Summer Solstice

Thankyou so very much to everyone who commented on my last couple of posts and I'm sorry I couldn't reply to you all. My exams are now over for the year - whoohoo!  and can't wait to get back to some kind of normality where my head's not always in a book and my mind isn't all over the place.

Today is the Summer Solstice and as such is the longest day of the year and the first day of summer. Around the world and throughout history rituals and celebrations have been tied to the solstice for its astronomical and spiritual significance and here in Britain thousands of people gather every year on the night before to wait for the sun to come up over the stones at Stonehenge.

I'm always in awe of Stonehenge every time I visit and it never ceases to amaze me how on earth those stones were put there in the first place! Lovely place to visit and looked after by English Heritage

I don't know about anyone else but I seem to recall my childhood summers as being just that, sunny days and blue skies. The school summer holidays seemed to go on forever, the days were long and us kids at 7 or 8 years old would spend hours playing over the local park or crabbing on the beach, playing by ponds, jumping across dykes, swinging from trees and only going home to grab a bite to eat and to let mum know that we were okay. I actually think she would have had a fit if she'd known where we'd been hanging out all day but we came to no harm.

I remember balmy summer evenings when our parents used to natter with the neighbours over the garden fence until all hours, when the gnats were biting and the bats were flying low and the knowledge that we had the whole summer ahead of us. Was it really like that - did we have sunshine all summer, did it never rain or am I just romanticising?  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Today in Essex its absolutely gorgeous, the sun is shining and the skies are blue - for how much longer I've no idea but people keep telling me to make the most of it!

See you soon

Patricia

PS - welcome to my new follower Ulrika, nice to have you on board.

London weekend part 2

After lunch last Saturday we headed towards Trafalgar Square and The Mall - wonderful atmosphere with Union Flags in abundance.

I liked these statues of the late Queen Mother and King George Vl overlooking the proceedings outside Clarence House

We walked almost to the end of The Mall but because they were preparing for the concert, we chose not to walk any further. On the way back spotted Big Ben in the distance towering above the trees in St James Park.

And Westminster Hall

We made our way back to St Paul's and sat here for a cup of tea and a

chance for a spot of people watching

Back over the Thames to the South Bank where we made out way towards Southwark Cathedral

Passing Borough Market on the way

Borough Market supposedly dates back to around 1276 and has been on this site since 1851. Amongst the produce on sale are fresh fruit and vegetables, all kinds of cheese, meat, game and freshly baked bread and pastries as well as freshly cooked street food which is always a mouthwatering experience to say the least.

The market next door was quite aptly named

The Clink was a notorious prison in Southwark which functioned from the 12th century until 1780 and belonged to the Manor of the Bishops of Winchester. The origins of the name "The Clink" are uncertain but possibly derives from the sound of striking metal as the prisoner's doors were bolted or the rattling of the chains they wore.

The Shakespeare Globe Theatre stands on the river bank and is a modern reconstruction of the original Globe which was destroyed by fire in 1613. It was opened in 1997 just 750 feet from the site of the original.

Next door to the Globe was this lovely little terrace of houses. In between the houses is Cardinal's Cap Alley - I love strange sounding street names and looked into its origins.  Until the 1600s Bankside was a bawdy place, full of taverns, drinking houses and brothels as well as bear and bull-baiting pits and, in the time of Shakespeare, public theatres. This alley once led to a tavern called the Cardinal's Hat.

We had dinner in this fabulous restaurant Zizzis overlooking the Thames and where they cooked the food in front of you. Such a buzz that evening.

And this was the view from our window seat.

That was Saturday

And what a difference a day makes!!

We may be wet, we may be cold but we wouldn't have missed this unforgettable Sunday.

Weekend in London - Part 1

Thankyou to Connie and June for becoming my two new followers - welcome to my blog.

Where has this week gone? I know we had a long weekend but somehow it has just slipped away. My weekend was fabulous. We went to London for the Pageant on the Thames and had a wonderful, albeit very wet day. I was going to post some photos but guess like me you are all Jubileed out, so thought you might like some alternative shots of London.

Before we arrived at our hotel in Southwark we spent Saturday morning just walking around the city visiting some of the sights. We were certainly very lucky with the weather, sunshine all day.

We started by visiting St Katharine's Dock - a haven of tranquillity nestled in the heart of the City next to the Tower of London.

The docks are built on a site with over 1000 years of dramatic history and can be traced back to the 10th century. There is evidence of there having been a dock here since 1125 and throughout the ages it has housed a hospital and a monastery. The name has been traced back to Elizabethan times when the area around the hospital was thriving with busy wharves and almshouses.

Today the Marina houses up to 200 luxury yachts and historic barges

And these

After a stroll past the Tower of London we ventured on to the old Port of London Authority Building in Trinity Square. I love architecture and this fine example of Corinthian columns are absolutely stunning.

