Last Boxing Day my Dad and I decided to go for a walk around Gedling Country Park for a bit of fresh air and nature. Lots of other people, and their dogs, had had a similar idea so we did have to wait about 10 minutes before we could find a parking spot but after that the park is so big that it was easy not to feel crowded.
Last March I went on a five night trip to Cambridge. One of the reasons I wanted to visit the city was to see King’s College Chapel. I’m not at all religious but I do like a good Christmas carol and watch the carols from King’s programme each year and have always admired the setting. Needless to say I was not disappointed.
Nottingham Central Library opened in its brand new purpose built building last week and I went on one of their free guided tours to get a feel for the place since I’m hoping to do a lot of family tree research next year in the local studies section. I will say the building looks great, very modern, very spacious, very well thought out. It has been a long time coming though with its location at Angel Row closing in 2020 and the opening date of the new building being pushed back again, and again, and again. So the fact that it actually opened this year was something of a pleasant surprise!
Decorations for the Christmas tree are an easy souvenir from my travels, usually small so easily packed away in hand luggage. I didn’t take nearly as many trips as I wanted to this year due to various health shenanigans but I did manage to buy more than a few new decorations for the tree and they’re featured here in what has become something of a traditional yearly post. The first was from Cambridge and is of King’s College Chapel which you’ll be able to read about in a couple of weeks.
Originally built from wood by William the Conqueror in 1068 Warwick Castle was rebuilt in stone during the 12th century. It’s been home to many important historical figures, possibly the most well known being Richard Neville who was nicknamed the Kingmaker due to his actions during the Wars of the Roses. But, learning about the history of the castle wasn’t really my purpose for visiting last weekend. (It vaguely had been but it soon became clear that Christmas at the Castle was very much its own thing and I wasn’t going to learn much about the history while there – I bought a guidebook for that!). This visit was part of an annual tradition with a friend to visit a Christmas light show or market every year. We’ve done this for a very long time, only having to cancel plans during COVID lockdowns. You can read about some of our past adventures here and here.
After visiting the West Shore Beach and walking all the way to Deganwy and back I then ventured partly up the Great Orme. I didn’t venture very far; I’d done a considerable amount of walking by that point but as it was the last day of my holiday I pushed on for a bit to see the views from this side of the Orme.
This rather pretty statue can be found just by the West Shore Beach and is yet another one of Llandudno’s homages to Alice in Wonderland, this time representing the white rabbit who is always running late. It was unveiled in 1933 by former prime minister David Lloyd George.
A small green space just down the road from Mostyn Art Gallery, it perhaps isn’t the most photogenic of Llandudno’s areas but it is home to the White Rabbit statue, part of the Alice in Wonderland trail and a couple of other interesting items, including what I’ve since learnt are some infamous public toilets. It was named for the nearby North Western Hotel which is now a Premier Inn.
On a recent trip to London I made the spontaneous decision to head out to see the Titanosaur exhibition at the NHM as I had a couple of hours to kill after checking into my hotel. The exhibit had been on my general to do list in London since it was first announced but I hadn’t been sure I’d be able to make it until I realised that the museum closed later than I thought it did, at 5.50pm, so I would be able to fit it in afterall.
I didn’t spend a lot of time in Deganwy, in fact I wasn’t even intending to visit it at all, I just walked along Llandudno’s West Shore Beach and kept on going until I’d reached the town.
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