Time Flies!

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Abbie Branchflower

Well, I can’t believe this is my final blog post, I’ve really enjoyed writing these updates and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading them! I am finally done with exams, what a relief! On a much more interesting note, the weekend before last I went to Leavesden Studios with my cousins (for those of you who don’t know, that’s where the Harry Potter movies were filmed). Needless to say, I was beyond excited, and it was absolutely fantastic!! As a major Harry Potter fan I could have spent all weekend there, and even for those who casually enjoyed the books and films there is a ton to see. As well as getting the opportunity to observe the immensely detailed props at leisure, visitors can experience the thrill of walking through the Great Hall and Diagon Alley sets and get up close and personal with animatronics such as Buckbeak and the Book of Monsters. I also found out that the outside of the Dursley’s house was filmed in Bracknell (where I was born) for the first film! But I won’t spoil all the secrets behind the magic of the films, if you’re even the slightest bit interested you should definitely go!!

In front of the incredible Hogwarts Castle model!

To round out the weekend we took my cousins’ two Irish Setters for a run in the beautiful grounds of Clivedon House, there was even a gorgeous foal in one of the pastures! Monday was Bath: Round Two with my cousin and her housemate. We visited the Jane Austen Centre (fittingly, as this year marked the 200th anniversary of Pride and Prejudice) and walked around the Abbey. After a picnic lunch we dashed to Sudeley Castle just in time to convince the ticket vendors to let us in for the last hour. Half ruins and half private family home, the 15th Century castle is incredibly picturesque, even in the rain! They have several lovely birds from all over the world in their Pheasantry as part of a conservation program and beautiful gardens. However, the castle’s strongest claim to significance is that its chapel is the burial place of Catherine Parr, Henry the VIII’s final wife. There you can see the late queen’s marble tomb and, in the exhibits, even one of her teeth and samples of her hair! The museum section hosts several important artefacts, particularly from the Tudor era due to the castle’s strong connection with the period. The castle’s history is truly fascinating and well worth reading up on!

Sudeley Castle

On a final note, today was my last day at the therapy centre, which I just can’t believe. It was a wonderful learning experience for me, from listening to professionals and observing therapeutic machines in action to being able to help handle the horses on the high speed treadmill and in the AquaFit. For anyone interested in equine rehabilitation, I would highly recommend looking into Hartpury’s program. Sunday my mum is picking me up and we are going to spend some time with family before heading home. I can’t wait to see everyone back home but I will miss Hartpury and being in England for sure! Well, I’d better go work on packing (yay), but thanks for reading, it’s been a pleasure!

Hartpury in the spring! It’s almost too beautiful to leave.

Bath, Badminton and Brevity

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Abbie Branchflower

Just a quick post to get myself up to speed before the weekend! Last weekend was pretty eventful—as well as preparing for my first exam I went to the Badminton Horse Trials and Bath. It couldn’t have been better weather for the horse trials, especially as it was rained out last year! Actually, the good weather took everyone by surprise because most, myself included, got quite sunburnt! Definitely a bummer. At least the riding made up for it! Badminton attracts the best of the best, with Olympic veterans facing off against up-and-coming riders and their horses. A particular highlight was having Mary King trot right in front of us on Imperial Cavalier! The vendors’ tents also attract the cream of the equine world; I met an equine artist who I’ve long admired and she signed a card of one of her works for me!

Mary King and Imperial Cavalier!

Ruth Edge and Nick of Thyme

On the holiday Monday my cousin and I ventured into Bath. There we got to see the outside of one of Jane Austen’s homes, explore the ancient Roman Baths and eat in the oldest house in Bath at Sally Lunn’s Tea Shop. The famed “Bath Buns” were delicious! Bath is beautiful; we walked to Pulteney Bridge (one of the few bridges in the world that has shops built into the original structure) which crosses the River Avon and admired the Abbey from the outside. In fact there was so much we wanted to do we decided to go back this weekend, so keep tuned for more updates on Bath!

Above: Roman Baths

Below: View from Pulteney Bridge

Playing Catch-Up: Part 3

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Abbie Branchflower

One last catch-up post before I go over my exciting weekend. Sorry for the delay, I have been super busy with exams! For those that are wondering, Hartpury exams are set up differently than those at DelVal. The biggest difference is that they are spread out over several weeks versus having just one finals week, definitely a plus! However, they are a bit scarier than the ones at DelVal, at least in my opinion! There are quite a few oral exams and these are conducted in professional dress and in front of just your teacher and a second marker. Definitely nerve-wracking!

Charles looking very handsome in his braids!

