MISS ELAINEOUS VISITS THE DALE CHIHULY EXHIBITION AT KEW...

I was under the mistaken notion that this would be a small blog, as I've been to Kew Gardens before- but that was before I noted how many photographs I'd taken!

For this blog, I'm going to try and concentrate on showing you the sculptures of the Dale Chihuly exhibition, which are dotted around these magnificent gardens.  I'm also going to add a few photos of inside Kew Palace, as it's the first time I've been inside and photography's been allowed.

Here is the link to last year's visit, which is mainly about the newly-restored Pagoda and Temperate House:-

http://elainerockett.blogspot.com/2018/07/miss-elaineous-visits-kew-gardens-again.html

...And here is the link to my 2017 visit, by myself as my SuperDean was too unwell to attend:-

http://elainerockett.blogspot.com/2017/08/miss-elaineous-visits-kew-gardens.html

Dale Chihuly (born 1941, in Washington, USA) is an American artist who specialises in sculptures of blown glass and steel, on a grandiose scale.  They certainly made an impact on Kew Gardens and worked in harmony with the surroundings.  I loved the juxtaposition of the man-made and modern with the centuries-old trees and quaint (albeit restored, in the case of the Temperate House) glasshouses.

For those of you who are interested, here's the promotional poster as you enter...

The Palm House with one of Chihuly's 'squiggles' in the shot, to the right...  

I made some friends, in the shape of geese.  It was a warm but overcast day, and the orange sculpture certainly brightens up this picture.  I've been told that geese are evil (especially Canada Geese, seen here at the front!)  These just seemed interested in my food...

I think the stone lions look so majestic.  Maybe I like them because my star sign is Leo?!😁

This face is nothing to do with the exhibition- I just like it...

Outside the Waterlily House...

Closer...

Inside the Waterlily House was possibly my favourite installation...

My only moan was that the real waterlilies had been taken away, and didn't seem to be in the Princess of Wales Conservatory either...

On the way to the Marianne North Gallery, behind the Palm House, we encountered this spiky sculpture...

This lime and lemon piece was right by the Marianne North Gallery.  Whilst I loved Chihuly's work, she is possibly my most favourite artist...

Beautiful natural and man-made purple (my favourite colour😁) outside King William's Temple...

Squiggly reeds...

King William's Temple...

A sweeping view down to the Temperate House...

Close-up of red squiggles amongst the tulips...

The Temperate House...

This yellow and white affair reminded me of a weird, inverted ice cream cone...

This blue delight hung inside the Temperate House...

These green reeds kind of peeped out at you from amongst the foliage.  These were the most camouflaged pieces...

This white sculpture reminded me of a Protea flower...

Yellow straight and bendy bits...

Red playing peekaboo amongst the green...

Ooooooh, what a lovely pair!😂😂

Actually, I don't even know if they're supposed to be pears- but they brought out the Carry On humour in me!

Balls!  This was possibly my second-favourite sculpture...

As we left the greenhouse, this spiky yellow thingy was hanging from the roof...

Beautiful Strelitzia, named after Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the birthplace of Queen Charlotte (George III's consort).

This was in the small glasshouse next to the Temperate House.  There are several of them dotted around, designed by kids.  They remind me of works by Jean-Michel Basquiat!

More balls, in the Zen Garden, behind the Japanese Gateway...

They reminded me of a billiard table...

My favourite photo of the day, showing the Pagoda...

We rarely pop over to the lake, so we made a point of doing so and taking a walk over the Sackler Crossing.  This bridge was opened in 2006.

Views from the bridge...

As always whilst at Kew, I was reminded that we were on the Heathrow flight path...

Walking round from the other side of the Palm House, and here's the original squiggle...

Red reeds...

The Secluded Garden...

The Hive was closed for maintenance.  But I didn't care as I've been inside a couple of times before...

The inside of the Ice House is not large, and I've photographed it before.  But I liked these pictures of the way in...

Kew Palace...

History:

Dating back to 1631 and built on top of the undercroft of an earlier construction, the only remaining building of what was once a complex is the Dutch House we see today.  Its royal occupation lasted from around 1728 to 1818, with a brief, short lived revival in 1844.

Originally occupied by Prince Frederick (father of George III), he took a long lease on a house called Capel Lodge, and began remodelling the gardens. He died in 1751 and his widow, Augusta, continued to stay at the house and develop the gardens.  It became known as the White House, due to its plaster exterior.  George III and his brother, Edward, were educated in the nearby Dutch House.  Frederick had also added the kitchen block, open today and known as the Royal Kitchens.

King George was kept in the White House during his first bout of 'madness', from 1788-89, with his wife Charlotte and daughters living on the upper floors.  It was then allowed to fall into disrepair, although it was still in a decent enough state to house George during his second bout of madness, in 1801.  

