Leonie and myself travelled to Gatwick in the race tuned Focus to pickup our best's friend Dale from Napier NZ. On her first visit to the UK she's going to spend a few days on the NB while we show her some Sights...
Being from the Tuwharetoa tribe ancestry and with a title of Whahine Princess it only seemed right that one of her first duties upon stepping foot on FirefireNZ would be to bless the boat, it seemed appropriate, and all that sailed on here ensuing safe travels..
We arrived from Gatwick about 8.45pm and after opening the rear hatch and turning on the light I explained the safe way to enter the boat.
Hold onto to hatch handle with one hand and proceed to step down the 3 steps.
All good except theirs 4 steps and WHAM, BAMM Dale ends up crashed face down on the floor jammed between the starboard inner wall and the bed base. In her own words like that she was anybodies....
Fearing the worst for broken bones, after all the NB wasn't yet blessed, a slow arising checked out ok.
Welcome aboard....
The next day a couple of bruises didn't stop the ritual...
Dale the "Whahine Princess blesses the boat.... Coffee with out milk or sugar was the closest we had to Holy Water....
Next day we took a trip to Blenheim Palace .......
What a Pad, the birth place of Sir Winstone Churchill....
Once inside the outer walls through the outer then inner walls...
The court yard is a reasonable size...
As can be seen here...
This dude was raking stones....
And only had 6,899000,463 rakes to go......
The build was between 1705--1722....
Built as a gift for John Churchill, 1st Duke Of Marlbourgh, for beating up the French at the Battle Of Blenheim 1704 the Churchill family have lived here for over 300 yrs...
Saved from ruin toward the end of the 19th century by the 9th Duke Of Marlbourgh marrying Consuelo Vanderbilt who's American family at the time were richer than the USA Government...
After entering through the front doors....
The entry hall features some impressive art on the ceiling...
Then looking toward the dining room.....
Behind closed doors....
The Churchill family Coat Of Arms.....
One of the greatest leaders of all time....
Sir Winstone......1874 ---- 1965.....
And after a PPUUUSSSHHH.... and a bit of a SLAPPING.........
In this very room and bed was born Sir Winstone...
On through the palace and the State rooms are very impressive....
with amazing art works....
And furniture.....
And also Tapestries...
Commissioned and done in Belgium the complete set of tapestries were made by 200 males, not woman, and took 8 years to do.
They were also done working from the back of the material using mirrors and working with a mirror image..
The Duke took artists to battle to do quick sketches which were then "couriered" back to the tapestry workers to get accurate battle scenes....
The marble fire place isn't to bad either...
In the Reception, food hall, this table extends across the room to seat....
40 hungry dudes.....
And if you win a battle then when you get back home to the "Missus".....
She has a little modest not over the top present..... silver and weighs 8 stone.....
Any bodies pension fund.....
Tomorrow more Palace...... like it or not....
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