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The tallest spire in Britain
Salisbury Cathedral is located about 10 miles south of Stonehenge. It's worth a visit, and if you visit, definitely take one of the tours offered by the guides. That's the best part.
You'll also be able to see the finest surviving copy of the Magna Carta (originally it's thought there were 44 copies made, written in a shorthand Latin). It's in perfect condition, because it was filed away in a library and only discovered in the 19th century.
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The mystery of who built Stonehenge can finally be solved.
These Druid-like creatures were caught hanging around the ancient site. I think this puts an end to the mystery, don't you?
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We went and cheered on the home town cricket team yesterday. Of course we have no idea how the game is played, but it was fun nevertheless. When they took a break for tea we left, so we don't know if our team got trounced or not.
This photo gives new meaning to the term "fly ball" doesn't it?
These dogs are avid cricket fans. The one on the left, Jake, lives near the field and wanders around, never going on to the field during play.
Something got on my lens, but you can still see the action. If "action" is the proper word for a cricket game.
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My daughter went to Dublin and all I got was this blog post.
Sounds like she had a good time. I'm taking them to Dorset today. Lots of interesting stuff to see there.
We've been so busy that yesterday I forgot an important occasion. We have a bit of a competition each year to see which one of us will eventually remember our anniversary. Last night, while watching Gran Torino, I got a little misty eyed when Clint Eastwood was explaining how he convinced the "best woman in the world" to marry him. Then suddenly it hit me: "Happy anniversary!" I shouted to my husband, who was also watching the same scene.
Guess that answers my question. I am not the best woman in the world.
Certainly not the best blogger.
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These black lambs live inside the stone circle at Avebury in Wiltshire. The National Trust volunteer explained they were there to crop the grass, but I think they're really there to give tourists something to photograph in front of the stones.
The mums have shaggy long hair, which I understand is more valuable as wool. Regular dense-wool sheep aren't worth shearing for their fleece.
This baby ran to get under the shade of one of the large stones, which were placed there by Neolithic peoples several thousand years ago in order to give their lambs a place to hide from the fierce Bronze Age sun. (The grass is really greener than that; I had to lighten it up in order to see the lamb.)
When walking through a field of sheep, you should mind where you step.
This lamb was taking a nap. He'd had a hard day, posing for all the tourists.
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I find this TPM post very disturbing:
No, not the Pelosi story—that's pretty much a tempest in a teapot. I'm talking about Josh Marshall, one of the best known and most widely read political bloggers (read so widely that newspaper columnists occasionally quote him accidentally) who feels the need to explain why he's been "out of the office" and "offline" all day. Apparently it's such an unusual occurrance that it has discombobulated him to some degree.
Recently Josh took a vacation, the first in about a decade, I recall him saying at the time. He was worried about how he'd deal with the off-time.
I'm more worried about how those we read for commentary on world events are getting increasingly insulated from the lives of ordinary people, who think nothing of going to a graduation and missing breaking news on some minor political scandal.
I like Josh Marshall, I really do. I read him almost every day. But I wish he'd get out more, not less. I wish he'd spend some time among people who aren't so enthralled by partisan battles, in order to get some perspective. We all need a reality check occasionally. I know when I've been spending too much time on the Internet I am often surprised when the real people who populate my daily life aren't as upset about some big to-do as I have become. This is when I appreciate my nieces' Facebook updates, which are usually along the lines of "BORED at work!"
See? The kids are alright. No tempest, only boredom. Somehow I think civilization will survive that.
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You know that song "Twitter Killed the Blogging Star?" Okay, maybe you don't know that song. Maybe I just made it up.
Someone should write it though. Because it's true. You'll find me on Twitter, if you care to see what I'm doing from minute to minute. Or to see what strikes my fancy from time to time. (That's known as re-tweeting over there, or an RT.)
I'm finding less and less to blog about these days. Just not as angry as I once was, I guess.
Funny how it's hard to express anger in a tweet.
I'll try to post some photos soon. Maybe. And the recipes and food blogging are still taking place.
Meanwhile, here are a few lines from that song I'm writing:
Oh wait, that's too many characters....
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Today, we saw lots of interesting places in a nearby village. Although I'd been to this town many times, I'd never realized how much there was to see there. Here are a few photos I took:
First we saw a zoo, with lots of animals in tiny cages.
A pretty semi-detached cottage, with lace curtains in the windows, made us want to wander in for tea.
Not far away were some students entering Clark College, just in time for class.
Two trains raced past each other between villages.
Outside the town hall, a man was speaking to a crowd that had gathered.
We went to this church, where they were having a service.
Nearby was a Fun Fair...wished we could have stayed longer!
Then we saw a thatched cottage on fire! Fortunately, the firefighters had it under control in minutes.
Some sheep grazed underneath the pretty windmill, next to the railroad tracks.
There was a castle, too, where red-coated soldiers were exercising in the yard.
Then we passed by a gypsy camp, with colorful gypsy caravans and a cooking fire.
Not far away, a herd of deer emerged from a forest.
We interrupted a polo match....
and watched a croquet game on the lawn.
Some Brownies were decorating a May Pole next to a church.
We had a great view of one of the famous white horses, carved in chalk on the hillside overlooking the train.
In the castle ruins, archers were practicing.
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If you are looking for a distraction from the endless distractions of the World Wide Web, might I suggest this path?
I took so many great photos yesterday at Wendover Woods I'm having a hard time selecting the best ones. I've flagged about 20, and will weed (!!) them out and post them later, I promise.
But I wanted to give you an example now, perhaps to inspire me to ignore the siren calls of the internet this morning and reflect on what's really important.
Flowers. That's right, flowers are far more important than swine flu, political swiping, and the financial crisis, all of which have consumed far too much of my attention.
From now on it's all about the bluebells. And the wisteria.
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The pretty red head shakes the hair from her eyes, while the pale horses come to see if we have apples.
Not far from here there's a riding stable. The horses can be seen all year from the main road through town, but I'd never gone over there, due to a confusing sign at the stile at the entrance into the pasture.
But the other day my friend and I walked through the pasture, and these lovely horses came to greet us. They weren't bothered by the dog, who had kindly covered herself in horse poop so as to be less threatening to the poor beasts.
She's thoughtful like that.
This guy kept nodding his head, in answer to my "Aren't you pretty!" comment.
This dark one didn't want to be left out.
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