Walking Boots, Rucksack and a Hammer

I'm not exactly sure of the circuitous route that found me walking this weekend with a bag of way markers, galvanised nails and a rather large hammer, but it was a great day to be doing it. 

I'm helping the Shakespeare's Avon Way Association way mark a new long distance path from Naseby to Tweksebury, a distance of 84 miles that follows the River Avon from its source to where it joins the River Severn. It's a delightful walk following the river through some very pretty countryside in Warwickshire and Gloucestershire. 

Way marking involves following the route already determined by the walk's originator, Jenny Davidson, hammering in small signs (pictured above) to help walkers navigate the route. Detailed Ordnance Survey maps are still needed, but the way marks really help to keep your head out of the map for a little while. I really found the way marks on the Shakespeare's Way long distance path extremely useful in some tricky spots. And, strangely, after walking 100+ miles looking out for Shakespeare's oddly shaped and balding head, they become a reassuring little friend.

The early morning sunshine bathed some attractive features along the river on this unseasonably warm Sunday morning. Looking back along the River Avon to Stratford upon Avon, Holy Trinity Church stood out proudly.

The rusting old railway bridge along the disused line from Long Marston to Stratford upon Avon.

Evidence of the recent floods could be seen along the banks of the river. The long grasses and hay from nearby barns had been compressed into the fences more than 10 feet above the current level of the river.

This house in the picturesque village of Welford on Avon had featured on millions of boxes of Cadbury chocolates in the 1940's and 1950's. Welford on Avon also boasts the tallest May Pole in England -- some say the world -- but that's a whole different blog post to explain that quirky English tradition to my friends worldwide.

And this church in Weston on Avon caught my eye for its sheer simple beauty. No stained glass windows, just functional 14th century Christianity in rural Warwickshire at its best.

Now you see it, now you don't

The renovation of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre continues to move ahead despite the dreadful weather. As the picture shows, the main structure has now nearly gone and it's quite incredible that the shell is being held together by a framework of steel scaffolding. Work has not yet begun on the older Swan theatre, which is an integral part of the main structure.

New York to London to Las Vegas in 24 Hours

Another year, another crazy schedule. After a week in the balmy mild weather of New York, I returned to the UK for a couple of hours to do some laundry and then set off for Las Vegas. I can safely say that flying 10,000 miles in 24 hours is not the best way to spend your day. My poor travel planning rewarded me with a major muscle strain in my back which prompted a trip to the doctor for a head-spinning cocktail of drugs to relieve the pain and reduce the swelling.  This wasn't exactly the way I imagined getting a bad back in Vegas!

Here's a few pictures from the airstrip when I was about to take off - it's about as much as I got to see of the place.

Festive Theatre

Over the Christmas period, we saw a trio of excellent plays. 

We'd greatly recommend the Little Angel's Theatre production of "Fantastic Mr. Fox", which we saw at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.  It was perfect for the under 5's because it wasn't too scary -- and great for the over 5's because it's a classic Roald Dahl story brilliantly told.

"If all the world were paper" at the Warwick University Arts Center was OK, but not great; certainly not up to the incredibly high standard usually produced by Oiley Cart. B and the other children we took really enjoyed it though. 

But the best show had to be "Adventures of Tintin" in London. As a lifelong Tintin fanatic, the thought of seeing Tintin on the stage did not really appeal for some reason. It was probably because I thought the incredible eye for detail that Herge possessed could not possibly be translated onto the stage. How wrong I was. Beautifully staged and faithfully accurate, this was a spectacular recreation of the comic in 3D and full colour. Complete with laughs and dramatic moments of spine chilling daring-do, this was a show Tom and I enjoyed from the very outset. A must see, as they say in theatre land.

Woodstock -- not that one!

We visited Woodstock in the Cotswolds on New Year's Eve. It's famous for being a) the home of Winston Churchill at Blenheim Palace b) the same name as the original flower power and mud festival in the US and c) the home of the best darn Chinese restaurant and Steak 'n Ale pie! The palace and "column of victory", pictured here within the pretty market town, is probably the most photogenic of the three.