As for the end of my Easter break, getting back from Paris was just about as fun as getting to Paris. As in, not fun at all. I had a really lovely visit with my Nana though! We went to Osterley House on the Thursday and I have to say, out of all the historic houses I’ve been to, Osterley was definitely one of my favourites! The guides were all very helpful and you could really get a feel for the history of the house as you went round. A major bonus was the basement area; it genuinely felt as though you’d stepped back in time (think Downton Abbey of you who watch it!) Again, the stables had been converted into a tea room, wfor those hich I found very neat.

In front of Osterley House

Kitchen at Osterley

The next day we went into Windsor, which has been one of my favourite places to visit since I was very young, and is probably partially responsible for my fascination with history. It is also very close to Ascot, so I saw lots of signs for Ascot Racecourse which is located opposite the hospital where I was born!

Windsor Castle

Saturday we visited Waddesdon Manor, one of the Rothschild family properties. It was absolutely packed! The house itself is a museum, full of artefacts from all over the world, including some very ancient plate ware from Italy and furniture originally from the Palace of Versailles. It was a beautiful day, and we really enjoyed walking around the gardens and seeing the beautiful flower arrangements.

Waddesdon Manor

In more recent news, last Friday I spent the morning at the equine therapy yard, as usual, and the afternoon in the canine therapy centre. I got to help with the AquaFit again, which was a much better experience the second time around (maybe it helped that the horse was taller so I didn’t have to reach as far, haha). At the canine centre I got to watch two dogs undergo their therapy in the new canine swimming pool. Afterwards I bathed them (they were definitely much happier swimming than in the shower!) and helped clean up using a water vacuum which is certainly more efficient than a mop!

Canine swimming pool

Playing Catch-Up: Part 2 (AKA Parisian Adventures!)

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Abbie Branchflower

Let me tell you, travelling around London, on the underground and through train stations with a suitcase nearly the size of you and loaded with textbooks is not an easy experience. Especially when that experience involves stairs, and lots of them. Oh, and not really knowing where you’re going. But I made it! And boy was I relieved to arrive at my dad’s colleague’s apartment, who very kindly hosted me for my stay in Paris.

La Conciergerie from across the river

Throughout the five days I made it my goal to try and see as much as possible, and also to enjoy life staying in the heart of Paris instead of being at a hotel. Across from the apartment where I stayed are beautiful old buildings, you can even see the windows of the maids’ quarters in the roofs. And across the road is apparently the offices for one of the French show jumping committees—pretty neat! In fact, there was a big horse show the weekend I was there at the Grand Palais. While I was there I made good use of the French skills I learnt through French Immersion in Canada, and, as I am a European citizen under the age of 26, I was able to visit a lot of places for free or a reduced rate which was absolutely wonderful; Paris is certainly not cheap! The baguettes were also, of course, delicious!

Interior of La Sainte Chapelle

As well as the typical landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and L’Arc de Triomphe, I tried to visit many of the historic locations that are less publicised. I saw Napoleon’s Tomb and L’Hotel de Ville, plus went in La Sainte Chapelle and La Conciergerie (former palace turned prison and where Marie Antoinette was kept prior to her execution). I also went to Musée de l’Orangerie, which features some of Monet’s water lily paintings. I didn’t get to go in Musée d’Orsay or the Louvre (I did go with my Nana 7 years ago though, it’s well worth the visit!), but I did walk to see them as they are very impressive even just from the outside! It was lovely to walk all over the city when it was nice out, but I also got plenty of practice at using the metro, which really is a brilliant system.

Sculpture outside Musee d’Orsay

Notre Dame was one of my favourite places to visit, the cathedral is truly awe-inspiring. I went up the towers but unfortunately didn’t make it quite to the top as it began hailing, of all things, and those of us waiting virtually at the top of the cathedral got absolutely soaked! One of my other favourites was the Palace of Versailles, I’ve wanted to go there for about 8 years! Located just outside of Paris, it truly is splendid, the thousands of people there was testimony to that fact! It was fantastic to see Marie Antoinette’s apartments, right down to the door she escaped (temporarily) through when the palace was invaded during the French Revolution. The artwork housed there is also brilliant. I tried to see all that a visit to the Palace has to offer, including the magnificent gardens, and the farm and hamlet, Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon in the grounds. My final favourite was the museum dedicated to the artist Rodin, and located at Hôtel Biron, Rodin’s former workshop. I was able to see many of his famous works, including “The Thinker” and “The Kiss.”

Rodin’s “The Thinker”

In more recent news, I had a great day at the therapy centre yesterday. There are several new horses, one of which is a two-year old filly who was really good, even though she thinks going on the treadmill is mega-exciting! She’s a big sweetie. I also got to see a horse being evaluated on the treadmill and start his aqua treadmill treatment—it’s still so incredible to me that these animals allow us to subject them to such foreign activities. Of course, it’s all for the horses’ own good, but it’s not as if we can really tell them that!

