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I forgot that during our busy day to Wales, on route we also visited Stokesay Castle.  Stokesay is another English Heritage property located in Shropshire that is considered to be  “the finest and best preserved fortified medieval manor house in England.”

After Powis Castle, we continued on, driving through part of the Snowdonia Mountains.  The views were breathtaking, and we went from sun to rain clouds to sun again.  It all made for dramatic skies.

Eventually we came to Barmouth which is on the west coast of Wales near the Irish Sea. We ate at a pub called The Last Inn.  I had one of the best steaks that I’ve ever had in my life at that place, and fabulous chips (fries) too!

Yes, it was very windy on the beach.

Great food at this pub!

On the drive back.

I love those sheep!

It was the weekend, meaning no work meetings!  And, our next adventure was taking mom to Wales.  Along the way we first stopped at Clee Hill in Shropshire to enjoy the views.  Although it was a bit overcast, it was still lovely, and we enjoyed looking at the sheep.

After some driving, we hit the border of Wales!

Our first stop was Powis Castle, which is not far from Welshpool.  The oldest part of the Castle is believed to be from around 1200.  No photos were allowed inside of the Castle; however, we were able to take lots of the gardens and the views.

The back of Witley, with dreary skies that at times sprinkled with rain.

After some work, on our next day we first headed to St. Leonard in the Parish of Ribbesford. Then we headed to one of my favorite places to visit — Witley Court and Gardens in the Midlands. From photos I’ve taken in the past, I made “Witley Decay 1” and “Witley Decay 2.” Here’s a link for Witley Decay 1. Another was the basis of a journal quilt that published in The Creative Quilting book. I also have a lot of other designs based on photos I’ve taken there. Even so, another visit and another batch of Witley photos. Some hundred years ago, Witley Court was one of England’s great mansions. Today the incredible gardens and property — a “spectacular ruin” — are maintained by English Heritage.

Provided is a free audio guide.

The backyard magnificent gardents, prior to the fountains being turned on.

From the gardens looking at the back of the house.

The fountains are on.

My favorite thing about the place are the ruins.  I have so many photos that I’ve taken of it from each time I visited.  Close-ups of textures, archways, views from the archways, and so on.  Here are a few.  Hopefully some will inspire some new artwork.

The next up was Harvington Hall.  Harvington Hall is also located in the Midlands and is “is a moated medieval and Elizabethan manor-house.”  Most interesting are the “priest holes” used to hide priests during the time when it was treason for a Catholic priest to be in England.  No priest hidden at Harvington Hall was ever discovered, and the hiding places are considered to be among the finest surviving in England.  I remembered this place for some beautiful lighting. 

I’m partial to some of the still life photos, and I hope to use them as the basis for some digital paintings.

On 10/10/10, Derry and I were in London.  It was a whirlwind day in which we went to several places, among them The Design Museum, located along the South Bank on Chad Thames  which, according to the sign, is the “best surviving example of the type of street that was very common in London’s Docklands before any redevelopment had taken place.”

There were lots of shops and people strolling about.  For London, it was somewhat peaceful area.

On the South Bank, we had great views of the Tower Bridge, which we walked over earlier in the day.

The Design Musuem.

Inside was a fantastic staircase.

The exhibit on the lower floor showcased The Brit Insurance Design Awards, which includes “the most innovative and forward thinking designs from around the world.”

This was my absolute favorite — a folding plug — and Derry told me about this earlier in the year.  If anyone has ever seen a UK plug, it’s big and bulky and not a fun thing to carry around when traveling.  Min Kyu Choi designed the folding plug, and we were pleasantly surprised to find it on display here.   It’s thin and an elegant solution to the otherwise bulky plug.  (Apparently he was inspired by the MacBook Air.)  You can read about it here.

Above is showing an adapter for multiple plugs.

A font tree!  :)

On another floor was an exhibition called “John Pawson Plain Space.”  The New York Times calls Pawson “The father of modern architectural minimalism.”  The exhibition included models, film, and photographs including some of the elements from a Monastery in the Czech Republic and the Sackler Crossing at the Royal Botanic Kew Gardens.

On the way into the gallery, was a white wall which looks textured.  The light seems to absorb into it in a unique way.  A total surprise was seeing it from the back, which the photo above shows.  Initially we thought it was the back of that wall.

It wasn’t until I saw someone get close to the wall and then seemingly disappear that I ventured closer and closer until realizing it was an opening to a room!   It was a full size installation to offer “a direct experience of his work.”  Wow!

