Time Team- An Archaeological Gem loses a member and comes to an end!

Time Team is one of my favourite British shows ever. Described by Channel 4 as "Tony Robinson and a team of experts travel the country to investigate a wide range of archaeological sites of historical importance", this is the kind of reality show I really love. Not a lecture but a real archaeological experience.

Even if you think you have no interest in archaeology, you will love seeing the kind of things which can be dug up in the fields and backyards of England by this quirky group of Brits.

Tony Robinson is the host, and you may know him as I did from the Blackadder series. Baldrick he is not in this show, but he is a friendly interpreter of the science behind each episode's 3 day long dig.

Mick Aston, who sadly just died a few weeks ago, was partly responsible for the creation of Time Team after telling series producer Tim Taylor that it would be possible to evaluate a site in only 3 days. He loved all things medieval and monastic and was passionate about communicating archaeology to the public. We will miss this sweet man with his colourful sweaters and his flyaway hair, but most of all his down to earth demeanor and love of digging in the dirt!

Phil Harding, with his pirate like West Country accent (Arrr mateys) and his Indiana Jones hat adds a bit of spice to every show. He can be cantankerous, especially if Tony is giving him a hard time about his current trench and it's lack of artifacts, but he is always up for a laugh. He loves to do recreations of the history of the site being dug, especially if it involves his fave era, prehistory.

Helen Geake is always a ray of sunshine with her rosy cheeks and her lovely smile. She is an expert on Anglo Saxons and small finds and she loves to sift through historical records to find documents relevant to the dig.

John Gater is the geophys expert on Time Team. "What is geophys?" I hear you ask. The geophysics team has to survey the site before any digging begins to see where potential walls or buildings might be found. And he often gets flak from Tony about leading them on a merry chase, however most times the geophys is impressively accurate!

As the Time Team "Landscape Investigator", Stewart Ainsworth looks at aerial photos and generally marches around a site to see if any clues about the area can be found by just merely "looking". He is a quiet, gentle soul who often brings a lot of information about the dig from his observations.

So if you find it interesting that people in Britain can dig up Roman coins and medieval pottery in their own backyard, you may want to check this out.
In Canada you can find episodes on the TVO website http://ww3.tvo.org/program/166030/time-team (I loooove TVO, our public broadcaster) and in the UK they are on the BBC4 website http://www.channel4.com/programmes/time-team.

The rest of you will have to catch episodes on YouTube. Here is a great place to start, 20 years of Time Team: http://youtu.be/1FP9TAErBFw

Cambridge University Weekend Courses! Who wants to go?

Madingley Hall, University of Cambridge

Who knew that anyone could go to a weekend course at the University of Cambridge (yes, the one in England) and stay in a 16th century country house? Anyone at all. All year round. Let the daydreams begin!

Madingley Hall with gardens by Capability Brown

How does this sound?
Accommodation- With pleasant views over the woods, gardens and courtyard, the bedrooms are warm, welcoming and comfortably furnished.
Food and Drink- Our award winning chefs provide fresh, locally-sourced food of a quality that’s second to none, served in our elegant dining hall.
Gardens- Visitors are encouraged to explore our gardens, designed by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown in 1756.

Stuart Room at Madingley Hall

Some of the courses that caught my eye were:

Thomas Hardy: poetic realist?
Survival and revival: the country house in the 20th century 
Victorian myth and medievalism: the later Pre-Raphaelites 
Tracing the origins of the British using genetics, linguistics and chroniclers 
In and out the workhouse: Victorian and Edwardian poverty issues 
Pride and Prejudice Part Deux: adapting and rewriting the classics 
Comedy on the 18th Century English stage 
The Sherlock Holmes phenomenon 

But there are so many more! Philosophy, Shakespeare, Languages, Ancient Civilizations, Classical music, History, Geology...I'll bet you will find something to appeal to your tastes.

Dining Hall at Madingley Hall

OK, it's not free. First you have to get yourself to England. Then there is the £350.00 fee but that includes tuition, two nights of accommodation and all meals from Friday night to Sunday lunch. Not bad when you consider that one night in a good London Hotel could set you back that amount. By the way, Madingley Hall is not right on the campus of Cambridge, but it is only about 4 miles away.

There is also a Literature Summer School at Cambridge where you can study 4 courses over a two week period. Personally, I kind of like the sound of the weekend courses. Combined with at least a 2 week trip around England of course! Well, at least I know what I am working towards now. Perhaps I should set aside a little cash each week for a "Cambridge Fund". Yes, I like the sound of that.

Pride and Prejudice Location- My afternoon at Pemberley

OK, now that I have got your attention with the breathtaking view of Pemberley (AKA Lyme Park, Cheshire), I will take you there.  It was last summer and we had just driven down from the Lakes District and through busy Manchester (yes the same city where Beckham used to play for Manchester United) and found our way to Disley, Cheshire, just on the east side of England's seventh largest city.
At the gate, they gave us a CD to pop into the player in the car which gave an audio tour of the park, with music from P&P, as we drove in.  Very nice touch and I am sick to think that we left it in the rental car!!!
After a torrential downpour (unusual for England-usually a drizzle) during which we had lunch and browsed the gift shop, the sky finally cleared.  It was a Wednesday, and the interior of the house was not open, but I really just wanted to see the grounds and all the outdoor locations of the beloved miniseries as they used a different house for the interiors (I'll blog about that one another day).
The first view you get is not the one above, which is the back of the house, but this:

"I hope you are not displeased with Pemberley."

Excitement building? It was for me.  This drive, of course, is where the Gardiner's carriage was parked when Lizzy was trying to hurry them away.  Maybe this next shot will help to visualize.

