Much Wenlock, Shropshire, Part 1

Much Wenlock, Shropshire, UK

I took the image above from www.muchwenlockguide.info

  The monument is to mark Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.
The Old Guildhall is the B&W building in the background.

Constructed in 1682, Raynald's Mansion

The Talbot Inn has been a lodging place since 1361.

The George and Dragon Inn and Restaurant.
Good fish'n'chips.

In other words, 'Dead End.' The prohibition against cycling could be because the entrance you see is only about 4 feet high.

You can read Wikipedia's version of the history of Much Wenlock right here!

Next week I'll post the photos I took at the ruins of the Cluniac Priory in this beautiful corner of England.

Yogurt Berry Lunch

What to eat for lunch has always been a puzzle for me. I'm usually the only one home at that time, so I don't want to drag out skillets and pots, cutting boards and graters. I want something quick, easy, and tasty that has a sufficient amount of protein so I won't be dragging at 3 PM. The photo above is of my yogurt/berry combo which I've found fulfills all of those requirements.

So here's what I use:

Dannon Greek Yogurt, Plain, 5.3 oz.

1/3 c. frozen blueberries  

2 T. ground flaxseed

1/4 c. walnuts

Using a hand chopper, chop this until the blueberries are mixed throughout and the walnuts are chopped to suit you. Yes, I suppose you could use a food processor, but the hand chopper is adequate and so much easier to wash up.

Okay, I do add a little Splenda to this mix. I'm working on liking it less sweet.

Protein - 23 g.

Carbs - 21 g. Fewer blueberries would make it lower in carbs, of course.

Calories -  366 - enough for a meal

This little treat is delicious and nutritious, a nice balance of carbs and protein, with enough protein, and high in Omega 3's.

If I were going to have this for an evening treat, I'd probably cut the amount of walnuts and blueberries in half for fewer calories and less sugar (from the natural sugar in blueberries).

Doesn't this look better than a box of DOTS? Yes, usually, except on Friday nights during a movie. It became a bad habit over the winter. I'm working on it. This yogurt/berry treat is almost like a delicious ice cream that doesn't make you feel groggy after eating. :-)

P.S. Putting it in a pretty dish makes it taste even better! And eating it with a baby spoon makes it last longer. :-)

Do you have a quick lunch that meets the following requirements:

• good balance of carbs and protein
• quick and easy
• no MSG
• no sodium benzoate
• no nitrates or nitrites
• no wheat or corn
• tastes delicious
• can't be slimy or look disgusting
• cannot smell like dog food - I smell that enough each day.

A little crunch is always good, but not a requirement.
So if you do have such a recipe, please feel free to share it with us! :-)

This post is linked to Tasty Tuesdays
Tuesday Tag-Along
and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
and Tuesdays at the Table
and Tasty Tuesday Parade of Foods

Birdies in the Yew Bush

I can get very excited about birds. I love watching the robins and cardinals, orioles and finches. I like to listen for the various bird calls, and enjoy watching birds as they bathe in the little stream above our garden pond.

Just outside the house, about five feet from the back door, a mama wren built a nest in the Yew bush. So nearly every time I go outdoors, the mama wren flits away from the nest, presumably to check things out and make sure there are no real predators after her young. I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt here.

Fortunately, there are no cats roaming the premises. Lionel and Tuppence are comfortably ensconced in their upstairs apartment, lounging on the window seat or snuggled up under Joe's comforter. They do enjoy the open window, however, with its fresh breezes. That's as close as they get to the outdoors.

Then there are the two dogs. They go outdoors several times a day. Misty, especially, likes to run around on the deck and chase chipmunks. Why she hasn't found the wren nest is beyond me! It's less than two feet up from the deck!

And now, what I was hoping to get: a nice closeup of the little wren siblings while mama wren was away. I counted three little birdies. Aren't they cute!

Don't we have an amazing Creator!

This post is linked to Making the World Cuter
and Meet and Greet Monday

The Comfortable Church

I recently read a great article at Christianity Today online. Mark Galli posted it on June 10.  Because the article is copyrighted, I can't post it here. But I can give you a link to it. So, I encourage you to click on the link to the article, The Lord Who Acts Like It  and read it in its entirety. It begins, Where did we get the idea that the church should be a place that makes people feel comfortable?

I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on it.