The feeling was absolutely amazing.  We sat for a while, soaking in the the zen-feel, watching people who looked at the outside of the wall.  I wondered if they realized this room was on the other side.  The shadow play was fascinating.  The room had such a sense of stillness and beautiful light.  I loved how the people in the room contrasted with those outside of the room, and I found myself taking several pictures.  (Photography was allowed throughout the Museum, although no flash).

I had to get Derry to take some photos of me in the room.  I kind of wish I had some slinky dress on with high heels.  Silhouette is much kinder to an aging body.  He took several, and this I may print!

On the Sunday before I left the UK this past September, Derry and I headed to Waterloo Station in London.  Waterloo is a very busy railway station that serves the southwest of England. The Eurostar trains also leaves from and arrives to this station, meaning it links to the Channel Tunnel, or Chunnel, going to Paris and Brussels.

Our train stop was Hampton Court, home of Hampton Court Palace and Gardens.

Located in southwest London, Hampton Court Palace was originally the home of Thomas Wolsey, but is best known for being the home of King Henry VIII.  It offers some 500 years of royal history.  The above image show the Great Gatehouse.

The Court Clock, an astrological clock made in 1540 for King Henry VIII and   located in the second inner courtyard of the gatehouse (also called Anne Boleyn’s Gate). According to the information provided, the clock continues to work and shows the time of day, the phases of the moon, the month, the quarter of the year, the date, the sun and star sign, and even the high water at London Bridge.  Whew!

I’m happy just knowing the approximate time when I look at a clock.

Inside the palace, there are fantastic tapestries.  We were told that at the time of King Henry’s death, there were more than 2,000 of them, including some 200 “gold-rich” tapestries!  The tapestries were made almost entirely by men, including the dyeing and weaving.

I was particularly interested in the conservation aspects, but the textile conservation studio is not open to the public.  I did read that in 1976 the focus changed from restoration to conservation, “Generally, no attempt at replication is undertaken, and all conservation work is reversible and visible to the discerning eye only.”  The prime motto: “Do no harm.”

I also learned that there are approximately 8 acres of buildings consisting of some 70 display rooms that must be cleaned once a week!  Another stat I read: 33 hours a year spent peeling chewing gum from the Royal State Apartment floors! And, it takes three conservators and one electrician to change one light bulb because many of the ceilings are about 10 meters high.

The above left is the ceiling in William III’s apartment; the right is a royal bedchamber. See footnote below.

The above right is the ceiling above Queen Mary’s bedchamber. Somewhere in my notes is information about the other ceilings.  I’ll update this when I find them.

Architecture — the windows, archways, passageways, and stairs –always captures my attention .  I take so many of this type of photo, hoping to incorporate such items into my work.

There are over 60 acres of formal gardens.

The Maze, created in 1702, is part of the North Gardens and considered the most famous maze in the world.  It has 1/2 mile of paths.  We made it to the center!

The “Great Vine” is believed the be the oldest vine in the world.

A nice pix of Derry.

It was closed when we were there.  Being a past member of the Embroiderer’s Guild of America for many years, I would have absolutely loved to see what was going on inside of this Guild, which is the “leading independent educational charity promoting embroidery.”  Next time.

Great day, but I was tuckered by the end of it!  I took a lot of little movies, but mainly to show my mom (she loves that time period and watched an entire season of The Tutors in one sitting!).  Maybe one day I’ll splice some together to add here.  Maybe.

For more information on Hampton Court Palace, visit Historic Royal Palaces.

A footnote:  While we were walking in the Palace, I started having kidney pains.  I have a long history of kidney stones and still have one that hasn’t moved in a few years.  Kidney stones can be incredibly painful, and a couple times in the past,without much warning, I ended up on the ground unable to move pending medical help. Visions of headlines started popping into my head:  “America woman passes out in royal bedchamber” “American woman soils priceless tapestry” and so on. Luckily, no such story to report.

Besides seeing Coldplay, most of the day was spent at the Victoria & Albert Museum.  I love the V&A.

I love the architecture of the building.

The drama in the foyer.  But most of all I love the art.  I visit this Museum every time I’m in London, and I never get enough of it  I am seriously envious of those living in the area who can visit on a regular basis.

“The links between contemporary design, history and the imagination form the background for this beautiful and unprecedented exploration of design art.”

The Telling Tales exhibit runs through October 18th.  If you’re in the area, go see it.  It’s free, as is admission to the Museum, and it’s provocative.

The designers are primarily from the Netherlands and most are under 40 years of age. The work showcases furniture in the spirit of story telling, something also being described as “design art.” Objects included The Honeycomb Vase made in a hive by a swarm of bees that built their honeycomb over a wire frame provided by the designer.  A chair that rotates around a central axis to stretch one chair into another.  The chairs are cast in bronze and uses digitally designed embroidered upholstery.  A huge skull called “Senosry Deprivation Skull” made of fibreglass and sheepskin.  It opens and provides a space for “introspection and medition” or “a place to get inside of your head.”  I found myself absorbing the art prior to recognizing the form’s function.