The White House was demolished in 1802, and during the onset of George's third bout of madness, in 1804, he was housed in a service wing of the Dutch House and possibly the ground floor of the Dutch House, with Queen Charlotte and her daughters living on the first and second floors.  The service wing was mostly demolished in 1881, but was originally connected to the west side of the Dutch House.

Queen Victoria briefly sent her children to live there, in 1844.  She transferred it, and Queen Charlotte's Cottage, to Kew Gardens to celebrate her Golden Jubilee.  It remained open to the public until closing to undergo a major restoration, beginning in 1996 and opening ten years later, in 2006.  It is still a work in progress.

When I entered, I was told that photography without a flash was allowed, whereas it hadn't been before, and I just HAD to take advantage.  These photos were rushed, as I'd left my SuperDean in the Alpine House as he needed to rest, and my five minute sneak-off became half an hour...😉

This was the Breakfast Room...

The King's Dining Room...

The last time I was here the table was set for dinner, with plastic imitations of food...

The Queen's Boudoir...

The Queen's Drawing Room...

Mirror mirror, on the wall...

Princess Elizabeth's Bedchamber...

These shots in in Princess Elizabeth's Bedchamber show the thickness and construction of the walls...

Of course, we have to have a Vain Old Tart photo...

Queen Charlotte's Bedchamber...

Queen Charlotte's Antechamber...

I told you the palace was a work in progress...

Princess Amelia's Bedroom...

Princess Augusta's Bedroom.  The top floor is in rather a sad state...

The royal khazi...

Staircase...

First floor corridor...

The view over the replica 17th century Dutch Garden.  This was created in 1969...

I made my way back to my SuperDean, sitting in the Rock Garden.  Here are some of its relaxing, tinkling waterfalls...

Eduardo Luigi Paolozzi (1924-2005) was a Scottish sculptor and artist, and the son of Italian immigrants.

This is called 'A Maximus Ad Minima'.  Translated it means 'From the greatest (things) to the least'.  It is dated 1998.

The Temple of Bellona, and our final sighting of a Dale Chihuly sculpture...

I had a lovely day, and would certainly love to return whilst the sculptures are still in place.  I believe the exhibition continues until October, so I will pop back at the end of the summer.

TTFN

The Miss Elaineous

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WILDFLOWER HILL by KIMBERLEY FREEMAN

WILDFLOWER HILL

BY KIMBERLEY FREEMAN

THE BLURB:-

Glasgow, 1929. Beattie Blaxland dreamed of a life of fashion and fabrics. She never thought she would find herself pregnant by her married lover, just before her nineteenth birthday, and be forced to leave home.

London, present day. Emma Blaxland-Hunter is living her dream as a prima ballerina- until the moment her career is ruined and she loses everything.

Separated by decades, both women must find the strength to rebuild their lives. A legacy from one to the other will lead to Wildflower Hill and a house that holds traumatic family secrets, but also the place where Emma can stand alone for long enough to realise what she really wants.

THE REALITY:-

Well... My last book review was only six days ago, AND I've been busy with work, AND I made the time to visit a tourist attraction; so that will give you some idea of how unputdownable I found this little masterpiece! Bought at the Kenneth More Theatre in Ilford, from their little second-hand shop, pre-performance and with a conscientious decision to help local theatre, it's name appealed to me. Why? The name is similar to Wildfowler (I misread the title at first) and that's the name of the pub I used to meet my friends at as a teenager. Oh, the nostalgia of it...  Also, it's recommended by Kate Morton, one of my favourite authors, and it's set in Australia, somewhere I hope to visit, and sooner rather than later.  The cover photo is very atmospheric and moody- but whoever designed it did not bother to match the head of the girl on the cover with the body. Also, is it a picture of the front of a body with the arms on backwards? I noticed this and found it disconcerting and extremely weird.

Back to this fine read and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it: from the variety of well-depicted characters to the settings of both Glasgow and Tasmania. It was easy to put myself right into the time and place, as the customs and morals of those times were so clearly spelled out. I've said it before and I'll say it again- I find the beliefs of that pious generation OFFENSIVE. Beattie was really up against it but she used her skills to outwit and survive; these being both dressmaking (another reason for being attracted to this book) and poker, as observed by her previous existence working in a gambling den. The storyline was completely unpredictable, what with her (spoiler alerts coming!) winning Wildflower Hill in a card game and falling for her Aboriginal employee.  I also got a good inkling of what life on a sheep farm is really about.

The modern day character of Emma was also very realistic, and I could certainly relate to her being a bit of a loner; self-absorbed and not altogether confident with- maybe even wary of- people. I did not, however, understand what she saw in Josh, or why she wanted this cheating cad back. He was a complete and utter arsehole, and I'm glad she left London behind and (more spoiler alerts!) settled in Tassie (see, even I'm given it an affectionately abbreviated name...!)

