The Founding Father's, and their Ladies, of the Knights of Moleskine, Spirit and Ale have just returned to the States from Merry Ole England after a 17 day Celebration of Unity through Diversity! There will be many more blogs of our travels, but for the sake of sanity and getting back to reality...here are the highlights:
17 Days...19 Cities&Villages...6 Hotels & Inns...39 Unique Pubs visited (Many now proudly displaying the Coat of Arms as pictures above in the Black Lion Pub on Queensway in London)...65 Unique English Beers Sampled (not going to tell you how many beers we actually drank!)...2 Single Malt Scotch...Pimms #1 Cup & Lemonade...7 Forms of Transportation...10 Cathedrals & Chapels...4 Castles...5 Palaces...4 Museums...1 Brewery (Old Hooky in Hook Norton in Oxfordshire)...all the Colleges of Oxford (including a personal tour inside Rhodes House)...2 Abby's and 3 Stone Formations (Stonehenge being the most famous).
We also had the pleasure to dance with Morris Dancers, meet with my namesakes in my ancestral hunting grounds, sing along with local bands, eat our way through British History, discovered a ghost in Stratford Upon Avon, beat Pub owners at darts, play table skittles and shove-hapme in locals, made many new friends who will hopefully join our merry band soon, and created a new character known as Lord Shatacat. Details to follow!
Most importantly we reunited with Sir Dayvd of Oxfordshire four times and held three Councils of the Knights of Moleskine, Spirit and Ale, of which we will share the details and ideas from them soon to help us all become better Knights and Ladies. The Councils where:
1. The Council of Oxfordshire
2. The Council of Somerset
3. The Council of Hyde Park
Now, back to work, and as Sir Davyd says, "Let my spirit who is still in England 6 hours away catch up to my body in sunny Southern Indiana today"...which by the way reminded us of the drive through Somerset as we returned home yesterday.
Sir Hook Who Must Remember to Drive on the Right Today of Warrick
lol...glad you were keeping count Hooky... I think I managed to cram enough in for you...
ReplyDeleteMy Highlights?.....wayyyyy wayyyy to many to mention...
but making off with your wives on the way back from Abbey Road, London was amusing.
The orange harvest Moon over Port Meadow and Oxford on the walk back from the 800yr old Perch Pub by the river Thames
(silence )
You dancing with the Morris Dancers outside the 12th Cent Bear Pub in Oxford.
The sweet view and English meadow by the ancient King Stone at Roll Right
Playing Pub Games in the Lamb and Fountain in Frome, Somerset
and getting used to your driving and "having Kittens" up at Churchill's Grave in Bladon
to name but a few... Thanks.
Sir Dayvd ( good luck with the unpacking and laundry ) of Oxenfordshireness in the wold by the Sea.
Port Meadow...hands down...convinced me that Heaven is here on Earth...a timeless walk with those we love...God grants those few moments in our lives which we never forget
ReplyDeletemany other highlights and fun times together - I miss you all today!
Suz
Wow, that sounds like a truly amazing trip! Looking forward to hearing more when the jet lag is under control!
ReplyDeleteTimeless indeed Lady Suzanne, Its always odd seeing the moon in a foreign sky and realising that, more than the sun and the stars, its the one thing that connects us emotionally world wide.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that the vast 120 hectares of meadow we were crossing has been grazed continually nearly a 1000 years just added to the moment.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Meadow,_Oxford
BTW the print of my ink and wash drawing of the Moon over Oxford, i gave you, was a view from the cupola of Sir Christopher Wrens Sheldonian Theatre, which i don't think has been open since the 80's when i used to go up reularly to draw the view. The buildings in the picture are the Bodelian Library below, The Radcliffe Camera, St Mary's Tower and Merton College tower, in the background.
If you want to see the other drawings i can send them over as files on request.
Sir D.
Yes, Port Meadow was an awesome experience amongst an array of awesome experiences!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, that was the Thunder Moon, the first full moon of July as named by American Indians for all the Thunder Storms we get here in July.
Sends us the files of your other pictures.
Sir Hook Who is Living in the Past, Present and Future all at Once Now of Warrick