Giants of Steam

On the last day of half term we went to the Bluebell Railway.

We used to go to steam railways all the time when Daddy Bear was alive because he was an enthusiast but we hadn't been to one for years.

Then someone told us an engine Daddy Bear part-owned was taking part in the Bluebell's Giants of Steam weekend so we had to go along.

The 8F was still being restored when he died so we had never seen it in steam or had a chance to ride behind it either.














As you can see it's a very large, freight, engine.














This is us riding in one of the carriages being pulled by it.  We travelled third class.  Passengers with first and second class tickets had different, slightly posher, carriages.

This is a map showing the rail network covered by the South Eastern and Chatham Railway who made this carriage.

Underneath is a dial for controlling the carriage temperature.



















And here's me with the programme for the day

And with Morris and another of our buddies, Stewie.

We had a great day.

Barnaby

Winchester City Mill - Part Two

There's a lot to see at Winchester City Mill.

On the floor above the Mill Race you can learn about "The Story of Bread".  It shows you all the different stages.

First you have to plant the wheat and wait for it to grow.

Then you harvest and thresh it ready to be milled.

And only then, when it's been turned into flour, can you make the bread.

Did you know that much work went into making your morning slice of toast or your lunchtime sandwiches? I didn't.

Barnaby

Winchester City Mill - Part One

After we’d looked at the statue of King Alfred we went to visit Winchester City Mill, which is looked after by the National Trust (just like Hinton Ampner where we went the day before).

For most of the 20^th century it wasn’t a working mill – it was even used as a Youth Hostel – but when the National Trust took it over in the 1980s they began restoring it and now you can buy flour that’s been milled here in the attached shop.

This diagram explains how the flow of the river is used to turn the water wheel which then powers the milling stones.

   

As you can see from this picture the wheel turns very quickly. That's why it's called a Mill Race.

I was a bit worried I would get wet.  As you can see I'm only a few inches above the water.

Barnaby

Half-term Holiday - Day Three

Did you know Winchester was once the capital of England?

Before that it was the capital of King Alfred, King of Wessex, who famously burnt the cakes and united the English tribes against the Danes.

There’s a big statue of King Alfred on Winchester’s main street.  

Here are Morris and I with the plaque telling people more about him.

Barnaby

Half-term Holiday Day Two

On our second day we went to Hinton Ampner, an amazing house which was restored to its original Georgian splendour in the early twentieth century.

It then had to be restored again after a fire in 1960 and in 2014 part of the roof blew off in a storm so the National Trust is still working to put some of the bedrooms back the way they should be.  It was interesting to see the different stages as well as the rooms which are complete.

We had lunch in the onsite café and then explored the gardens.  

It’s unusual to see a scarecrow sitting down and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a scarecrow shaped like a dog before.  Isn’t this clever?

Barnaby

We're in Winchester

After we'd been to Winchester Cathedral we visited the Great Hall, which is virtually all that is left of Winchester Castle.

This amazing building has seen lots of important historic events, and was in use as a court room as recently as the 1970s, but is best known as the home of the Round Table.

We now know this isn't the original Round Table from the Arthurian legend but it's still very old.






There are more modern works of art too: a big statue celebrating Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee and a smaller, but very good, engraving of our present Queen celebrating her Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

 

Alongside is Queen Eleanor's beautiful Garden 

 

And here I am exploring the only other part of Winchester Castle which survives:

Barnaby

Half term holiday

I might not have had a summer holiday this year but I have had an autumn break.  It’s half term and my buddy Morris and I have been exploring Winchester.

Here I am by the memorial to St Swithun, who is the patron saint of Winchester Cathedral. 

You may have heard the legend that if it rains on the day St Swithun was buried (15 July) it will rain continuously for 40 days afterwards (see the verse on the memorial)

Fortunately we weren’t visiting in July and it was a dry but cold day, as you can see from this picture of me beside an old-fashioned drinking fountain in one of the city gates.

St Swithuns is also the name of a local school which we drove past on the way to the city centre from our hotel. 

Barnaby

More good news for Chocolate Week

Scientists have decided that eating chocolate regularly can make you cleverer. 

Another good reason to continue with my regime of eating chocolate every day even when it’s not #ChocolateWeek.

This is today's choice: 

Barnaby

Actually I’d like to have five different kinds of chocolate a day but my mummy won’t let me even though I’ve told her a teddy bear’s digestion system works differently.