Doggy Tale

I've noticed a trend. In the evenings when I unlace my boots and get comfortable on the couch to read a book or watch a good mystery DVD (Inspector George Gently is my current favorite), Misty snuggles down against my boots. If I've been wearing sandals that day, she positions her body across the sandals and somehow gets comfy.

Why am I puzzled about this? Oddly enough, no one else is that eager to get that close to my shoes. 

Right now, as I'm sitting at the kitchen counter writing this, Misty is lying just in front of my feet. She stays so close by, that I always have to be careful not to step on her!

So what's with the shoe thing? Is it because Misty feels more secure when snuggling close to my shoes? OR is it because she knows that I always first put on my shoes before going outdoors - and she wants to be READY? Yeah! yeah! ready! ready! pant, pant!

Because we got Misty from a shelter, we're not certain of her history.

So is it insecurity or anticipation? or could it be the lovely fragrance? :-)
What do you think?

This post is linked to 
Friday-Follow
and
New Friend Fridays

Magic Pebble Theology

This book can be purchased from Amazon, where I got the photo.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig is one of my all-time favorite children's books. Written for an audience of 4-8 year olds, it tells of Sylvester, an amiable donkey, discovering that a shiny pebble he found had the capacity to give him what he was wishing for. Sylvester experimented by wishing for several different things before concluding that this was true, of course.

My favorite line in the book is, 'What a lucky day this is!' thought Sylvester. 'From now on I can have anything I want. My father and mother can have anything they want. My relatives, my friends, and anybody at all can have anything anybody wants!'

Unfortunately, this idea is not uncommonly found within the Christian community - that if we pray the prayer or walk the aisle, then, like Sylvester, anybody at all can have anything anybody wants!! or so we believe. Under that assumption, many then go out into the big cruel world to test 'the magic pebble.'

When things go wrong, as they certainly always will in this fallen world, those who've gotten sucked into 'magic pebble theology' become disappointed, discouraged, disillusioned, ready to throw their magic pebble god out the window. (a god of our own making - not to be confused with the sovereign God of the Universe, the God of the Bible.)

God never promised us a life exempt from suffering, grief, and loss. The Bible does talk about peace that passes all understanding. That would imply that we have peace amidst trials, certainly not that we can expect peaceful lives. Jesus said to take up our cross and follow Him. Scripture also says that 'all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.' Romans 8:28. That's the good and the bad things. God uses all of them to His glory.

Hebrews Chapter 11 tells us of the lives of the saints, sinners saved by grace, who've gone before:

'[They] experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy) wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.


And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they should not be made perfect.'


THEREFORE, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus said, These things I have spoken to you, so that in ME you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage - I have overcome the world. - John 16:34 

I am so thankful for the real peace and joy and HOPE that a sovereign God gives the repentant sinner, His child, even in the midst of adversity.


This post is linked to Thankful Thursday. 
AND 
Just for the Joy of It.

 

Kids' Ancient Egyptian Headdress and Collar

My friend and I are the craft ladies for VBS at our church this year. The curriculum is from Answers in Genesis, always full of good stuff! Click on their 'Media' tab and go to their 'Video on Demand.' There you will find great video clips you can use with your family, friends, and Sunday School class.

The theme for this week's VBS has been 'craftsmen of ancient Egypt.' Today's craftsman is the goldsmith. We took a little diversion from the assigned craft.  Instead of going with the suggestion in the teacher's manual, we decided to have the kids make Egyptian collars and Headdresses, complete with gold band and gold snakey snake!

First stop was Goodwill, to look for cheap but striped flat sheets. After running them through the washer and dryer, we cut them into squares 29" x 29" (This was guess work.)

Then, I just happened to have a gold picnic table cloth (shiny on one side, flannel on the other) that I had once purchased at Target or Walmart for no more than $5. I cut it into 2" x 25" strips.

Next, 'snakes' for the headdresses were made by tearing about 11 inch sheets of heavy aluminum foil, then rolling each diagonally and squeezing out a little snake head, then twisting the body and making it pointy at the end. After that, the snakes were moved to the floor of the garage where I spray painted them with gold automotive paint. I made certain that the gold would dry completely and not come off on little (or big) hands!

Snakes were wrapped around the gold headband in front and secured by squeezing the foil, or with two staples. After all, the staples will never touch the child's head, for the striped fabric will go on first.

