Sunday 13th September

 Two Weeks

On 1st September I was picked up by my son and daughter-in-law to take me back to Thames Ditton to stay with them for a few days.

On the way we we stopped at Stonehenge, Anneka had previously booked like you have to do these days.  Not quite the same as when I went in the 1960s, then there was just a car park, a tea wagon and you could stand and play on the stones. Now there is a visitors centre, a shop, huts to look at and mile and half walk to the stones, or there is bus with a narrative as you look out of the bus window.

The stones are still great to see, and there is even a face watching all...

The following day Robert and I did some errands and took a tranquil walk home

When we got back I booked an appointment to go into Creative Quilting.  I did not spend much just some fabric for a couple of projects but whilst in there I saw a lovely simple quilt which I stored in my memory as I felt it inappropriate to take a photo.  

My version of a quilt I saw

I wasn't in there an hour and too early to sit around to meet my son so I popped into a cafe and had a cup of tea and wrote some good luck cards to my grandchildren for going back to school.  One had made herself sick worrying as she was going to the "big school".

Met up with Robert and we strolled around the grounds,  The main gardens were closed as they were preparing for a sports car auction, but they opened  the gardens the public don't normally see and the Kings Dining room which was the way to the exit.

This made me laugh - it just says it all!

on the entrance gates are a Lion and Unicorn, like most little girls my granddaughter is into unicorns so I took my life into my hands and took a photo of the entrance gates........

The lion and the unicorn
Were fighting for the crown
The lion beat the unicorn
All around the town.

Some gave them white bread,
And some gave them brown;
Some gave them plum cake
and drummed them out of town.

And when he had beat him out,
He beat him in again;
He beat him three times over,
His power to maintain.

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“The Lion and the Unicorn” have been part of the United Kingdom history since 1603 when Scotland and England were unified.

Even before James I of England unified the two kingdoms, they were already symbols in their Royal Arms, two lions being emblem of England while two unicorns were standing for Scotland.

Since 1603 the Lion and the Unicorn are elements in the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom, standing for the the unification of the two kingdoms.

The unicorn is a legendary creature, sometimes depicted as a white horse with a horn in the middle of its forehead. Legends describe this horn as having miraculous powers: cure diseases, cleanses evil, giving life.

The lion is a respected, valued and even defied animal in some cultures. Its identity as a symbol of power dates back 5,000 years. The lion’s mane is a royal symbol being often compared with the sun rays.

“The Lion and the Unicorn” is traditional nursery rhyme telling the story of the enmity and the fight of suzerainty of the two kingdoms, the lion and the unicorn being symbols of their power and dominance.

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Friday we stayed in.  I had taken patchwork and knitting to do and Robert did some work

The next day we all went to Waverley Abbey.  We had a picnic lunch under the only part of the ruin that had a bit of a roof, then we strolled round the abbey, then to a nearby pub which had a lovely spaced garden for a cool drink

I thought this tree was great with some of it's roots above ground

The following day was home time.  I spent a week in isolation*, my friend did my shopping and the highlight of the week was to watch the "Game of Skips"

It was fascinating to watch!

They put the full skip and put it into the empty skip which was on the back of the transporter.

Picked up the two skips together from the transporter, placed them back on the drive together, 

then swapped the chains over and picked up the full skip again and placed it back on the transporter,

covered it and drove away.

*I put myself into isolation just as a precaution