set among the pines. To keep Izobelle amused, we had a choice of onsite activities. `Let's try archery` we thought. Obviously the smaller archers` had to use a smaller bow etc, but Izobelle quickly showed us all up with her accuracy, seeming not to be daunted by the whole process. Putting the bow back on the rack. The bow being nearly as big she is! Sculpture of Robin Hood and Little John fighting at Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre The Major Oak.  Whilst no one knows an exact age, we do know it’s been standing for anywhere between 800 – 1100 years. If we go by the earliest estimate, it has stood through the Vikings, the Battl...

Today we tried something that we had not done before, and that was to attend a Photographic walk with local photographer, Gillian Moon. (Gill)  This was a free walk, and about 8 to 10 of us  set off with Gill for an amble through the forest. Look Down and look Up  and find Textures said Gill and these are some of my results offered here! Looking down - a carpet of Pine cones. Violet Webcap - looking down Common Puffball - looking down Fungi unknown - looking down. Straight up the tree - looking up  Sawfly caterpillar on birch - looking up Textures on tree bark - Textures. These walks are a good idea for (a) Bringing like minded people together, and (b) having some useful tuition from Gill. Gill has a great website which is here. As you will quickly see, she loves Suffolk and Norfolk!    Index of posts

It is only in recent times that I came across an article about a nearby Church of `King Charles the Martyr`. I must confess that this was quite a surprise as I had never heard of one before, and this one was reasonable close to where we live. Having done some research, I paid a visit to get some photos of course, but also to see this quaint 18c Parish Church, having never heard of the village of Shelland where this church is situated. But first some background information surrounding the unusual name. Charles I, head of the House of Stuart, was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his death on 30 January 1649. He believed in a sacramental version of the Church of England, called High Anglicanism, with a theology based upon Arminianism, a belief shared by his main political advisor, Archbishop William Laud. Laud was appointed by Charles as the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1633 and started a series of reforms in the Church to make it more ceremonial. This wa...

Marks Hall Arboretum and walled gardens are well worth a visit at any time of the year. We had visited at least twice this year already as they had 230 or so sculptures arranged around the site and it took us two visits to see them all. Plus it's just a great place to wander. Complete with great cafe - what's not to like! In 1163 the manor house and estate of Markshall were granted to the Markshall family after being confiscated from Hugh de Essex. It descended in the Markshall family until the estate was sold to John Cole, who renovated parts of the house. It was then sold to Edward Deraugh in 1581. In 1605 Robert Honywood purchased Marks Hall from Deraugh's grandson, William, pulled down part of the old timber-framed house and built a new brick building in 1609.  Decades passed, until Thomas Phillips Price (1844-1932), a Welsh landowner, mine owner, and Liberal politician, purchased Marks Hall, then a mansion and deer park, at auction in 1898. He made provision ...

This landmark building was designed by Lord Norman Foster, the same world-renowned architect behind the UK headquarters of Willis Towers Watson, a 28 storey skyscraper situated at 51 Lime Street, London.  In 1991 it building became the first modern design to receive Grade 1 listing.  Willis Towers Watson is a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company that helps clients around the world turn risk into a path for growth. With roots dating to 1828, Willis Towers Watson has 45,000 employees in more than 140 countries. Friar Street, Ipswich is one of the Group`s largest and most established location with over 1,400 employees.  The Friar Street building in all its glory. The building is divided into three floors, each approximately 67,000 square feet with a rooftop restaurant and coffee shop. If you want some good reflection images then this is the building.  More reflections The glass wall contains 890 panels plus a further...

Our short break finished in Rye. When it was an important sea port, (the sea entrance now having silted up over the centuries) Rye was affiliated with nearby Hastings which had a status of a Cinque port. We were looking for a couple of the things on this trip, firstly was Mermaid Street, because of it being an `old world` cobbled street. We were not disappointed. Obviously named after the Mermaid pub, it was an amazing street to stroll down. A couple of photos of Mermaid Street. In an alleyway leading to the rear of the pub, I took this image and also .... .... saw this on the building at the rear. I wonder what it was saying! The Mermaid Inn is a Grade II listed historical inn. One of the best-known inns in southeast England, it was established in the 12th century and has a long, turbulent history. The current building dates from 1420 and has 16th-century additions in the Tudor style, but cellars built in 1156 survive. The inn has a strong connection ...