There is this saying out there that goes along the lines of “the best laid plans of mice and men…”
I had this post ready last night; I just wanted to review it before posting today.
Then I woke with the killer migraine from… Having a prescription medication (I take Maxalt) doesn’t help as much when one wakes up with the migraine already full-blown. Most migraine medications are designed to be taken at the warning signs, the auras and such. I was asleep though, and I didn’t get the messages my body wanted to send me until the pillow hurt too much to lay on. We won’t get into my head’s issues with the sunny yellow paint and wallpaper of our bedroom…
Long and short–I’m late with this post. I also didn’t end up taking the Boodle to the playgroup with our local homeschooling community today as I’d planned. Then again, I didn’t put a crocodile on my head either.
But now that I’m feeling better, I can bring you all on a nostalgic trip to Great Britain’s Midlands. Next week, we will begin our trip south, taking a circuitous path that will highlight cities along the English Channel, and I am adding one more week to this series so we can all visit London, our last destination before the flight home.
These images follow less of a theme than some. After I’d reached some “goals”, my travels took more of a “let’s just stop in a town and see what I see” style. And no, technically Stonehenge and Old Sarum are not Midlands attractions, but they were great day-trip destinations for my husband and I.
Chestershire

The surrounding countryside looking down from the castle base; it wasn’t hard to imagine myself transported back several centuries
StoneHenge DaY-Trip

They don’t look like much, but those earthen mounds in the distance are even more cool historically than the henge itself.
White Horses

A White Horse we saw on our way home–I believe it was the Rockley Horse because of its long tail and positioning

Hubby has steadier hands for evening shots )we don’t have anti-shake on our camera) for this image of the Marlborough White Horse
Toward BridgNorth

On an earlier trip, the hubby and I visited some Shropshire sites (I only had disposable 35mm cameras then) and I wanted to check the area out more on my own. Something about ruined abbes and castles… and topiaries at Wenlock Priory

Imagine walking through this building in tact, how the carvings would flicker in candlelight, casting shadows

More contrasts of old and new, save that the North Gate didn’t look like this until the 20th century

In high school, I went to Paris and saw basement floors of Notre Dame “paved” with gravestones; here at Bridgnorth and other UK churches the walkways as well were similarly paved
It looks like you had a great trip, Eden. In fact you weren’t very far from where I live in Bristol (about 45 miles away) when you went to Stonehenge. 🙂
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Well, the next chance I get to head back across the pond, Kate, I’m hoping to meet as many of my fellow writer friends as I can. I’d love to buy you an afternoon tea (and yes, it was a wonderful trip!)
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Gorgeous, Eden! I love England and Ireland, especially the ruins and the constant contrast between old and new. Can’t wait to go back.
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I haven’t been to Ireland yet (I really want to go one of these days), but yep… I’m with you, Kassandra. I can’t wait to go back.
Do you find yourself exploring ruins of castles and such, contemplating all the lives that existed in a place?
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I am so sorry to hear about your migraines Eden. I do hope that you’re feeling much better! Looks like you had a wonderful trip. The ruins remind me a lot of Ireland. The Celtics were quite busy back in the day. The only castles we found still in tact were mostly in Scotland. Although there are some beautiful manor homes in the English countryside. Don’t you just love afternoon tea and the pubs? It just adds to the charm. Thanks for sharing your memories with us! 🙂
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Thank you, Karen. The migraines are… well, I don’t like them, but so many other things in my life are extra special so, I really cannot complain.
There were a few English castles I found intact (Powis, Peckforton and Maxstoke are three off the top of my head that I saw). Some, like the Coventry Castle ruins were only found in records and some timbers that an archaeology dig discovered… But I think the ruins were actually more interesting than the castles that were intact and being used as residences. (Though supposedly you can buy a castle in some places… if you wish to maintain it.)
And yes, I actually loved it all. Even the sheep… (the sheep in England are pretty amazing).
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