What I Did Last Weekend - a post with far too many pictures

[byslantedlight]

I keep saying I'll post these pics and all, and I got them all ready days ago, so before it slips out of my posting-fingers for good and all... here's What I Did On My Holiday Last Weekend. *g*



But first I went to the Butterfly house, because I like butterflies... *g*








Holy Trinity Churchyard...






And Shakespeare's grave inside. I wonder if his bones really are down there...

...and a chained Bible.

Miserichords! These are apparently under almost all the seats in cathedrals, but they don't like showing them. I'm perhaps not surprised, because look at how gory some of them are...

Okay, this woman might have got in a good kick to the bloke's goolies, but he's not only giving her a serious whipping, he's set the dog on her too...

And fancy showing the scold's bridle in all its horrific glory!


Back in the churchyard, just cos... *g*


Nipped into the MAD kinetic museum - fab clockwork things, and of course just a touch of the steampunks about it... *g*




Then it was time for the ghostwalk I'd booked onto... *g* It wasn't one of the town in general, but of the Tudor World museum, which is housed in one of the oldest buildings in Stratford.

And it was really well done, just good solid ghost stories, and tellings of spooky goings on rather than anyone trying to jump out at us (apparently they couldn't pay people enough to sit in the dark in that place whilst they were waiting to do it... *g*) No ghosts when I was there, but apparently there was "activity" on the nine o'clock tour...

Had a quick wander up main street before looking for a taxi back to the YHA...

That second one's a Christmas shop... already...!

The next morning began with birds coming into land on the river in a rather spectacular manner!


Then I went and had a look at Shakespeare's birthplace...



...love the window-grafitti.

Even WH Smith getting in on the Tudor-y act... *g*


Nipped back to see the Tudor World Museum in the daylight - it's an independent one, and does a nice job of focusing on the Tudors.




The glorious sun-sparkled Avon...




Ann Hathaway's cottage... I do like that line in Shakespeare in Love - "She's a woman of property"? - Shakespeare shrugs. "She has a cottage..." *g*
A house wot Shakespeare presumably wandered around...




And then Mary Arden's Farm - where a bunch of Tudor-types were having lunch!




This bloke was playing the rebec, which is sort of a cross between a lute and a violin, in that to me it looks like a lute, but it's played like a violin, even though it only has three strings. I actually got to have a go - and of the fiddle too, which is a renaissance version, and of course neither of them had shoulder rests, and what do you do with three strings anyway, and where were my beginner-me finger markings... but I managed something terribly beginner-y anyway... I like the sound of the rebec though - it sounded a bit more atmospheric, somehow...


And then falconry! Well not really, cos the falcon didn't kill anything, which apparently makes it birds-of-prey-ry, but it was very cool anyway.




And oooh - barn owl!




And now I must dash cos I'm book-binding this afternoon... ack! What?! Noooo - time! Stoopid, melty time... *dashes faster than expected*

Comments

Great Pics & a Great Part of the World

[fiorenza-a.livejournal.com]

But at my back I always hear
Time's winged chariot hurrying near:
And yonder all before us lie
Deserts of vast eternity.

or so much to do, so little time!

:0)

RE: Great Pics & a Great Part of the World

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

There really, really is...

[dollidaydream.livejournal.com]

Your photos are great! You always find a nice angle. I always enjoy your photography. Glad you had a nice (and very busy, by the looks of it!) time. :)

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Thank you! So glad you like the pics - it sometimes feels a bit like foisting slide shows upon people, but then I figure it's quick enough that they can scroll by if they don't like photos... and I like seeing other people's, so... *g* It was both a nice and a busy time, and enough of both for me to be happy at home this weekend too, so that's good!

[dollidaydream.livejournal.com]

Oh, always post the photos, I really enjoy seeing them! ;)

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[snailbones.livejournal.com]

Oh, what gorgeous piccies - thank you! I love the butterflies and the graves especially - oh, and the wonderful clockwork thingies. It looks like you packed a ton into your break!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I do like trying to make good grave photos... and the butterflies were so gorgeous... the blue one was much more beautiful than it looks here of course - more sort of purple-blue - and oh, the glass-winged butterflies... imagine a whole flock of them! (wait, a flock of butterflies? Surely not... okay, I've found a flight of butterflies, a flutter of butterflies, and a rabble of butterflies... a rabble?! Surely they're anything but a rabble! Anyway...)

