'Goo Stiddy, But Keep Going'

Gumley Village, Leicestershire

 See the message on this bench in 

'Leicestershire' speak, I think.

Appropriate for the hundreds of
narrowboats that venture
up and down Foxton Locks.

Foxton Locks, Leicestershire
The bench and view above is just beyond
the brick buildings pictured below.

(Below) is the approach to the top lock of 10.

Up and down the hill these narrowboats travel.
Happily there are pubs, restaurant,
coffee shop and ice cream kiosks nearby too.

If you would like to read more or visit
Foxton Locks, follow the link for more information HERE.

Diana, Princess of Wales & Althorp House

The Round Oval

Diana, Princess of Wales,

was buried on the 6th September, 1997

 on the island in the center of the lake (below).

Below is a closer look at the memorial

that stands along side the lake.

Diana's island resting place (below).

Below is Althorp House, built in 1508.

Home to the Spencer family for five centuries.

 We had a wonderful afternoon visiting Althorp House.  

Like many, we wanted to see the memorial dedicated to

Diana, Princess of Wales.  Before walking to the lake

we enjoyed a tour of the house and gardens.

Althorp House is about l hour from Coventry in Northamptonshire.

If you are interested, please follow the link HERE

for more information about visiting and the history.

Lovely To Visit

The Sandringham Estate, Norfolk

Queen Alexandra's Nest

Built by Sir Dighton Probyn

These photographs were taken last year when we visited

The Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. 

Queen Alexandra's Nest is the

summer house overlooking the lake.

There is a story that goes with this summer house.

If you have time, click the link and read 

about Sir Dighton Probyn

and his devotion to Queen Alexandra.

Sandringham House is just beyond the trees.

Beautiful place, don't you agree?

Shopping Trip To Birmingham

Selfridges, Birmingham

Coffee pods for sale individually or in packs.

I liked the look of the colorful display.

These don's qualify as murals but I'm still contributing to

Monday Mural because of the overall display look.

Click the link to see some proper murals from around the world.

A Great Enterprise

Birmingham New Street Railway Station

Originally opened in 1854.  It

had the largest single-span arched roof in the world,

accommodating a number of railways.

In the 1960's the station was completely rebuilt.

The most recent £550m redevelopment is nearly complete.

Have a look at one entrance.

The station is almost finished.  It looks quite futuristic to me.

Trains come and go underneath the station and shops.

I guess they are going to call it Grand Central.

In the shot below, I am standing on the walkway with

my husband.  The reflection shows the back of the Odeon Cinema

and another nearby shopping centre.

This reflective design goes all the away around

the building which seems as large as a

football stadium.  I will have fun coming back

to seeing the finished station.

Only 26 minutes from Coventry by train.

Participating in Skywatch Friday

and Weekend Reflections

using my iPhone.

Clouds...

...with 3 fighter jets out training (I hope).

Mablethorpe

This was taken recently when we had an outing to the seaside.

You often see these jets (lower right corner) training off the coast in Lincolnshire.

They sound loud.

By the way, those clouds are a daily feature here in Coventry.
At least today we had no rain and it was actually 'warm' :).

It takes about 2 1/2 hours to drive to Mablethorpe from Coventry.

Participating in Skywatch Friday

The Shakespeare Express

Snow Hill Station

Looking up Cromwell Street, Birmingham

4965 Rood Ashton Hall Steam Train 

Built in 1929 for the Great Western Railway.

 The photo above was taken at Snow Hill Station

looking between the engine and carriage.

Below is the full view taken at 

Stratford Upon Avon Station later in the day.

On Sunday we had a fun day taking a

steam train ride from Birmingham to

Stratford and back.

Unfortunately, it rained a good portion of the day.

The couple of hours we had in Stratford was

spent taking short walks with plenty of stops for tea!

If you fancy a trip on a steam train like this,
please follow the link for The Shakespeare Express.

Participating in Our World Tuesday

Across The Street

Mill Street, Warwick

Taken last week.

These timber framed houses are lovely but what gets me

is the sight these homes have from their front doors....

...Warwick Castle.

There is a big wall between the Grade II listed homes in Mill Street

and the castle.  I did use a zoom lens here but believe me,
the castle does look that big when you are standing in Mill Street.

  Below is a photo I used in my blog
in 2012 taken from Guy's Tower (tower with flag - above) looking down to where I
am standing in the top photo.  You can see Mill Street and
a little of the timber framed buildings.

It is nice to get these three photos together on one page.

Warwick Castle is about 20 minutes from Coventry.
Well worth a visit!!!!

Participating in Our World Tuesday

The Royal Station - Wolferton

Wolferton Train Station is a tad over 2 miles from

Sandringham (the Queen's Country Retreat).

Between 1862 and 1911 over

600 Royal Trains arrived or departed from

the platform below.

Parts of the station are now a museum.

When you visit, you will find a guest book,

leaflets and cards at the end of the public platform

right behind where I am standing (below).

The station closed in 1962.  The tracks are gone.

The waiting rooms on the left are now a private residence.

You are free to walk up the platform on the right and 

around to the main entrance (below).

The little building (below) is full a memorabilia

including wonderful photos of the station and Royal visitors.

The Signal Box (above) is Grade II listed.

Located just across the street from the station.

Below is one more look from the street

to the main platform.

And, just to be sure you are in the right place -

have a look at this great sign up the street from the station.

The house (above) was built as the Station Master's House.

It is Grade II listed.  Built in 1897.

My husband loves the old train stations. So do I.

If ever you visit East Norfolk and Sandringham,

save and hour to visit 

The Royal Station at

Wolferton.

A Taste Of Hunstanton

Located on the East Coast of Norfolk, Hunstanton 

is the perfect seaside town to spend a day, or more.

Especially known for these unique striped cliffs (below).

You can walk down to the coast line from either end of the cliffs.

See the old Lighthouse from this angle - the town is beyond.

The cliffs are every bit as striking as they look here.

Plenty of beach, too.

The town is delightful with loads of shops,

restaurants and Victorian architecture.  

There is a wonderful walk through the gardens
along the cliffs known as The Wolf Trail.

The trail is dotted with interesting signs telling the story about

England's first patron saint, St Edmund -

a famous visitor to Hunstanton and more. (click image to make larger)

You can even stop for a cup of tea.

We did :).

(Below) Here is that lighthouse I mentioned earlier -

looking through ruins of St Edmunds Memorial Chapel

(built in 1272).

One last look at those magnificent cliffs (the town is behind me),

before we go to Fishers for fish & chip, and

then enjoy the sunset before heading back to our hotel.

Hunstanton is the only west facing town on the East Coast.  

Hope you enjoyed this brief visit to Hunstanton.  There is

so much more, like Old Hunstanton, those nature trails, etc etc.

We came here three times during our Norfolk holiday.

Participating in Our World Tuesday

Please Rest Here

Wolferton Royal Station

Between Kings Lynn and Hunstanton on the 

North Norfolk Coast.

The thoughtful sign on the bench simply reads,

'PLEASE REST HERE'.

* * * * * * * *

This station was open between 1862 and 1966 and became famous

through its association  with the Royal Family.

I'll be back here during the week to share more about

this station and places we visited on a little break not far from Coventry.