Shannon's Blog

It was on Sunday, 14 June 2009, the Blackwater Country Show in Essex was held not too far away from where I live. It was a warm, sunny early summer's day; my husband and I were eager to go out to get some fresh air. So it was the perfect event for us to enjoy the weekend. When we drove there, there were already thousands of people enjoying the show. The fair is an annual charitable event to raise money to support Essex Air Ambulance and therefore the cost of the tickets and a percentage of anything bought within the event is then contributed to our local Air Ambulance service. There were 26 events and shows as well as many stands of local people who were selling home made stuff. There is a big lake within the venue and people were enjoying some sailing and taking steam boat trips . There was a stall selling roast hog in a bun, sheepdog display, Newfoundland dog demo, Olde English Battle re-enactment, Falconry Demonstrations, Clydesdales horses and much more. The sheepdogs w...

After visiting Hever Castle, we decided to visit Surrey, one of the wealthiest regions in the UK. Hampton Court Palace is located within M25 in Surrey next to the River Thames to the south west of London. I googled and found out that Hampton Court Palace is a good place to visit; The English King Henry VIII (1491- 1547)was crowned there and it was his residential Palace where his six wives lived 500 years ago. So why not continue our journey to find out a little bit more about the history of this controversial king... The Palace architecture looks magnificent and impressive from the outside with classic design and you can see that even the chimneys were uniquely carved. The Palace is surrounded by several very well maintained gardens, both large and small and each with its own characteristics and purposes. There are fountains, ponds, flowers, trees, lawns and even the river Thames flows around the Palace. There is also a maze that claims to be the most famous in Europe, children a...

It was a bank holiday weekend in the UK and the weather was beautiful and sunny. My husband and I decided to visit Tonbridge Castle in Kent as we couldn't bear to waste such a marvellous day staying inside. Kent is called the Garden of England and as we were admiring the beautiful country scenery while we were driving we could understand how it got this title. When we drove to a roundabout in Kent just off the M25, our satellite navigation system started to act up and we got lost. We drove around the same area again and again at least three times and then we suddenly found a sign pointing the direction to Hever Castle. We decided to give up on our original plan and visit Hever Castle instead. It was almost 4 o'clock in the afternoon, but there was still a big queue of people to get into the castle, it seems the castle is very popular and it was open till 6pm. The castle is set in beautiful and spectacular surroundings and has many gardens, fountains and beautiful water ...