Did your heart just skip a beat?  Notice that the sun came out just as we approached the courtyard and peeked through the arch.  Then we walked through and...

I swear I could actually see Mr. Darcy running down those steps in those boots (oh those boots) and buttoning his jacket.  I couldn't believe I was actually there.  Then we walked through to the rear of the building and my husband (The Squire as I affectionately call him) got the beautiful sunny shot which I use for my main blog photo.

"I confess I had no idea Pemberley was such a great estate."

 We had to hurry now, as all the rain delay meant that we were nearing closing time.  We saw the sunken gardens which are just to the left of the walk in the view above.

And then we walked past that glorious rear facade to the stairs...

"Do I ask too much to introduce my sister to you during your stay at Lambton?"

And then at the top of those steps, you turn back for the gorgeous view below.

"We must leave here at once.  Oh I wish we had never come."

We kept walking down this path and around the lake for the shot that everyone remembers as Lizzy's first view of Pemberley.

"I think one would be willing to put up with a good deal to be mistress of Pemberley."

And then the bell rang and we were hurried out of the grounds, back through the courtyard and onto the drive in front of the house again.  So off we drove to the Peaks district and to the next Pemberley (AKA Chatsworth).  But that is a blog for another day...

What would your fantasy week in London include? Please post comments!

I have a friend who is heading to London in two weeks with her best friend.  This is her first time in London and I have made a few suggestions, but I would love input from readers and friends.  She is already planning to see Buckingham Palace, The Tower of London, a show-Billy Elliot, and they are going to go to Jamie Oliver's restaurant Fifteen.

I suggested either the Victoria and Albert Museum above, which looks so cool (or the British Museum or Museum of London), and possibly either the National Gallery or the Portrait Gallery-(but maybe only briefly to get a taste).

I think hopping on the train at Waterloo Station and going to Hampton Court Palace is definitely worth the time.  And a trip down the Thames to Greenwich on one of the tour boats is a great way to spend an afternoon if they have the time.

And because she and her friend are way thinner and cooler than I am, I suggested a shopping trip to Stella McCartney's store on Bruton St. in Mayfair which is just north of Berkeley Square and then continue shopping up New Bond St. and via Grosvener Square to Oxford Street.  If they hit a Monsoon store, a French Connection and a Top Shop, with a stop at Selfridges and Debenham's on Oxford street, that would be fun.  She already has Harrod's on her list, so she may also want to stop in at Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge.  She is a big shopper (see the cool/thin comment), so this number of stores may actually be possible for her especially if she skips some of the museums.

Anyhow, if you have any other suggestions please post below and I will pass them on.  I might also suggest that hitting a pub in the Shepherd Market would be great, as would tea or a drink at The Ritz (photo above).  A stroll down Piccadilly after said tea or drink at the Ritz, with a poke into the Burlington Arcade, Fortnum & Mason's and then possibly Hatchard's, -see below-(the oldest bookshop in London) would round things out nicely.

OK, if she sees even a fraction of those things, she won't have time to sleep, but it's always better to have a long list and see which ones fit into your plans.  You never know where you might find yourself.

Well, you can tell what I will be dreaming about tonight. Yes, actually fitting into a Stella McCartney creation.  Oh, well...a girl can dream can't she?  The rest of the trip is a real possibility!

I wanna go to....Saltram House-Location for Sense and Sensibility 1995

OK, doesn't this make you want to go to Devon and drink up some of that gorgeous scenery and remember Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant being all adorable and witty?  If you don't recognize Saltram House from the photo above, perhaps the one below will help...

 "Has she shown you her tree-house?".....  "Not yet.  Would you do me the honour Miss Dashwood?  It is very fine out."  ...."With pleasure."

"A country living is my ideal - a small parish where I might do some good, keep chickens and give very short sermons."

"Piracy is our only option."........"What is swabbing exactly?"

I think I could spend at least a day between the gorgeous grounds where those wild woolly sheep were running all over (and apparently had to be shorn halfway through filming as they were so heavy they were tipping over) and that amazing stately house.  I would love to see the library ("These are mostly foreign...") and see the window where Emma Thompson (as Elinor) watched the sword fight between Hugh Grant (as Edward) and the adorable Emilie Francois (as Margaret).  "Oooooff!"

Yes, I think that would be a lovely day, even if I didn't get to climb up to the tree-house.  My sister and I plan to go there someday and drink it all in.  Care to join us?

Emma location-Squerryes Court

Rarely have I ever drooled so much over a location as I have for the location chosen for Emma's home of Hartfield in the 2009 BBC version of Jane Austen's Emma.
Not only the actual house and gardens of Squerryes Court, which are exquisite, but also the way the house was "dressed" by the set designers and the way the intimate photography and direction brought the viewer through the house as if you were right there with Emma and Mr. Knightley as they were verbally sparring with each other.

If ever I find myself again in Kent, I will go out of my way to see the house.  It is open Wed, Sun and Bank Holiday Mondays and only 7 pounds sterling for both the house and garden!  I certainly could understand how Emma would not be in a big hurry to leave that house to get married, especially to a worm like Mr. Elton.

But to Jonny Lee Miller's Mr. Knightley, well, that is a different matter.  I mean, even the perfection of Squerryes Court cannot compare to his Mr. Knightley!


 
This is my idea of the perfect country manor house. And to all of the lucky brides who get married or have their receptions there every year, I am green with envy.  And to anyone who got to see the Emma Exhibition this year at Squerryes Court which included some of the dresses from the above production-you are very lucky!!!

 

Anyone want to join me in a house and garden tour?  Even though the costumes are gone, I could spend at least an afternoon poking around Emma's home in the country.  You too?