English Country Garden

It was time to visit James and Amber whilst they were actually home.  My flight was uneventful until we approached the runway to land and then, just as the wheels were about to touch the tarmac, the pilot gunned the engines and took off again. The passengers (including me) received such a fright!  The pilot explained over the intercom that another plane had not cleared our runway so he had to abort the landing.  We landed a short time later without further incident and I was soon on my way to Angel Islington.  James and Amber were well and full of tales about their Central American trip and their recent Garden Party at Buckingham Palace.  Michael unfortunately missed dinner as his flight was delayed and he didn’t arrive until midnight.

The next day we all walked along the canal to Victoria Park to have breakfast at the Pavilion Café.  I had often admired this café situated by the lake and we were able to grab a coveted outdoor table and watch all the dog walkers and children play.  James and Amber then headed off to a barbeque leaving Michael and I to our own devices.  We caught a bus to Blackfriars and then took a leisurely walk through the city, eventually arriving at the Wallace Collection where Michael wanted to see the exhibition Henry Moore: The Helmet Heads.  Henry Moore had a fascination for armour and visited the Wallace Collection many times over the years to view the extensive armour collection.  These visits inspired his Helmet Head sculptures and they were exhibited next to the armour that inspired their creation.  I am not a huge Henry Moore fan, however, the exhibition was very interesting and well laid out.  I particularly liked his Maquette for Atom Piece and Michael thoroughly enjoyed his visit.  We also took the opportunity to view the rest of the Wallace Collection again.  We met up with James and Amber in Tooting, a fabulous multicultural suburb in South London for a Bangladeshi meal on the “curry mile”.

Sunday is synonymous with a roast lunch and James and Amber had booked a table at Roast, a restaurant atop the Borough Market.  The restaurant is consistently listed as being one of the best places for British food and it did not disappoint.  I started with a good, old fashioned Scotch egg with piccalilli, followed by slow roasted lamb shoulder and finishing with sticky date pudding.  It was all absolutely delicious and we all enjoyed our meals (although James declared that the roast potatoes weren’t as good as the ones he cooks).  Lunch was followed by a quick visit to a book sale at the Tate Modern and a walk along the Thames.  It was then time for Michael to catch the train from London Bridge to Gatwick.  It was a very quick visit for Michael however at least he was able to catch up with James and Amber.  I, on the other hand, still had a glorious week ahead of me in London.

 

London in Spring is all about the flowers and it doesn’t matter where you look, flowers are everywhere.  I spent an entire day walking the streets of Belgravia, Mayfair and Chelsea where businesses take part in festivals, erecting floral installations in their windows and exteriors for one week.   

 

There were cascades of petals everywhere with just about every flower that you could think of.  Chelsea had some particularly outstanding displays with octopuses, fish and coral depicted.  It was all quite beautiful and people were lining up to take photographs.  I even spotted a celebrity, Bill Nighy, having his shoes polished in the Burlington Arcade!  Funnily enough, it was the second time I had seen him in public, as I also passed him in the street in Melbourne.  It really is a small world.

  

 

In keeping with the floral theme, Amber and I visited Queen Mary’s Rose Gardens.  It was Amber’s first visit and we spent a lovely couple of hours admiring the roses and wandering through Regent’s Park.  Some of the roses were in full bloom whilst others were still budding and the scent and variety of colours was exquisite.  Amber was just as amazed as I had been at the size of the blooms.  The roses in England are definitely larger than the roses in Australia.

Amber had sent me an article some time ago about the newly opened Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries at Westminster Abbey and I wasn’t about to miss the opportunity of seeing these galleries.  I started with a tour of the Abbey and even though it was my third visit I still enjoyed exploring the chapels and nave and especially Poets’ Corner.  The audio guide was very informative and had been updated since I was last there.  Then it was time to climb the 108 steps to the Galleries.  The views down to the Abbey floor and out to Parliament Square and the Palace of Westminster are magnificent. 