There are three sections to the exhibit. “The Forest Glade is inspired by fantasy and nature evoking the spirit of fairytales. The Enchanted Castle exaggerates and parodies historical design styles often associated with displays of status. Heaven and Hell is concerned with themes of mortality and the afterlife.”

It was the Heaven and Hell exhibit that particularly grabbed me.  …”works that evoke the universal conflict of life and death, heaven and hell, judgement and salvation … agitated designs that explore our anxious state in troubled times.”  It is in this exhibit where the huge skull sits.  I found myself stuck on “Buildings of Disaster,” pondering the inclusion of certain buildings.

Intrigued?  Learn more about the exhibit here. While photography isn’t allowed in the exhibit (it is allowed nearly everyplace else in the Museum), you can view all of the works from the exhibit, including a description of each.

A new area we discovered is the Theatre and Performance galleries.  Then we learned it was opened earlier this year.  It includes costumes, posters, photographs, and various ephemera related to the performance arts.  Above are costumes worn by Mick Jagger, Adam Ant, and Jimmy Page.  I suspect you can guess who wore what.

The above two images are a  replica of Kylie Minogues’s Wembley dressing room for the Showgirl: Homecoming tour 2007.

A close-up of the work in a stage costume.

A full version of that costume.
The V&A’s website has an excellent guided tour of stage costuming selected from the collection which “demonstrate the art and expertise of the theatre designs and costume makers.”  You can view it here.

A Peter Townshend broken guitar.

A very happy me!

Next up, some images of London at night.

I’ve a thing for clocks!  The above clock that is in front of the Dali Museum has found its way into several of my quilts.

I admit it: I’m very late with this post.  These past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of activity, many fun events coupled with a lot of work.  During the week, I’m going to make an effort to get caught up.  I start with Coldplay.

On September 19th, Derry and I went to see Coldplay’s Viva La Vida tour at Wembley Stadium in London (our third time seeing them – the first being in Reebok Stadium in Bolton and the second at Earls Court in London).  Besides Coldplay, there were two supporting bands: White Lies – very good; and Girls Aloud, a pop music group made up of attractive women whom I suspect are appealing to young teenagers.

Jay-Z opened for Coldplay.  I had no idea what to expect, as I’m not that into hip-hop.  However, wow, he was excellent.  His new single Empire State of Mind was really good.  He totally rocked the crowd.  What a huge difference between him and the prior group!

And, finally, after some five plus hours of waiting, Coldplay came on.  They opened with Life in Technicolor and went into Violet Hill (one of my favorites, along with 42), then Clocks and what seemed like hit after hit.

During Yellow the stadium filled with huge yellow balloons that danced and bounced throughout the crowd.

They also did a sing-along using the judges of the X Factor (UK’s American Idol, including Simon) to assess the crowd’s collective singing efforts of Yellow.

They surprised the audience by performing Billie Jean, a Michael Jackson cover, at a different area of the stadium, giving others the chance to see them up close.

During Loves in Japan, a zillion butterflies were shot above the crowd and fluttered onto the open arms of the audience.

The show concluded with some fireworks and, as a thank you to the fans, a free CD, although we never saw where they were at.  No matter, it’s available as a free download from their website — Left Right Left Right Left.

Then the 70,000 plus crowd flooded out of the Stadium and partially into the tube station.  The flow moved along , and it was soon enough a memory.  This is my third time seeing Coldplayin England, and it was the best experience yet.

It seems quizzes are very common in England.  Pubs, also very common, tend to have quiz teams.  Teams compete with other teams, both with individual question rounds and group rounds, answering general knowledge questions.  In addition to the quiz leagues that generally compete one night a week for the ultimate winner of the season, there are also friendly “quiz nights” in which a group of people get together to answer questions as a team and win prizes for the night — generally chocolates and beer.  Those quiz nights are less formal, as people can be part of a team one week and not another.

Derry has participated in both types of quiz teams for years and is what his quiz mates call “brilliant” at them.   It can be the most esoteric, left-field, odd-ball question and Derry will generally know the answer — not all of the time, mind you, but most.  I am on the extreme other end of the general knowledge spectrum. Derry has been reading me questions from weekly quizzes periodically for years, and I can tell you I absolutely stink at it.  If there is an English monarchy round, I guess, tossing out random Georges and Edwards, a Richard or two.  A round on English football (which we call soccer), I am a deer in the headlights.  I can even be useless at things I should know about.  All of that being said, I will participate in a group quiz if there are no individual question rounds.  Yes, team members immediately recognize that I’m dim, but I can proudly say that each time I attended a quiz during my visit I did get at least one answer that no one else knew.

