Lazy Days

Lazy Days

Old Sarum

Saturday 19th May

By this time we were staring to get a little tired (what already?) – we think it must be either jet lag catching up, or the fact that it doesn’t really get dark til after 10:00pm, and then light at about 4:30am to 5:00am.  Maybe there is an annual body bio-rhythm as well as the diurnal one that normally gets screwed up with jetlag. Anyway – call it what you want . . . even sheer bone idle-ness ☺ we were tired and had a long sleep in, finally getting out of the house in early afternoon, and Old Sarum was the closest place (other than Salisbury itself).

In any event, it was good to visit Old Sarum before visiting the Cathedral given that Old Sarum was the original settlement in Salisbury – dating back to Neolithic times (about 3000BC). It’s been an Iron Age Fort, A Roman garrison, a Saxon stronghold against the Vikings, a Normal walled city and castle, and a Royal Residence (for William I and Henry I). In fact this is the site where William the Conqueror paid off his mercenaries, and where the Barons swore their allegiance. In 1217 there was no township at what is now Salisbury, just Old Sarum (well it was probably just “Sarum” then, not “Old” Sarum), and the castle, village and cathedral were all inside the walls. The soldiers did not treat the monks well, and the straw that broke the camels back was the soldiers locking the monks outside the gates on a very cold and nasty night. The Bishop got ticked off and got permission to build a new Cathedral at the present site. Very quickly, New Sarum (New Salisbury) became the place to be – Old Sarum was raided for building materials, and the rest is, as they say, history.

So, we wandered around the ruins – had a snack somewhere near what would have been the high alter of the cathedral, and generally just relaxed. Cal’s sharp eyes found some rabbits on the side of the old Iron Age fort walls – Cal just loves them here as they’re not feral.

 

So, this time Mark also remembered to look for flowers to capture close up with ruins in the background . . . there wasn’t much choice, but at least there’s something – even if it’s a buttercup with the old cathedral in the background. So, have a lovely blue coloured summer flower that grows in the grass as a complementary partner ☺.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cliveden

Sunday 20th May

Having lived in the South West ten years ago, and as members of both English Heritage and National Trust, Cal had already sussed out and taken us to most of the well known, and really nice castles and houses in our local area. So, this time we went further afield, and headed off towards Marlow Country and Cliveden House. It also gave us an opportunity to catch up with Helen and Ray.

Cliveden was once the glittering hub of society, visited by virtually every British Monarch since George I and home to Waldorf and Nancy Astor in the early 1900s. The day we went to Cliveden was actually Nancy Astor day . . . She was married to some rich American (Waldorf) and she was also a member of parliament. Cliveden was renowned for hosting exclusive parties and political gatherings – very high society if you don’t mind. It also, later on, became infamously associated with the Profumo Affair.

Being Nancy Astor day, there were a few more people than normal, and a couple of extra events – there were some jazz and brass bands playing, and a smallish display of vintage and veteran cars. Cal liked the Triumph – not because it was a piece of classic English motoring history, but because of the colour. Mark like the Morgan ☺.   

 

The house is now a private hotel (also for the rich – the least expensive room starts at £385 per night not including breakfast or dinner – you can add another £195 for that. The House is a bit hard to get into (there are timed tickets to parts of the house), but the grounds are pretty good. They have a great maze – and yes, Cal did get lost in it, but we both made it to the centre (see the pic of Mark). It has a lovely formal garden (parterre), with lots of walks down by the Thames, and through the woodland. We didn’t venture down to the river, as it was down a steep incline, and Cal’s knees would not have coped at all.
 

OK - first of the "rude" statues

Mark in the centre of the maze

Here are the weird man-boobs

There were also some nice formal gardens – and this really weirdest of sculptures of men with boobs – I know there is a name for these – I think they were popular during the Jacobean era (James I), but I can’t be sure.

 











There were no flowers available to take a photo with the house out of focus – just couldn’t get one from the parterre, but there were some lovely flowers in the gardens. Once again we managed to find plenty of Rhododendron     

 

It was yet another freezing cold day, so Soup for lunch, and (for Cal) Creamed Tea around 3 pm. After this we headed off to say hi to Helen and Ray . . . and another afternoon tea. It was quite late when we headed off, so we stopped in at the de Havilland Arms for dinner. The fact that it is a Badger pub had no bearing on things – really. OK, so it was a Tanglefoot for Cal and a Hopping Hare for Mark. The landlord was also kind enough to give Mark the glass – Yes, scored again!!

SO, that's it for another blog from the UK. But, we were just wondering . . . is anyone reading these blogs?? If so, please consider saying hi, so that we know to continue ☺