 

 In fact, Sir John Betjemen described the view back across the nave as the best in Europe.  The area was used as storage and also as a viewing gallery for coronations (Richard Dimbleby narrated Queen Elizabeth’s coronation from here) and royal funerals and it is the first time that the galleries have opened to the public in 700 years.  There are many objects on display including the Marriage licence of HRH Prince William and Catherine Middleton and the Funeral effigy of Horatio Nelson. There is the coronation chair of Queen Mary II, complete with initials carved by some very naughty past choristers and even the Duchess of Richmond’s stuffed parrot.  My favourite experience was looking out the windows for an up-close view of the gargoyles and the stain glass windows.  It was definitely worth the visit.

My Mother’s Day present this year from James and Amber was a visit to the Chelsea Flower Show.  Amber arranged tickets for both of us (it is not really James’ thing) and we set off on a glorious 25 degrees sunny day.  I can remember as a child watching the news and seeing the Queen Mother attend the show every year, never once thinking that I would be able to attend one day.  We timed our visit perfectly, arriving after the first influx of visitors and then, armed with a very large glass of Pimms set off to explore the displays. 





The show is held in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea and has been held there every year since 1913, with the exception of the period 1940-1946, when the War Office used the land as an anti-aircraft site. 

 

Fun fact – The Queen has only missed two shows since her coronation in 1953.  The show gardens were very sophisticated and it was hard to believe that they were only temporary installations.  The Back to Nature Garden, co-designed by HRH The Duchess of Cambridge was a real crowd pleaser.  The queue to see this garden was enormous and Amber and I inadvertently joined a special line which was given priority entrance. 




We felt a little guilty however it truly was an honest mistake.  The garden was a children’s paradise with a tree house, swing seat, waterfall and stream.  There were many other lovely display gardens, each one different to the next, so it was hard to single out a favourite. 

One of the most moving displays paid tribute to the Normandy veterans on the 75^th anniversary of the D-Day Landings.  Fragile metal sculptures depicted young men wading onto the beaches of Normandy.  After the show the display will be relocated to a permanent site in Arromanches, France.  Next stop was the Great Pavilion to see the impressive floral displays.  My absolute favourite display here was the Royal Floral Crowns floristry competition, held to mark 200 years since the birth of Queen Victoria. 


The imagination of the florists and the use of an exquisite array of flowers and foliage made for some truly beautiful crowns fit for a queen.  All of the displays were remarkable, with orchids, lupins, hydrangeas, tulips, roses and many, many other flowers bursting forth in a riot of colour and fragrance.  It was dazzling.  Many businesses attend the show to spruik their wares and expertise and all of the merchandise was of a high standard. The garden statues and ornaments were to die for with everything from giraffes to turtles to dragons.  I had expected the show to be good, however I really didn’t expect to be totally amazed at every turn.  It was the best Mother’s Day present ever!

The following day James and Amber flew out for a long weekend in Oslo.  It was actually very sad saying goodbye this time as I am not sure when we will see them again.  They have decided that their time in London must draw to a close, as they are eager for new challenges.  Michael and I hope to catch up with them on their future travels if not, we won’t see them until our trip to Australia next year.

I still had three precious days in London ahead of me and I lost no time in getting out and about.  

 I wanted to see the pop up Sainsbury’s store at Covent Garden, as I had seen news reports of The Queen’s visit there.  The shop had been opened as part of the celebrations for the company’s 150^th birthday.  Unfortunately, the first day I tried to visit was for invited guests only and on the second occasion, no one was being admitted.  At least I was able to peer through the windows.

The rest of my time in London was spent doing a “farewell tour” of sorts.  I made a final walk along the canal to visit the Broadway Market.  I walked the streets admiring the various street art, murals and graffiti (there was a fabulous mural of Sir David Attenborough). 

 I spotted a few of the miniature Jonesy sculptures atop the street signs.  I took a walk along the Thames, once again marvelling at the ever-changing skyline and visited a Spanish festival that was taking place near the OXO building.  I had cream tea in the Crypt and watched the people doing brass rubbings.  I saw protests outside The Houses of Parliaments, both for and against Brexit.  I even re-traced the Dickens tour I took on my last visit and ran into the tour guide conducting another tour group.  Most of all I thought about how lucky I have been to be able to spend so much time in such a wonderful city and how great it was to have James an Amber living so close to Ireland which in turn gave me the opportunity to live briefly as a Londoner.      
    

