All Things British - Form & Function

Lucky to sneak a break from F&F and tour England with my sisters. We started briefly in London then a couple weeks in Ilfracombe North Devon, hiking and touring the British countryside. We packed it in for two days in London, trying to see things we hadn’t seen before. Sleep deprived but with bellies full of English breakfast, my middle sister and I had hours to kill before checking into our hotel and meeting up with our other sister who arrived later. Here’s my round-up of all things British, starting with a stroll through the parks.

1/Is there anything more British than a horse?

Or, in this case, a horse’s head? Except perhaps another disembodied horse part (I did not go there!).

2/ The Parks

Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens definitely make my top five list (along with Central Park in NYC, and Tuileries and Luxembourg Gardens in Paris). They provide a lovely respite from a bustling city. The Brits LOVE their dogs and dog-walking and lounging in rented deck chairs and beautiful gardens and water front areas.

feed the duckies and geese — Feed the duckies and geese

3/The Brits combine modern and old in great style

This was such a lovely surprise as we were trying to find the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens.

The Pavilion at Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Garden, a temporary climbing art structure with cafe

4/The antique market in Camden

However, I dragged my sister mistakenly to Camden Locks (instead of Camden Passage area). This proved not a bad side trip as a boat passed through the locks while we were there. Overall, Camden Locks seemed very scenic and lively.

Camden Passage area, full of alleyways with antique dealers, did not dissappoint once we finally found it. Loved seeing the ”veddy” British teacups and various tea paraphernalia.

alleyways upon alleyways of antiques — Alleyways upon alleyways of antiques

all things British teacups English antiques — British teacups and such

5/Borough Market

The next day the all things British tour continued in London’s most renowned food market with purveyors of local and international foodstuff, dishware, and other goodies. And, of course, this included visiting a famous cheese monger, as my older sister is a foodie and has obscure knowledge of these things and this storefront, in particular. It was fun to see how the Brits shop and more importantly, what is happening with their “ locavore” scene.

6/Is there anything more quintessentially British than dodging sheep doo-doo whilst hiking pastoral cliffs?

Exhibit A…

do I need to label this picture? — Do I really need to label this picture?

sir, are you responsible for all this mess? — Sir, are you responsible for all this mess?

hello little sheep — Hello little sheep…you sure leave your mark upon this land.

When I say that it’s a landmine out there, I’m not exaggerating. There are animal (sheep, horse, goat) droppings EVERYWHERE. But somehow you overlook this as you gaze at the beautiful scenery and realize that these animals are grass grazing creatures…

wild goats met us up here — Wild goats met us up here.

these fellas snacked in the "tea" rest area as we were departing...looking for our crumbs, I guess — These fellas snacked in the “tea” rest area as we departed, looking for our crumbs, I presume.

he tried to peck me, to no avail — He tried to peck me, to no avail.

this young bull scared the hell out of me, charging full speed to the fence before he stopped — This young bull scared the hell out of me, charging full speed to the fence before he stopped.

These are "retired" horses that are being well taken care of — These “retired” horses live the good life now.

7/The areas where we are hiking are primarily part of the National Trust of Britain.

This great English treasure protects and preserves historic buildings, gardens, and coastlines, to name just a few. There are some fascinating tidbits on the website. Meanwhile enjoy the view…

nice relief from all the coastal, sunny hiking as we darted into a wooded area — Nice relief from all the coastal, sunny hiking as we darted into a wooded area.

can you see the graveyard in the grassy area? — Can you see the graveyard in the grassy area?

See the lighthouse in the distance? We hiked over hills all the way there.

8/Architecture

I love the quaintness of the many houses we’ve passed…

lovely stone house...and believe it or not, 1980s vintage, inspired by older architecture in this area — Lovely stone house, a 1980s vintage, was inspired by older architecture in this area.

Probably had a thatched roof at one time, like some of the houses in the area.

Next installment…more about the architecture with a house tour of an old English Manor that belonged to a certain Miss Chichester whose family owned the land for 500 years.