Touring Southern England

As you may remember, we spent May in Ireland and then June traveling around southern England.
Here are a few shots from London, a beautiful and interesting city.

Practice sesion for the Queen's birthday celebration.

These booths actually have a dial tone!?!?

One of the Elgin Mables, once attached to the Parthenon's frieze

Justin selecting our perfect tow vehicle

Back of Westminster Abby

After a fun week in London, we traveled south to house sit in East Sussex. It's a picture perfect slice of English countryside with fields of sheep or horses, edged in hedgerows, narrow lanes and profusely blooming flowers.  We took a house sit and enjoyed country life for a few weeks.

Entertaining two of our charges. 

Every afternoon, the 5 ponies got a little treat. If said treat was late,
 they started shouting from the stalls. They are almost as good a time keeper as the dogs. 

Nearby, was the home of the beautifully restored Blue Bell Railroad. The train and stations were in perfect condition, all managed by volunteers, mostly retired men who tidy, paint and repair old engines. Melanie was tempted to sign Justin up, it's a perfect match for him!

One of the conductors invited Justin into the Engine for the rail line turn around.
The engineer's saftey lecture: "If its brass, it's hot. If it's red it's dangerous.
If it's black, it's dirty. Don't touch anything"
 

The stations are beautifully landscaped, nicer then when the stations saw daily use we suspect.

The train heading around for the return trip.

Riding in the restored car.

Here is the "his" and "her" portion of the trip. The WW II flight museum. It tells the story of the courageous Royal Air Force and the Battle of Britian.  If you are history buff, the Battle of Britain is a story of bravery, sheer courage and luck. Fantastic reading.

An important plane, Justin can give you the details.....

Flight simulator around the southern coast of England

Homing Pigeons used to carry cameras to take photos of German airstrips
and storage depots

And something for you literary types....

Jane Austen's House Museum!

Jane spent eight years with her mother, sister Cassandra and a family friend. She revised her first 3 published novels here and wrote three more. Jane suffered from poor health and sadly died soon thereafter. The house and gardens are wonderfully maintained with many of her personal belongings inside.

Jane's writing table at right, placed close the window for best light.
Her writing desk is kept in the  British Library but they don't allow photos...

The bedroom she shared with her beloved sister, Cassandra.

Jane's household of unmarried or widowed women lived very modestly. Her brother Edward had the good fortune to be adopted by a childless and very rich uncle. Edward was kind enough to deed the Austen ladies a home for life but his life was very different.

 This is the drive leading up to one of Edward's three estates.....

Travelling south, we visited the classically beautiful city of Bath. Famous for the only UK hot springs and endlessly flowing mineral waters. Bath was popular social hotspot for those needing a cure and for those bored in the country side. Sadly, one cannot soak in the famous Bath bath. It's now an ultra modern and pricey tourist spot but the city and its famous sights make for a lovely walking tour.

In the downtown park you can let sun chairs and sit among the gardens

The river flows throughout the city.

The famous Pump Room, it was the most popular meeting place of its day.
It was one of the few public places where women could see and be seen. 

Southern England was lovely and warm but we turned northward to Scotland. Next update from the city of Edinburgh and Isle of Skye!