In Memoriam

 

No matter what one's opinion is of the monarchy, no one can deny what an amazing woman HRH Queen Elizabeth was...she witnessed so many changes in the world over her 96 years (both good and bad), yet she never wavered from her ideal of service to her country above all else. 

(My English mum-in-law is looking down on all of us and raising a glass to "her queen"...)

England 2020: Days 8 and 9 (Eye to London): The End.

 We went back to London for two days of shopping and eating, basically, to round out our fabulous trip.

 Hey, just as tacky as the real one!

 Upscale Indian food in a pretty setting...

 Dessert came in this box!

 Super cool modern takes on tartan...

 Portobello Road...unfortunately, the antiques market is only at the weekend.

 Fun at Fortnum and Mason.

 Henry the Hoover at the Caledonian Club.

 So many pretty windows decorated like this...

 Bird's-eye view at Wyndham's, where we saw Tom Stoppard's latest play, Leopoldstadt. (This is shot straight on, by the way...eye level with the ceiling almost!). And of course we had ice cream at the interval...as one does.

 Well, I just had to...

 They've got gnomes!

That's it, the end of the England 2020 travelogue (unless B. has some killer shots that I need to share). It was marvelous and I will store the memories away.

England 2020: Day 7, Part II (East Anglian Countryside)

 After we left Southwold (more tea and scones!), we drove through the lovely East Anglian countryside, which looks just like the countryside in every BBC/PBS/Jane Austen costume drama.

 This is Dunwich, a village that has been mostly swallowed by the sea--at least the ancient village that was near the water/harbor.

The remains of a Franciscan priory...it's ultimate destruction was not by Mother Nature, but by Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell.

 This pub is named...wait for it...the White Horse! We had lunch here.

 Love this in a bookshop...

 English rainbow.

Just the most wonderful day!

England 2020: Day 7, Part 1 (Eye to Southwold)

 Our wonderful friends spent the day touring us around East Anglia...

 Sheep...

 Sheep and more sheep...

 LOTS OF SHEEP!

 Our first destination: Southwold, on the eastern coast.

This is St. Edmund's. St. Edmund was a 9th-century martyr (tied to a tree, shot with arrows, then beheaded. 

 Love these needlepointed kneeler cushions.

 St. Edmund.

 Southwold is a really really lovely little town.

 Beach huts: these are passed down through families, apparently (though you can also rent them). They are for you to change into your "bathing costume," get in out of the sun and wind, and have a snack.

 Southwold Lighthouse, built in 1887 and still a working lighthouse for ships on the North Sea.

 This is Southwold Jack (a replica at Adnam's--this is now a trademark symbol of Adnam's Brewery): the figure is part of a 15th-century mechanical clock made to strike on the hour...the original figure is inside the church by the nave. He is a soldier dressed in a uniform from the time of the War of the Roses.

 Cheshire cat?

Yes, please, I'd like to go live in the Corner Cottage in Southwold!