Playing Catch Up: Part 1

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Abbie Branchflower

Sorry for being silent on the blog front for a while, I had next to no (and often just no) internet in Paris. However, as you might expect, Paris was totally worth it! More on Paris in my next blog, as I haven’t had a chance to talk about the rest of my visit to Norfolk yet.

I got to visit lots of great places, and spend time with my family which was brilliant! My Nan and I took my cousins to Great Yarmouth which is a coastal town with a boardwalk and lovely sandy beaches which we unfortunately didn’t get to enjoy as it was absolutely bitter! In fact, spring only just came to England a couple of days ago; apparently it’s been the coldest winter on record in Gloucestershire in 60 years—how wonderful! We did go into a museum called Yesterday’s World with some more creepy mannequins which was quite interesting if a little rundown. They did have a very neat antique carousel though!

Blickling Hall

Our next destination was Blickling Hall, believed to be the birthplace of Anne Boleyn. Although we were still blown around by brutal winds, my Nan and I enjoyed exploring the house and its fascinating history, we just decided to pass on walking around the gardens! The next day we took the train to Peterborough where we went to the museum which had a temporary exhibit on Edwardian clothing. As well as original clothing from the period, the collection included pieces from films and shows set during the era, including Downton Abbey, Finding Neverland and The Secret Garden. The museum itself has a fascinating history, starting life as a mansion and also acting as a hospital (you can still see one of the amputating rooms—complete with a bucket of fake blood).

Costume worn by Dame Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess in Downton Abbey

I also went with my Nan and Grandad to Wicken Fen, one of the oldest nature reserves in England, which grazes feral Konik ponies and Highland cattle (I was determined to find herds of both and even got to see the only foal born this year— if only at a great distance!)

On my last day in Norfolk, my Nan and I took my cousins to Hillside Shire Horse Sanctuary in West Runton. My Nan and I are long-time supporters of Hillside and it was great to be able to see their new sanctuary, meet some of the new animals that I have read about in their newsletter, and see one of the horses I sponsor again! We also had a wonderful surprise as we walked into the building that houses old time horse-drawn vehicles (including a lawn-mower): a two day old foal! Luckily for both him and his mother, the mare had been rescued from slaughter the month before. They are some of the lucky ones that this wonderful sanctuary has saved, I encourage anyone visiting Norwich and interested in animals (they have all sorts!) to check out one of their sanctuaries.

Norwich Bound!

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Abbie Branchflower

I’m writing this blog with the help of Gem, one of my Nan and Grandad’s shelties (she’s only 6 months old, and she and her “sister” are adorable), so as you might have guessed I’m not at Hartpury at the moment! After a week of heavy work, I was definitely glad to escape to Norwich for the Easter weekend. Of note for people interested in the exchange, I found out last week that Hartpury only gives one exam a day for students, so that’s definitely a perk! Not to mention, we get a nice three week break for Easter!! It’s our only break of the semester, but perfect for travelling.

Getting to Norwich from Gloucester was certainly an interesting (and lengthy!) adventure. I took a taxi into Gloucester with my super heavy bags (unfortunately I have a ton of work due just after Easter so some textbooks and lots of notes came along for the ride!) then spent nearly twice the time on the train that I was supposed to as it kept randomly stopping. There must have been construction going on, but it definitely called to mind the way the Hogwarts Express was stopped randomly to allow the Dementors to board…and yes I am fully aware that I am Harry Potter obsessed!

After arriving at the station in Birmingham I had to find friends of the family who had very nicely offered to give me a ride back to their house, which is only a short distance from my Nan and Grandad’s. I didn’t get to my final destination until about 8:30 at night and I left Hartpury at 12:15 but all in all in wasn’t too bad of a journey. And it was really nice to catch up with family friends I hadn’t seen in ages, as well as bond over music in the car! The next day I got to see my Uncle, Aunt and my two cousins, one of whom I finally met for the first time! We also went out for lunch at the Racecourse carvery on Monday; it was great to be able to catch up!

Today my Nan and I went into the city of Norwich where we visited St. Peter Mancroft Church, the largest church in Norwich, and then the Forum library which is right next to a BBC Radio broadcasting station. We then went to the Assembly House which is set on a site that has been significant to the city of Norwich since the 1200s, beginning as the location of a hospital. It is a beautiful building both inside and outside although unfortunately they were in the process of setting up an art exhibition so we weren’t able to see much. However, we did stop to have hot chocolate in their very elegant tea rooms. One of the waiters noticed I had my camera and very kindly asked me if I would like to go up on the balconies to get better pictures of the rooms. Of course I said yes, so I got to go “behind-the-scenes” a little bit and was able to get a nice vantage point to see the ballroom and tea room.