  

   

 

   

In Vino Veritas

Bank holiday afforded us the opportunity to escape to beautiful Bordeaux for the extended weekend.  It was an easy hour and half flight, followed by a 50 minutes bus ride into the heart of the city and then a short walk to our apartment.

Bordeaux is a lovely city (the Queen described it as “the very essence of elegance”), with graceful cobble stone streets, Parisian style buildings and large, open squares and gardens.  Apparently it had grown very shabby and was referred to as “the sleeping beauty” until about a decade ago when facades were restored and cleaned, trams installed and city squares reclaimed from the car parks that they had become.  The results are stunning.

The Cathedrale Saint-Andre dates back to 1096 with most of the present day construction occurring in the 14^th and 15^th centuries.  This Gothic cathedral with its huge stain glass windows and flying buttresses dominates the skyline.  I had particularly wanted to see this cathedral, as when I visited the Cast Courts in London, I had seen a cast of the cathedral’s north transept portal.  It did not disappoint and is covered with detailed statues.  Another beautiful Gothic church is the Basilique Saint-Michel.   This basilica is known for the mummies, which were discovered in a Gallo-Roman cemetery under the tower.  They were exhibited in the crypt until 1979, and they were later interred in another cemetery.  The mummies attracted thousands of visitors including the famous authors Victor Hugo and Gustav Flaubert.  The interior is impressive with wide aisles and ornamental ironwork and the pulpit depicts St Michael slaying a dragon. 

 The main thing for which the Bordeaux region is known is its wine, and naturally the main attraction for Michael and I.  Michael organised two half-day tours to vineyards on the left and right riverbanks of the Garonne. 
 

 
 
A large van transported us along with 6 other people into the wine country that surrounds the city.  Our guides were very passionate, enthusiastic and informative as they regaled us with the history of the regions and the grape varieties and methods used in their cultivation.  We visited 2 chateaux each afternoon, one large and one small, and were treated to tours, tastings and samples of the local produce.  It was a lovely experience and the countryside and vineyards were stunning. 


We were also fortunate to visit the town of Saint-Emilion, home of the Grand-Cru wine and possibly the most picturesque village in France.  The tiny mediaeval town is charming and is named after a famed monk who performed miracles.  We climbed the winding streets to the top of the hill and took in the view of the perfect French village and it was not hard to see why the town and region have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 



It would be lovely to return and stay in the town as it would be terrific to explore every nook and cranny.  We would need to be pretty fit though, as the streets are pretty steep.

A major tourist attraction in Bordeaux is La Cite du Vin, a fabulous wine museum.  We decided to walk to the museum, as it was a lovely day and the walk would take us across the river and along the riverside. 


The shape of the museum building represents the action of swirling a glass of wine before tasting or a decanter and is very striking.  We entered and were issued with futuristic headsets and were immediately immersed in a sensory and interactive experience.  It was unlike any museum I have ever attended.  The visitor chooses their own path and which displays to interact with.  It was a fun way to learn about the history of wine in various cultures.  I wouldn’t have thought it possible to spend nearly 4 hours at any museum (especially as we had already learned so much about the wine making process in the previous two days), however I could have quite easily stayed longer. The tour finished with a visit to the Belvedere, a glass-walled tasting room at the top of the building and it was a lovely experience to sip the wine and take in the panoramic view.

The food and wine were exceptional in Bordeaux.  Every single meal that we had was a culinary delight.  I ate so many duck dishes that I began to waddle like one! Michael absolutely loved the seafood and for our final lunch we headed to the market where he treated himself to a seafood platter with the locals.  We also enjoyed the caneles which are small pastries flavoured with rum and vanilla with a custard centre and a caramelised crust.  Unfortunately for me, the local sparrows also enjoyed this treat.  I was eating a canele in the park when a sparrow started to hover in front of my face, just like a hummingbird.  I had never seen this behaviour in a sparrow before and I was a little unsettled by it and shooed it away.  The sparrow then turned all “thug life” on me and swooped on my canele from behind.  It was the first time that I have ever been scared of a sparrow!

Our trip to Bordeaux was a magical compilation of excellent food, and wine within an extraordinary city.  I seem to always say this, however I really hope that we can return and explore this stunning region further.