Aug 2010 b

Sat 14 Aug 2010
Jen's birthday... 35 today! So today we've visiting Fishbourne roman palace near Chichester, while we're still on the Roman kick. The first big thing we saw in the museum was a partial plaster cast of the bottom loop of Trajan's Column. Reaction: we soooo saw the real thing earlier this week!  :-P
All in all, a nice collection of stuff, such as mosaics from various villages throughout the region. Impressively, they unearthed the hedge roots and have replanted hedges in the same locations! Nicely cut too as you'll see behind Steve here.....

Left: the famous cupid on a dolphin mosaic

Above right: a fascinating mosaic from Chilgrove.

Later in the afternoon we checked into our Hotel in Bognor Regis, then took a stroll along the promenade. Stopped for dinner overlooking the sea, we both decided to have lobster to celebrate Jen's birthday.

Sun 15 Aug 2010
This morning Steve dropped Jen off in Chichester while he drove off to Butser Ancient Farm, not far up the motorway. Steve's today doing a one-to-one cooking experience with one of his cookbook authors, Sally Grainger! Steve had her sign his copy of Apicius, under Jen's orders. He had a fab time.
Meanwhile, in Chichester, Jen whiled away much of the day watching a couple of movies in the local cinema. She also wandered about the Cathedral and Bishop's Palace gardens which were in full bloom!

Mon 16 Aug 2010
Today Jen's best friend from high school, Kylie, and her boyfriend Tony, come to stay with us for a few days. Jen has the day off work and wanders about town with them playing tour guide.

Sat 21 Aug 2010
After a four day work week, as it turns out Jen works from home today, putting in 12 hours to get the corporate Financial Statements all nicely formatted ... all 60 or so pages of it, including financial tables.

Sun 22 Aug 2010
Today, to get out and about while there's still some Summer sunshine about, we visited the Natural History Museum to see the rooms we didn't have time to visit previously. 

Really loved the treasure room, lots of big glittering gems! Jen's still fascinated by meteorite patterns (pictured, right).

Sore feet by the end of the day. This was our second visit and we still haven't managed to get around to seeing everything. Will have to visit again, but in winter when there's fewer tourists.

Tue 24 Aug 2010
A very windy day today, shaking the trees of their leaves. Unfortunately, so windy that the solid trellis in the backyard has partly come down, so here's something to have to fix - dratt it.

Sat 28 Aug 2010
Hanging out at Deb & Clancy's place, with Richard and Lena (friends we visited in Lancaster a few weeks ago). Jen, Lena and Deb all headed off to wander about the markets in Bury-St-Edmunds; and later wandered through Kentwell Hall. At Kentwell, Jen was astonished to see real actual mistletoe, growing wild! (pictured right)

 

Above: I have front garden envy!

Left: A real actual working tudor style dovecot, nice one. It's a little dove hotel.

Today on-site there are 100 re-enactors in tudor costume doing various entertaining things.
 

 

Mon 30 Aug 2010
It's a long weekend, and we're relaxing today. Thinking about where to go for some sunshine over Christmas this year... hmmm, perhaps Egypt?