Here's a selection of initial pictures from the UK. I have spent the last week travelling around places within 20 minutes drive from my mother's home (and the place I grew up).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVCNy30ym3UO8Rwo11PTJqtmXUWQlcTnhPl_OSO8EOvX5bGXP1S-MPZAKPen61zoBF2lGNsKrLAUEGW57tySmYAC0scXJk_wPCGtGCmbD17M5MyIN2EFTxOLV5XYYCGC5hb24Ec1xx0-n/s400/P8020040.JPG)
First up, above, is a drink vending machine in Bangkok Airport. What caught my eye was something written on the side of the machine ...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAx8nyQ_BNSjzp1QG55j1NhmGhafFmgtPXlBinTgpIK98F1zEOuycLY9rk7bHk5JdjvKSikPFZzViGYBx4TtXosf5u0ssXvwz8vWqwnZ7Eh94eFaEnvYO_Q272vtWHv78WTwNrr_tR7uil/s400/P8020041.JPG)
Yes, that's right. Survive global warming by installing more electricity intensive machines so your beer can be a little colder than normal ... is that a case of intelligent design?
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrEATSenSNZIkqenqPdTitSBDdAai3foZm6GPadm1z1Um0s10LS8LGkPZrwRk6Ry-tcq2baDX8jb5XNgotsuL2-uhezsqMtB_UC9dsa_dQ9rrVwmdTJ-HyqZceFZxwGWmgND8grRNjz40/s400/P8060047.JPG)
Down in a little village called Long Compton there is a church and then there is this very old and quaint lychgate to the church grounds. It might be literally parochial but the Cotswolds is a truly beautiful part of the UK.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVJ-ZlKiSwlIHPwt8hffkOoqOQXVnn9oUReyyrBjWwtkAmISTTCOtAToUKb5UpKpzCHZdcUTN-0__HTfXjPwRwlM4TMBEQw9KUz7QBNVNqkuT64imb7q_4z5i2IHW_li_ETi301N2JZOGB/s400/P8060065.JPG)
Then I visited a small church in a village called Great Rollright. The entrance to the church seems innocuous enough at first glance ...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg7_nYsJFNuldid-IAfz-_wES64ouA4C-L99xNWKkYyoN4CNe1ZyHfMJ6VzGHhxqrO_mD91KDm2ogNcKgL-XoxJlo5lHqOsOI4sZjuF0hqR3f5uYJfasGHeJEU1TzuC0QM5pWE2FqlQpR1/s400/P8060053.JPG)
Inside the doorway there's something carved into the stone ...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWDDDz-OlbMR5BCv18YoQR7-QhPOIYDDPKXu3RC3AJtnO-e8-AGhU7uo8R8q6PUgnK9pQ9JrnkXq6g3XtVugW9jDP6qV1-nEFrMaJV365nCraFgsroIJHM9j091F1oGW7uPOCt5E-IB99/s400/P8060063.JPG)
What is it? Its a carving from the Norman Period (1066CE +). It is very intricate and well preserved ...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgoCla_CqyKKFB51Y0SsuIGQKdswrm4Gx6-tJAmA5FmUdIQEYjNO30bGQqSZxjXdEZxIekt22E9Rek-4mzF7mmjuytkwmCp1f0hyphenhyphenLDZ5qlxsPPyxEmrpiNB5KXrdKRgNcY8_hX-U0oklWd/s400/P8060059.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWo8Lp4DOWBGfReLLHX0ZAJpLPhok7FqmqTO-WzT6Ffmwbiu3v6IX-mWuUDBKWpmYFiSK60FWhOeb8puCspqWVJNaMR1cKtNj-7t60nzCjA1CgHFmUXiYE4XM1mtadYQXWWBUpfUK1sMUn/s400/P8060060.JPG)
A closer look reveals a long row of figures, animals and assorted creatures.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzkpjdRezt_s9vCpN2uY1WqHaBd5jqVRBFkgwK2mcByfpbqlQmK_5Zxr58_cmaxqGaDqMu8mHMK1CMO1Va32YMo8h_ctz_XAjrRu14Na8iJbQOQs-q8IyvM-SVWQndgW7wfjY5V2pDfpa_/s400/P8060071.JPG)
I took a drive to an old disused railway line near Swerford that has become a marvelously secluded meadow of peace and quiet.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZFfirMbC-AlQFTnFRmkx1JzYmAxMEJSsaXn1RVzZnSwTbmh4e9djsrt1fidoltD_UI5PrumDbRa2AMOO2qpRXBcJMy3d2UM0EWglDji1YWvhss1MPIA5UAw5KmUKQruM2aJIlzuaUJml/s400/P8060081.JPG)
