Nope. It’s rumor. Pure gossip. I have NOT fallen down a well, off the face of the earth, or into a volcano. I’ve just been busy. And tired and lazy.
Last night I wrote a list of all the things that have happened, things I need to blog about. They are:
Stratford
Moving house & finding a cool new housemate
High tea at Fortnum & Mason
The Tudor & Stuart clothing exhibit at the Queens Gallery
Hampton Court Flower Show
Race for Life 10K
My Coach trip to see Canterbury, etc.
Going to We Will Rock You
Going to Nine Worlds Geek Fest
The Great British Bake Off inaugural viewing party
So, now that you have the list, expect to start seeing some blog posts. Yeehaw!
I went to Stratford in June on a mini-hol all by myself. TWO MONTHS AGO! So it’s high time I show you some cool pics.
The River Avon
Morris Dancers
- Especially for mom: I came across this on a morning run along the river. Completely random! But as it was near the Royal Shakespeare Company Theatre, I suppose it sort of makes sense?
Stratford’s oldest inn…
…and its oldest house…
…and a row of almshouses. Sometimes this country feels like a movie set, only I have to keep reminding myself that it’s not–that these places are real and have been here for hundreds of years.
But you came here to see Shakespeare stuff. So let’s start with his birthplace, which is pretty much right in the middle of town.
Behind the house is an extensive, and beautiful, garden where actors stage small scenes for the tourists. There is also a museum that holds original pieces from Shakespeare’s life and times.
Also in town is the site of Shakespeare’s house, New Place, where he died. It was a huge house, with 10 fireplaces!, but was destroyed in the 1700s. His granddaughter lived next door as an adult, and that place is still standing. The site of New Place has extensive gardens–this one is in the Tudor style.
A little way out of town is Mary Arden’s Farm, where Shakespeare’s mother’s family lived for generations. It’s a sort of living history museum now, and the day I was there schoolkids dressed in Tudor-era clothes were going from building to building, learning about how a 16th-century farm was run.
This dried frog was hung in the farm’s kitchen window. I don’t know why.
The top floor of the big farmhouse.
My favorite of the Shakespeare houses was Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, where his wife lived. It’s a traditional thatched cottage with the most gorgeous garden. Because the winter was so long, spring and summer happened sort of simultaneously, and the gardens were all a riot of color.
obligatory flower close-up #1: Columbine.
Trinity church, back in town, is where Shakespeare is buried.
William Shakespeare 1564-1616
While I was there, I went to two plays: All’s Well That Ends Well and Hamlet. The theatre itself was set nearly ‘in the round’ with the stage in the center of the space and seats almost all the way around. Hamlet was staged as if it were in a fencing school, with the ghost of his father in full fencing kit. All’s Well That Ends Well is a play I’d never read before, so it was fun to be swept along with it.
In all, it was a relaxing few days. I ate well, got some sleep, saw great theatre, took a zillion photos, and took in some history.
Obligatory flower close-up #2: a dog rose, Rosa canina. These roses always make me think of Shakespeare and the Tudor era.
Little Fish Across the Pond 