What I Did Last Weekend - a post with far too many pictures
I keep saying I'll post these pics and all, and I got them all ready days ago, so before it slips out of my posting-fingers for good and all... here's What I Did On My Holiday Last Weekend. *g*
But first I went to the Butterfly house, because I like butterflies... *g*
Holy Trinity Churchyard...
And Shakespeare's grave inside. I wonder if his bones really are down there...
...and a chained Bible.
Miserichords! These are apparently under almost all the seats in cathedrals, but they don't like showing them. I'm perhaps not surprised, because look at how gory some of them are...
Okay, this woman might have got in a good kick to the bloke's goolies, but he's not only giving her a serious whipping, he's set the dog on her too...
And fancy showing the scold's bridle in all its horrific glory!
Back in the churchyard, just cos... *g*
Nipped into the MAD kinetic museum - fab clockwork things, and of course just a touch of the steampunks about it... *g*
Then it was time for the ghostwalk I'd booked onto... *g* It wasn't one of the town in general, but of the Tudor World museum, which is housed in one of the oldest buildings in Stratford.
And it was really well done, just good solid ghost stories, and tellings of spooky goings on rather than anyone trying to jump out at us (apparently they couldn't pay people enough to sit in the dark in that place whilst they were waiting to do it... *g*) No ghosts when I was there, but apparently there was "activity" on the nine o'clock tour...
Had a quick wander up main street before looking for a taxi back to the YHA...
That second one's a Christmas shop... already...!
The next morning began with birds coming into land on the river in a rather spectacular manner!
Then I went and had a look at Shakespeare's birthplace...
...love the window-grafitti.
Even WH Smith getting in on the Tudor-y act... *g*
Nipped back to see the Tudor World Museum in the daylight - it's an independent one, and does a nice job of focusing on the Tudors.
The glorious sun-sparkled Avon...
Ann Hathaway's cottage... I do like that line in Shakespeare in Love - "She's a woman of property"? - Shakespeare shrugs. "She has a cottage..." *g*
A house wot Shakespeare presumably wandered around...
And then Mary Arden's Farm - where a bunch of Tudor-types were having lunch!
This bloke was playing the rebec, which is sort of a cross between a lute and a violin, in that to me it looks like a lute, but it's played like a violin, even though it only has three strings. I actually got to have a go - and of the fiddle too, which is a renaissance version, and of course neither of them had shoulder rests, and what do you do with three strings anyway, and where were my beginner-me finger markings... but I managed something terribly beginner-y anyway... I like the sound of the rebec though - it sounded a bit more atmospheric, somehow...
And then falconry! Well not really, cos the falcon didn't kill anything, which apparently makes it birds-of-prey-ry, but it was very cool anyway.
And oooh - barn owl!
And now I must dash cos I'm book-binding this afternoon... ack! What?! Noooo - time! Stoopid, melty time... *dashes faster than expected*
But first I went to the Butterfly house, because I like butterflies... *g*
Holy Trinity Churchyard...
And Shakespeare's grave inside. I wonder if his bones really are down there...
...and a chained Bible.
Miserichords! These are apparently under almost all the seats in cathedrals, but they don't like showing them. I'm perhaps not surprised, because look at how gory some of them are...
Okay, this woman might have got in a good kick to the bloke's goolies, but he's not only giving her a serious whipping, he's set the dog on her too...
And fancy showing the scold's bridle in all its horrific glory!
Back in the churchyard, just cos... *g*
Nipped into the MAD kinetic museum - fab clockwork things, and of course just a touch of the steampunks about it... *g*
Then it was time for the ghostwalk I'd booked onto... *g* It wasn't one of the town in general, but of the Tudor World museum, which is housed in one of the oldest buildings in Stratford.
And it was really well done, just good solid ghost stories, and tellings of spooky goings on rather than anyone trying to jump out at us (apparently they couldn't pay people enough to sit in the dark in that place whilst they were waiting to do it... *g*) No ghosts when I was there, but apparently there was "activity" on the nine o'clock tour...
Had a quick wander up main street before looking for a taxi back to the YHA...
That second one's a Christmas shop... already...!
The next morning began with birds coming into land on the river in a rather spectacular manner!
Then I went and had a look at Shakespeare's birthplace...
...love the window-grafitti.
Even WH Smith getting in on the Tudor-y act... *g*
Nipped back to see the Tudor World Museum in the daylight - it's an independent one, and does a nice job of focusing on the Tudors.
The glorious sun-sparkled Avon...
Ann Hathaway's cottage... I do like that line in Shakespeare in Love - "She's a woman of property"? - Shakespeare shrugs. "She has a cottage..." *g*
A house wot Shakespeare presumably wandered around...
And then Mary Arden's Farm - where a bunch of Tudor-types were having lunch!
This bloke was playing the rebec, which is sort of a cross between a lute and a violin, in that to me it looks like a lute, but it's played like a violin, even though it only has three strings. I actually got to have a go - and of the fiddle too, which is a renaissance version, and of course neither of them had shoulder rests, and what do you do with three strings anyway, and where were my beginner-me finger markings... but I managed something terribly beginner-y anyway... I like the sound of the rebec though - it sounded a bit more atmospheric, somehow...
And then falconry! Well not really, cos the falcon didn't kill anything, which apparently makes it birds-of-prey-ry, but it was very cool anyway.
And oooh - barn owl!
And now I must dash cos I'm book-binding this afternoon... ack! What?! Noooo - time! Stoopid, melty time... *dashes faster than expected*