The way seam after seam of a mystery was uncovered- in this novel of two different time dimensions- was interesting, and we are never quite sure that what we are being told is more than Emma has worked out about her beloved gran. But it doesn't matter. That's because the whole novel is fantastic and touching. I believe Emma's involvement with the Down Syndrome dancing girls brought a tear to me eye...

My only criticism is that I would have loved to have seen Beattie meet up with Lucy: her long-lost daughter. Instead we have Emma do that, and that relationship is never brought up to date. Oh well, you can't have everything, I suppose...

A brilliant read and I shall look out for more Aussie-inspired novels by this author.

THE ARTIFICIAL ANATOMY OF PARKS by KAT GORDON

THE ARTIFICIAL ANATOMY OF PARKS

BY KAT GORDON

THE BLURB:-

At twenty-one, Tallulah Park lives alone in a grimy bedsit. There's a sink in her bedroom and a strange damp smell that means she wakes up wheezing. Then she gets the call that her father has had a heart attack.

Years, before, she was being tossed around her difficult family; a world of sniping aunts, precocious cousins, emigrant pianists and lots of gin, all presided over by an unconventional grandmother. But no-one was answering Tallie's questions: why did Aunt Vivienne loathe Tallie's mother? Who was Uncle Jack and why would no-one talk about him? And why was everyone making excuses for her absent father?

As Tallie grows up, she learns the hard way about damage and betrayal, that in the end, the worst betrayals are those we inflict on ourselves. This is her story about the journey from love to loss and back again.

THE REALITY:-

I bought this during a day trip to one of my favourite places- Painshill Park- from their second-hand book bin. But I began to read it during a time when I couldn't devote myself to reading- I think, by default, I visited (and blogged about) six other tourist attractions. This book was an interesting read but in no way gripping, so I found it easy to put down, and slightly less easy to pick up upon the thread.  The Park family seemed to have a lot of relatives; some of whom were obscure and some not, so I had to kind of revisit sections to work out who was who and how who was related to whom, etc, etc.  I realise that this is my fault, not the author's!

This novel is what I would call a slow-burner; in other words, a catchy read with a gently unfolding trot towards the finale rather than a gallop. Having said that, I liked the character of Tallie a lot, and could certainly relate to her teenage angst.  I loved the descriptions of life within her boarding school (my next novel has a character who goes to boarding school, so this was all good research) and also empathised with the long hot summers she spent at her grandmother's house. They were reminiscent of my own childhood; marooned somewhere between town and country, and Tallie's closeness with the old lady (a woman with depth) was touching and evocative.  It's intriguing the way that secrets and lies exist within every family and can shape people's lives.

I did however work out, quite early on, that (spoiler alert!) Jack was Tallie's real father.  Tallie manages to get to the bottom of everything, but only after a long estrangement from the man she believes to be her father.  Incidentally, he did step up to the plate and do his job properly- it's just that, like a lot of that generation, he perhaps didn't know how to express his emotions effectively.  Oh, I could identify with Tallie's adolescent anger... As well as living alone at only age 16... And also living in the King's Cross area of London... Tallie lived there in 1997, exactly when I did (although I would have been a tad older).  Although the character is about ten years younger than me, I could certainly relate to the 1990s background and trends.  

I liked the way this novel explored our closest relationships with friends and family (I would- my work is on the same theme) and I'm so glad that Edward's heart attack forced Tallie to confront her aunts and her father, and Toby.  This novel explained its motive towards the end, and I'm pleased that everyone seemed to get the happy(ish) ending they deserved.   I suppose I would call this a soul searching book (Tallie was forced to take a long, hard look at herself and her nearest and dearest) and it did this with aplomb.  I loved the way the book was divided into sections inspired by human organisms (heart, skin, bones and blood) and some of the parts I devoured the most were the beginnings of the sections, where compact medical explanations took place.  I like to learn something new and I certainly did via the biological descriptions.  A good read and I will certainly look out for more work by this author.

MISS ELAINEOUS VISITS THE PAINTED HALL AT THE OLD ROYAL NAVAL COLLEGE...

The Old Royal Naval College has existed in four different incarnations, these being:-

Greenwich Palace (1498-1694)

Greenwich was one of the most important palaces in Tudor England and was the birthplace of Henry VIII and his daughter, Elizabeth I.  The buildings fell into disrepair and were demolished during the English Civil War.

Royal Hospital (1694-1869)

Sir Christopher Wren, at the request of Queen Mary II, produced imposing Baroque designs for a new charitable institution- its mission to care for men who had served in the Royal Navy.  The grandiose buildings represented the maritime dominance, wealth and power of Britain.

