The Road Goes Ever On

Sunday, May 15, 2016

Petworth Park

On assorted walks into and around Petworth Park...

The Ionic Temple

Not many rhodos planted here, but the pinks are doing fine

Thus

And thus

And the whites

Nice specimen redwood

Blue Bells among the ancient trees

Gnarly city

Path leading from the courtyard to the grounds

Rhodos and the Ionic temple again

Doric temple; we are still looking for the Corinthian...our set is not complete

The purple rhodos are not quite there yet

Handkerchief tree

Flowery detail

The lake/pond from the boat house

Looking back to the House over Brown's characteristically
serpentine lake

The boat house

Odd duck

Vicki reciting "Under the spreading chestnut tree..."

"Go Bucks!!!"

At the private end of the compound

Friday, May 13, 2016

The White Cliffs are not just at Dover. They go on, some miles, east and west. Perhaps the most spectacular is Beachy Head, which we saw in 2013. West of there are more, and west of Birling Gap, where the Downs come right down to the sea, are the Seven Sisters. With a fair day forecasted, we headed to Birling Gap, via Battle and other interesting places and sights. This is 1066 country. Anyhow, we walked three of the Seven Sisters before heading on to Seaford and its miles-long pebble beach--with free overnight parking on Marine Parade. We eventually spent two nights there, the latter following a day of blogging, planning, and shopping in nearby Newhaven.

The beach at Birling Gap, looking west

Water quality always a concern, despite the fact that only dogs
are stupid enough to go into water this cold

Looking further west

And east toward Beachy Head

Up on the cliffs now

Back in color-coded sheep country; ask Vicki to explain sometime
how the females get color-coded

Proceeding on, up and down, to and fro...

Looking back

These cliffs do tumble down, with alarming frequency; several of
the cottages back at Birling Gap are now threatened

Why they tumble down...they're just chalky rubble

Turning back; it's been our first up and down hiking in a while

Vicki, well-protected from the sun; we saw quite a few of the
Britons not so, and turning the color of boiled lobster; it was
apparently the first sunny warm weekend of the season

Our encampment on Marine Parade, Seaford

Looking west, a bit of the beach

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Scotney

Nearby is Scotney Castle. Actually, it is a mid-19th century great house where the owners knocked-down the 15th century fortified residence, the castle, with moat, to create a folly and a garden scene. See the previous post, http://roadeveron.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/scotney-castle.html, for more comprehensive commentary. It was at Scotney we began to discern we had arrived a bit early for the full bloom...

The House

Walking down toward the castle and moat; the azaleas are doing
well

View of the castle

Most of the rhodos just beginning to bloom

Castle

Blue Bells and azaleas

Gorgeous in bloom

Some few rhodos help frame the castle

Us, re-doing a shot from 2013; OK, we're 3 year older

Scotney is 3 years older too

Rhodos and lotuses...a bit early for both

What we were hoping for; perhaps we'll be back

Sissinghurst, 2016

Sissinghurst is the closest National Trust site to Canterbury and thus the first and last site we visit, coming and going to UK via Dover. Yes, we are members of the National Trust again, Royal Oak division, the special, especially advantageous deal for US citizens. Don't visit the UK for any length of time without joining and enjoying the numerous benefits of membership. Among other things, Sissinghurst Castle and its gardens celebrate the 46 year marriage of Harold Nicholson and Vita Sackville-West, literary luminaries of the past century. Don't go all heart-throbbing. It wasn't exactly your typical marriage. Nonetheless, the grounds and buildings and 20th century gardens are charming, and we have come to view them as our periodic re-introduction to Britland.