There and Back

A visit to London was planned for today - a day which turned out to be the hottest of the year so far! However, with plenty of suncream and water to drink, we ventured to our main point of interest which was the changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. I had not seen this before and when we arrived outside it appears hundreds more had not either! So, here are the people outside the Palace, occupying any vantage point possible while the music rose from in front of them. What we then decided was to be in position to see them marching past when they left the Palace and watch for the ones returning to their barracks. Here are a couple of images of guards marching up The Mall toward us Some from the Palace assembling ready to march down The Mall More arriving from The Mall  The gardens in front of the Palace were beautiful At the top of these sets of steps, known as The Duke of York Steps, and looking down on St James Park and The Mall, stands an imposing granite column topped by a regal

Suffolk has a magnificent legacy in its hundreds of churches, which tell the story of medieval times and onward. One of the many such churches was on the itinerary for today.  Having read about the magnificent ceiling decorations in St Marys in Huntingfield, this was our  main aim for today. Not medieval I know, but an amazing Victorian legacy. This post was originally made in 2019 but I have moved it to today after a revisit and some added info and images I have started photographing the village signs that we come across, so this was one to add to the collection.- Huntingfield. The name conjours up all sorts of images of time past. The existing church certainly dates from the 11th century but there are signs that there had been a chapel here long before. The first church was built by the family who took their name from the village and lived in the manor for 250 years, the Lords de Huntingfield. The chancel was added in the thirteenth century and the brick section (above) on

This was a place we were looking forward to seeing. It was in fact really close by to where we were staying. According to the RSPB site:  Blessed with a variety of freshwater habitats, Frampton Marsh provides close views of the abundant birdlife of The Wash - the biggest bay in England. Avocets, Redshanks and Skylarks can all be seen in summer, with thousands of ducks gathering on the freshwater scrapes in winter. This is a landscape surrounded by waters teeming with life. The reserve is set against the shore of The Wash, the UK’s most important estuary for birds. Explore freshwater wetlands, reedbeds, wet grasslands and large shallow pools known as scrapes. Here a few images to remember the day. A gathering of Black Tailed Godwits Black -tailed Godwits in flight Sedge Warbler Reed Bunting Sand Martins Spoonbills Young Shelduck We followed some of the trails and photographed some of the birds, but of course you need to visit a few times at different time of the year to appreciate this

The Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre is a family run museum and was set up in 1989. It is now widely seen as a living memorial to the 55,573 men of Bomber Command who lost their lives during WW2. It holds two of the rarest aircraft, an Avro Lancaster Bomber MKVII and DH Mosquito NFII, in its collection along with many wartime vehicles including a Ford WOT1 Crew Bus, the only one of its kind in existence. The owners feel that Bomber Command has never been given the recognition that it deserves and they see it as their job to educate both old and young as to the acts of heroism and dedication shown by Bomber Command throughout the Second World War.  The average age of air crew, each man a volunteer, was 22 and not even 1 in 4 completed their first tour of 30 operations, most definitely a debt that we cannot repay but also a debt that should not be forgotten. The Heritage Centre is based on the old wartime airfield of RAF East Kirkby and retains the original 1940's Control Tower

Today we visited the city of Lincoln. We did not have a general exploration in mind, but had set the Cathedral as our main choice. So we parked on the outskirts at a `park and ride` and rode into the bus station near the center of the city. From there we walked through part of the town, across the River Witham, and past the castle up to the cathedral. So really, my view of Lincoln was on this route only, but still a great place to see. This bold and striking sculpture, called  Empowerment  spans the river Witham in the centre of Lincoln. It takes its inspiration from turbine blades, symbolic of the rich engineering heritage of the city. The turbine blades transform into dynamic figures that reach out to empower one another, just as the blades empower one another within the turbine. Moving along beside the river we came to  High Bridge , also known as the Glory Hole, which carries the High Street across the River Witham. Apparently, it is the oldest bridge in the United Kingdom on which