Royal Naval College (1873-1998)

The college was created to train officers as Britain's navy transitioned from sail to steam power.  Nearly 27,000 officers, reserves and WRNS passed through the 'university' during World War II alone.

Today

The site's iconic architecture are now the centre of cultural learning; as a home to both the University of Greenwich and the Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.  As well as being a popular tourist attraction, music festivals are also held here and the buildings have been used as a film location for several blockbusters.

The most recent of the latter was Victoria and Abdul (2017) which frequently used the magnificent Painted Hall as a backdrop for ceremonial dining- which was the exact purpose it was designed for.

The stunning ceiling was painted by John Thornhill and is considered to be a masterpiece of English Baroque art.  The main ceiling depicts both William III and Mary II, the founders of the Royal Hospital and celebrates Britain's commercial and political prosperity and naval power.  It is called The Triumph Of Peace And Liberty Over Tyranny and was painted in two stages, between 1708 and 1727.

For over two years the Painted Hall ceiling was being restored, at a cost of £8 million, funded by the National Lottery.  The 4,000 square feet of this 'Sistine Chapel of the UK' was faithfully cleaned and visitors could travel 67 steps up scaffolding, to view the ceiling close-up.  I was one of them and I promised myself a return visit when the work was completed.  Therefore, this is not going to be a long post as I've been here before.  Here is the link to that blog:-

http://elainerockett.blogspot.com/2018/06/miss-elaineous-visits-old-royal-naval.html

As usual, I began my Greenwich day with a walk through the Greenwich Foot Tunnel...

I had a quick look around their Visitors Centre and liked this mock-up of a shipmate's bed...

This lion at the entrance to the Visitor Centre is inspired by a part of the Nelson Pediment (more about that later) which includes a lion roaring in exaltation at Nelson's victories which (judging by this) number 122.

I then got on with the whole point to the day, and ventured into the Painted Hall, which was staffed by very friendly people.

This obelisk was created by students on the 2017-18 Banker Masonry course at the Building Crafts College.  It represents stability, with carvings inspired by the Painted Hall.

The entrance roundel, high up in the heavens...

The Triumph Of Peace And Liberty Over Tyranny...

The ends of the design...

They look similar in content but are not the same...

It was very atmospheric and quite peaceful in this spacious room... 

You can lie on flat benches and gaze up at William and Mary...

...As well as Sun King Louis XIV being metaphorically kicked to the ground, and all the signs of the zodiac...

Through the archway and my previous blog gives you all the details of what's on the end walls...

http://elainerockett.blogspot.com/2018/06/miss-elaineous-visits-old-royal-naval.html

From the other end...

Even the floor is striking in design...

Columns...

The Nelson Room was not accessible during my previous visit, due to the restoration work.  His body was brought here, having been transported from Spain in a barrel of fortified wine.  He was stored here, before lying-in-state in the Upper Hall for over three days.  Horatio Nelson is depicted here exactly as he is at the top of Nelson's Column, in Trafalgar Square.

Tourist info...

 The skylight in this room adds a bit of atmosphere...

The Nelson pediment is in the King William Court...

It was installed in 1812 and commemorates the death of Admiral Lord Nelson...

It shows a Triton lifting Nelson's body up to Britannia as Neptune follows in his chariot.  Personifications of England, Ireland and Scotland mourn the hero whilst the British lion roars on proudly.

Another view of this courtyard...

Excavations which took place in 2017 revealed two service rooms from the old Friary buildings which were a part of Henry VIII's Greenwich Palace.

The unusual niches are thought to be 'bee boles' where bee hives were kept during winter months.

Passage to the Queen Mary Court, which is called the Ripley Tunnel...

The Skittle Alley...

I looked, but refused the guide's kind offer to have a go- my ball control leaves a lot to be desired!  I can neither throw, catch or hit a ball, came last in all of my races at school (even when I tried) and once got slung out of PE for being useless!😁😁😁😁

The elegant Queen Mary Undercroft is available for hire...

The view back down the tunnel, which is due to be repaired and redecorated...

The Queen Mary Court, behind the Chapel... 

The Chapel.  Inside, photographs are forbidden.  There was a Good Friday service going on and I stopped for a few moments and witnessed the Eucharist being performed.

Behind this door is the Admiral's House, which is also available for hire.

At the centre of the Grand Square is this statue of George II by John Michael Rysbrack...

This old pump is to one side of the King Charles Court...

Looking past the Water Gate and down the Thames...

Back towards central London... 

I nipped back into the painted hall before I left, for one last peek.  I'll leave you with a photo of the decorative lights- just because I liked them!

My ticket allows me to return for a year- so return I shall...

TTFN

The Miss Elaineous

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