The British Museum

Today's showing is a small sampling of pictures I took at the British Museum. LoML & I went there for about half of a day one day...we've been before, but could easily go dozens of times before we even began to see all that needs seeing. I'm not going to narrate...haven't even labeled these. Just thought I'd give you a sampling.

Tomorrow I will try to relate to you the latest hysterical antics of Gwyndiculous...funniest dog on the planet!

Blenheim Palace

Well, *finally* I'm going to take you back to the UK for a bit. Have been wildly busy around here and neglecting ye' ole' blog. But now that I'm here, I want to share with you another of our adventures from our February trip to the UK.

We took a side trip to Blenheim Palace. It's the home of the 11th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, and (I believe I have this straight) the largest privately-owned palace in the UK. It's also the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.

I'm going to share some pictures of the outside of the palace and the grounds...inside photography was not permitted. I encourage you to go to the official website for some more of the history, and a peek inside. It's a fabulous place. (I could live in the library!)

http://www.blenheimpalace.com/


I adored some of the magnificent trees. There was a photography exhibit inside that featured the Blenheim trees and I desperately wanted to take at least one of the pictures home with me!

Interesting Sun Dial

Found this sundial in a garden in Marlow and thought it interesting:

More Ted

More Ted. ;D Isn't he handsome? He's patiently waiting for his human...who popped into the pub for a pint or so.And just look at that thatched roof next door!

English Equines

Oh dear! No time for narrative this morning...just the pictures. More on the details later.

More Marlow

Remember the story of the ugly duckling? I don't think this guy was ugly at all!
Lest you forget this site is still all about the hounds...
Shooting from the grounds of All Saints Parish Church situated right on the Thames. Tomorrow we'll look at the church itself.
That's a lock over there.

Marlow

Not much time this morning...will share some scenes from Marlow. You can learn more about Marlow here: http://www.marlowtown.co.uk

As we walked from the train station towards the river, I couldn't help but shoot this sign:
Enjoyed a lovely stroll along the Thames...conversing with swans...
...taking in the sights...

More on this trip later.

More UK Adventures

Well, I'm back from my hiatus. Life has just been wildly busy...mostly with good things. We've recently returned from another wonderful trip to the UK. Had a terrific visit with the relatives and, as always, did a bit of venturing about. Today's pictures are from Turville, a delightful little village. Wikipedia has a nice write-up here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turville

The British series "The Vicar of Dibley" was filmed in this village. We watched a couple of episodes during our stay and thought it was quite funny. I may have to pick the show up on DVD.
How's this for old? Can you tell how curved the wall is? That's not trick photography.

Lovely to see a horse and rider just out for a stroll. So quaint.
That's Cobstone Windmill in the background...used in a number of films including "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang".
See the little bloke in the middle with the white patch on his head? That's Baa Baa Black Sheep. No, really. I distinctly heard him baa at me twice as we walked by. And, yes, I did ask him if he had any wool! Clearly he has three bags full :D
Back with more soon.

View from a Fairy Tale

Every once in a while you capture an image that just speaks to you. Or, at least, I do. I shoot hundreds of shots with the firm belief that by doing so, every once in a while, I'll hit on one I fall in love with. This is one of those shots.

I'm standing on one of the paths in the shadowy forest that is Gnome World and I look out onto the adjoining fields.
Ahhhhhh.

P.S. Stay tuned for an upcoming regular feature: Song of the Day.

Gnome World

One of the highlights of the long-weekend trip for the 2 year-old and the 3 year-old was our trip to Gnome World. I don't have the brochure handy, so I forget how many acres are covered by gnomes...gnomes captured doing a variety of activities. It was a blast!
There was even this helpful gnome who held the paper in the facilities! ;D

Winding Down

As we approach the time for The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show--the original inspiration for this blog--I feel the need to wind down our visit to England. In a little over a week you'll be once again bombarded with dog pix ;D

Here are a few more shots from Great Torrington:
I may have mentioned already that the plaster work on the house we stayed at was fabulous. This is just one example from the outside.

Such a quaint village!

Here's a shot of our lodgings:

Back to Great Torrington

Back to more scenes from around Great Torrington...

This is a close-up/funky view (how I do love those) of the obelisk that's nearby. No, I never did find out why there's an obelisk there!