Category Archives: Great Britain

On The Road Again to Newcastle Upon Tyne

Departing Norfolk on Monday, we were back in travel mode as we faced a 5-plus hour drive north to Newcastle Upon Tyne. After (finally!) getting past the ultra-slow two-lane A-roads of Norfolk, we began to see large overhead signs on the motorway indicating that we were headed to (seriously!) “The North.”

After three hours, we were drooping by the time we were just outside York, so we stopped in one of those mega-roadside-rest-stations that has multiple restaurants, a chain hotel, petrol stations, a grocery store, and a bookstore inside. There might have been a lot of traffic on the motorway, but the inside of this large building was amazingly quiet as you can see from the photo below.

Food court at motorway rest stop

And since when is it necessary to have music-playing games machines right outside of the toilets in places like this? Sometimes having an iPhone to document things is quite handy!

One machine in a row of fun-fair type games parked outside the toilets in a motorway rest stop

I’ll be posting pictures in the days ahead of our short term renovation assignment here in Newcastle and some tourism articles about places to go and things to see in Newcastle.

Stay tuned!

Photo Of The Day: Faded And Flaking

Sometimes only a black and white (and many shades of gray!) approach will do the subject justice. These faded and flaking fishing boats, lying on the shingle (gravel) beach at Aldeburgh in Suffolk, England, were a perfect example of that.

Faded and flaking fishing boats on the shingle (gravel) beach at Aldeburgh, Suffolk, England

Photo Of The Day From London: Ornate Sculptured Cherub Lamp Post

Waiting for the light to change at the pedestrian crosswalk, ever-present camera in hand, I took this picture of a lamp post across from Trafalgar Square in London. What wonderful detail used to be routinely applied to everyday objects!

This charming sculptured cherub item was created by William Sugg and Company who operated from 1837 to 1969 and their website shows a fascinating range of items that they produced and is well worth perusing for an understanding of how lovely London was in the late 1800s.

If you scan to the bottom of the page that I have linked above, you will see a drawing that indicates the appearance upon installation 129 years ago. The original glass globes were particularly pretty, in my opinion. But the lovely base is still there for the observant pedestrian in London to enjoy.

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Photo Of The Day From London: Trajan’s Column at Victoria and Albert Museum

This close-up of a section of a reproduction of Trajan’s Column was taken in the Plaster Cast room at the V&A (Victoria and Albert) Museum in London.

I’ll share some more images from that splendid gallery in the museum in the coming days. And please remember, these are ALL copyrighted images that have tracking attached to them!

Detail shot from the massive plaster cast of Trajan's column at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, England

Photo Of The Day From London: Don’t Treat A Thief

For any of us who have grown up in more safe and secure environments, seeing a sign like this posted so prominently in a public place is a bit of a shocker. This photo was taken in a pub dining room in London and the sign warns the diners to be alert to the presence of thieves.

Warning sign in pub dining room in London, England about the presence of thieves

Medieval St. Mary the Virgin in Diss, Norfolk, England

As promised several days ago, here is a small photo essay of the lovely St. Mary the Virgin church in the historic town of DISS in the county of Norfolk, England.

Arched passage and exterior of medieval St. Mary The Virgin church in Diss, Norfolk in England

Medieval stone St. Mary The Virgin church exterior in Diss, Norfolk in England

Sculptured stone face on exterior of medieval St. Mary The Virgin church in Diss, Norfolk in England

Stained glass inside medieval stone St. Mary The Virgin church, Diss, Norfolk, England

Down the aisle to the altar at medieval St. Mary The Virgin church in Diss, Norfolk, England

Front tower of the medieval St. Mary The Virgin church in Diss, Norfolk, England

Back In Britain

We’re back in Britain for a few days and having a lovely time in Norfolk. Mark’s parents live here and we use them as our ‘home base’ whilst travelling across Europe. And my, what a lot of mail had accumulated while we were in France!

Yesterday afternoon we went into Diss which is just a handful of miles from the family home — and we had a nice lunch and then picked up the passport renewal forms that Mark needed and he managed to get an acceptably attractive passport photo taken.

Here I am in front of the post office and that lovely tower behind me is the medieval St. Mary the Virgin church.

Deborah on the High Street in Diss, Norfolk, England with St. Mary the Virgin church in background.

In the next few days, I’ll try to get some more photos posted of the interior and exterior of St. Mary’s because it is a lovely church with quite harmonious energy.