Throwback Thursday!

Throwback Thursday!

 

Hi again! In this week's throwback; I'm taking you back to the Lake District! This time we are off to Brantwood at Coniston.

 

 

Brantwood.

This was the home of John Ruskin! His home over looks Lake Coniston and the Village of Coniston itself lies at the other side of the lake.

John Ruskin was a leading English art critic, during the Victorian era. He was also an art patron,  water-colourist, a prominent social thinker and philanthropist. He wrote on subjects ranging from geology to architecture, myth to ornithology, literature to education, and botany to political economy. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ruskin to read more!)

Lake Coniston and Coniston Village in the distance.

This was another wonderful trip with my University. (Such a great thing having the Lakes at your door!)
 

Jumping Jenny

The above picture is Jumping Jenny, this was Ruskin's rowing boat!
(There is now a café situated there that is aptly named after the boat!)

I went on this trip with my beautiful and wonderful partner in crime; Cat!

Cat and Me!

Below is a picture of the horse drawn carriage that also belonged to Ruskin.

 

Ruskin was a bit of a difficult study for me at University and not exactly one of my favourite studies either ha!

 

However; his home is beautiful and the location is even more spectacular.

 

If you ever have the chance to visit, I would 100% recommend it!

Another view of Lake Coniston

From the Jetty just down from Brantwood house you can get a steam boat and have trip on and around the lake! (Unfortunately at the time of our visit, which was November 2010, the boat wasn't running!)

Quote by Ruskin.

Me and Cat on the Jetty!

(Some picture taken by Cat!)

See you next week!

Claire
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Bucket List!

Bucket List!

 

Week 5 of my Bucket List is finally here!

 

21.) To see the Pet Shop Boys! This one I managed to complete back in September 2014. All my life I have had a love of 80's music and they are one of my favourite bands; so to actually see them live was absolutely fantastic!

 

Pet Shop Boys live at The Sage, Gateshead!

22.) Visit the Amazon Rainforest.  I'm not actually sure why I put this on my list, I suppose it's because I'd quite like to visit South America and see all the tropical animals that live in the forest.


23.) Complete the Great North Run. I have completed a few Race for Life's, so I'd like to be able to do this and actually be physically fit to run it!


24.) Go Skiing, again! I have been skiing as a child and I absolutely loved it, but as an adult I have never had the chance to do it again. Therefore it's on my list!


25.) See the Sphinx.  As you've probably gathered by now, I love history, especially Egyptian history, so to finally be able to go and see something so remarkable would be a dream come true!


See you in a week for my next 5!

Claire
x

 

This Week In History Series!

This Week In History: Week 6!

 

February 2^nd: 1882, James Joyce was born in Ireland. He was a novelist and poet. His notable works include Dubliners, Ulysses and Finnigan's Wake.

February 3^rd: 1924, Woodrow Wilson the 28th US president (1913-21), dies at his home in Washington at aged 67. 

 

Woodrow Wilson

 

 February 4^th: 1938, Walt Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is officially released!

 

February 5^th: 1881, Thomas Carlyle, historian and essayist, dies in London at the age of 85.

February 6^th: 1685, the Duke of York becomes King James II of England and VII of Scotland, upon the death of his brother Charles II.

 

King James the 2nd

 

February 7^th: 1812, Charles Dickens is born in Landport, Portsmouth, England.  He is a very famous novelist, best known for Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol and Great Expectations!

February 8^th: 1725, Peter the Great [Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov], the Tsar of Russia (1682-1725) dies of uremia at the age of 52. (His Autopsy showed that the bladder was infected with Gangrene) He had reigned for 42 years!

 

Peter the Great.

That's it for this week!
See you next time
For
THIS WEEK IN HISTORY! 

 



My London Adventure!

My London Adventure!

Part 5: Kensington Gardens!

So this week I am taking you to Kensington Gardens! (Unfortunately I didn't take many pictures!)

Me and Penny took a lovely walk around the gardens, past the statue of Queen Victoria and past the massive pond/lake! (Both can be seen in the first picture below!)

Taken from the Palace window!

It took us a rather long walk around the rather large gardens to find what I most wanted to see!
The statue of Peter Pan!

Peter Pan!

After finally seeing the statue and after me ranting on that children were climbing all over it! (Which was rather infuriating, especially when parents were just standing back and watching!)

We took a walk along to the Diana Memorial Fountain, which is still located within Kensington Gardens!

(All of this walking was done, by me trying to follow a massive map, which made me stand out as a huge tourist haha!)