I happened to have some heavy brushed cotton, navy blue, in my stash (Don't we all have a stash of fabric??!) and also another geometric print. Anything would probably work for this, as long as you cut geometric shapes for the kids to use.  I cut a pattern out of cardboard. The collar is about 15 inches across.

Use some contrasting color of like fabric to cut triangles. With a little leftover fabric from the gold tablecloth, I cut tiny squares that the kids could use to decorate their collars. Using Tacky Glue, the kids decorated their collars.

Cut a slit in the corner of each side of the collar and have the kids string either leather or cotton through each slit so they can tie the collars on.

The headdress fabric is placed on the head, the gold band and snake wrapped around the head, then stapled. (NOT to the kid's head). ;-) Cut excess gold fabric from the head band.

There! That's it!  Don't they look cute!!  :-) We had 30 kids who participated, but it's not easy to get 30 ancient Egyptians to assemble for a photo.

This post is linked to We Did It Wednesday

Pasta Salad, Tasty & Gluten Free

Note:  Of course, regular pasta can be substituted for the gluten-free pasta in this recipe.

For those of you who are eating gluten free, let me tell you that Tinkyada brand pasta is the best I've ever tried! It holds together, doesn't get mushy, and tastes good! Here's a quick and easy gluten-free pasta salad recipe that everyone will love - and no one will even know that it's gluten free unless you tell them! As you can see, it also looks beautiful on the table! It's probably the veggies, not just the red plastic bowl from Walmart. ;-)

1 bag Tinkyada rotini and a cup of Tinkyada macaroni. Cook according to package instructions. Test pasta BEFORE the time limit just to make sure you don't overcook it. Trust me - you don't want soggy pasta. Pour cooked pasta into a colander to drain water. Run cold water over pasta until it is thoroughly chilled. Place in a large bowl.

Now add the following ingredients:

1 large red bell pepper, seeded and cubed

1 green bell pepper, seeded and cubed

1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

Small zucchini, skin on, cut into chunks

Small yellow summer squash, skin on, cut into chunks

1/2 onion, diced

1 can pitted ripe olives, drained

Stir in Kraft Zesty Italian dressing to taste. I used about a cup. Add a little coarse ground black pepper.

That's it! See? Quick, simple, and tasty!

This post is linked to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday


AND Tuesdays at the Table 

AND Tuesday Tag-Along

Faith of Our Fathers

Our firstborn son with his firstborn son.

We recently went to the cemetery to show the grandkids the stones of some of their ancestors. Isaac Timblin, our grandson's great great great great grandfather, whose headstone is pictured here, fought for the Union in America's Civil War. Apologies to my hero General Longstreet. Next to the headstone there is a United States flag along with a metal star and 'G.A.R.', standing for Grand Army of the Republic.

I think it's important for each generation to learn about those who've gone before - how they lived, the heritage of faith they passed on to us, how they worked and fought to make and keep us free.

I think it's interesting how even those who completely reject the very idea of God are surrounded by and daily take for granted the 'collateral benefit' from the blessing God has bestowed upon His people. No one can even imagine what it would be like for God to completely remove His hand from their lives. 

As Christ followers, we want to pass on a heritage of faith to our children. Not only do we love God, but we know that our only hope, plus the only hope for this country lies in repentance and obedience to God. 

II Chronicles 7:14: '...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.'

Repentance - the word little spoken in many of today's churches. 

I thank God for the heritage of faith in Jesus Christ that was passed down through the generations to me and my family. I am thankful for my own godly father and every father who teaches his children to love and trust Jesus.

AWARD DAY

Thanks to Mitzi from Southern Style for presenting me with the following awards:

Now, it's my turn to pass on the awards! So, to the recipients whom I will name shortly, my instructions are pretty simple and straight forward:

1. Thank the person who gave you this award.
2. Share up to 10 things about yourself.  Short & sweet
3. Pass the award along to up to 10 bloggers who you have recently discovered and think are fantastic!
4. Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award. -- of course!!!


SO, I did remember my manners and thanked Mitzi, and now I'm going to try to think of 10 things about myself which if you read really fast may not bore you to death! :-)

1. I love living in Northwestern Wisconsin with my patient husband and youngest son.

2. I have a Heavenly Father who calls me His child, though I've done nothing to deserve it and can do nothing to pay Him back.

