Holidays with Henry: 2014

Monday, 10 November 2014

Tower of London Poppies

We went into London today to see the poppy display at the Tower of London. The amount of people was horrendous and there were crowds everywhere...at first we thought we wouldn't get a chance to see them as we don't 'Do Queueing' but fortunately we were able to find a view point to see them in all their splendour. It was rather sobering to think that these poppies represent all the lives lost during the First World War...this is just a fraction as they go all around the Tower.

Sunday, 26 October 2014

The British Museum with friends.

Following on from the blog post written over here.

On 2nd October we visited the British Museum.

My partners in crime were, Diane, Dawn, 'Mum' (Lorraine) Brenda and Rosie.

It was a lovely morning and I can't wait to get inside to explore, but first I had to do the obligatory poses outside!

Waving hello to all!

These steps are big....

...and rather daunting for a wee fellow.

But climb them I will....

...one step at a time.

Uh oh...I have been discovered....

....I get picked up, but fortunately Chris the security guard is a really friendly person.

Once he checked me out, (and took my blog and Facebook details!) he said it was okay to go in and to enjoy ourselves.

I love this museum, there is so much history in here! This is a Granodiorite statue of Amenhotep III, (1390 - 1350 BC) one of the greatest Pharaohs in the long history of Egypt.

The foot is nearly as big as me!

Saying hello to the Lion of Amenhotep III which was later restored and reinscribed for Tutankhamun.

Loving the amazing carvings in this stone work.

If you look carefully you can see a horse and soldiers.

Soon it was time to end our visit as people had to start making their way home..

We stop for a photo outside...

Not sure why our arms are up, but hey it seemed like a good idea at the time!

Great company, great friends, a good time and plenty of laughs.

Thank you for a fun couple of days!

Tuesday, 19 August 2014

Down Under where the Dinosaurs Roam

In a land far far away, where the wild things roam and native flora & fauna abounds a small boy came across large reptile like creatures.

He couldn't quite believe his eyes...

...as when visiting friends he was astonished to find dinosaurs grazing on their land.

He had to blink twice to make sure he really was believing what he was seeing...

Naturally being the daring adventurous boy that he was...

He decided to try riding T-Rex

Wee, look at me!

It all seemed like such harmless fun...

The T-Rex seemed to be obliging...

He even agreed...

...to let this dare devil boy ride in his mouth!

Completely unaware of the dangers our brave boy boldly went where no one would dare...

When all of a sudden...

....things took a turn for the worse!

Arghhhh!

Heeelllppppp! Get me out of here.

What fate was to become of him?

Had he taken one risk too many?

Suddenly there was 'Whoosh!'

A Pteranodon swooped down from the sky

and before we knew it our little adventure and thrill seeking young boy was off flying through the air!

With a look of triumph on his face, it appears our brave lad had escaped from the jaws of T-Rex

......

Or had he, just jumped from the proverbial frying pan into the fire?

Sunday, 17 August 2014

Wales: Harlech Castle

While in Wales I got to choose to visit another Castle - this time Harlech Castle. I especially wanted to visit this castle due to its links to King Henry V who I dressed up as for the 2012 Sasha Festival in Stratford Upon Avon . This Castle was recaputred by the English in 1409 under the command of Harry of Monmout, the future King Henry V and Victor of Agincourt. It was built by King Edward I with work starting on it in 1283. It was originally next to the sea, but it now lies on a cliff face inland due to the changes in geology of the coast. Funny though King Edward I never lived in this castle. Fancy having a castle built and not living in it. If I built a castle I would want to live in it! King Edward's master mason and military engineer, James of St George and his wife Ambrosia lived in the castle instead.

Later on Owain Glyndwr held Harlech as his royal court for four years from 1404. He was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welseman to hold the title Prince of Wales. He instigated a very fierce and long-running revolt against the English rule of Wales, but was unsuccessful. This is a fascinating story in itself!

Anyway on to the castle.

Most impressive.

Lots of nooks and crannies to climb and explore and get close to.

I love exploring castles, there is a certain atmosphere and mystery about them.

What is in here?

Not a lot, just a hollowed out area in the walls...perhaps partially eroded away?

You can see the ocean from the grounds.

Impressive towers on each corner and two rings of walls.

Lots and lots of steps to climb up to the top!

My little legs were aching by the time I got to the top, but I didn't let on I was a bit tired!

This looks like prison bars, but it is to protect people from falling off where walls and floors have worn away.

Finally we got up to the ramparts and the view was pretty impressive!

Isn't this amazing?

Here I am - pretty cool huh?

On the way up looking at what would have been one of the floors - that is why there is a fireplace that seems to be half way up the walls...originally there would have been a wooden floor, but it has of course long since rotted away.

Not sure what these were...I wondered if they used them for canon balls? But they might also have been part of the castle itself.

View of the castle while walking around the ramparts.

It would have given such a good vantage point for the knights who may have defended the castle from intruders. You can see that the castle would have been impregnable from almost any angle.