PICTURES FROM ICELAND

BELTON HOUSE AND ISAAC NEWTON

Today we decided to drive up to Grantham where there is an excellent Saturday Market. We have been there before, and were looking forward to buying some meat from the character we had met last time. He is a real salesman - and we bought a bag of Lamb Chops plus a Leg of Lamb for L10 and the a bloody great bag of chicken breast for another tenner! Enough meat to last a month. Also some great meusli and herbs,vegetables and fruit, and then had a stand up lunch of Paella from a Spanish kiosk.

Then we went about the business of National Trusting and took off for Belton House, another country house set in magnificent park like grounds. In the entrance we were just in time to hear an introduction to the property by one of the volunteer guides. This is the first time that we have struck a presentation of a Trust property and it was fascinating. The House was built in the 17th century by a London lawyer Sir John Brownlow who, apparently was earning a sum of 6000 pounds a year in his job - a sum which translates into millions in todays terms. He wisely decided to buy some land and build a family home - and thus we have this magnificent country house which remained in the family until 1984 when the current Lord Brownlow gave the place to the National Trust.

The house is totally open to view and as the guide suggested, it does represent a very liveable family home, albeit of fairly generous proportions!! As is typical of these old country houses the bathroom facilities were limited, but, as personal hygiene was not a major daily consideration until the early 20th century, the lack of toilets and baths was to be expected.The gardens and parkland surrounding the house were more desirable features and truly beautiful.

We left Belton and drove off to find Woolsthorpe Manor which was the birthplace of Sir Isaac Newton - the bloke who sat under the apple tree and discovered gravity. He was born here on Christmas Day in 1642. He was fortunate in having an Uncle who, recognising his intelligence, persuaded his mother to send him to Cambridge University -otherwise he would probably have finished up as another sheep farmer.He left Cambridge temporarily when the Plague hit that City and it was during the next two years while living at Woolsthorpe that his creative genius developed.He developed Calculus/reflective telescope/theory of gravity and laws of motion and thoeries on light over the next few years before returning to Cambridge to a teaching/research career.

The house itself is evidence of the fairly comfortable circumstances in which he lived, and is well maintained in as much originality as possible. Adjoining the house is an orchard where the actual apple tree still grows despite having grafted new limbs to an ancient trunk.There is also a Science Discovery building which houses a really super hands on array of exhibits portraying Newtons basic discoveries. The supervisor there (we were the only patrons) adopted us to demonstrate the various exhibits,but I have to confess that his explanation of calculus was "in one ear and t'other'!!But I did understand the experiment with light rays and found that by blocking one colour from white light the other colours appear -so there!

WADDESDON -THE ROTHSCHILD COLLECTION

We took advantage of our National Trust Membership this weekend to visit Waddesdon, an impressive country estate just outside Aylesbury about 70 miles away. We took Ed Jay our Canadian teacher who lives in Flat One with us.

The estate was created by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild in the 19th century and he filled the Renaissance style Chateau with the best collectio n of 18th century French art including paintings,furniture,carpets and curiosities in the world. It is an incredible display of wealth and makes one understand how the French Revolution occurred!!

Added to this is the beautiful garden and surrounds, with fountains and statuary abounding and an aviary which houses many exotic birds some of which are endangered species.

The whole place is open for sightseeing, and contains room after room of exhibits and memorabillia of the family which is most interesting.There is a wine cellar contining vintages from the Rothschild Estates in France, and the wines are for sale. Carol did not respond to my suggestion that we buy a bottle of 1978 Claret at L550 - the thought of popping the cork of something at $200 a glass was too much!

When we got back to Ramsey we found that it had been raining all day while a mere 70 miles away we were wandering around the magnificent gardens in sunshine.

LADY'S WOOD AND SUMMER!!

Friday last was summer.24 degrees and a number of my senior golfing mates were there with white legs bravely displayed in shorts! Saturday was also "mild" so Carol and I went for a walk at Upwood and visited Lady's Wood which we had been to before when the winter scene was on. What a transformation - all the trees fully clothed in their leaves, crab apples with glorious white blossom and best of all - a carpet of bluebells. The country has burst into life and we are now waiting to hear a cuckoo although Arthur "The Thatcher" tells me that they have been noticeable for their absence in the past few years. But we have seen a number of swifts and house martins (at the old Houghton Mill) and not as I had expected building their nests on the walls of the Abbey Stables Flats where we live.

TO SEE THE QUEEN

Over the Bank holiday (May Day) we took the opportunity to go down to London. One of Carol's colleagues had told her about a good place to park all day for free near to the City centre. This had always deterred our thinking about going down by car as the normal parking is very expensive. So we took off early in the now trusty Vectra and in an hour and a half we were in St Johns Wood where (as promised) we found a quiet street with parking meters which did not operate on Sundays!!
Bought a day pass for London Transport and took the underground to Green Park from where we walked to B uckingham Palace.It was only 8.30am and we decided not to wake the Queen up.There were hardly any people about (Poms don't rise early we have found) and from there we walked around for a while and then caught a tube to South Kensington where the museums reside. Had a quick brekky at Maccas and then into the Science Museum where we just caught a showing of the HiMax theatre.Quite an experience, wearing 3D glasses and witnessing an amazing film of wild life in Africa.
Then a stroll through the incredible displays of the museum for an hour until we both admitted to "museum wipeout"and headed for the Embankment by tube. Walking along the Thames is always full of interest, and more so when we passed a fellow who had just finished the London Marathon a week after he had started! BUT he had been wearing a full suit of armour and pulling a Model Dragon behind him. He looked totally stuffed!
Had lunch in a Pub - the food was excellent but the surly Landlord was n ot. The couple next to us (Canadians) had ordered one meal only -the bloke was not very hungry- but when he asked for another plate to share his wife's meal he was refused.Coudn't even get an extra knife and fork!
Caught a bus to Trafalgar Square where there was an Indian festival underway -thousands of the buggers -but it was not very appealing so we wandered up to Piccadily and Oxford Street to stare at the things in shops which cold not afford to buy.The street was packed and hardly an English word could be heard! And so back by tube to St Johns, into the car and home by 6.30. Agreat day.
The previous Friday night we had attended an Arts Quiz at the George Hotel which was being run by the Ramsey Arts Festival Committee - the chairman is one of my golfing mates.We went with Pam and Maurice -Pam being one of Carol's colleagues.We were in trepidation about the quiz for the subjects were Poetry/Films/Music/Painting etc subjects on which we all acknowledged but a slender interest.We finished 7th out of 8!!but had a thoroughly e njoyable evening.
Monday Carol spent time searching the internet for airfares to Stavanger in Norway and finally conceded that there was no cheap way to get there -so we booked to leave on the 27th May and back on the 2nd June. David Goss and Nancy Young (neighbours from Toowoomba are coming here on Sunday 4th) and we are looking forward to seeing them and having a game of golf. Carol spent the afternoon doing school reports so I took myself off to get some photos around the place, and they are of the Houghton Mill, a National Trust property, a landscape showing the fields of yellow rape,and a typical country lane - just for the memory book.NB
I have had trouble uploading the photos -only Houghton Mill appears -sorry!