Easter Egg Hunt – 24 February 2012

In this Diamond Jubilee year, London has an Easter egg hunt, the aim of which is to break the Guiness World record for the most people participating in an Easter egg hunt.

We helped boost the numbers today, by having a go ourselves. Each egg is 2.5 ft high, and hidden in plain sight in various areas in London. Each egg found gives a chance to win the competition for a Faberge Diamond Jubilee Egg.

We started in The City, where eggs were lurking around the Royal Exchange, in front of the Gherkin and many other spots.

A side trip across the Thames to Southwick Cathedral, took us to see their Easter installation of the 'Die Harder' sculpture. Made with coat hangers, it is a crucifixion sculpture with a difference.

After lunch, we spent the afternoon hunting for eggs in the Docklands area. This is one of our favorite modern parts of London, and here the eggs were hidden in various squares, as well as in the shopping centres.

Butterfly House – 19 February 2012

Wisley RHS Gardens had a special winter feature, butterflies in the glasshouse. Along with half the membership, we decided to enjoy the sunny, but cold, day there.

The gardens still had a winter look, but were still pleasant to walk around. A pub lunch nearby was a pleasant chance to continue enjoying the sunshine.

A Sparkling Walk – 11 February 2012

Despite another few centimetres of snow on Thursday night, the snow was nearly gone on the Chorleywood Common by Saturday, so we caught the train two stops further west into the Chilterns to Chesham. Here the snow was still deep in the countryside around the town.

The local council promote walking in the countryside, by making a free selection of colourful walks available at the local library. We choose a selection of appealing walks, and decided to do a 7 mile walk through the fields in a circle around the town.

This would have been pleasant, but unexciting on a normal day, but today with the fresh snow thickly covering everything, it was just magical. There was not only snow glistening with ice crystals, but long hoar frost needles were developing on fences, post tops, plants etc, and in the bright sunshine, it looked like all the diamonds in Antwerp were scattered everywhere.

Small numbers of children were out in isolated fields, having an exhilarating time whizzing down steep icy slopes. We took our walking poles and sun-glasses, both were essential.

About three-quarters of the way round we passed the Hen & Chicken pub. By this stage we were rather hungry, and glad of a rest too. The pub is a really old and one of the most appealing interiors we have seen recently. A large fireplace (originally the kitchen cookplace I suspect) had a warming fire and either side of the fire were chimney seats, tucked inside the chimney in typical inglenook fashion.

The bar area was tiled, so no need to take our boots off. They may have been wet, but after walking miles through the snow, were the cleanest they have been for a long time! The restaurant area was quaint, with old timbers and another fire. A very welcoming sight on a cold day.

Suitably refreshed we completed the circuit to the centre of Chesham and returned to real-life by filling our backpacks at the supermarket before training home.

Out enjoying the snow – 5 February 2012

The snow started right on cue, at 5pm Saturday, and continued through the night, so that when we got up Sunday morning, the world was transformed with a 10cm blanket of white.

It was amazingly mild, and we actually ended up too warm in our multiple layers of clothing. We enjoyed the vast white clean expanse of the common in the early morning, as we circled around the common to the church. This looked just like the popular Christmas cards we saw in our childhoods.

By the time we had enjoyed a coffee in the township, families were out in force, and the colourful scene reminded us of a Bruegel painting. The snow was so fresh, that it was easy to make a huge snowball – a first for us.

A hot mulled wine at the pub at the top end of town, gave us the energy to explore the snowy walking tracks on the western edge of Chorleywood. It was the ideal day for the snow, everyone was able to enjoy it while fresh and picturesque, leaving the remnants behind on Monday, as we made our way to work

Waiting for the big freeze – 4 February 2012

The TV news has been doing their best to make everyone aware that a big snow fall was due to move down the country on Saturday night. Meantime, Saturday was fine, frosty and rather pleasant. We wanted to sample the food at Chenies' Bedford Arms hotel for lunch, so found a suitable walk on the Web, that would get us there by lunchtime.

Walking from our own front door is the most appealing exercise we know of, and by the time we made it to Chenies, we felt totally justified in enjoying their amazing triple fried doorstep sized chips with our ploughman's lunch.

Beginning and End – 29 January 2012

After spending the western New Year in China, we decided to go Trafalgar Square, to see the Chinese celebration of New Year in the West, especially as we discovered that one of us was born in the 'Year of the Dragon', which comes around once again this year.

The parade was disappointing, although colourful, but this year at least, the police bus was decorated appropriately!

We also planned to visit the Death Festival at the nearby Southbank Centre. Part of this was 'Boxed', an exhibition of coffins from UK and Ghana. These two companies make unusual custom-made coffins, often at the request of people for their own eventual death. Not on the same scale as fabulous tombs and mausoleums we have previously seen in the UK and Europe, but modern, novel final resting places nevertheless.

It was impossible to come to this part of London, without spending some time at the National Gallery. The amazing wealth of art there, is always an inspiration.

Coaching Inn to Chateau – 28 January 2012

Today we stepped back into the time of historical novels, and visited the Kings Head in Aylesbury, one of the oldest coaching inns in southern England, which still has its original coaching yard.

It is owned by the National Trust, and they have a history room in the stables, which dates the history of the inn. It started life in the 15th century, and has housed many notables in its history including Cromwell; Judge Jeffries; Anne Boelyn & Henry who VIII visited on their honeymoon; and in more recent times, Richard Burton.

We visited for lunch, and very much enjoyed the food and the ambience. We could almost hear the horses hooves on the cobbled courtyard, and hear the grooms etc. It really is a wonderful piece of history.

Not far from here is Waddesdon Manor, a very different slice of history. The Kings Head was once a hotel owned by the Rothschilds, but Waddesdon was the country home of Baron Rothschild, built in the style of a French chateau. We went to see their winter garden, but it was more interesting to admire the house in the winter sunshine.