3. I love making soaps and gardening makes me happy except for the part about weeding.

4. I love dogs and cats and hope everyone adopts a shelter pet.

5. After many years of avoiding her, I finally learned to love Jane Austen.

6. My favorite DVD has to be a tie between Dorothy L. Sayers'  Have His Carcase and Inspector Morse in Masonic Mysteries.

7. Ritter Sport Dark Chocolate with Hazelnut is my favorite!!!

8. I do a little sewing, a little knitting, a little baking, and lots of cooking.

9. My favorite reading is theology, historical fiction and biography, and British murder mysteries!

10. I want to win a round trip ticket and a year's stay (all expenses paid) to  some British coastal village. Sigh.

And now....

I want to pass these awards on to the following great bloggers! I hope you will visit them:

Creative Heart at Home

PARTIALEMPTYNESTER

Under Her Wings

Lamp Unto My Feet 

Shortybear's Place

Daily Blessings

Sunny Sue

Consider it Pure Joy

Cuz really - isn't it fun to get an award?? Kinda like a gold star on your chart - for bloggers. :-)

Sunday is Coming

Our pastor sent us a video clip that I wanted to share with you. I think it goes so well with the book I'm reading by John MacArthur - Truth War. 

Thought provoking, isn't it.

Sunday's Coming 

Lloyd and Maxine

Today would have been my parents' 71st wedding anniversary! And no, they weren't alive during the Revolutionary War.

My mother was graduated from high school in the spring of 1938. Just a year later, on June 18th, 1939, she celebrated her nineteenth birthday by getting married to my dad. The two had a good marriage that ended with my mother's death in 2006. They'd been married nearly 67 years! And really, it didn't end then for my dad. He thought about her, missed her, and longed to see her.

Both of my parents had an abiding faith in God that was the solid Rock upon which their relationship was based. They weren't perfect, they were normal people - sinners, saved by God's grace.

Faith in God is what helped them weather the trials that any marriage has, plus some exceedingly difficult times. They turned to God not only when their hearts were broken, but also when they were filled with joy and thankfulness. Walking God's path was simply part of their life together.

P.S. My dad is now 93. He still loves God. I am so blessed to have him in my life.

This post is linked to  Follow Me Fridays
AND 
Friendly Friday Follow 
AND
Friday Follow
 

Who Am I ?

The following is just a partial list of the many things for which I'm thankful:

• A loving husband. Here, he's reaching for dog treats which he keeps in his pocket. This is the same man who never wanted dogs in the house. :-)

 

• Living in the green and rolling hills of NW Wisconsin, and in the country besides that!

• The beauty of God's creation, even though what we see is creation after mankind's fall into sin. That's why I love the verse, 'Eye has not seen, nor has ear heard, nor has entered into the heart of man, what God has in store for those who love Him.'

• My family. (See sidebar pic)

• My furry and faithful companions (that would be two dogs and two cats) (see sidebar pics)

• Friends who share my sense of humor, or at least put up with it.

• A great church with a preacher who teaches repentance, forgiveness, and JOY in Christ!

• My raspberry patch which is looking great!

• Rainy days followed by sunny days that make the vegetable garden grow.

• My view at the end of the driveway. Even though our neighbor's barn has seen better days in its younger life, it still is beautiful to me.

 

But, most of all, I am so thankful for a Sovereign God who calls me His child. Who am I that the Lord of the all the Earth would care to know my name! Beautiful music, but such profound lyrics!

This post is linked to Thankful Thursday
and Just for the Joy of it

The Cotswolds

map from www.cotswoldshuttle.com

Far from the noise, hurry, and congestion of London lies the beautiful limestone village of Stanton in the Cotswolds, 'the heart of England.' I wonder who lives in these gorgeous homes and what they do for a living. How far do they have to drive to work, or are they independently wealthy or extremely popular authors or celebrities. I wonder if they would consider making me the beneficiary of their large life insurance policy. Or even their small life insurance policy.