Statue of Jenner.

Diana Memorial Fountain!

 

See you in a week's time for my next instalment!

Bye!

Claire
x

Throwback Thursday!

Throwback Thursday!

 

This week I'm taking you back to my trip to North Wales, way back in May 2007!

 
My Parents thought it would be nice to have a trip away to North Wales, since I was doing my GCSEs and going broad would be too much! So off we went in the car to Wales.

We stayed in a lovely Log Cabin that had marvellous views over the Welsh countryside!

Our Cabin

Me and My Dad!

While we were there we decided to take a visit to the top of Mount Snowdon! We took the train up the mountain, where there were, again, ever more spectacular views! Until we got to the top where it was raining and foggy! To travel to the top of Snowdon, you have to get the train from Llanberis.

Llanberis Station. (Bottom of Snowdon.)

Snowdon Train

The Train travelling up the mountain.

Me and Mum at the top of Snowdon.


As well as visiting Snowdon, we visited two different types of mines that are located in North Wales.
The first was a copper mine, as we were walking through the mine, with our hard hats on, we were learning about the history and how they mined into the hillside. We also didn't realise that as we were walking through, how far up the hill we were starting to climb, until we came out at the top through a gate!

Exit of the Copper mine.

We entered the mine from down at that building!

Dad, Mum & Me at the top of the Copper Mine!

The second type of mine we went to was a Slate mine! We didn't go climbing any more, but we did take a look at the Slate Museum!

Slate in the hills!

Slate Museum.

Lastly, we took a visit to Caernarfon Castle, where we spent more time climbing up and down the many towers of the castle. For me this was one big playground and so full of History! For years this is where investitures of many Princes of Wales took place!

Caernarfon castle, the platform in the middle is where
the investiture of Charles, Prince of Wales took place.

Caernarfon castle

 

 That's all this week!

 

Claire

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Bucket List!

Bucket List!

Hi again everyone! Can't believe I'm up to week 4 of my Bucket List!

So here we go again!

16.) Visit Kensington Palace! For those who have been following my London Adventure will know I have completed this one! I put this one on my list because as much as I'd love to see Buckingham Palace, I'd rather see this palace. Which I did! I had dreamed of seeing Kensington since I was child due to one of my favourite monarchs having resided here, Queen Victoria!

 

17.) Go to the Base Camp of Mount Everest! I would love to see Everest and I feel that base camp is the furthest I would get! I don't think I could see myself making it to the top of the mountain, so base camp will do me fine! Least I'll still be able to look up at Everest!

 

18.) Do a Charity Sky Dive! As I said in an earlier bucket list post, I am terrified of heights, so my incentive to do a sky dive would be to do it for charity! (When the time comes, I will probably do it in aid of The British Heart Foundation!)

 

19.) Become a Teaching Assistant! I posted in the About me post and on my Me Page that I'm training to be a Teaching Assistant. To actually complete my course and qualify would be amazing, but it would be even better if I could get a job as this would be marvellous! 

 

20.) Completely read Lord of the Rings! I've fully read the Hobbit and read parts of the trilogy, but I have never fully read them! So this one is a must!

 

 

See you in a week for my next 5!

 

Claire

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This Week In History Series!

This Week In History: Week 5!

January 26^th:1925, Actor Paul Newman was born in Shaker Heights, Ohio. He was also a famous Racing driver and Philanthropist. Probably best known for his role in “Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid.”

Paul Newman as Butch Cassidy.

January 27^th: 1926, Physicist Erwin Schrödinger publishes his theory of wave mechanics and presents what becomes known as the Schrödinger equation in quantum mechanics.

January 28^th: 1547, 9-year-old Edward VI succeeds Henry VIII as king of England after the death of his father.

January 29^th: 1920, Walt Disney starts work as an artist with KC Slide Co for $40 a week.

Walt Disney.

January 30^th: 1853, Emperor and French President Napoleon III (Nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte) marries Eugenie de Montijo, Countess of Teba. They actually had a civil ceremony at the Tuileries on the 29^th and on the 30^th there was a much grander religious ceremony at Notre Dame.

January 31^st: 1606, Guy Fawkes was convicted in the "Gunpowder Plot" and then executed at the age of 35.

February 1^st: 1587, Queen Elizabeth I of England signs death warrant for Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots. After having been imprisoned at Fotheringay Castle for so long, then executed her on the 8^th of February!

Waxwork of Mary, Queen of Scots.

That's it for this week!
See you next time
For
THIS WEEK IN HISTORY!