Devon

On Monday, Fi & I took a series of trains from London Paddington heading southwest to Devon, where we'd booked a house for the week in a small village on the south coast called Thurlestone.

The house was set on Thurlestone golf course, which separated it from the sea.

Here's a view from the porch, looking onto the backyard, fairway, then the beach & sea furthest away.

We rented the house with Louisa & Adam, here taking in some sun.

The beach was a few hundred yards away from the house, so we walked there most days, weather providing.  The first afternoon, the sun was shining, so we took advantage of the opportunity to romp around & explore.

A dude fishing from the rocks.

I was a little jealous.

More ramblin'.

Burgh Island, home of a famous art-deco hotel, was visible from the beach in the distance.

That's about all I got photographed on the first day, but fear not, there's more to come.

Diamond Jubilee, pt. II

Sunday, I took to the streets of London with Fi, Kirsten, & their madre to go watch the Queen's jubilee pageant on the river Thames.

The world & his wife flocked to the South Bank for a vantage, so naturally, that's where we headed.  By the time we arrived, the crowd was probably 10 people deep where we stopped in front of the Tate Modern.

That made seeing the river itself a bit difficult, but from that location we had a great view of the Millenium Bridge & St. Paul's.

Blackfriar's Bridge was to the left in the distance.

Behind us, a lucky few were perched on museum balconies.  I wonder what they had to do for a ticket to that party.

Once the boats started passing, photography became pretty difficult, as everyone in front of us tried to raise his camera for a better angle.  The parade was next to impossible to see, but I did manage to join the throng for a few elevated shots.

I could only achieve that by stretching my hand up as high as I could & hoping the boats were in the frame when I pressed the button.  After about 20 tries, I started to feel confident in my tip-toe photography & attemped a video.  This is the smaller boats, which led the 7-mile long flotilla.

Quite an experience, really.  Happy 60th anniversary, E II R!

Diamond Jubilee

Fi & I are in London this wknd for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.  Everyone gets a couple of days off work for the occasion, so why not spend them in the capital?  England's not normally a place for nationalism, so it's been quite a change to see so many UK flags flying and bunting on building facades.  Here's the Mooring contribution:

That's the spirit.  I met Fi in Mayfair, so we could take in the sights & try out a restaurant in the area.  Stepping out of the tube in Green Park, check out the banner & flags on the Ritz:

Nearby, someone had bedecked his Rolls with a couple of union jacks.

In celebration of my new job, Fi took me for lunch at a place called Burger & Lobster.  Hamburgers & lobster are the only items on their menu.

Pitying the fools that'd go for burgers, we opted for lobster.

I gorged.  Fi gorged.  It was a glorious mess of seafood, butter, garlic, & french fries.  

What a fantastic meal.  Bellies distended, we repaired to Hammersmith for a digestif at one of my favorite pubs, the Blue Anchor, which overlooks the Thames as it passes beneath Hammersmith Bridge.

If you zoom in to the background beneath the bridge, you'll see the beginnings of Queenie's jubilee flotilla, assembling for the Sunday pageant.

The Blue Anchor's a nice place to enjoy a drink outside in the temperate English weather.

The Digby Mansions went all out on their Jubilee decorations as well, which makes for a delightful view looking back from the bridge.

To end this post, here's a window-display salute to Madge by a neighborhood flower-shop in Barnes.

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Impromptu Morris Parade

Fi & I were sitting in the living room this evening with the windows open, & I began to hear a faint accordion melody.  We went to the window to look, & a few seconds later, some Morris men & women turned down our street, headed for the Bookbinders. 

They must be camped out at the Bookies, because we can still hear the jingling & jangling of their bells.  Hooray for summer!

the Londots in Oxford, pt. II

After Magdalen on Saturday afternoon, we pushed on to Christ Church to make our tour before the doors closed.  Here's their dining hall

The Harry Potter staircase

Christ Church's courtyard

To the pub!

That evening we had dinner reservations at another pub around the corner from our apartment, the Rickety Press

Sunday morning, we headed out bright & early again, this time for a walk through Port Meadow.

Oxford's rowing ladies were out in droves

The ruined Godstow Nunnery & some cattle

Those of you who've walked this path before know that the Trout's coming up next...

Brad's first Pimm's!

From the Trout, we headed back into Oxford to have lunch at our favorite burger pub, the Gardener's Arms

That's all, folks.  Many thanks to Brad & Sara for making the trip!!  Hope you enjoyed our little piece of Oxford!