A place where you can see bees busy pollinating the local flora.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicmAPm1C6JbAy6ge9DHB9aHuCjVZCCR_qePZrWLmasTmmsHGTbxaeG0uq5nFmp7yD3jbO3ShZgD6NYoTNboKcqZ0QejSzILqow767XhLiFP6cqrB86_XYLFDfbrjJ_TK4gJfiqG8aK2j1g/s400/P8060117.JPG)
Off next to the site of the first pitched battle of the English Civil War in October 1642 - Edgehill. Above is a 'folly' which was built on the escarpment above the main battle site some 100 years after the battle and the monarchy had been reestablished. This building is now a pub.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiJ3vqjPX1zsJnAFKseX4ey_sqgf3WrJZEzXjuQmxZlssJOSSMepzrzv5Ffj7yd3wT5tNdb3TR2Sn98lnjX_kBS1brhYsIss21kzEtsYMGOEHFRFYgo5D-PNzop_dhWCGQd5wBu3Z6PBbE/s400/P8060131.JPG)
Another old church which I thought most interesting for its Tudor style ceiling which made a nice pattern.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr3fSSK9w5pJa8FMsR-XF8R1c0gI9dHH_KZpmuLuewiIiMQ-wEWr7uB_YQ9HDVMlmo25tPwGuaFxKkk1CwfIQH0Ij2Hlr6ILZAObssoKp1ql9YBHPHdrwdARQn067ksyXUPrMl2p8AdWjl/s400/P8060142.JPG)
On the way there I was treated to this classic of British place naming. The Cup and Saucer ranks alongside 'The Moon and Sixpence' (the name of a local pub and a novel by W. Somerset Maugham) for its creativity.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg03ZsP8IVYhpTH3oD-_SzZKGmDnEc8agWL9w_83CHL-zTPONGxwpVv1LWnkS1U9FVDfKQLRIWUfNgNlphxlMNNXm3Q3ZJ8Lzc-DrvlFVKYsuICdOEB3ENvkHMhf3LvDoiUvTs9kfICTvof/s400/P8070163.JPG)
My family and I took a day trip to Compton Verney - a restored country home run as an art gallery. This Rolls Royce was sitting outside in the car park.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht_g3bPA7I20NDnjPiCTxm28FcRe1Qv-JhyphenhyphenRKVCqdU_UKTyfRKZYfyOwYh14OO54egfdYlQErjPif-xVQhYj8jtw7PGEdezr3iVfMy_wOCsNFZy6nn9vNy26f_trg6PeVjRyiniTwLyqYz/s400/P8070165.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh543YA45KDI700zPayTK16YV0ik9THzwGBAZNfvkchaV8RQCEh_c8s3P5WCLyvJ-1leiAm33vgGCHdSagS2jQb8VagNLVQJT6tXR1QeBCZKM1CDdlV38XQeyYbnnqZG1gSoq2tNZSgbwSg/s400/P8070166.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEima0ZPr6NEl5pdZa54mH-cVv-ZqTdrN0Y_Jb8kLE6lngatckiuhbn30_ka93nF1HzuQp97SEjv7lfpDv0mf7uquBc-Oj5vnYZ55pW-1UAun0DOwgzHMh0b1Kfkuep2ei-o-aTuvwjfoyCl/s400/P8070173.JPG)
Walking to the building we caught sight of the country home across the ponds and through the cedar trees.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVU71xAdMmld4qbcDOF5dckHkRZQ1iAEPTD-P178piq21T4BaipVGd4MydqqEsnOn1m9OXdBHp9_VagZI2p7YUiKlqAzjyQY9tw62xwyTecm1DemnwoiNk9BK5A0pBOJ2AprX5gwEC9hr-/s400/P8070181.JPG)
In the grounds, I found this absurd 'installation', which I thought most post-modern owing to its title being 'untitled'.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOog0gQ_TzF8mw6mtz1SUGuPM9zhhGodvIeZxa-lHcLQ7T1O7elfqXrhAU92EzN825fK4-HYTfGDjZAzT-J55TImh41vMpjvhQMhhJCrziHU1ZA9NgMxUDrxpU8GwG2KD_pPwV0BIxu9T8/s400/P8090004.JPG)
Next up was a visit to the National Trust managed property of Upton House - once a playhouse for millionaires at the invitation of the Lord Bearsted Family - the same Bearsted that founded what is now the Royal Dutch Shell Company.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz8_Qas2tAvuBXrn_FD3y4SnTlXvYAs-b6ca-ra3WYKG0PrsH44-_4t09Ir9nLczd4KXiDeom_lV5qBYuxZvUz-_2UBQ9wxWCHodxUCw77AhN5IJX1VmYweRmshyphenhyphenWb_vXrjfeIENGzsRzE/s400/P8090018.JPG)
