New York September 2019

New York, New York.

In September I travelled to New York on the tailwinds of Hurricane Dorian to meet up with Kate and Kean. My flight was just longer than usual, having to travel around the active area through Canada. They though were bashed and battered by having to fly up through the heartland of America. But we all got there safely and it was lovely to see them.

The first lesson I took from this trip - Seriously? Get a cab! We arrived quite late and thought 'no problem, we'll get a train/metro, whatever.'  No problem? Well, yes. It was a problem. When you're tired, 6 hours ahead of your timezone, have never been here before, don't know where you're going, have ridiculous amounts of luggage, get off at the wrong station, have to walk for what felt like miles, contend with the locals who must have thought we looked like easy pickings, but hey, we're from SA, give us a try. Just spend the bucks and get a cab. It took us about 3 hours (could have been 4) to finally arrive at our airbnb in Brooklyn - didn't stop these two from showing their appreciation.

A new day! Into Manhattan we went. 

The skyscrapers here are just amazing. I spent the next week with my head thrown back and my mouth hanging open. You'll see - lots of pics.

We decided on the Staten Island Ferry rather than actually going to Ellis Island. It's a free trip for one thing and K&K only had 3 days in NY so it was a toss up of everything they wanted to see.  It's fabulous though. I'd definitely recommend it.

Dairy Queen! Worth the trip.

Great view of Brooklyn Bridge.

Battery Park

A memorial to the American servicemen who lost their lives in the Atlantic Ocean during WWII.

The Immigrants - by Luis Anguino. A bronze and granite sculputure. Ironic in Donald Trump's America.

One World Trade Centre. The tallest building in America, it stands on the northwest corner of the 16 acre site. In two days it would be the anniversery of the attack on the towers. A poignant time to be in New York. It was on our minds a lot, imagining what it must have been like 18 years ago. New Yorkers are also amazing. Everyone has a story and they share it with you with the slightest encouragement.

The Great Spherical Caryatid (Fritz Koenig 1971) once stood on the plaza of the World Trade Centre. After the attack the battered artwork was recovered from the rubble of the Twin Towers and now sits on the the New Elevated Liberty Park near the St Nicholas National shrine and Americas Response monument overlooking the 911 Memorial and Freedom Tower.

There has apparently been some controversy about the placement of this Sphere, but to me this is a real link to the events of that day. Things don't have to be bright and shiny and untouched, to be perfect.

With sober reflections, it was time to head back to Brooklyn and try to catch up with the jet lag.

Petworth August 2019

Early in August we took a drive to Petworth - only 26 miles from home. Best to get there early as National Trust parking areas fill up fast. As you can see, if you like to get out and about it's really worth your while joining the NT - along with entry to the area also comes free parking, clean toilets and really good cake. Just one visit a month to a place like Petworth (there are hundreds of places around the UK) and you've got value for money.

On the long walk up from the car park the Doric Temple comes into view. Built in 1744 it was moved by Capability Brown to its present location around 1752.  His real name was Lancelot but his nickname came by his habit of presenting clients with the idea that their gardens had the 'capability for improvement'. He was born to working class parents in the early 1700's. The gardens that he designed and built back in the 1700's endure till today and are distinctly recognisable - no formal lines and patterns, just enhanced natural features. He came in for heavy criticism for these ideals, but here we are 300 years later, still admiring his work.

The Shepherd's hut was probably not in the original plan though. For those with a garden larger than a postage stamp, they're very popular today.

 

Main entrance to the house is through the courtyard alongside the servant's quarters.

 And some enviable espalier ...

Our tour started in the servant's quarters, still in authentic condition.

 In one of the rooms was an exhibition of Peter Thuring's photographs of the wood carvings by Grinling Gibbons. The original carvings are in the Carved Room. The photographs are black and white to show the carvings as they would have been carved back in the 1690s. Age has darkened them from their original light cream, but the b&w photographs eliminate the discolouration of the wood.

At last, into the main house, through the back entrance.

Built in 1682 when heiress Elizabeth Percy, daughter to the 11th Earl of Northumberland, married Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset.

The upstairs part of the house is only accessible with a private tour as Petworth is still the private home of Lord and Lady Egremont, but as we had a Maya in a pushchair (buggy in English parlance), it was downstairs for us.

There's an impressive collection of sculptures and paintings in the North Gallery.

I'm a bit of a geography nut and maps and globes really do it for me, so this Emery Molyneux globe (d.1598.9) was a highlight. Thought to be the earliest English made terrestrial globe still in existence, it has coloured lines which show voyages made by Francis Drake and others.

The series of allegorical murals on the ceilings and walls of the Grand Staircase were painted by Louis Laguerre around 1714. 300 years on, they are still magnificent.

Time for lunch and a bit of dog stalking. Always good doggos to be seen in NT parks

Meet Maya - 8 months old at this stage

On this day, there was a film shoot in the grounds of the house, so this was the best shot I was able to get.

That was a good day out.