Leaving Lilliput!

 Hello!

Well it's Sunday and we are leaving Brian on tomorrow!  

We haven't been overly busy since my last post.  When I last left you, Brenda was prepping for Yasmin's visit!  We had a wonderful visit and a great pasta dish for supper!  

We had two more outings; a visit to Blenheim Palace and a visit to a hair salon in Witney!


Blenheim Palace was fantastic!  We went on Monday and the weather was perfect for our visit there.  Blenheim is the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill (and the Churchill family home).  The magnificence and grandeur of this castle rivals that of any here in the UK (my personal opinion)!  It was completed in 1720 by the 1st Duke of Marlborough, John Churchill.  John Churchill, like his descendant Winston, was a war hero, which ultimately led to his becoming the Duke of Marlborough as a reward for his military accomplishments.  The palace is named after a key battle near Blenheim in Bavaria that John Churchill was the supreme allied commander for. 


 

When you purchase your entry ticket to the palace & grounds you can opt to, for a small fee, have a year round pass.  After our visit I can see why they offer this!  There is no way you can see everything in one day!  During our visit we only skimmed the surface of what there is to see!  You could spend days just exploring the grounds!  A couple of areas were highlights for us on this visit; the library and the kitchens below!






Grand Hall today!
Grand Hall w/o scafolds!


Unfortunately, the grand hall entrance was undergoing restoration and as such was closed off to the public.  




If you are ever in the UK near Oxford, put Blenheim Palace on your list of must sees!



Our outing to the hair salon was deemed a non-negotiable event!  My darling bride said she could not put off getting a cut any longer!  The salon chosen was Luke Anderson Hairdressing located on High Street in Witney.  We had walked by it on a previous visit to Witney and Munchie had walked in to check it out.  She was very happy with her interaction with the front end staff then, they were very helpful and happy to answer her questions.  She said she left with a good feeling about the place.  So, Brenda's EA (me!), booked her an appointment online.  We hopped the 19 bus and zipped into Witney. 


Brenda's stylist was Iain, and she was very happy with his work!  She said he not only provided a spot on haircut, but also a great conversation!  Iain, if you read this, you get a big thumbs up from Brenda, and when it comes to her hair, that means a lot!  You also get a thumbs up from me, for when my darling bride is happy, I'm happy!









On one of walks we found some small wild plums growing along the path.  We eventually picked some and Munchie got busy and made a coffee cake!  These little plums were a tad tart for me right off the tree, but made a pretty good filling for the cake!






On Saturday we went for a walk and as we approached the St. Giles Church, the church bells began to peal!  We assumed it must be announcing a blessed union had just happened!  When we got to the church, the bride and groom were just emerging from the building!  It was a perfect day for them with the sun shining and a gentle breeze!  The video is more to record the church bells than filming complete strangers, although seeing a happy couple starting on their journey as an official couple isn't a bad thing!



On this same walk, just after the church there is a field that has a flock of sheep.  On this day there were 3 of the sheep up at the gate beside the road.  I walked over to see if I could get close to them.  They weren't having it and bolted long before I got close.  Brenda had predicted this would happen and came out with this "Brenda-ism"... "What, you gotta sheep brain? Peewee!"  I have a long list of her "isms" and this one is now on that list!  I believe she was suggesting my brain is smaller than a sheep's brain and Peewee describes the size? Hmmm..🤔


Our stay here in Standlake has been awesome!  We love the area and the people here are very friendly.  We've had a number of wonderful talks with people we have met during our walks.  Our bus rides are like taking a tour bus through the countryside and we have enjoyed this as well!  

My next post will be from Dolly the dachshund's house in Henley-On-Thames!  Please check the blog for updates next week!

Cheers to all! 



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