Top Ten Thursday - Movie Locations

Top ten Thursday and a subject I love - movie locations!! I love visiting places that I can recognise from the silver screen and we even go out of our way sometimes to do this, so this weeks top ten was an easy one.

1. Eilean Donan Castle: a beautiful castle on Scotland's West coast that has featured in many films but the two that stand out for me are Highlander (1986) starring Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery, and James Bond - The World is Not Enough (1999) starring Pierce Brosnan.

2. Temple Church, London: This church was featured in the book The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, and filming for the movie took part here as well. It's a really interesting church that was first consecrated in the 1100's and built by the Knights Templer.

3. Rosslyn Chapel: founded in 1446 and even though it was already famous, after it featured in the Da Vinci Code it became even more a spot for tourists. This year they hosted an outside viewing of the film as it is ten years since the Da Vinci Code film was released on the world.

4. Big Ben: an iconic part of London's skyline and I'm sure every tourist that visits the city takes a photo of it. It features in loads of films but probably the most famous ones are Peter Pan, Mary Poppins, and of course it was blown up in Mars Attacks and Independance Day.

5. The London Eye: as it sits on the Thames it is seen in a lot of the films that Big Ben is seen in but another one that it stars in is Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

6. Waddesdon Manor: a National Trust property not far from London features in the movie Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows which stars Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law.

7. St Bartholomew The Great: London's oldest surviving church and has been in use since the 1100's and has featured in loads of films. The ones I was most interested in when we visited were; Four Weddings and a Funeral, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, and Sherlock Holmes.

8. Portobello Market, London: a great market to visit for the eclectic range of things available, but it is especially well known for it's antiques and featured in the film Notting Hill, starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant.

9. Tower Bridge, London: another iconic view of London that is seen by so many people and that makes it even more recognisable when it features in a film. Just a few of the films that have featured this bridge are: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, James Bond - The World is Not Enough, Sherlock Holmes, and The Long Good Friday.

10. Glen Coe, Scotland: a simply breathtakingly beautiful part of the world which would make a perfect backdrop for many films. Two that have made good use of this beauty are Braveheart and Harry Potter.

So there you have it, my top ten film locations that I've visited. Before you go, why don't you pop over to Tamara's blog and see what my fellow bloggers have come up with - click HERE to visit.

Until next time, be good, stay safe, and take care of you.

Pamela and Ken
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Top Ten Thursdays - Be prepared!

The weeks are just flying by and it's October already - colder mornings and too much Christmas stuff in the shops. This weeks Top Ten Thursday is things to take care of before going on vacation. This challenge is hosted by Tamara over at Confessions of a part-time working mom so hop on over if you're interested in joining us top tenners.

I found this weeks list easy as we love going on holiday and whether or not it's nearby in this country or getting on a plane and travelling to the far corners of the globe, my routine is usually fairly similar, except for number 3 as that doesn't apply in the UK - you'll see what I mean.

1. Furbies: the first thing we always have to take care of is the furbies - Cookie, Muffin, and Bramble. As she's still a toddler Bramble comes with us everywhere and the poor brats have to fend for themselves - only joking. Ken's darling sister visits the cats everyday when we're away, making sure they're surviving having the run of the house.

Cookie (Brat 1)

Muffin (Brat 2)

Bramble (Brat in training)

2. Research: I'm a little bit old fashioned in that I still love buying guide books for our holidays. Yes I do lots of research about where we're going on Mr Google but once we've pinned down the spot, and especially if it's in a foreign land, then I buy a lovely book to take with us. My favourite are the Everyman Mapguides as they're compact, fit in my handbag, and have everything you could possibly need for all the major cities of the world - click HERE if you're interested.

Part of the research also involves checking to see if where we're going to stay has wifi - I know I'm sad but it's a necessity for me unless we're going for a romantic escape where we just want to unwind and relax.

3. Passport and Visas: once we decide on a destination, if it's outside the UK we need to think about what visas one of us may need. My beloved always has to get one for Australia when we go home to visit family, and I often need them for countries on this side of the world.

4. Reading Material: it took me a while to get onto the e-reader revolution but my beloved got me one for Christmas a few years ago and now I wouldn't be without it. When I commuted on the London Underground it was a lifesaver and when we go away it's so great as I know that I have loads of books at my fingertips. Before I had it I was known to cart six or more books with me for a two week holiday as I'm quite a quick reader, and even then we had to go and raid the local charity shops for more. The flight from here to Australia usually sees at least one or two books read, but that does depend on whether or not there are many films on that I want to see.

5. My spikey babies: I used to have loads of houseplants when I lived in Australia, but due to certain four footed brats that is no longer an option. Instead I have cacti which I love, and the cats leave them alone as they get spiked if they're too close. So going on holiday always leaves me with the dilemma about their watering as they don't need a lot but should I get someone to do it whilst we're away. I've only managed to kill a couple over the years, and I think that was more because they were pot bound and not due to water restrictions.

6. Dressing up toes and fingers: I love painting my finger and toe nails, or getting someone else to do it for me, and when going on holiday I always make sure that they're dressed in the finest colours.

7. Headache relief: I've been known to have a few headaches in my time and unfortunately do get migraines as well, but when travelling I've found that non medicated methods are often as helpful as tablets. These are my go to treatments that I always make sure are in my hand luggage as all of them are under 100mls and can really help if I feel my head starting to ache. If I could only take one it would be Origin's Peace of Mind (on the left) which is fabulous when massaged into temples, earlobes, and the nape of your neck. It works even better if a gorgeous man (like Ken) massages it in for you.

