The Buchans 2014: April 2014

Jean and Graham visited for the day in early April. Very often in the past the weather has been poor for their visits, but as you can see this was a lovely day. We are in the Jubilee Gardens, Ringwood which has spent much of the winter under water.

Following the big storm earlier this year many of the trees in the New Forest have been blown down. Here I am with one of the larger ones.

I have been leading some rambles recently. This is the Verwood Ramblers having their break.

The Harbridge Heavy Horse Event took place last week in beautiful sunshine. The previous year wasn’t so good.

All decked out for the show

Obstacle racing

Robert Sampson with his Percherons.

Trailer rides – I didn’t see any beer though

Oldie Photo

2003 Busch Gardens Theme Park Florida

The Abbey Wood caravan club site is a little green oasis set in a residential area. Nearby are shops, bus stop and train station so all very convenient. It’s a bit tricky to get to, but if you following the instructions you’ll get there.

Sue and I were kindly invited to visit the Building Crafts College in Stratford, London by Graham who we both knew at school (just a couple of years ago!). The college teaches mainly stonemasonry and carpentry.

Stonemasons workshop

Stone circular saw – worthy of a James Bond Movie.
Thanks for the visit.

The Queen's House, Greenwich, is a former royal residence built between 1616–1619. Its architect was Inigo Jones, for whom it was a crucial early commission, for Anne of Denmark, the queen of King James I of England. It was altered and completed by Jones, in a second campaign about 1635 for Henrietta Maria, queen of King Charles I. The Queen's House is one of the most important buildings in British architectural history, being the first classical building to have been constructed in Britain. It was Jones's first major commission after returning from his 1613–1615 grand tour in Italy.

The Tulip Stairs
Looking up the Tulip staircase. The elegant Tulip Stairs in the Queen's House are the first geometric self-supporting spiral stair in Britain.

The Great Hall
The first room you visit is the Great Hall, a huge perfect cube (40 x 40 ft) that rises through the centre of the House’s north side. The most striking feature of the Great Hall is the geometrically-patterned black-and-white marble floor, laid in 1635.

Close to the Queen’s House is the world’s largest ship in a bottle. This is a model of HMS Victory with fancy sails.

View from Queen’s House towards the Royal Naval college

Same again

And again only panoramic – spot Sue, she’s in pink in the middle.

The Painted Hall, Old Royal Naval College, is often described as the ‘finest dining hall in Europe’. Designed by Sir Christopher Wren and Nicholas Hawksmoor, it was originally intended as an eating space for the naval veterans who lived here at the Royal Hospital for Seamen.