Retail yumminess

(London contd)

The beginning of Regent Street – mindblowing, as you walk along it.

But we walked on and found the interesting stores.

Hamleys Toy Store – 5 storeys packed with all kinds of toys.  There would have to be something for every child.

One level was devoted to Lego, including models of William, Kate and Harry, in a recreation of the balcony appearance of their wedding

.

But my favourite was this cuddly guy.

Around the corner we found Liberty, another store with numerous levels

This shows the Christmas Shop at the top and the Fabrics underneath.

Then today we were at Windsor and found this yummy store

More fabrics to pet,

goodies to admire

 

Workrooms to peek into

 

There is no end f beautiful stores to check out.  These three were the ones we went into and thoroughly enjoyed exploring.

London

(our travels 28th October 2012 – our first day in London)

And we are like country bumpkins on our first trip to the city.  Every corner brought new discoveries and we crisscrossed our way around.  Not so good for our feet, but the sights dazzled us.

Amazing architecture - Big Ben, Parliament house, Westminster Abbey, St Margarets, there are so many to take our breath away . 

 

The transport – the famous London buses, and taxis, some of which are quite colourful.

And then the statues – every way we look there seems to be another statue, monument or memorial. 

She is wearing the Cleo Ultimate Woman sash.

So much to explore, so little time.

And on to Poole

(Our travels of 25th October 2012)

A very interesting (though basic) b & b last night, with a resident ghost apparently. 

 

This was at Five Lanes.  A walk into the village was a good start to the day.

And finally on the road again to Poole.  The day started off with blue skies but they didnt last long.

We stopped in Honiton to check out the famous Honiton Lace.  Parking is a real issue in the city, and we had only 1 hour.  After walking down the street we finally found the museum which had a good display of lace. 

 

Jo’s house was easy to spot in her street – she had tied some Union Jacks to the railing outside the house.  Next clue was Shammy looking at us through the window.  Shammy is a good companion to Jo.

Then the door opened and I finally got to meet Jo in person.  We have kept in touch for some years, always with the hope of meeting one day.  It was a very special moment.

Because Jo is not able to go out so much now her daughter took me to their local fabric store, as well as pointing out different sites around the city.

On the day we left Jo’s house the sky was blue, so we took the opportunity to take some pics of the harbour which is well used for water sports..

 

And so, we leave Poole behind and head to London for our last few days before heading home.

On to Lands End

(Our travels 24/10/2012)

“The Old House”, a b & b in Chudleigh, was built in 1668 as a school. 

Graffiti was alive and well even then as is evidenced by the names scratched into the glass of the windows in what had been the school room.

It has now been converted into a b & b, where we spent a very comfortable night.

From Chudleigh we had an interesting drive through the misty Dartmoor.  Some beautiful scenery in places, but it was not a good day for photos, though we did find this spectacular bridge over a river.

 

Through Devon and on to Cornwall, to Lands End.

Yes, still misty, so vision out to sea was very limited. 

We have now been to both these places - Lands End and John O’Groats.

Tomorrow we are heading for Poole to meet up with another of my internet quilting buddies. As that means going back through Devon I think a devonshire tea is in order.  After all, in Cornwall today we had to have a cornish pastie.

Robin Hood Territory

(Our travels 20th October 2012)

After staying in the 13th century Inn, The Black Bull in Boroughbridge,

we made what should have been a quick detour to Robin Hood country.

Sherwood Forest.

This band of men were spotted in the nearby village of Edwinstowe.  I think Robin Hood was hiding at the back. 

In Edwinstowe we looked around this church

which had this sign at the front

Our short detour to Sherwood Forest became a long one when we tried driving through Nottingham without a map.  We drove round and round for about 45 minutes, looking for road signs – eventually finding our way out. I am sure the Sheriff of Nottingham was hindering our trip.  Or was Robin Hood letting us know he objected to this power station being built in his area.

We finally arrived at Bishops Tachbrook where I met up with my quilting buddy, Sue.