Hook Norton in the Cotswolds

It is a lovely part of the country and the sunny weather for late October was a definite plus. A couple of general views of the countryside.

 Here are the Rollright Stones, a small Neolithic stone circle, built over 3,000 years ago using giant stones all quarried within 500 metres of the site.

 The King Stone, standing by itself a hundred metres away.

 The Whispering Knights as it seems they are huddled together hatching a conspiracy....actually it is a Neothithic Burial Chamber and the cap stone has slide off.

 And in the nearby forest are several whicker like spirals made from tree thinnings and cuttings that imitate the curling designs found on some of the Neolithis stones. It helps the mycelium or fungus to grow which is beneficial to the trees plus provides a place for wildlife, mammals, birds and insects to hibernate or build their homes.

 Then it was a quick visit to St Andrews near Great Rollright.

 A view of the church and the porch with its priests locker built over the entrance added in the 14th century.

 The delicate and intricate Norman style decoration above the main entrance.

 The Medieval rude screen with its bright colours. Most of these elaborate decorations were whitewashed over during the Reformation but this one was renovated to its original colours in 1851.

 A couple of pretty cottages in the village of Hook Norton.

 And then there is the most known and recognised sight for which the village is known, The Hook Norton Brewery on the edge of the village.

 And behind the brewery are the stables and the shire horses which are used to make local deliveries.

 One of the shire horses and an advertisement in the background over looking the horses field, used for storage.

 And some of the autumn colours.

Milton Keynes, famous for roundabouts and concrete cows

I was travelling through some English countryside to see family and friends and rather than return home after every visit, I had a few nights away from home. My Premier Inn overlooking a lake at Caldecot.

 The dam that creates the lake over which the hotel looks.

 A long distance view of the hotel across the lake.

 Geese eating grass on one of the grass expanses.

 A cygnet

 The two parents of the young swans.

 Some of the lovely red autumn colours.

I didn't take any photos of roundabouts as they are not particularly interesting objects. I drove around the roundabouts in search of the concrete cows which are iconic for the city but I couldn't see them. I was sure I was in the right place but with the heavy traffic that needed more of my attention than looking out of the window for concrete cows, I didn't see any and there was no where to pull off the road to take a walk to explore the area, I never did get to see the concrete cows.

Redhill Aerodrome

I went cycling on Sunday and our lunchtime destination was Redhill aerodrome so here are a few photos to share. A plane taxiing past the cafe whch overlooks the airfield.

Three of the BBC helicopters parked in a line.

The local air ambulance which is also based here about to take off.

A Russian plane but no idea what type so if anyone can identify it, I would be grateful.

Inside one of the hangars at the airfield showing the only Spartan still in existence.

And a better view of the working model of a Comet seen in the foreground of the photo of the Spartan.

A colourful paint job on this plane.

After the aerodrome we cycled through Outwood. I guessed that St John the Baptist church was built in the nineteenth century. It is only open for occasional Sunday services and Saturday mornings 11am - 5pm so I was not able to check the date of construction. However looking around the headstones in the surrounding graveyard, none were older than the 1880's so I guess I was right.

A view of the east end of the church.

A view of the porch.

A close up of the statue above the entrance.

The church tower which houses a tenor bell plus the staircase leading to the upper level.

An unusual gravestone or memorial to several members of the same family.

The village sign on the common at Outwood.

The beacon post standing on the common.

The village sign has a windmill prominently displayed and here is the windmill itself.

And a picture of some of the group in front of the windmill taken by John Clark and I am on the far left.

Crossing Russia on the Trans Siberian

Another milestone achieved! I have just signed the approval for the cover of my fifth book due out this autumn.

The text on the back cover on the right of the photo reads...

'A wonderful account of a trip through Russia that will intrigue and delight, history fanatics, Russophiles, travellers and adventurers alike. Norman Handy traces his journey by ship and the railway from Saint Petersburg to Vladivostok, taking the reader on a tour through Russian history by starting off in St Petersburg with its spectacular palaces and museums. From the interesting people, the railway journeys, the Kremlin, executions, to murder, and mayhem are all part of this trip and will offer fascinating reading.
 There are stops at Yekaterinburg and other fascinating places along the way, horse riding in the Altai mountains to reach Mount Belukha, Siberia's highest mountain before finally he reaches his destination in Vladisvostok.'

And here is a better 'true to life' photo of the cover of my fourth book also due out in the autumn. And the text on the back cover, on the left of the photo reads...

'Apart from being a travelholic, Norman Handy has given us an adventure filled description of a trip from Anchorage in Alaska to Panama in Central America. The more adventurous traveller will experience many fascinating places with stunning scenic vistas and tips on how things work in border crossings through many countries. If you want to know more about; life in different communities, how to deal with a curious caribou or bison without being trampled, or to view a sloth in its habitat  and why there is a worm at the bottom of your glass of Tequila glass then this is for you!

There is even a dash of romance with the author falling for the pretty tour guide and having to hide this liaison with her from his fellow travellers and to their having to go their separate ways at the end of the journey.'

London haunts

 I had a day in London recently and I looked up some old haunts such as the view of Tower Bridge from London Bridge that I used to pass twice a day to get to work. Plus to the right HMS Belfast which is a permanent museum and another temporary visitor of a destroyer tied up alongside.

 And a view back across London Bridge with a view of the Shard, which is Europe's second tallest building after the OKO Tower in Moscow which beats it convincingly at 353.6m.

A view of St Magnus the Martyr, a fine church builr by Sir Christopher wren and his most expensive. It used to be aligned with the original approach to London Bridge with traffic passing under the clock and pedestrians walking through the arch. The current bridge was built alongside previous alignments and opened to traffic in 1973 so the old approaches are now just a quiet backwater.

 The Monument which marks the place where Farriner's bakery was located whose oven's started the fire of London in 1666.

 A Victorian Gothic building on the corner of Philpot Lane...

 ...and a detail of plaster work of two mice eating some cheese.

 A couple of photos of Leadenhall Market, which has also appeared in Laura Croft, Tomb Raider and Diagonal Alley in Harry Potter.

 The Duke of Wellington outside the Bank of England

The entrance to Chinatown just off Leicester Square. 

A couple of photos of Buckingham Palace.

 I also took in the Science Museum and given the number of photos that I took of VW beetles in Central and Southern America, I couldn't let this one escape which was on show in the central foyer.

 And this was a new destination for me, the Victorian Gothic inner courtyard of the V&A which for some reason I have never been to before. It is a wonderful piece of architecture to see as much as the contents are well worth a visit.

 A couple of photos of one of the staircases.

 A detail of the balustrade.

 One of the exhibition halls.

 A detail of one of the columns.

 The library.

 A very ornate rude screen partially obscured by an arch.