Winter Solstice

I finally got around to touching up some incredible photos we took last December of our trip to Salisbury plain, and Bath. I even finished putting together a 12 x 12 inch book that is being printed right now.

We went to Avebury and Stonehenge on the day of Winter Solstice. We were able to walk up to the stones for FREE and touch them. There were a bunch of "interesting" people there. I heard that on the Summer Solstice, they ask you NOT to bring kids because people get a little crazy. It's too cold in December to do anything really crazy.

Above is me in front of the Great Roman bath in Bath. I absolutely LOVE Bath. It is one of my favorite places to visit here in the UK. I have visited 3 times so far, and never tire of being there.

To see more photos, click on the following:

Castle Combe, Avebury, Stonehenge, Salisbury Cathedral, Bath, Oxford

A New Discovery Near Stonehenge

We went to "Sutton Hoo" yesterday (I'll post about that later), and the lady there mentioned that they just announced on the news a new discovery near Stonehenge: a "timber" stonehenge. There is a new technology that scans the earth, without having to dig the earth, and while using this "lawnmower," they discovered remains of a site much like Stonehenge. To read the news article about this discovery, click here.

Saltram House

Near Plymouth is a beautiful mansion called the Saltram House. Currently it is cared for by the National Trust.
This home definitely looks like something from Jane Austen's era, in fact, it was used in the filming of "Sense and Sensibility." It has some very small connection with Jane Austen. The lady of the house kept in correspondence with Austen herself.

This home is an amazing museum of art. Some of the rooms like the one pictured above, were designed by artist, Robert Adam. There are many, many portraits hanging throughout this house. The grounds and gardens are extensive, but we didn't have time to visit them.
To see photos we took, click here.

Stonehenge:The Giant's Dance

Stonehenge is a very fascinating place. Last December (2009) we decided to go to Stonehenge for the winter solstice. When we arrived on the 21st, we found out that the druids would be holding their official Winter Solstice festivities the following morning, so we got up early the next morning and were rewarded by being able to actually walk up to and touch the stones (for free). There were many people dressed up for the occasion, some chanting, some dancing, some marching in processions around the giant stones. It was such an interesting experience to be so close to these mystical stones. If you ever visit on days other than the mornings of winter and summer solstice, you are not allowed to walk up to the stones, unless you arrange to beforehand (which means you have to do it before normal opening hours, and pay a lot of $$$). You can read about one of the legends of the stones in "Our Island Story." Click here for the story, and here to read more on the history of the stones. Click here for the pictures we took (including winter solstice celebration).

Two miles from Stonehenge is a place called "Woodhenge." We didn't go there, but I was told that if it were still standing, Woodhenge would have lined up with the Winter Solstice.

Another site dubbed, "Bluehenge," was recently discoverd about one mile from Stonehenge. Some of the rocks that are at Stonehenge are believed to have been at Bluehenge. There are no rocks there now.

Lacock Village and Abbey: For all those Harry Potter and Jane Austen Fans

I have been to Lacock three times in six months. It's an "easy distance" from Bath, Avebury, and Stonehenge, and holds a lot of charm. Lacock is located in the part of England known as the Cotswolds. The village has been used as the backdrop for several films and TV series, including the A&E BBC version of Pride and Prejudice, as well as some of the Harry Potter movies.



For more information on Lacock village, click here and for history and a list of shows filmed in Lacock, click here.



Click on the following links for pictures we have taken: Lacock Village, Lacock Abbey.

Old Mother Hubbard: The Cupboard that Inspired the Poem

While traveling in southwest England (primarily Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall), we stayed at a B&B a few miles from Plymouth called "Kitley House." It looks like something out of a Jane Austen novel, and I later found out that they used Kitley House as a place to film the BBC version of "Sense and Sensibility." One of the claims to fame at the Kitley house, is that the woman who wrote, "Old Mother Hubbard," the well-known children's rhyme, was the housekeeper there, and it was at this very house where she wrote the poem. The B&B owner allowed me to take a picture of the gigantic cupboard that inspired the rhyme, even though it was in a room that was mainly used for storage.

To learn more about "Old Mother Hubbard" and its origins at the Kitley House, click here.
To view a video about Kitley House, click here.
To get a complete history of the Kitley House, click here.

Flat Stanley Visits Thetford

If you've read, "Our Island Story," by H.E. Marshall, or any other history of Great Britain, you may have come across a story about the warrior queen, Boudica, who rallied her people to fight the Romans, and in the end, when she was defeated, chose death over slavery. Well, Boudica came from ancient Thetford, and died about 62 a.d. Thetford is the town where we live. The American Revolutionary who wrote "Common Sense" and "Rights of Man", Thomas Paine was also born here. There are many wonderful little histories about this ancient capital city of East Anglia, and when we received a "Flat Stanley" in the mail, we decided to make a little amateur documentary about our new hometown. To view the video, click here. To learn more about Boudica, click here.