The last days of our London trip were just as amazing as the first two. Our tour guide for Windsor Castle was Alfie, and our driver for the 22-mile drive was Graham. Can’t get much more British than that! The weather was cold and rainy, but Alfie was a fountain of knowledge of British history. Windsor Castle is the Queen’s childhood home and where she spends her weekends. The first part of the tour was the church in the castle – St. George’s Chapel. Construction began on this section of the castle in the 14th century. It is called a Royal Peculiar, which is a fancy way of saying that it is under the direct jurisdiction of the monarch. The Queen’s parents and sister are interred in St. George’s Chapel, along with Henry VIII and his beloved Jane Seymour.
The State Apartments are on the north side of the castle and contain a vast collection of artwork, antiques, artifacts, and royal china.
Outside of the castle is a shopping mall with souvenir shops and restaurants. I wanted to warm up, so we went into a pub called Bella Italia for a cappuccino. Wow! I’ve never seen a liquor with my name on it.
After warming up and doing a little shopping, it was time to walk down to Bel & The Dragon Pub for lunch with the rest of the group. Their website says “The historic restaurant and tea room has been serving food and drink since the 11th Century.”
It was a lovely luncheon with spiced cauliflower soup followed by roasted suckling pig and potatoes roasted in duck fat. After lunch and several cups of tea, we had a little time to wander the shops of the area. By this time, the rain had stopped and the view of the river was gorgeous.
Once we got back to London, the rain started again, so we decided not to attend the dinner cruise on the River Thames. Instead, we opted for Trader Vic’s in our hotel for drinks and an excellent steak dinner.
Texans v. Jaguars
Sunday started out with a pregame party at Sway with tailgate-style food and two of the best party hosts ever. Sway Bar
The hat is from a pattern in my Etsy shop – Football Earflap Hat.
Then it was back onto the bus for the 1-hour ride to Wembley Stadium. The attendance that day was 85,000 people – wow! I never realized Europeans like American football so much, but we were surrounded by British, French, German, and Croatian fans. Fortunately, our Texans won the game.
It was an unforgettable adventure!
Crown Christmas Tree Ornament
Materials:
Worsted weight yarn:
0.4 oz. red
0.2 oz. gold metallic
Crochet hook size G (4.00 mm)
Finished crown measures approximately 2-3/4” diameter by 1½” tall.
Directions:
RED:
Rnd 1: Ch 2 (or magic circle). Sc 7 in second ch from hook. Do not join.
Rnd 2: 2 sc in each sc (14 sc).
Rnd 3: *1 sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc,* repeat around (21 sc).
Rnd 4: *1 sc in next 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc,* repeat around (28 sc).
Rnd 5: *1 sc in next 3 sc, 2 sc in next sc,* repeat around (35 sc).
Rnd 6: Working in back loop only, mark first st and sc in each st around. Do not join.
Rnds 7-10: Working in both loops, sc in each st in continuous rounds.
Rnd 11: *Dec, sc in next 3 sc,* repeat around (28 sc).
Rnd 12: *Dec, sc in next 2 sc,* repeat around (21 sc).
Rnd 13: *Dec, sc in next st,* repeat around (14 sc).
Rnd 14: Dec around (7 sc). Fasten off leaving 4” length. Thread this length through yarn needle and draw up all 7 sts. Pull tight to close.
GOLD:
Rnd 1: Go back to marker at Rnd 6 of red. Using remaining loop, attach gold metallic yarn, ch 1, sc in each st (36 sc). Join with sl st.
Rnd 2: Ch 1, *sc in next st, sk next st, (2 dc, ch-3 picot, 2 dc) in next st, sk next st,* repeat around. Join with sl st.
Ch 14, sl st on opposite side of crown with ch-14 going across top of crown. Join with sl st to gold crown. Fasten off leaving 6” length. Mark halfway point between the ends of the ch-14 and attach gold yarn. Ch 14, going across top of crown and sl st in opposite side of crown. Fasten off leaving 6” length. Use both one 6” length to tack down tops of ch-3 picots. Use the other 6” length to tack down both ch-14s. Weave in all ends.
Picot: Ch 3, sl st in 3rd ch from hook.
PDF download available at My Fingers Fly
The Mission Inn exceeded all my expectations. The rooms are luxurious, the staff friendly and helpful, and my love of history was on overload with the artwork and the museum.
Mission Inn Courtyard 
My husband and I are slowly working our way through our travel bucket list, and July was a double. Not only did we get to see Queen in Houston, but a few days later we saw the Rolling Stones. It was one day after Mick Jagger’s 76th birthday and just a few months after heart surgery, but he hasn’t slowed down a bit which left us all wondering, where does he get the stamina? It was an amazing show. NRG stadium was filled to capacity. Opening act was Bishop Gun, a Natchez, Mississippi band, probably the first opening act I have ever enjoyed.
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, and Charlie Watts showed us that they have no intention of slowing down, even after 55 years of performing.
