Saturday 13 June 2015

That's a big one


IMG_1227Our mooring outside Reading Gaol, made famous for the incarceration of Oscar Wilde and after his release when he wrote his poem The Ballad of Reading Gaol.
IMG_1231After Carolyn had visited most of the shops in Reading it was off to have a look around the rest of the town. Not far from our mooring is Forbury Gardens and home to The Maiwand Lion. It was was erected in 1886 to commemorate the deaths of 329 men from the 66th Berkshire Foot regiments campaign in Afghanistan between 1878 and 1880. It is made of cast iron and weighs in at 16 tons making it one of the worlds largest cast iron statues.
IMG_1236It was then onto the museum were Carolyn was taken in by this full size copy of The Bayeux Tapestry. It is so long it fills 2 large rooms on the 1st floor.In 1885 thirty-five ladies of the Leek Embroidery Society began work on the ‘tapestry’ and it took them just a year to complete it.
IMG_1243Reading is famous for Huntley and Palmers biscuits and it has its own section in the museum. There are lots of old biscuit tins on display and several that i can remember. I must be getting old !!.
IMG_1238This year they have an exhibition all about the River Thames that we both found very interesting.
IMG_1250Back to Inca and the view from our side hatch looking out over the loop. We have had a good couple of days in Reading but now it is time to leave The Kennet and Avon and make our way back onto The River Thames.
                                                                                          Happy Days

5 comments:

  1. Hi Gary and Carolyn,
    Enjoyed your trip along the K&A shame about the unsceduled about turn at Bath, but hey I enjoyed your tales along the way.
    Cheers
    Ade

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  2. OK, I have a reason now for you to come to NZ - in Geraldine, a small town in the South Island, there is a place that has a facsimile of the Bayeux Tapestry made from the little metal pieces off knitting machine disks - they came in three colours which worked for the tapestry. Of course if you come to NZ you absolutely must come to stay with us in Waikanae - any failure to do so would result in Inca inexplicably sinking ...
    Also, don't move too fast - we are heading on to the Thames tomorrow, all going well, and we are very keen to meet up with you - you will recognise us - we are the quiet shy ones ...

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    Replies
    1. Hi Marilyn, Thanks for the invite ,you never know one day we may just turn up . We are now heading North towards Lechlade then back to Oxford and North again . Not sure if our paths will cross, but fingers crossed.

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