Every year I am taken by surprise by the early Spring arrival of banks of vibrant yellow flowers – the blooming of the rape seed flowers offering banks of yellow contrasting so beautifully with the bright green of neighbouring fields. So if like me, you feel these vast swathes of yellow enhance our country landscapes,…
Tag: England
VE day – Victory in Europe
The nation will be returning to the 40’s this May to celebrate VE Day – Victory in Europe Day: Friday 8th being a day of remembrance, Saturday 9th – one of celebration – and Sunday 10th, a day for thanksgiving. At the heart of the festivities will be St James’s Park, London’s oldest park and for…
On the trail of Jane Austen …
With the 200th anniversary of the first publication of the novel Emma this year, I thought it might be fun to share some of the “Austen Trail” I have done on my travels around Hampshire and Surrey. I’m sure there’s a lot more you can do but these are the few things that have crossed…
Country Pub Series: The Bird in Hand, Lovedean
I first wrote about my local – The Bird in Hand – a while ago now but am reprising the post as it has just enjoyed a rather viscious battering from food critic, Tom Parker Bowles in Event Magazine – Mail on Sunday. I admit, I don’t really go out to Sunday lunch but on every…
For Henry and England – Agincourt 600
In a year of multiple anniversaries, sometimes the lesser-known ones are forgotten. I hope this will not be the case for the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt – one of England’s most momentous historic battles which passed into legend, leading Shakespeare to pen his evocative Henry V. As we all know, the history of England…
With a name like Lowry, Manchester is my kinda town
With a name like mine, the most common question is – are you related to LS Lowry. Sadly, I am not. We do however share a great love of the arts and an admiration for urban grit so why oh why didn’t I visit the magnificent city of Manchester before now? When I did so,…
London’s Triumphal Arch
If you have ever wandered over onto the roundabout at Hyde Park Corner, you will have seen an arch, but it never occurred to me until reading more about it, that this was to celebrate Wellington’s victory over Napoleon so follows in fact from the Roman tradition of triumphal arches. Today it is known as…
Wellington Remembered
With all the furore concerning the upcoming anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo and the Napoleonic Wars, it seemed an appropriate time to visit the Duke of Wellington’s home in Central London – sometimes referred to simply as Number One London. My friend Gill insisted on our walking through the pedestrian tunnels and I am…
Pawprint Series: Wimbledon Common
Every time I come up to town, with my faithful four legged friend in tow, we make a point of visiting Wimbledon Common – it is quite simply the most beautiful oasis of calm in the bustle of South London life. When I lived in London, this was my safety valve and I value it enormously –…
Pawprint Series: An Autumn Walk
West Walk, Forest of Bere My favourite time of year is when summer turns to Autumn and you see a final burst of activity in the forests and woods around Hampshire, where leaves turn golden in the intermittent spotlights of sunlight, streaming through the trees and undergrowth. Park Wood, Forest of Bere As you walk…
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