The mill at Lower Slaughter.  It was when I walked around the corner that I saw a man and his dog, waiting outside a gift shop for their master. :-) It's always easy to strike up a conversation with a fellow dog owner. Everyone wants to tell you about their dog. Yes, that would include me, as you can tell from many of my posts. :-)

The name Lower Slaughter is a bit disturbing, until you find out that it stems from the Old English term for a wet land, slough or possibly from the Old English term for muddy place, slothre.  And yes, there is an 'Upper Slaughter' just a bit down the road. Or perhaps that was UP the road. I can't remember if it's by elevation or map direction.

A wide spot in the road, Hawling, with its iconic English phone box and post box, side by side. I've always wanted a red English phone box for my garden. Wouldn't that be cool! I even have a mannequin I could pose in the phone box, although she's residing with a cousin in the southern part of the state at the moment. Long story. Can't you just see 'Daphne' ringing up 'Tristan' about some issue she's having with her English Springer Spaniel. I can.

Notice more of my favorite dry stone walls!

Frisky lambs at play in a pasture north of Cirencester.

Bourton-on-the-Water, where Angela and I ended up missing our sign on the public footpath and getting into a large grassy area where a bull was pastured. Yikes!

Northleach Parish Church of St. Peter and St. Paul.

Just in case you missed the other photo of Cotswold sheep. Lambing season. We rolled down the windows of the car and turned off the engine just so we could listen to the bleating of the sheep and lambs. It was music to my ears!

Oddly, when my husband and I were there, he couldn't understand why I took so many photos of sheep. 'Judy, we do have sheep in Wisconsin.' Okay, so these sheep are different - and I think they bleat with a British accent which makes them ever so much more appealing. :-)

Sudeley Castle Chapel. Catherine Parr, the sixth of Henry VIII's wives, is buried here. Shortly after Henry died, Catherine married Sir Thomas Seymour, whom she had wanted to marry earlier, but that was before Henry had made her an offer she couldn't refuse. By the time Henry died, Sir Thomas Seymour had become Lord Seymour of Sudeley.

Interior of the small Sudeley Chapel with its ornate rood screen.

Catherine in repose, in a little alcove off the sanctuary. She and General Lee would make nice bookends.

The ruins of Sudeley Castle. I heard that Hugh Grant frequents this area to visit friends. My only exposure to Hugh Grant was 'Two Weeks' Notice,' but he is remarkably funny in that movie - one of my favorites!


I long to return to England for my fix of castle and abbey ruins!  As you might suspect, there aren't many in NW Wisconsin.

Quick Egg and Rice Veggie 'Omelette'

This is a quick, delicious, and nutritious breakfast, lunch, or dinner for one - or two. Simply multiply the ingredients to serve additional people. :-)

It works better as an actual omelette when you have three eggs.

You will need:

A good, non-stick skillet

Extra virgin olive oil

Two eggs, beaten with 1 t. water

1/3 c. cooked rice (Keep this on hand in your refrigerator. It's so handy! Be sure to date the box or bag in which it's stored. I like to use Basmati or brown rice.)

1 oz. Red Leicester cheese, shredded is what I used, but Cheddar, Mozzarella, or Pepper Jack would be good too.

1 T. diced fresh jalapeno pepper

2 T. diced fresh onion

1 small tomato, sliced

Black olives, sliced  (If I'd had fresh mushrooms on hand, those would have been used too)

Saute' the peppers and onions in olive oil. Stir in beaten eggs and keep moving them around the skillet so they don't stick. You DON'T want browned eggs. As soon as the eggs are set, add the rice and black olives. Stir to heat. 

Place tomatoes and cheese on top. Quickly, remove from heat and cover immediately with lid. After a minute, the cheese will have melted from the heat contained in the skillet.

Add salt and pepper. I like coarse ground pepper and sea salt.

For a little added crunch, serve with a few gluten-free Mary's Gone Crackers or Crunchmaster multi-grain gluten-free crackers.

P.S. The plate was a gift from my mother many years ago; the cloth on which it is sitting was a gift from my cousin Bobby. She picked it up in Madiera! I love it, and usually use it to cover dinner rolls. I'm hoping she'll get a Google account pretty soon so she can leave comments. :-)

P.P.S. This is a nice meal to have on a cool, rainy day. Anytime within the past couple weeks would have qualified. :-(


This post is linked to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
and Tasty Tuesday
and Tuesdays at the Table
and Tuesday Tag-Along

Closet Confession

Confession: There are some things with which I struggle to do 'as unto the Lord.' Cleaning closets is definitely one of them.  When I'm faced with a closet to clean, feeding the hungry or clothing the naked often seem less daunting.

So, please indulge me, and I'll share my most recent endeavor.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Okay, let's be honest: you can't tell any difference, right??!! Which explains why I seldom do this thankless task. It seems so pointless.

Right now it is clean and organized, though that wouldn't be discernible to the naked eye. Part of the problem is that this closet is near the back door where everyone tosses everything! 

Have you ever noticed that when you clean out a closet it gets a whole lot worse before it gets better??  At least that's my experience, and that fact doesn't help my procrastination problem. 

So here are the simple changes which only took me most of the afternoon to accomplish:

• I did finally remove, wash, and store the winter coats since we probably won't be needing them again until October (yes, October!)

• I took the camp chair to the garage so it can get lost there.

• I emptied the huge bag of black sunflower seed into one of those bins on the right for my birdies. The six bins contain a) Misty's dog food, b) Bridger's dog food, c) Gluten-free flours and noodles, d) Black beans, e) Black sunflower seed birdie food,) f) Regular corn mix birdie food (for the  less-discriminating palate.)

• I threw away the Taste of the Wild dog food bag which was lying under the sunflower seed bag. Since Bridger has had Lupus, I only give him grain-free dog food. You can ask, if you like. When I explained it to my vet, he just smiled and scanned his brain for the phone number of the asylum.

• I vacuumed the floor, picking up stray bits of dog food, bird seed, etc. I know - that expensive dog food should have been picked up piece by piece and put into the bin. I could have shoved them toward the perimeter for the influx of mice next fall, but resisted the temptation.

• I took the third crock pot and some other hastily-assessed-non-essential items to the Jeep for transport to Goodwill so that next week I can need them and wonder what I was thinking.

• Among Goodwill items were the faded and frayed place mats which my mother made for me years ago, but which I've been unable to part with. I'm hoping they won't be 'vintage' in another year or two - or sooner.

• Does anyone really need five tablecloths? A red one for Christmas, a navy one for summer and fall, two white linen ones (because one was such a good deal and the other because I bought the fabric in Mexico and sewed it myself, so it must qualify as a family heirloom). The fifth is a plaid. Okay, I can get rid of that...and then there are several place mats.

• AND, I took a bunch of stuff to the dumpster.

So how can it still look this bad??

And worse yet, do you know how long it will take for it to look like the 'Before' picture again?

So if you're wondering who would take photos of their closet! Well, I would, for it's proof that it actually was clean and organized, if only at one very small point in time.

P.S. And just so it wasn't a total waste to read my blog today, here's a consolation prize:  a photo I took this morning: the heuchera (coral bells) against the backdrop of chives and echinacea. Aren't they cheery!





 

London Eye Pods

If you're heading toward London, it's definitely worth finding a coupon and taking a 'spin' on the London Eye. Actually, 'spin' is a bit of a misnomer, for the Eye moves slowly enough that as it is turning you can easily step on or off without it having to stop. At the online London Eye Visitor Information site, it states,  

Each rotation takes about 30 minutes, meaning a capsule travels at a stately 26cm per second, or 0.9km (0.6 miles) per hour - twice as fast as a tortoise sprinting. 

It's also cheaper to go online, even from your hotel room, and order tickets to pick up later - than it is to simply show up and purchase them at the site.

We initially had very little desire to go on the Eye, wondering if it was worth the money, but we decided it might be fun for Anna and Joe. However, once we were in the air and saw the breathtaking cityscape, we definitely thought it was worth the twenty-four dollars, even if just this once.

I think they said that each pod holds 30 people. It's not crowded, and no one has to fight for a view, for the whole exterior is transparent.

This was our view of the Westminster Bridge, the Palace of Westminster a.k.a Houses of Parliament, and the Westminster Pier, and another pod on the wheel.

Charing Cross Station, located in one of the areas in which Kevin and I once got lost and walked it-seemed-like-miles before we got to our destination. It doesn't help when you're used to the roads in Wisconsin which are laid out on a square grid.

Weary but brave and hardy travelers.

London Eye at night. Isn't that a gorgeous sight! When they put up the Eye for the Millennium celebration, they never intended for it to be a permanent fixture on the London cityscape. I can't imagine them getting rid of it now.