Stratford was such a small-and-yet-busy place, it was easy to just keep doing and doing and doing... and I didn't even remember to point out that I went on one of the last working chain ferries in the country... *g*

[siskiou.livejournal.com]

You should travel more and get paid for posting your always wonderful pictures!
I want to come and see more of the UK, but there never is enough time or money. And Mr. Siskiou is now only allowed two weeks vacation at a time, so no longer trips possible together with him. We are so angry about this new rule!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Hee - I totally should... *vbg* (And aw, thanks! *g*)

I can't believe there are places that only allow two weeks holiday in a year - in a supposedly "civilised" working society, that's just inhumane... in fact what? I was just checking with wiki whether that was one of the lower allowances in the world, and actually it's worse than that - Americans have no right at all to paid holiday from their work! That's just... in this day and age, that's just gobsmacking, it really is... So apparently Mr Siskiou should be lucky he gets any paid holiday at all... gaaaaargh! I am so going to wish that he is able to find a fabulous new job with a much better employer soooooon.

[milomaus.livejournal.com]

Lovely and most wonderful pics, thanks for sharing, so much to see and do around there, we have to come back.

You went book binding? I'd love to hear about that.

I should start at the office now, but can't get myself to do it.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Thank you! *g* And yes, you must come back!

I did go book binding, but as soon as I got there I had to come home again, cos the chap had caught a cold - and proofreading is headache-inducing enough without an added cold, which I would have been bound to catch... *is wimp* But if I ever do get to do it, I'll definitely post!

You inspired me to Virtual Office - despite a thousand good intentions, I'm finding it hard to get going too... and now it's lunch time!

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

More wonderful pictures, as usual. I especially like the ones of the butterflies. So many colors and designs! And birds! It really is cool to see birds that big fly around, even if they're not allowed to catch anything. We have hawks that show up from time to time, trying to snack on the others, and, from time to time, they succeed and I'll find a little pile of feathers on the lawn.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Thanks! The butterflies were wonderful - I could watch them for hours... *g*

It is nice to see big birds, isn't it - sometimes you'll see hawks flying around out here, and now and then an owl (though I've not seen one for ages). Every now and then I catch a glimpse of a buzzard too, which have been introduced back to a few places in counties to the east of here, and which look huuuge and glorious... *g* These ones flew trailing their jesses, but it seemed even more impressive that they'd come and fly back to their falconer (to some extent *g*)

[miwahni.livejournal.com]

Fantastic photos, especially the owl in flight! And yet another place to add to my one-day list. It's all so picturesque.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I was so chuffed that one of the owl pics came out - he was fast... *g* And yes, definitely a Place to Visit!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Gorgeous photos! I especially love those from the churchyard. You have such a great eye. Thanks for sharing!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I have to admit that churchyards are a fondness of mine - I can't often pass them up if I've got a camera of some sort on me... *g*

[alicambs.livejournal.com]

Haven't been on LJ for ages, so thought I'd check out your non Pros post to see how you were keeping, and a long, picturesque one it was. :-) All ok? and any thoughts on the wandering around NZ in a campervan or are you staying put? xxx

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Hey stranger! How're you doing, Mrs-Not-Posting-Nearly-Often-Enough? *g*

And ohhhh, I still have thoughts on wandering around NZ in a campervan - and I've got my passport renewed, and am just waiting for my certificate to be renewed and then I can be off again! And if it isn't renewed, then I might start off in a campervan, and then... *g* It's my own fault for dilly-dallying with all the paperwork, I don't know why I've been being so wimpish about things... Actually, all that said, my next major trip really will have to be Alaska so I can rescue my poor long-suffering friend from all my stuff in her basement (and I'm missing Alaska! I still have little sulks about it now and then... *sniffs sadly*) But then NZ!

[alicambs.livejournal.com]

Emailed a reply ;-) (Mrs Not Posting Anything Really)