Saturday, June 20, 2026

British Out-Takes, 2026, 2

 More British road-trip out-takes...

In Gloucester, gotta' love a city with a community toilet scheme, 
and proud of it

And a frog bench

And a hairstylist whose clients bring him fridge magnets

Ex cathedra

Apparently one of the more obscure northern saints

Sorry we missed it; a show called "The Full Bronte," at the Edinburgh
Fringe years ago, was one of the best we've ever seen


Cracked me up

Wool churches were particularly into the agnus dei thing

Still pondering; how do you shift gears?

She made me do it

Ever popular Sheela-na-gig at The Henge Shop, Avebury;
looks somewhat Cycladic to me...sort of

Royal Mail beautification campaign

Awaiting transport to 18th century Scotland

Flying just above us at Kilpeck, in the midst of multiple Romanesque
epiphanies

From Powys, one can see that Medieval castles had to
be defensible from every room


Not very old headframe; still in Wales

Sufficiently poignant that I will not provide a link to
Peter Cook's "My Experiences Down the Mine"

There are a dozen or more principal charity shops in Britain; "Cats
Protection" is new to us; maybe it's for protecting people from cats

Anatomically interesting door fixture designating a female toilet;
no male counterpart

In Chester

Still wondering what forest dogs are and whether they want to be rescued


British Out-Takes, 2026, 1

From our weeks on the road...apologies for any duplicates of the already-posted...think of them as running gags...

It was in the North, the fall of 2009, at a Home Depot-like
place, that we had our first lesson in sorting it out...in that case,
choosing the right trolley (we were (foolishly) purchasing
insulation for the exterior plumbing on our camper)...

So it was no surprise, when we got to Winchester, in 2026, 
that British stores were still helping us to sort things out

Photos by Vicki; notice I am heading for the exit, hoping
not to be apprehended...

Further sorting; but note there was no similar assistance for
sorting out mens' under-garments, which are also somewhat
complicated


Next to godliness in Winchester Cathedral


All over Wells we saw these more than life-size swan figures,
depicting scenes about the city
Also posters of the various swans of Wells
The police department swan was a bit of a shock...maybe OK for the UK

But might not have been OK in the US

Pigeons are indeed a threat...hoping to audition for the
role of Holy Spirit in next year's Easter pageant



Per capita, Wells has to be the most fun you can have in a UK city


Please remove shoes before playing the organ

Diocesan dirty linen (also wool, cotton, silk)

In the Wells Cathedral chained library

Soon to be replaced by an AI-controlled Holy Roomba



A huge selection of Holy Socks in the Wells Cathedral shoppe


A tribute to Well's Olympic long jump champ of yesteryear
Gold medal, world record...top that!

Now en route to Gloucester, via Bath, being
reminded that this is how, prior to 2009, we 
used to navigate

In Gloucester, wondering where the George is, not to
mention the Upper George 


British Food and Drinks

 A round-up of interesting and curious items from our Britannic road trip...

Picky Bits...so British

At every National Trust site; also grocery stores; priced
pretty much like human ice cream
























Brand differentiation underway
























The gin craze continues



Especially in cathedrals

Branching out; at least we did not see ice cream for
dogs, even at the avowedly "dog friendly" cathedrals

At The Fountain in Gloucester

Reading material at our table

But still--three visits in a row over a dozen years--the best fish and
chips in the Isles

Flavored crisps...ever more varied than in the US











































































































































Personalized candy bars



Vicki's standard breakfast; except in Wales

A pasty...not at all like in Butte...



In this amazing sequence, you will see a bag of McDonald's
burgers lifted and transported from the restaurant, at a freeway
rest-stop, to the remote drive-through pick-up station...the
lady in red is fastening the bag to conveyor

Up it goes, on its way



Ever upward, ever onward

To meet its fate...uh-oh, I have attracted the attention
of the assistant night manager trainee and others and
the amazing sequence must end...

Among the hazards of dining al fresco at a seaside resort 

Very popular British gelato flavor

Sorted


Very uppity tapas joint; not ice cream; 1494?

Just a reminder, next time you're in Chester, dine at Chez Jules

Vicki's memorable duck pizza in Ludlow

We could find no scones (nor clotted cream) in Wales nor in
the northern counties we visited...but found these Welshcakes
to be a very acceptable substitute...despite clocking in at 132 calories
per cake

Ever inventive, the British


Oops! We're in London!