My 'old' World - Windsor Castle

This week I thought I'd take you back to my old world once more and a place that I worked in for six years - Windsor. So I have raided the many photo's I have taken over the years and here is my mini tour.

As I traveled into work down the M4 most days I would get glimpses of Windsor Castle towering over the town in the distance. Windsor Castle is the largest inhabited castle in the World and an awe inspiring sight even from a distance. I hasten to add this shot was not taken on the move, but from a local hill with a splendid view!

This is the outside of the castle fronting onto the main through street in Windsor. I wouldn't like to guess how many times I have walked past this Norman wall. The Norman tower on the far left of this photo is the oldest part of the castle and I always walked past just gazing at it in wonder.

Once inside the outer wall the amazing architecture just keeps on coming, this is one of the main gates you walk through to reach the interior of the castle.

This is the entrance into the castle from the driveway through Windsor Great Park. Guests of the Queen enter this quadrangle on the right by either vehicle or carriage. They are then driven around it to the archway on the left, where they alight and enter the castle.

One of the most popular sights is the changing of the guard, tourists flock to take their pictures and to try and make them change facial expression, to no avail!

This is the Round Tower another of the most ancient parts of the castle. But this was totally gutted inside during the terrible fire in the 1990's. I was working opposite the castle at the time and saw the whole thing develop over 10 hours. It was so upsetting to see a great piece of our history go up in flames. I will never forget hearing sirens for hours as Fire Dept's from all over the area arrived to help. Later that night I returned with my then husband and we stood in the park surrounded by the worlds news crews, watching in horror. I even shed a few tears, as having worked in it's shadow for years I was very upset. Amazingly the restoration restored all the damaged parts to their former glory wonderfully.

Here is St Georges Chapel, the site of many of the recent Royal Weddings and last resting place of many royals, including our much loved Queen Mother. It is also the sacred home of the Knights of the Garter and holds many ancient treasures.

And finally, how do you know if the Queen is in residence. Well you look for this specific flag flying aloft, the Royal Standard. As I walked to lunch, I would always glance upwards to see if she was in town!

Without any doubt this is one of the first places you MUST visit if you ever get to England. The Hubster was totally awe struck when I took him there for a day and I know he will never forget it.

To join in the fun go to My World Tuesday

Brit' Word of the Day

Boris Kustodiev's 1920 painting "Bolshevik"

Todays BWOTD could be easily applied to most teenagers:

"Ever since he turned 13 he's getting a little more bolshie yearly!"

'Bolshie' = rebellious, can be a bit of an upstart

This term comes from the revolutionary members of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, who were known as Bolsheviks (professional rebels).

The #1 thing I don't miss!

TRAFFIC!

This was the view from my car most days of the week, as I fought my way to work on some of the busiest stretches of road in Europe!

For 8 years I used to circumnavigate the 'official' busiest 20 miles of motorway in Europe, the M25 between the M4 and M1. I was reminded of this yesterday during a chat with one of my bestfriends back home. She informed me that she was stuck stationary on this very stretch at 5am in the morning for over 2 hours. It took me back and made me thankful for the empty roads where I am now!

The 6 years before I moved here, I made the trek up the M1 (Britains oldest motorway, hence M1) daily from Watford to Bedford. It was a 55 mile journey door to door and if I left home no later than 6:05am I could make it in about an hour. But if I left after 6:30am it could take me anything from 90 minutes to nearly 2 hours.

My journey home was similar and some nights I would just have to leave the motorway and take back roads it was so bad. I remember that whenever it rained (which is often), it was a nightmare with all the spray and there were often accidents. Friday nights were my worst journey of the week and it was quite common for it to take me 3 hours to do those 55 miles. I would often work late (7pm or later) or stop to shop somewhere, just to avoid sitting in traffic pointlessly.