8. E-mail out of office: This is usually the last thing I do on my last day at work before a holiday and it feels so lovely when you activate it.

9. Writing: I need to check that I have everything I need in my travel journal/art journal kit so that if I'm feeling the need to write or draw (abstract, not proper art) then I just have to grab my small bag and I have everything I need.

10. Fridge: The last thing we need to do before we go on holiday and one of the mundane things but you have to admit it's something that's quite important to sort out unless you want to come home to a very smelly fridge.

That's it, the top ten of things we take care of when going on holiday. Do you do different things? Why don't you visit Tamara's blog and see what my fellow bloggers have come up with in their top ten lists - click HERE to visit.

Until next time, be good, stay safe, and do something really nice for yourself this week.

Pamela & Ken
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Benedictine Monks, Icecream, and Art in a Bus

This post is about one of our proper days of fun where we just went where the spirit took us. We had to go into Inverness in the morning so we took the opportunity to go to Leakey's Bookshop which is in Church Street and is the largest second hand bookshop in Scotland, with over a thousand books. It opened in 1979 and is housed in the old Gaelic Church building which has been in existence since 1793. It's absolutely piled with books and has got a wood burning fire in the middle of the room. Upstairs there are comfortable seating areas and it's just fabulous - I think we'll be going back regularly now that we've found it.

We then headed east to Pluscarden Abbey which is somewhere we've been before and really love. When we got there Ken took Bramble for a walk before we went in and I love this picture as she was running full speed at me with her ears flying.

This stone wall near the entrance to the abbey grounds is being taken over by ivy and the large mound of ivy in the middle is a post - all along the fence there were these mounds of ivy showing where the posts were.

Lovely cottage opposite the entrance to the abbey grounds - obviously something to do with the abbey as it has crosses on each point of the building. The windows are really nice with their arches and patterns.

Old walls that you pass as you walk up the driveway.

The monastery at Pluscarden was founded in 1230 AD which is so long ago it's really hard to comprehend, but as you walk around the site it's quite easy to imagine the monastery in years past as everything is so simple there. The monks here are Benedictine monks but instead of the normal black habit they wear white. The reason for this is that the monks here at Pluscarden were originally from the Valliscaulian order but it was also inherited from the Prinknash community of monks.

There are 21 monks at Pluscarden and they start their day at 4:15am and spend their time in worship, silent prayer, and work around the abbey. When you visit you can sit in the laypersons section of the chapel and listen to monks doing their worship which is chanted in latin. It's really beautiful to hear. So if you're in the abbey grounds and hear the bell rung, make your way to the chapel as that is the signal to the monks for them to come together.

There are beautiful stained glass windows throughout the abbey.

I had to lean around a corner to take this one as it's where the monks hold their worship so we weren't allowed into this bit.

These are some old stone memorials that have been moved into the transept aisles for preservation rather than being outside in the elements. Great symbology on them - especially the two with the skulls as they both have an hourglass on them with a bell one side and what looks like a coffin the other.

Lovely old stone stairway leading to a door that takes the monks into their inner sanctums where the public aren't allowed to enter.

Gorgeous tapestry hanging in the aisles.

As we were walking around outside we came across a cat door in one of the windows at chest height with a platform outside it and then another step to get down to the ground. After looking through the window we spotted a black and white cat who we found out was called Baxter, and after introducing ourselves to him he came out for a chat. He was a very handsome gentleman with only half a tail and very friendly, though took offence when I tried to pick him up. In the shop the monks have even made postcards of him and a calender which is lovely - I think he must have a very nice life with the monks in the abbey as in his room were lots of treats and grooming brushes.

Part of the orchard - there is a large vegetable garden and many fruit trees to help the monks be fairly self sufficient, though they do have to buy some food in. The only day that they eat meat is Sundays and the meals are quite simple.

Another view of part of the abbey.

You knew this was coming didn't you - this is the abbey graveyard. It's not just monks buried here, there are other people as well, but they all have the very simple wooden crosses.

The symbol for the abbey on the gate.

When we left the abbey we stopped at the nearby parish church to have a look at the graveyard but it turned out to be a bit modern for me, with the oldest graves being the early 1900's. I did like this angel on one of the graves and the celtic cross below that.

Our next stop was the town of Lossiemouth which is on the coast and has a fabulously long beach.

We had lunch in the Smugglers Whiskey and Gin Bar which had a lovely virtual fire on the wall - made the place feel very cosy. There was also a mini whiskey still next to our table - very cute.

For dessert we went along the street to Miele's for ice cream - I made a new friend outside the shop.

So many lovely flavours to choose from!! It took me a while but I finally settled for bubblegum and ferrero rocher - scrumpdillyicious!

This ice cream cake that was on display in their freezer looks so decadent - I can just picture me and Ken sitting with this and two spoons.

This bike had a very cute pillion passenger.

As we were leaving Lossiemouth we passed this bus, so of course we stopped to investigate. It had been at the day of culture in Forres for their festival and was on the way to the Western Isles. It's a great idea, taking art to people in areas that maybe don't have easy access to art galleries.

So there you have it, a classic day of fun that included all the perfect things needed for both of us - history, graveyards, good food, and unusual finds.

Until next time, be good, stay safe, and have a really lovely week.

Pamela & Ken
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