10 September 2021

Uppingham

Cottage in Uppingham

The weather held yesterday. The  rain and thunder that were forecast did not arrive  even though cloud cover increased from the west by the late afternoon. I began the day with a three mile walk out of the next village west of here - Skeffington. Another charming place.

Harvesting near Skeffington

By Welsh Myers Farm, I had a tricky encounter with a herd of mixed cattle. The public footpath led across their field. They were a little panicked and raced two or three times from one corner of their enclosure to the next. I was so happy to reach the far gate and get out of there. They clustered by it with apparent disappointment.

"I told you we should have trampled him earlier!" muttered Buttercup.

My womenfolk and I spent a couple of hours in nearby Uppingham - a small town famous for its public school. In England, a public school is essentially a school for the children of the rich so its really a private school - not open to the public at all. The fee for a boarder is currently £40,000 a year or $55,000 (US). The school is the alma mater of Stephen Fry, Rowan Atkinson and Boris Karloff . Surprisingly, it has not spawned a single prime minister in it its five hundred year history.

A glimpse of Uppingham School

We found the place to be quite lovely with little shops and quaint cottages. We enjoyed an excellent lunch in "The Crown" on The High Street. Lovely Mediterranean food that arrived within ten minutes and pleasant, attentive service too.

Hospice shop on Uppingham High Street

In the evening I prepared a simple meal of Lincolnshire sausages from the local butcher, chips (US-french fries), baked beans and fried eggs, followed by scrumptious brownies made by the butcher's wife.

Beforehand, I went on another "Geograph" photo expedition with Clint's assistance, gathering a bunch of map squares in the local  area that I had not yet captured. This involved another visit to the Rolleston Hall country estate where I had to open and close four gates. This is most unusual on a public road in England. Confusingly, "public" in this sense does not mean a private road but one maintained by the state.

Lovely little Phoebe on the rug yesterday morning

29 comments:

  1. Lovely little Phoebe indeed! Such genuine contentment and happiness in that smile and look of hers.
    Uppingham looks a nice place to explore. If Stephen Fry or Rowan Atkinson were Prime Minister instead of your current one, I wonder how different things would have turned out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha-ha! That is a good point. Johnson has been such a disaster. By the way, I have admired Mrs Merkel from afar. She has had a steady handle on the tiller for so many years. Seeing her go is like the end of an era.

      Delete
  2. I like the look of Uppingham, very pretty. I hope those posh natives were friendly to a non-public school person?
    The name Skeffington reminded me of an old Bette Davis film with a character of that name. You know I got my makeup inspiration from her as Baby Jane.
    Phoebe's expression in that photo is priceless. Such a cutie.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What a lovely comment JayCee! Or maybe it's a bunch of comments knitted together. I find that it is easy to deal with public school types. Just shove em up against a wall and threaten them with mortal injury.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous10:55 am

    I had forgotten but when visiting a derelict but habitated castle in the north of England, we had to open and close a couple of gates. Fortunately on the single lane road we did not encounter another car so no reversing for a mile.

    Your cows must be different to ours. Cows are no threat unless their young are immediately threatened. Bulls are another matter. Be afraid.

    Your public private school thing is as misleading as our conservative Liberal Party.

    Uppingham looks delightful as it is bathed in bright sunlight, and so does the rapidly growing Phoebe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nice comment Andrew. Thanks. Normally I walk through cow fields and they just stand there grazing - no problem. I suspect that fields in south eastern Australia are rather bigger than ours?

      Delete
  4. Trouble with cowas again.
    I worked with someone who'd been to Uppingham school. He got a new MGB GT for his 18th birthday. He taught me the filthiest limerick I know.
    There once was a young man of Uppingham
    Who stood on the bridge at Buckingham
    It wasn't the ----censored----
    Of the ----censored----
    But the ----censored----

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Too much censorship for my liking. I didn't realise you were so bashful!

      Delete
  5. I am wondering if Phoebe's luggage required a trailer of its own. She looks so happy there, surrounded by her colorful toys. Is she teething yet?
    I've never, ever understood the British custom of sending young boys (and I guess girls, sometimes) off to boarding school. It just seems so very cruel and cold and unnatural. It does appear to be great fodder for future literary work, though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In any generation the number of boys and girls sent to posh public schools in Britain is and was only around 1%. It is funny and exasperating that that 1% receive more airtime than the 99% of ordinary children who attend normal state schools.

      Delete
    2. I figured that it wasn't a huge percentage of the population but I had no idea it was that small.

      Delete
  6. Perhaps you should carry a salt block with you. Cows love them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Helpful advice Ed. Next time I go walking I will carry a sack filled with salt blocks.

      Delete
  7. The number $55000 really pops out at me. What are these people thinking? They hide the real world from their children.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That money could and should go into improving state education in my opinion.

      Delete
  8. Phoebe looks like a very happy baby! Glad you got some good service after waiting so long at the other restaurant.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes. It was a splendid contrast Margaret... and Phoebe remains an absolutely delightful baby.

      Delete
  9. Lovely photos YP, and once again you've captured the essence of England at it's very best. Uppingham looks picturesque, and I particularly like the cottage in the first photo.
    So glad that you've been blessed with sunshine on your travels.
    Pleased to see the latest photo of the gorgeous Phoebe.
    Oh dear YP - you really must learn to stay away from cows!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Perhaps it is my new aftershave that drives the cows crazy - "Bull Fever".

      Delete
  10. Uppingham looks rather a charming place. The harvester must have been very happy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Uppingham is a delightful little town and I guess the public school has helped to make it prosperous.

      Delete
  11. Could Comedian not be another name for Prime minister YP?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. All Johnson needs is half a ping pong ball on a length of elastic and painted bright red. Move over Coco the Clown, BoJo's here.

      Delete
  12. I wonder why the public school is not called a private school. Start saving your pounds, grandpa. Phoebe looks like a very bright girl who will need to attend a private public school.

    PS That last picture was so sad that it brought a tear to my eye. The poor child needs a toy or two.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes she is deprived of toys. I am hoping she will be sponsored by a rich American who has plenty of money to spare. Then we can fill her toybox.

      Delete
  13. Sweet photo of Phoebe. $55,000 is mind-boggling for those of us who grew up going to public school in Canada - which means almost everyone - and getting a good education there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Attending a good state school gives kids a better, more rounded education in my opinion.

      Delete
  14. I was trying to get some photos of cows a few years ago. I had no idea cows could run so fast. Apparently the trick is to photograph dairy cows. They're much more docile. Beef cows are more skittish, probably because of their short life span:)

    Phoebe is so sweet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Even dairy cows can panic. There were a few calves amongst them.

      Delete

Mr Pudding welcomes all genuine comments - even those with which he disagrees. However, puerile or abusive comments from anonymous contributors will continue to be given the short shrift they deserve. Any spam comments that get through Google/Blogger defences will also be quickly deleted.

Most Visits