The Woodcolliers pub.  This picture does the place no justice.

Roger, the owner/manager of the pub and “quiz master” – the person who creates the list of questions, asks them, and moderates.

Derry is also a quiz master for another group. I’ll add that Derry puts a lot of thought into his rounds, including making audio rounds such as “famous guitar solos – name the artist and the song” (I was pretty good on that one!).  Generally while on ichat, he’ll test me with a set of questions prior to presenting them during a quiz.  It’s extremely humbling as I say “I don’t know” more times than I care to admit.  I suspect he asks me his questions to gauge things, as in if I can get at least one correct in a round, then the least knowledgeable person in that quiz should do okay.

Derry and his mom Dee.  She and her husband were in England (both retired and now residing in Spain for most of the year)  and joined us for that evening’s quiz.

Quiz?  I’m there for the steak & ale pie and chips.  And that is why I always bring home a few more pounds (and I’m not talking money) than what I left with.

Except, ewww, a mushroom!

Here we are, studying the pictures for the picture round.  Pints all around, except for me.  I drink J2O, a delicious juice blend which I wish was sold in the states.

A smiling Dave, what a cutie pie! He and Derry tend to form a team each week, with others  joining in when available.

Everyone has note paper onto which they write answers, show the group, and discuss if correct before writing down on the quiz answer sheet.  Except that Derry will often write an answer down before anyone even discusses it because he is 100% sure of the answer.  Can you spell annoying?  My sheet tends to be blank or has lots of doodles on it.  However, my big contribution this week?  David Letterman.  The question:  Something about Tony Blair being on an American talk show discussing bla bla bla.  What was the name of the American talk show?  I said to Derry, Blair was on Letterman a week or so back, but I don’t remember them discussing that.  Then I saw the reaction in Derry’s eyes and immediately knew, daaa, that was the answer!  The other question:  In what city is St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which Derry also knew.  But, I got something!  On my last quiz, I got the answer Bon Jovi to the question who does Richie Sambora play guitar for?  If this NJ girl got that wrong, I should be kicked out of the state!

Not only did they win three rounds (the boxes of chocolates, one box which they donated to another team), but the team was the first prize winners of the night — meaning three bottles of beer.  I suspect Roger gets tired of Derry and Dave’s team winning every week, but then he needs to ask questions that they don’t know the answer to.  Good luck on that one.

He’s happy. His team won.  I’m happy.  I’ve a full stomach and had my big Letterman contribution for the night!  I’ll add that his team won the week prior and the week after I took these pictures.  I came home with some chocolates.  When Rich saw them he asked, “Win at the quiz?”  Well, yes I was on the winning team.

After leaving Caernarfon we drove south to Harlech.  The weather was perfect.  With the angle of the light, the blues and greens glowed.

These images are somewhat out of order, as we were in Harlech first and then continued driving south, stopping at the Llanfar to enjoy the sunset.  This is Llanfar.

Above is Harlech Castle.

As the sun set, we went through Barmouth, headed into the Snowdonia area, and back into the Midlands. Beautiful day!

It’s now back to work for the week.  We’ll see what the upcoming weekend brings.

I’m currently in England working; however, on Saturday Derry planned a drive to give us a day off.  We went to Wales.

It’s not my first time in Wales, but Derry told me he was taking me to a place I haven’t yet visited.  So, during the ride, I did what I generally do – take pictures.  The roads are very curvy, the scenery very pretty.

He’s not to proud to check his maps.

Our destination:  Caernarfon — and, like almost all Welch towns, I have a hard time pronouncing the name.  He says its Ca-naarr-fun, which I’m putting here phonetically as otherwise I will forget it.  It’s a town inhabited since pre-Roman times.

We went to Caernarfon Castle, which is one of Wale’s most famous castles (I have visited Powis Castle during another trip, and it’s magnificent).  It was designed to be a military stronghold, and it’s also where the first English Prince of Wales was born.  For more on the history and to see photos far nicer than mine, visit this site.  Caernarfon Castle is .

I couldn’t resist.

In the Castle there may many narrow hallways with small windows overlooking in interior and exterior grounds.  I love one-point perspective, doorways, hallways, windows, textures  and such, so this was right up my alley.  I took nearly 400 images.  Hopefully some will make its way into my artwork.

I like stone steps, any steps.  So much art inspiration going on here.

In 1969, the Investiture of Prince Charles of Wales took place here.

Many winding staircases result in lovely views.

The Seiont River.

Walking around the area.

Some of the city wall.