The gardens are splendid and extensive ... the ground staff needed to run the house was 30 + people.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgb-MRUD_a7zoFItyZKM-gedRWOen-01QszhNT_-VMfyzDZcmShVK02j1qbYBabia4T98zKW-QwC8OJBV7Zw9fqVtfZSdQAdNeL534GOoejQwvdJIUNmEDVU540PNyRjHc0N-bn1XhJdP5/s400/P8090019.JPG)
And which 'regal' country home could be complete without a driveway to match .. though this one is currently closed to general traffic.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmugXbvTIQtaJo40FQZqoBKj67g7Uqjy8_WS6jKyqkGr43_zjU7o7z85lQjx1W-PWp_9L7OD9lV9eZafczp5DB33fFfS0DUieUt69QJ2Flf3knnYH0T8LRfons5osdSmVQotlcEGNo7F9j/s400/P8090055.JPG)
Inside the house are preserved the rooms and antiques of a grand and rich family of the mid 1930s.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVEh2c6Y1XPc-lFcHn7ZjxZjL5dAYWyCwjyBAB1Vn3j4oGX1j8YZnGyHrdn4ZD8TQvMYw6hnAPov0olIy_AwXqxWzOioH59fzTunErr9rgZKGBfxhSFPSor8eP4wh6k2AMeHVTTpJi3nfi/s400/P8090062.JPG)
For those who don't know, this is the famous 'Aga' stove ... a behemoth of culinary production. My mother has a smaller version called a Rayburn in her kitchen ...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipUlH9EHz9Lqg6S2IYuiAc9WQTNKDjEq2LQ4FeoSNrj_lHE-zh14YTF4qEHTQn5nS2ZY5IZfUdpdlFveKBCpm6dspLvX5Eq56z0AtaQByDoBn03hiQmDqnLl13HksF9YVX5il9L8zRdila/s400/P8090064.JPG)
... though her kitchen is not quite as spacious and neatly preserved as at Upton House.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDOzNmrm1TTJoMqxilkswo0PGW90XP4yrLoEerT0sE6tK7l-rRH6rQ_KqWwIh-1adj1Shr-oRv2mwuegyK3ohWVq8cai7OYVAPzXW-jOLpwFEz2G6EBEiJfn0chWkp6MSMMUGanN7JHQCC/s400/P8090065.JPG)
I would love a kitchen table like this to make bread, pastry etc
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4hzkXjkKRz9QR8Q8rFLs0E_0yNGlFLo2OkO4B3yrr7uJGOD9e4wXBkOmTTvTq8Cy77apN9rlG76hUNgAgQ95LR0lbmQoU1_vwXCzKwzs-13eusUiMxxw6CCFK0hKbat-zo1kum8cLH2m/s400/P8090056.JPG)
One of the many very luxurious rooms at the house.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIit_rDlZHoRVWqnJH8VGucy3LAQVFZXS-YEECpbUQsvjq9SaycYAWW4dqEeJarbSD2xO4pXR2nyjFUXD5zZT-JZfzdWDJkg9Wac8i79uROr-r3j38mWssP3BMqOrv_CoiUHDRIu4LaBcT/s400/P8060161.JPG)
Finally, this is the view from hills looking over the small valley in which my home village lies. It has been very refreshing to get a change of scenery and climate. The fields go on forever ...
Daily Links:- China picking fights with Indonesia? The only question that needs a clear answer now is whether China is being expansionist and aggressive or defending its sovereign interests. I tend to more perceive the former. Emerson Chang adds nuance ...
- An interesting take on the 'DPP split' in Kaohsiung.
- KMT rolls out model Chinese students to show that the policy to open up to more students will be a good thing.
- It's true. I cry when I hear the names Chiang Ching-kuo and Sun Yet-sen. Just not for the same reasons as Ma.
- Ma may be crying because the reality of his ratings and his party's support is much worse than many realise ... (I'm not getting too excited by this though)
- This posting caused quite a stir. Is 'Tainan Tim' a troll or pendant or something else altogether?