curiouswombat (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
curiouswombat) wrote2006-04-29 09:12 pm
curiouswombat) wrote2006-04-29 09:12 pm
More pic spam - and a new family member is expected very soon!
I am pic-spamming again – under the cut are more pictures of our trip to London – actually more of Hampton Court, because it is enormous, and beautiful, and we couldn’t resist the gardens.
Firstly a couple more of the actual palace – part of the original Tudor buildings – the clock is on the gateway between an outer and inner courtyard
And this is the later Stuart courtyard.
Now a series of the main formal gardens – these are designed to be viewed from the state apartments in the part of the palace built by William and Mary.
As you can see the weather was dry, but slightly overcast. The yew trees are ancient and wonderful.
This is what the house looks like from the gardens for a change! The scaffolding on the roof is because they had a leak only a couple of weeks before we were there – water came in during a heavy downpour, and soaked the top of one of the great state beds. The ‘emergency team’ had swung into action, the bed was covered then dried out without any sign of damage – but the roof was taking a little longer!
and finally two pictures of the ‘pond gardens’ at the side of the palace, which at one time were used as private gardens by some of the Grace and Favour residents, but have now been restored to something closer to the way they looked in Stuart times.
I do have a few more pictures – they are of lesser known memorials – I will probably put them onto my journal sometime next week – apart from anything else it is a good back-up for me!
In other news, I have bought a car! Currently I use S2C’s Octavia more than he does, for running around, going to work, shopping etc., and have a government owned Corsa which I must use for my work visits. D-d is learning to drive, and is finding the Octavia too big for her, and of course she is not allowed to drive the Corsa – it is actually parked at my work when I come home.
So I decided to buy her and me a little car to share. I can take it to work, so if S2C actually does want to use his car he can, D-d can do ‘learner miles’ between her formal lessons, and when she passes her test she can use it to go visit friends etc.
The plan was to get a Micra, or a Corsa, maybe a Ford Ka, or a Seat Arosa like her instructor’s. But I was passing a local second-hand car dealers on Thursday, and decided to see what he had – and fell in love. We are going to share a cute little white Citroen C3. It is 3 years old, and really has had one lady driver – who only did 17,000 miles in those 3 years! How neat is that? I can bring it home as soon as I can sort out the insurance.
I am warning you – there will be pictures!
Firstly a couple more of the actual palace – part of the original Tudor buildings – the clock is on the gateway between an outer and inner courtyard
And this is the later Stuart courtyard.
Now a series of the main formal gardens – these are designed to be viewed from the state apartments in the part of the palace built by William and Mary.
As you can see the weather was dry, but slightly overcast. The yew trees are ancient and wonderful.
This is what the house looks like from the gardens for a change! The scaffolding on the roof is because they had a leak only a couple of weeks before we were there – water came in during a heavy downpour, and soaked the top of one of the great state beds. The ‘emergency team’ had swung into action, the bed was covered then dried out without any sign of damage – but the roof was taking a little longer!
and finally two pictures of the ‘pond gardens’ at the side of the palace, which at one time were used as private gardens by some of the Grace and Favour residents, but have now been restored to something closer to the way they looked in Stuart times.
I do have a few more pictures – they are of lesser known memorials – I will probably put them onto my journal sometime next week – apart from anything else it is a good back-up for me!
In other news, I have bought a car! Currently I use S2C’s Octavia more than he does, for running around, going to work, shopping etc., and have a government owned Corsa which I must use for my work visits. D-d is learning to drive, and is finding the Octavia too big for her, and of course she is not allowed to drive the Corsa – it is actually parked at my work when I come home.
So I decided to buy her and me a little car to share. I can take it to work, so if S2C actually does want to use his car he can, D-d can do ‘learner miles’ between her formal lessons, and when she passes her test she can use it to go visit friends etc.
The plan was to get a Micra, or a Corsa, maybe a Ford Ka, or a Seat Arosa like her instructor’s. But I was passing a local second-hand car dealers on Thursday, and decided to see what he had – and fell in love. We are going to share a cute little white Citroen C3. It is 3 years old, and really has had one lady driver – who only did 17,000 miles in those 3 years! How neat is that? I can bring it home as soon as I can sort out the insurance.
I am warning you – there will be pictures!
no subject
Children could get a provisional licence, to start learning, at 16 until a few weeks ago, when they made it 17. They must be accompanied at all times by an adult who has held a full licence for at least two years. If they pass both their theory test and their driving test (about 45 minutes of driving around the town, doing manoevres etc with an examiner in the car) they get a restricted licence - they must have R plates on the car, may not travel at over 50mph, and I think there are engine size restrictions as well. A year of R plates and you become a fully qualified driver.
You can take your test the day after your 17th birthday if you want - although no-one does, as they would not have had any lessons of course - there is no set age progression, you just have to pass the test. Many people have to try two or three times - it is not easy. Many people don't start lessons until they are in their twenties - this is true across Britain - ours actually start younger on average than most.
Farm kids often start early - they drive tractors and then cars around at home - but they are not allowed on any public roads until they have a provisional licence, and need to take their test just like anyone else.
And aren't those trees wonderful? I don't think our pictures really did them justice.