With Jane and the Wiregrass Hittys
The antechamber of the State Rooms at Warwick
Castle, just outside the Chapel and looking through to the old Norman
Keep. The town gate of the castle itself was a five-minute walk from our
cottage and the walls surrounding the property were just around the corner
from us. You can find pictures of this great medieval treasure at: http://www.warwick-castle.co.uk/warwick2004/tc_explore_castle.htm The day was everything we had wanted: a wee gloomy and blustery - the perfect day to visit the castle. |
Dear Friends and Hittys, What a welcome to Great Britain! The Wiregrass Hittys, plus Agatha Deerstalker and myself arrived early in the morning in London, taxied to our bed and breakfast and from there took the air in Hyde Park. Imagine our surprise when the local constabulary asked us politely to re-route our stroll! Whatever for, I wondered? The nice young gentleman explained that it would be to the benefit of our person's ears if they would take themselves a bit further away, for today was the day of the Gun Salute to celebrate Her Majesty's accession to the throne of England.
The smartly uniformed soldiers marched onto the field - a pretty picture I thought on such sparkling blue day. Then the thunder! The thunder of hooves as the King's Troop of the Royal Horse Artillery appeared at the far end of the Park and advanced swiftly to their positions. In a matter of only a few minutes the artillery had been assembled, the horses and riders away and thus commenced a 41-gun salute.
As you can see from my photo, I was a teensy bit jet-lagged, but Hittys can rise to any occasion and although my persons had a wee trouble juggling myself, the camera, and trying to stop their ears, they did a creditable job marking the occasion. The Horse Artillery drove down again to remove the guns and rode off through the Marble Arch leaving quite the lasting impression.
And the Queen thought it was just for her....but we Hittys know better, don't we? Ever so royally, Hitty Pearl S. Buck -------------
Dear Hittygirls, I felt sure that an invitation from the Palace would arrive that day, but my hostess fixed her eye on me and said, quite firmly, "Enough of your sisters live at my home to satisfy any desire I may feel to hob-nob with Royalty. Please put your coat on and let's get out into the fresh air."
Fresh air, indeed! Frosty, more likely! We picked our way carefully along the snow-covered sidewalks and made to visit Kensington Gardens. Our destination - a statue celebrating the Boy Who Refused to Grow Up. I suppose that resonates with a lot of you who play with dolls.
You can find more information about Kensington Gardens at: http://www.royalparks.gov.uk/parks/kensington_gardens/ Thinking of the happiest things, Hitty Pearl S. Buck
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Hello, Hittygirls! Hitty Nan accompanied Edward and I to the Tower of London one exquisite day. The tour was was hers alone - the rest of the Wiregrass Hittys and their guests remained behind. Nan was most anxious to visit the site where Anne Boleyn spent her last sad days. She considers herself to be a descendant of that unhappy Queen and was named for her - due to her Carve-Father inadvertently giving her six fingers.... Nan, being a stout-hearted girl of the Ozarks, was not the least intimidated by the feathered residents of the Tower, though she kept well away from them. She thought that perhaps she might like the title of "Raven-Master".
I'll put the photos in the March Folder at the Hittygirls Yahoo! site, too. Jane in AL
Good morning, Hittygirls, While touring the Tower of London, Edward and I had an opportunity to chat at length with one the Yeoman Warders about British history and the Royal Regalia. I asked pointedly why one could easily spot the Rose, the Shamrock or Harp and the Scottish Thistle on the robes, the ceremonial swords, etc., but could not find one symbol of Wales. He replied that Wales had been easily absorbed into Britain and, besides, wasn't a "real" country anyway. Well, that thoroughly confused and offended this Reese-Evans....
But, by cheerful happenstance, the following Tuesday, the Wiregrass Hitties found themselves guests of Pipah, Patrick and the Red Dragon Hittys. It was a marvelously misty day and after boarding a train in Warwick, we met Pipah and Patrick at the train station in Bristol. They whisked us off to that "un-real" country for a day in Cardiff, Wales. It really was like going home. Crossing the Severn from England to Wales, the first thing we noticed was that the signs were written in two languages. My Welsh is limited to a few given names and locations, so I had to depend on Pipah for translating things that weren't immediately obvious. We visited the beautiful, busy capital, Cardiff, and toured Castell Caerdydd. The first photo is of the Hittys Delyth and Pearl, in the old Norman Keep looking toward the Castle.
The second is of the Red Dragon Hittys themselves - a very well turned-out group of Hittys in their lovely outfits created by Pipah. Mannerly, too, were the RD Hittys!
From right to left: Jemima May, Delyth and Alys Serenity. The Castle, itself, was a wonder and delight. For a peek at some of the intriguing, humorous and enchanting rooms of the Castell Caerdydd, please visit: http://www.cardiffcastle.com/castle.htm
Our all too brief visit to Cardiff ended with a trip to the Market, where, naturally, we happened upon a fabric stall. (How does this happen???) Both the Red Dragon Hitties and the Wiregrass Hitties purchased a bit of a pretty little check for proper Welsh costumes. The third photo is of a cheery Pipah and myself enjoying the fun of the "find". Number four is of the stall proprietor and Hitty Pearl S. Buck - Hitties just make people smile!
What a lovely adventure with such lovely company - Hitty Pearl was truly blessed to make the acquaintance of Pipah, Patrick and the Red Dragon Hittys, as were Edward and I! Photos will be the Travel Doll album at the Hittygirls Yahoo! site, too. Big hugs, Jane and the Wiregrass Hitties
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