Perfect weekend in Stratford .

Shakespeare's Birthplace 7.00am on a Sunday.


"But be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great ,some achieve greatness , and some
have greatness thrust upon 'em"

"Twelfth Night"

***Main Street ; 7.00am


"Then the whining school-boy , with his satchel
And shining morning face , creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school "

"As You Like It"

***





Pewter Museum (with pub next door)


"Neither a borrower nor a lender be ;
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry ."

"Hamlet"
***





Ann Hathaway's Cottage.


"Romeo , Romeo ! wherefore art thou Romeo ?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name ;
Or, if thou wilt not , be but sworn my love ,
And I'll no longer be a Capulet."

"Romeo and Juliet"
***






Different view (Ann Hathaway's Cottage )

"Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines ,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd ;
And every fair from fair some times declines ,
By chance , or nature's changing course , untrimm'd ;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade "

"Sonnet 18"
***






Sculpture trail (Gardens at Anne Hathaway's Cottage)


"This royal throne of kings , this scept'red isle ,
This earth of majesty , this seat of Mars ,
This other Eden , demi-paradise
This fortress built by Nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war ,
This happy breed of men , this little world
This precious stone set in the silver sea ,"

"King Richard the Second "
***


I so hope that Shakespeare's work will continue to be studied and appreciated , and whilst the tangible fabric of history can still be glimpsed in these wonderful places surely his legacy is secure .....

"So long as men can breathe or eyes can see
So long lives this , and this gives life to thee ." - Sonnet 18


T.T.F.N Ruth x

Every cloud has a silver lining ..

Although our wonderful UK bear magazine "Teddy Bear Scene" ceased to exist after the July issue - a lamentably unfortunate turn of events which upset as many international bear makers as UK ones - it has left a small legacy in its wake .I mentioned that I was expecting my artist profile to appear at any time , so as you can imagine I was quite downcast to think that it had disappeared before making it in to print ! Imagine my complete surprise on hearing from Paula (lovely proprietor of AllBear , and custodian of British Bears on the Net) that my interview has seen the light of day after all ; in TBS' sister publication "Collect It" !!!
For the August issue a little supplement magazine , a mini TBS all about bears has been issued . A big "thank you" goes to Sophie Douglas for putting it all together .

So here I am ! (If you'd like to take a closer look just click on the pics and they'll appear larger.)





I actually bought the magazine as soon as we got in to Stratford ; suddenly it felt like a very sunny weekend :0) Expect pics in the next post ..

T.T.F.N , Ruth x

Come Back Summer !!

Ok , where did the summer go ?? What with rain delays at Wimbledon (how unusual - LOL ) damp birds sulking in the trees , and the wind gusting through my garden and playing havoc with hanging baskets it's enough to give you the Glums :0(

Far too much of this :-



Not nearly enough of this :-



I'm off for weekend no.2 in Stratford in a few days time so ; no more wet stuff !! Plllease . Thank you !

T.T.F.N
Ruth x