I don't think the Hubster really appreciated just how bad the traffic is back home, until he was there and we traveled around the country. As well as the sheer volume, he found it nervewracking that we drive at times up to 85mph (yep I'm a speedy bird!) in traffic, with just a few feet between the vehicles all around you. Driving in England you automatically drive on motorways watching the car 6 or so vehicles in front of you, so you have time to react. He is a good, confident driver who likes to drive, but he wasn't the least bit interested in driving over there!

Because most journeys you make involve traffic, British drivers have a tendency to be more aggressive and get wound up easily, road rage is common. This is a habit I am very slowly losing, but I will often nag the Hubster when he gives way to someone or I think he's dawdling!

Here it's a whole different world out in the country. Empty roads for miles, you can believe your GPS when it tells you your arrival time, and using traffic as an excuse for being late (a fave of mine) is not an option!

I used to make my trek to work listening to Sarah Kennedy on Radio 2 in the mornings. Now I occasionally email her and I have had 3 mentions from her since I left, sending my best to friends, family and my former fellow traffic sitters on the M1! If I need cheering up, I will just listen to her show online and smirk when the traffic reports come on.

I have yet to see traffic on the same scale in Okieland, even in T-Town and OKC in the rush hour, it just does not compare! They may have daily rush hour heavy traffic, but they don't have it for 20+ miles bumper to bumper daily, crawling at 10-30mph!

Now I have a blissful 6.7 mile journey to work and I make it in about 7 minutes, you just can't beat it.

A picture to make me smile

Taken during a Christmas holiday to New York in 2003, outside the Stock Exchange on Wall Street. I think this moment was the first time I was really aware of the proud patriotism that most Americans hold dear. I remember being distincly in awe of this stunning display of national pride.

This seemed like the perfect photo to end the week I received my 'Congratulations and welcome permanently to America letter'.

Brit' Word of the Day

Today's BWOTD is what I am today:

"I am seriously narked about the crazy wind outside"

'Narked' = annoyed or put out

I especially like this word and use it regularly even now, it's just a cool Brit' word and I get alot of blank looks.

Call us cynical....

But we're finding it very hard to take the current North Korean missile threat as seriously as President Obama. With a name like 'NO DONG' we just fall about laughing everytime it's mentioned on the news.

We're guessing nobody translated the name into english for the Koreans and explained it!

Skywatch Friday

'Snow Crossing'

Last Friday through Saturday we had 25 inches of snow in just 24 hours drop on us, a record for Okieland this late in the year. Once the roads were accessible again it was a photographers dream and I made the most of it taking hundreds of pictures for posterity. We still have a little snow on the hills and in the ditches, otherwise we are once again snow free, despite a little more falling yesterday.

Double click to get the full effect

To see more wonderful skies from around the world or to join in, go to the Skywatch site.

Still a Brit' at heart

Despite now having lived here for nearly 3.5 years and being on my way to Citizenship, I still cling to some British aspects of life.

I automatically convert dollars to pounds before I spend any money! It's like an inbuilt calculator I cannot switch off!.

I read a British Newspaper online every day without fail, just to check everything's okay back home and to keep up with their news.

I still start every single day with a hot mug of tea, always PG Tips.

I still regularly refer to the restroom as the 'loo' in private. I soon got out of the habit of asking for the loo in public, due to all the blank stares I encountered. But when I am at home, work or at a friends it's still 'I am just popping to the loo'!

And of course, I still have my British accent despite a few new words.

Who knew!!

So we are just a little alot addicted to playing Wii Sports Golf, but here's a conundrum for you. How well I play all depends on my bra choice - seriously!

If I wear the my 'push 'em up and in yer face' bra, then I slice it strongly to the right and nothing will stop it!

But if I wear my 'slung lower and minimised' bra then I hook it slightly left, but with a bit of maneuvering I can lessen it!

However without doubt my best performance is 'sans' bra, straight as an arrow every time! Just one problem though, you will see a pig fly before I'll play golf against anyone but the Hubster 'sans' bra.

And now I am never gonna live this down or hear the end of it, from one of my bestfriends and colleagues who we play Wii with regularly!