All these photos are what I've taken while out and bout in the last 2 weeks.... all on my phone , none on my Camera Starting on the 14th of September we visited 2 separate village pubs, the first where we went for lunch al fresco which is a remote village pub deep in the countryside which sells real ale , good home-made food and good conversation, and not much else, with just horses and ponies as neighbours ..... and the second in a dormitory different village where we went for coffee after an afternoon of shopping at the garden centre and the Mall!! ..and a pic of a motorbike and side car outside the village pub. I haven't seen one of these in years.....
..after a hard afternoon's shopping we headed to a different village pub for coffee and a read of the papers. ...A larger village closer to London... ...and the beautiful purple Hebe Grethe plants which I got at the garden centre.. (which was planted a few days later)
The garden centre is really lovely, it sells all the usual things from machinery to bulbs, and double glazing to lawnmowers.. it's also got a hairdressers, and a big very popular cafeteria.. , and even this little soft furnishings shop.. which I love..
On Saturday just gone.. we went to the nearby small medieval cathedral city...St Albans It's within a short drive of where we live so we've visited many times over the years and often go there shopping.. We called in at the oldest pub in England first , which sits next to the lake at the bottom of Verulam park in the Cathedral grounds. It's the oldest pub in England..and in the Guinness book of records! It's pretty much in the same condition as when it was first built, still tiny inside with beams and rafters and very old fashioned, but the tourists especially love it !!
The lake next to the pub which sits in parkland adjoining the Cathedral is very popular in the summer, even tho' unlike other lakes in the area there's no boating...
Several of inside the Cathedral... which we've visited many times over the years..This was an Abbey previous to becoming a Cathedral in the 16th and dates back to the 8th century, the present cathedral (Abbey) having been built in the early 11th century and is probably England's longest continuing practising church with a congregation. It differs in that respect from other Cathedrals in the UK
This is one of the huge original Medieval wooden doors from the west side of the cathedral , and was made around 1400 AD ...
...and a little stroll through a small part the street market... which runs the full length of the main highway of the Medieval city...
All very lovely indeed. "...and enjoy this....with one of our splendid wines..." Looks like you didn't have one and what I see here looks like beer (ale or bitter?). Weren't you saying you are a teetoteler... or was it your husband's?
I am tee-total..that was my husbands beer. he used to drink wine but lately he's become allergic., much to his disgust!!