the hundred

So this was another adventure with our nonagenarian, back in a still sunny September

and another place on the Wirral I'd never been to in my life before!
The priory grounds have been restored recently and you can read more about the history in this great blog - Birkenhead Priory

natually we climbed the tower . . .









and peeked over to Cammel Laird's on this side of the mighty Mersey and the Pier Head on t'other

and in the Priory museum, we remembered about the Wirral Hundred where I was born!

We were just about to leave when one of the curators invited us up some old stone steps to the HMS Conway Chapel - a real gem and just fascinating! 

especially as Mike so vividly remembered as a child when the Conway was grounded, and then in later years caught fire, in the Menai Straits - read the story here

And to our amazement there was a massive link with the once Poet Laureate - John Betjeman - who served on the HMS Conway for serveral years after leaving school.  This is one of his poems, lesser known than 'Sea Fever' but all about the Conway tradition that seagulls are the returning spirits of cadets who have crossed the bar.

Such an interesting day!!

fortified

OK - back again to the day after the last post in sunny August.  Leaving Oxfordshire the next morning it was off, via lunch in Whitney, towards Welsh/English border and Offa's Dyke - skirmish country!!

We'd booked in at the wonderful little farmhouse B&B just outside Montgomery - Caemwgal Farmhouse (and this was my review).  Caemwgal Farmhouse is actually situated on Offa's Dyke so a great pull for hikers.  And the farmhouse is actually on a Civil War battlefield.  The Battle of Montgomery was fought here in 1644 but thankfully we didn't experience any hauntings that night!

So after a great breakfast we went off to explore the magnificenlty sited Montgomery Castle, high on a hill overlooking the town and distant hills of Shropshire.

View from the turrets!  Possibley the Long Mynd?

 and now down to the town of Montgomery . . .

 












. . . and of course, despite a huge breakfast, before exploring this lovely little town, we just had to have a cake and coffee at the lovely Castle Kitchen.

Delicious Carrot Cake for me and Lemon for Mike.

The Church of St Nicholas  is just at the edge of the town.

Had a surprising history too, as in it was the tomb of the Herbert family - parents to the famous poet George Herbert - who has a window dedicated to him

and back in Montgomery itself, a wander round the sleepy Sunday town . . .

and we even found a bit of Offa's Dyke to amble along on the way home!!

another really great part of the country we'd never ventured to before.

the silk route

Going back to August now - just to cheer us now it's wet and miserable outside!!

After Emma and Tom's 'LOVE'ly wedding we stayed at the fabulous Wellington Arms at Baughurst - my review says it all!!  Perfect!
Then left with a whole day to ourselves off we set to explore the delights of Hampshire.

First stop, after trundling over Watership Down (yes, really!!), was the Whitworth Silk Mill and as someone who loves habidashery departments almost as much as stationers - this was nothing short of heaven!!  

Just look at these bobbins and colours

Anyway, making a hasty exit as the pensioners' coach tour pulled in, we headed to the nearby Iron Age hill fort - Danebury Ring.  Absolutely the most massivest hill fort we've ever visited and so impressive.

Totally impossible to capture the size and feel of this place on camera, and the wildflowers everywhere . . .

and so it was up back up into Oxfordshire and a welcome barbeque with old friends

On the art trail

Loved this Epstein on Einstein

Jacob Epstein's "Portrait of Albert Einstein" today at the wonderful, timeless . .

Where we'd gone to see the equally wonderful Hockney exhibition

Which was quite amazing, especially to see his early work while still a student at the RCA. Photos not allowed but you can read more here:
Walker Art Gallery David Hockney
Or a great review here: Guardian review
And after some seriously good cakes in the cafe off we went for a meander around all the old masters in this historic art gallery which Mum so well remembered visiting with her Mum in the 1920s!

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone