Our time in England is always too short.  We visit family, and there seems to be more each time.  But they always take us to some wonderful places.  We spent several days in Surrey and then went on a tour of Ireland.  But during the time we were there, we visited the Windsor Farm Store, which is connected, to Windsor Great Park.  Its a very neat place.  They have an assortment of vegetables, meats, and jellies and serve a wonderful tea.  It was there that I was introduced to Elderflower, which is a kind of flavored water.  Delicious! 

            We also spent some time in Odiham.  A pub lunch and a visit to a couple of gift shops is always fun.  We also visited new homes of family members….at least new to them since they was built in the 1700-1800’s.  There is a great deal of “sticker shock” on the prices of homes in these areas. 

We returned to England after our tour of Ireland.  During our last few days in England, we took time to visit Portsmouth for a day.  There are several tall ships, and we visit the HMS Victory, which was the ship of Lord Nelson, who was in the Battle of Trafalgar.  She is the world's oldest surviving warship still in use and is the flagship of the Second Sea Lord, Commander in Chief Naval Home Command.  No photos are allowed inside the ship, but it truly is amazing.  We also saw the HMS Warrior, which is another tall ship. 

            We also visited Waddeston Manor.  This is a wonderful French chateau house that was owned by the Rothschild’s.  The Manor was built between 1874-1889.  The tour of the home takes over an hour and a half and is unbelievable.  These people collected almost anything you can think of.  It’s said that the furniture, carpets and porcelain rank in importance with the Louvre and Metropolitican Museum in New York.  I can believe it!!  There are even paintings by Dutch, Flemish masters, Gainsborough and Reynolds.  It is like going to an unbelievable museum. 

 Now we must return home after a wonderful stay.