HAMPTON COURT CONTINUED MARCH 13, 2010

This panelled room is the KINGS LOO! The red velvet box is the Royal Flush but there is no flusher!! It looks like it might be a warm, comfortable sit!
I love the painted ceilings and walls that were in some of the rooms here. They were all different but lots of bare people painted on them.
The queens bed done in gold brocade. The more important you were, the higher they built the top. There are bell cords by the bed and beautiful tapestries on he walls. I wouldn't trade my bed for that one!
Such lovely flower arrangements were in so many of the rooms of the Palace!We were surprized that there were so many religious tapestries in the palace. There were scenes from the old and new Testaments. Many took 7-8 years to make and were hundreds of years old.

HAMPTON COURT HIGHLIGHTS MARCH 13, 2010

This is an old huge painting on the wall at Hampton court, of Woman at the Well. Wish I would have noted who the artist was. Not Simon Dewey.
We happened to go to Hampton Court the day before Mothers Day and they had many, many beautiful flower arrangements or flower art as they called it. That was a special treat to have fresh flowers in lots of the rooms. Irene and I likes this one.

Just a glimpse of King Henry VIII in front of a huge tapestry and on his " 3rd wedding day".
This was my favorite flower art. It had so many different lovely flowers and such vivid colors!
King Henry VIII's kitchen had huge high ceilings and many big rooms in fact it was a whole wing of the palace. Terrell and Sherm Carlson in front of the huge fireplace where they cooked their meat. How if that for a clean nice wall. Boy are we glad for modern appliances! Still it was very interesting!

OUR DAY AT BLENHEIM PALACE MARCH 2010

Carlsons and Skinners at the train that took us to the maze and butterfly house and playground.Cool maze but we found our way thru it. This is the centre and Irene and I found our way and helped the guys. Most of the castles have a maze and this was a good one!

beautiful big butterfly in the butterfly house. There were several nice big ones but this one had black wings and pink spots on the back wings.This is out front of the Blenheim Palace which is up by Oxford and has beautiful acres of beautiful grounds and gardens, lakes and ponds, waterfall. It was cold but we had a good day.

TRIP TO SUFFOLK WITH WINSTONES... MARCH 2010

We visited a National Stud farm where we saw beautiful Thoroughbred racehorses. mares and foals,and stallions. this was an old horse there that Jean Winstone made friends with. The others were beautiful and well known but definitely not friendly!
Mike and Jean Winstone at the front of the Kings College at Cambridge. Cambridge has many colleges with different emphasis and training but all prestigious and hard to get into. It was a great old town with students and bicycles everywhere.
We went for a puntin ride down the river Cam that flows thru the town and along the back side of all the Colleges. This is the Prisioners Bridge and there were many other bridges. it passed St. Johns, Trinity, Kings and Queens Colleges and the old dorm houses and their big chapels and churches.
This is our punter and guide named Ben who is a graduate of Kings College,and is going into Banking in London in 2 weeks. He seemed a fine guy and we should have given him a pass along card. We did tell him what we are doing there as missionaries. This is Mike and Jean Winstone who were showing us around.

MORE OF ENGLAND IN MARCH 2010 WITH OUR KIDS

St. Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle. Many of the royals are buried here and the Order of the Garter Knights are all represented here with flags and Helmets in the chapel . The royal family still worship here.

We visited Windsor Castle and this is the gate to go in. It is a big and opulent castle that is still in use and the Royalty still live there part pf the year. We enjoyed seeing all the beautiful rooms, paintings, etc.
Italian Gardens and fountain at Hever Castle. We really enjoyed the castle and grounds as well as the old church near by with lots of Humphreys names in it!
Brett Jodi and Jen learned to ride the trains and the tube or underground. It is a really slick way of getting around London.
A day at Tower of London was really cold but very interesting. we visited the bloody tower where the two boy princes were murdered, a tower where prisoners were held, the place where the queens of HenryVIII were beheaded,the crown jewels,white tower with all the armor and swords etc. A lot to see and remember. Jen and Jodi posed in the soldiers' guard house!Brett

STONEHENGE ADVENTURE TUES. MARCH 2010

The hills beyond Stonehenge, note the burial mounds.
A good view of Stonehenge and the interesting rocks we saw there.

Jen and Dad looking toward Stonehenge. We enjoyed hearing all the theory of the site and the kids seemed to enjoy it.

Brett and Jodi and Jen and Dad at Stonehenge. Do you think it might have been there in the time of Adam or Abraham???

MORE FUN IN ENGLAND MARCH 2010

Brett and Jodi waiting for Wicked the stage show to start.
Jen and Mom before Wicked started. We enjoyed the show and made it back to the station before the train left for Lingfield.

This is a shot of the parliament buildings and Big Ben in the background. It was taken from the river cruise later in the day.A great shot of Tower Bridge from the cruise boat. We docked here at the Tower landing and caught the bus back to the station.

FUN TIMES IN ENGLAND MARCH 2010

On our first day in London, with Brett and Jodi and Jen we went on a river cruise on the Thames. On the same day they went on the London Eye and saw all the city from above.
Even tho it was quite cold we enjoyed the open top double decker bus, for our tour of London. Part of the time we had a live guide and part with ear phones. This is a good way to have an overview of the sights of London without walking the whole route.

Sunday after church we drove to Eastbourne and up to Beachy Head. The tide was out and you can see the little lighthouse out in the sea. It was too wet to lay on our tummy and look over the edge but we were tempted. Jen had just flown in and was pretty jet lagged but cute as ever and cold in the wind. Eastbourne with the beach and pier in the background. It was a cold and windy day but is such a nice place on a warm day!

Brett and Jodi by their first English phone booth at Eastbourne. So fun to have them here to show them the sights.

PARTY AND CANTERBURY VISIT

Gaylon, Sis. Edwards, Jim Foulger at our Jamaica Party for Sister Edwards who worked in the kitchen and is leaving to go back home.
Stained glass windows at Canterbury Cathedral

The murder spot for Thomas Beckett in the Canterbury Cathedral who was arch bishop and then became out of favor with the King and was murdered in this spot and was then made a saint by the people.
Beautiful Canterbury cathedral.