Anglesey Abbey, Cambridgeshire

What a fascinating place! Angelesey Abbey is a Jacobean-style house with expansive gardens. The home was in ruins - as an Abbey wrecked during Cromwells reign of disaster and laid to waste for several centuries. An American family, cashed up with money from oil became interested in the area and one of the sons, at the age of 30, bought the ruin with the idea to create an English Manor house and fill it with his treasures.


Lord Fairhaven  wanted to create something that both inspired and surprised his visitors, and had always intended to gift his collections and home to the people through the National Trust.  He lived a very luxurious life which revolved around horse racing and shooting, and having high flying guests visit.
All of this is reflected in the silverware, the paintings and furnishings throughout the manor. its difficult to choose a favourite piece, but the silver clock, with its intricate carving, really took my eye.

I also loved to see some Constable paintings on the walls.


On the event of his death, his will stated that everything must remain as he he left it, which included pens on desks, and cups on mantle pieces. It looks as though he has stepped out and is due to return at any moment.

Its so difficult to rush through these homes as every room deserves hours of contemplation, reflection and research. It was Michaels first National Trust home and it was s delight to allow him space and time to look at the paintings and sculptures; though 2 hours was scarcely enough time to really look at everything.


The kids explored the expansive gardens and delighted us with their creations in the woodlands. Something that I love about National Trust places, is the space (and encouragement) for kids to build tree houses and dens.

The treehouse was incredible!  Three stories high..

 Anglesey Abbey has a wildlife discovery centre, which I know you could spend an entire day wandering around. The rose garden and the formal gardens were beautiful with the vistas of the landscaped areas taking our breaths away, and giving Michael a bigger appreciation of what travelling and experiencing places like this means to the kids and I.

Flatford Bridge

Flatford Bridge.. Where Constable drew most of his inspiration from for his iconic paintings 

I guess only another art enthusiast could get quite so excited about seeing some ponds and a foot bridge. I think what could top this would be seeing Monet waterlilly gardens just outside of Paris.

I will resist going to see them THIS time we head to France... Sigh.. I digress. 

We had a relaxing picnic on the riverbanks, fed the overstuffed ducks, and wandered into the little cottage Constable withdrew to in order to paint. 

There were a number of reproductions of his most famous paintings; incredible to look out the window as see basically the same vista.

I noted  a number of workshops and art based weekends based here.. Huge sigh.. Again, something to explore next time we are here.

Disruption and Disarray of Blog posts

Anyone who has subscribed to my blog, and gets them posted to their mail box when something is published will notice a bit of a lag (read absence all together) in posting for around 3 weeks End of July - mid August.

Although I will be taking alot of photos and posting on instagram, I very much doubt actual blog posts will be completed until much later - they will be 'post' dated, but you , my loyal fans, will get them in dribs and drabs and with dates that make no logical sense.

My reason for the absence is that Michael has flown 20K miles to join the kids and I for a whirlwind tour of England, before being whisked off to Paris and shuttled sadly back to Australia.

Normal 'posting' of blogs will resume and updates from the trip will get to you.. sooner or later.

Blackpool Tower

For those who know me, you will understand what an undertaking it was for me to even get close to the edge to take a photo.. I took that step even further.. and went out on the ledge.. don't call me a hero just yet.. There is inches thick hardened glass underneath me, apparently tested to 3 tonne. I must admit to only walking a little way out before the view completely freaked me out and I had to scuttle back to the centre of the tower for safety.

The Blackpool tower was inspired by the popularity of the Eiffel Tower and was opened first to the public in 1894. It is 158 metres and boasts gorgeous views over the seaside, the ocean and the city of Blackpool. 

It houses a number of attractions, including the ballroom, a circus, a Madam Taussades dungeon and jungle gym for kids; but we were there for the tower and its glorious view.  

I'll do another post on Blackpool, as it deserves space on its own. The kids and I have decided we need to come back to Blackpool for its Christmas light display and the festival they call the "Illuminations."  I love fairy lights and all that jazz - so looking forward to seeing this view again at night.

The Blue Church in Bratisava

The church of St Elisabeth - or better known as the Blue Church is a beautiful landmark in Bratislava. We had a drive around the town in the later evening, so there was little traffic and we are able to park right out the front of it. It was lit up to display it eerie blue tinge, and we were more than a little disappointed that it wasn't open for us to go inside and look at the pews (blue) and the alter (also blue).

I immediately thought that the church looked like it had been covered with a thick coat of marzipan, decorated with tin mirrors and painted in pastels. It came as no surprise that the church is also known as the Candy Church or the Fairytale Church.  What did come as a surprise was that the church was only built in 1907 - though it has certain Gothic and Romanesque features.

 

The Jamaica Inn, Bodmin, Cornwall

Daphne Du Maurier brought this 17th Century Inn into the world spotlight with her book, The Jamaica Inn.  I remember reading  and loving it, but until I actually got to walk on the cobblestones, it didn't become very real. Last time I was here it was a misty moisty horrible moor day. Age and I had just ridden through sleet on our motorcycles and stopped here a while. A real modern day coaching house. 

Daphne Du Maurier had a wonderful imagination and threaded half stories, characters from her head and those she had met to weave her tales into reality. This Inn would have served as the half way point along the moors, back then a treacherous place full of thieves and smugglers. It no doubt turned a blind eye toward the numerous seedy characters using the stables and rooms. 

There were many tales of the unsavoury characters who lived and 'worked' in the area, including organised gangs of wreckers who operated along the coast of Cornwall.  Cornwall in the early 19th century was described as the “haven of smugglers”. 

The gangs of men used to trick ships to sail close to the coastline by using beacon lights, which they purposefully installed on the shores of the cliffs. Once the ships wrecked on the rocky coast they were looted by the wreckers and surviving sailors dispatched quickly.

The Jamaica Inn became a smugglers inn or stopping point and apparently used  approximately 100 secret routes to move around their contraband, storing it at the inn before selling it or moving it on. Apparently smuggling became such a problem that there was an act of parliament to take the duty and taxes off the main contraband items, and thus discouraged economically, smugglers in their work.

Below are photos from the smugglers museum. Some were pretty gory and horrible, others inspiring in their ingenuity to fool the 'kings men' and tax collectors.

A 18th centruy smuggler, with blackened face.

A oil can with a false dipping cylinder. 

A safe box with a false bottom

A failed way to smuggle in jewellery.

The haunted dining room.