One of the many wharves that line the River Thames which have been

restored into apartments or shopping malls

This is part of the London Roman Wall which was built around 190 and 220AD and stretched for about three miles from Blackfriars to Tower Hill. This defensive wall protected what was then the important Roman city of Londinium.

After a quick turn-around at our hotel we ventured across the Millennium Bridge towards St Paul's Cathedral and found this lovely old Inn on Ludgate Hill where we stopped for lunch

This is one of the few pubs in london that can justify the 'Ye Olde' in its name. It was well known in the 17th century and prior to that had been a guest house belonging to a 13th century Carmelite Monastery and the vaulted cellars are thought to belong to that building.

 The pub was destroyed in the Great Fire of London of 1666 and rebuilt the following year.

This is the address - don't you love it?

On that note I'll leave you and go and grab a glass! To be continued

tomorrow with our afternoon's jaunts

See you soon x

May Photo Scavenger Hunt

Here is my selection for May.

Good things

There's always lots of good things going on at Covent Garden

Small packages

Reminds me of my favourite film "The Sound of Music"

...brown paper packages tied up with string...

Fragrance

The mere whiff of this bottle of Youth Dew by Estee Lauder always takes me

straight back to my wedding day - even now just taking this photo

Station

This is the little station half way along Southend Pier

Nose

I just love the nose on my lion bookend which so reminds me of

Charlie one of our lovely, sadly departed cats

Front Page

Congratulations Ma'am

Nine

Keeping to the 'Jubilee'  theme

Beverage

A lovely refreshing cup of Earl Grey

Currency

Does this Monopoly money count?

This is from the original box that we used to play with as children - many years ago!

Historic

Where else but Windsor Castle?

Yellow

The gorgeous Broom bush in my garden

Do you see what I see?

Fishing with eldest grandson - the one that 'didn't' get away!!

I hope you've enjoyed my selection and many thanks again to Kathy for arranging this challenge.

Bye for now x

Jubilee Weekend

A warm welcome to my new follower Kirsty, thankyou for joining me.

Well the bunting's up and plans are afoot for this coming weekend to celebrate

the Queen's Diamond Jubilee

We're going to London to see the Pageant on the Thames, staying overnight in an hotel (which we booked last October well ahead of time) and very much looking forward to it. We'll spend the best part of Saturday walking around the best loved sites, taking in all the splendour that London creates at times like this and then have a quiet meal in the evening overlooking the Thames taking in all the atmosphere. Sunday morning up early so that we can get a good spot on the South Bank for the Pageant.

I have to say I am, and always have been an ardent Royalist and love all the pomp and circumstance involved in such occasions. Back home on Sunday evening and then a day to get ready for a family BBQ on the Tuesday where there will probably be around twelve of us.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend

Old cook books come to the fore

Welcome to my new follower Erna from Holland, nice to meet you.

Does anyone remember these two cook books?

When I got married, 42 years ago my mum gave me this Dairy Book of Home Cookery, my first and only cook book at the time and certainly well used in those early days. Now of course, I have hoards of the things, so many in fact that I've run out of space in the kitchen and they have been relegated to a cupboard in the garage! Suffice it to say, I quite often go back to some of the tried and tested recipes that we've enjoyed over the years.

When I was growing up my parents always, without fail used their pressure cooker to cook just about everything. Just like the one on this cover - it was big and bulky and made an awful hissing sound when it was up to pressure. When I got married it was only natural that I followed suit and bought one myself  - well you do don't you?  I didn't really enjoy using it - preferring to cook more casseroles and meat rather than vegetables that always came out far too overcooked and soft.  I did have a few favourites though, and although I haven't a pressure cooker any more I've adapted many of the recipes for normal cooking. This one is a regular. Hope you like it.

Minced Beef and Pasta Casserole

1 onion peeled and chopped
1 garlic clove
500g minced beef
300 ml hot beef stock - or adjust accordingly
400 g can baked beans
400g can tomatoes
1 teaspoon mixed dried herbs
2 teaspoons paprika
Worcestershire  sauce - about a tablespoon
75-100g dried pasta shapes (depending how hungry you are)
Salt and pepper
I sometimes throw in some chopped mushrooms to make it go further.

Fry the onions and garlic in a little oil in a large pan or wok until soft.

Add the minced beef

When the beef is brown add the tomatoes and beans (I used canned cherry tomatoes for a change)

Give it a good stir and add the dried herbs, paprika, stock and worcestershire sauce

Then add the pasta shapes

Cook for about 25-30 minutes -  add more water/stock if it starts to look too dry. It should come out slightly drier than the consistency of a bolognaise sauce - adjust the stock depending on how much pasta used

Serve with some grated parmesan cheese and a few sprigs of basil or parsley

Enjoy!