Tag Archives: UK

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.

Happy New Year Wherever You Are!

Drink from the Well of Life, the Well Of Pity, the Well Of Comfort, and two other wells that are no longer visible in the worn away engraving at the top. Drink Ye All Of It — grab onto life, embrace it, ingest it, and never forget to feel alive on each and every day that you are here.

Auld Lang Syne is the traditional song heard in many places around the world and reminds us to not forget old friends — no matter how far flung they might be. This tombstone in the Dean Cemetery in Edinburgh, Scotland goes hand in hand with the sentiments in the song and prompts us to immerse ourselves in life and good companionship.

Inscription "Drink Ye All Of It" on Tombstone in Edinburgh, Scotland

On this final day of 2011, may all of my readers have the happiest and safest of New Year celebrations.

See you in 2012!

Ready For The Continent!

It’s official. We’ll be leaving England again during the first week of October and we’re headed back to Europe for the winter. Onward to some new adventures!

Part of our long term planning involved deciding where we thought we’d be spending the most time — in the United Kingdom or in Europe. It was a decision that needed firming up because we had two vehicles — one for driving on each side of the road — and it was silly to keep paying insurance on one of those when we only planned to use it half the time.

Diesel is king in Europe and more cars over there use diesel than petrol. Also, since our travelling strategy for staying out on the road between countries involves carrying more tools and equipment than we originally began with 9 months ago (not to mention clothing for multiple seasons!), we decided that we’d be better off purchasing the newest diesel van that we could so we’d even have the flexibility to carry bicycles if we wanted to.

We have now traded in our UK right-hand-drive Ford Fusion AND our precious little European left-hand-drive Kia Picanto. And here’s what we purchased last week — a four year old diesel van that we can customise to our own purposes. We’ll be able to get well over 50 miles to the gallon instead of the 40 mpg we were getting with ‘Katie Kia’ on those long drives across Germany and France in the spring. That certainly assists with our favourite mode of travel — the frugal or budget style!

Mark checking the front of the new van.

Back of the new diesel van.

I can almost hear some of you saying, “So what’s the big deal? It’s just a basic white van.” Ahhhhh — but the possibilities that it offers are quite wonderful!

We’re headed back to France soon and we’ll be working in Normandy again for several months. So you’ll see stories and pictures from there once I get past the backlog from here in England! I’ve been ‘off the air’ for weeks at a time as we finish the renovation of a house in London prior to moving on.

Keep posted for the adventures ahead!

A Tiny Splash at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London

Calmness, tranquility, order, and beauty — all of these sensations settle upon my shoulders like a soothing cape whenever I step through the doors of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. I’ve been coming here for well over 20 years now and each return visit delights my eyes and stimulates my imagination.

Sculpture Gallery at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England.

Plaster cast room with massive reproductions at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England.

There is an even more relaxed vibe in the warmer months as families and individuals flock to the central courtyard to enjoy an outdoor lunch or a coffee or to allow themselves a little splash and a cooling wade in the shallow reflecting pool.

A welcome bit of shade in the courtyard of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England.

Cooling off at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England.

We arrived on a steamy day two weeks ago. The galleries were cool and comfortable inside but there were even more people outside where it was quite hot and sticky. Almost everyone, especially the children, were drawn to the water like a magnet.

Toddler cooling off in the water at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England.

A charming place, a charming day. No matter what the season, do try to visit this wonderful museum for yourself when you are next in London!

A Sigh Of Relief

The air was soft with rain — the garden extra green. It felt as if the city of London had taken a collective deep breath — and then exhaled with relief.

Soft London Morning After Rain

Things are not settled by any stretch of the imagination and the dialogue about how these riots and violence could have happened this past week, what factors contributed to it in the preceding years, and what solutions must be embraced are well under way. There is a sense of hope that last week’s startling wake-up call will be enough and a state of social order and civility toward one another can return.

But for now, I can gratefully report that things are quiet, life has returned to the busy-purposeful London state that is oh-so-normal, and I saw smiles on the faces of people as we walked through the city today. Such an ordinary and taken-for-granted thing — a smile — and yet so appreciated after the tension of the last week. Let’s hope those smiles stay firmly planted on the faces of the people of London.

A Wanderful Life

The Neverending Journey