The tea room at the Assembly House

Oh, and as a final note, my Cadbury Easter egg count is now up to four as my Nan and Grandad and my aunt and uncle both very thoughtfully bought me one! Yum!!

Brrrrr!

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Abbie Branchflower

I finally got to see a foal this “spring” (yes, it’s miserable and freezing here too!). My Equine Reproductive Techniques class took a field trip to West Kington stud this morning and although I think I have only just thawed out 7 hours later, it was a pretty neat trip. I didn’t see much that was new to me as we do stallion collections at DelVal, but it was interesting to see how a different breeding centre operates. I enjoyed meeting the stallions as well; a lot of them were really sweet! They are all stabled in a shed row together and are apparently good friends for the most part. One of my favourites was a five year old miniature stallion—what a cutie pie! And as the weirdest “souvenir” ever, they gave us each a semen collection straw with the farm details printed on it. They introduced us to the rest of the horses as well, and that’s when I got a peek at the foal, he’s about three days old and wears a tiny blanket—absolutely adorable!!

On Friday I ventured out in the pouring rain to visit Gloucester Cathedral. While the cathedral is a beautiful example of several periods of architecture, I have to admit one of the most thrilling moments of my outing was seeing the area that was used as the Fat Lady’s Corridor in the Harry Potter films. I recognized it instantly! They also used a hallway in the cathedral for the scene with the troll in the first movie.

The entrance to the Gryffindor common room!

Of course I did really appreciate the history of the cathedral too, and some of the pieces housed there are truly beautiful. One of my favourite elements of the décor was a series of stained glass windows designed to look like sheets of music. And when I went to pick up a guide book I even found a coaster with my name (spelt properly!) on it. This absolutely never happens (not the personalized coaster bit, the spelling of my name part) so I just had to purchase it too.

The cathedral began life as an abbey so it was neat to see the monks’ quarters, including old desk areas where young boys in training to join the abbey had etched games similar to tic-tac-toe in the surfaces. Actually, if it wasn’t for the fact that Edward II was buried there (no knows exactly where though) the cathedral and all of its history would likely have disappeared as it was originally slated for destruction by the order of Henry VIII during the English Reformation. Thankfully the abbey was saved and the cathedral born, because it truly is a remarkable place to visit!

“Britain’s Ultimate Castle”

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Abbie Branchflower

Well, I had quite the busy end to my week! A great ride on Drummer (he’s adorable), a packed morning at the Therapy Yard (for those of you wondering how to clean the equine treadmill: I can now tell you!), and an afternoon of auditing Masters classes. That evening some of my family picked me up and we headed to their house for a great weekend. They have two lovely Irish setters that I got to play with, and on Saturday we braved the rain and headed to Warwick Castle.

Drummer!

At the castle we witnessed the firing of a trebuchet, a magnificent and unique birds of prey demonstration (involving the not-so-native-to-England-species: Bald Eagles, Milky Eagle Owls, and Steller’s Sea Eagles) and got to tour the state rooms and themed displays of the castle.

While the countless wax figures inhabiting the castle rooms were moderately frightening, the collection of historic pieces housed at the castle was fascinating. Notable artifacts included a large collection of armor and paintings, a table with supposed fertility powers, a large wooden cabinet with gorgeous carvings depicting the relationship between Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley (in somewhat happier times than their stay at the Tower of London!) and Queen Anne’s bed that was shipped from Windsor for her intended visit to the castle and never left! We had a great guided tour of the state rooms, and then were left to explore the Victorian section of the castle that shed light on the more scandalous side of Victorian society through the letters of Daisy, Countess of Warwick, supposedly the most beautiful woman of her time. It seems as though she was definitely quite the character!

Even the ceilings were ornate!

Like Cardiff Castle, the history of the Warwick castle property traces back centuries, to about 1070. They aren’t shy about the “horrible history” aspect of the castle either, and throughout the grounds there are tidbits of information that certainly make you grateful that you weren’t exploring there a few centuries ago! Notable figures in the history of the castle include Ethelfleda, daughter of Alfred the Great who was responsible for securing the land for defensive purposes, William the Conqueror, who built the first castle on the grounds, Robert Neville “The Kingmaker” (subject of an interactive display with yet more creepy figurines and an awesome moving model of Neville’s horse, Fortune) and a few of the Dudley family. The castle was also possessed by the Royal family during part of the Tudor reign.

If you want some great views of the surrounding area, you need only climb the towers and walk along the battlements, although if you are afraid of heights you might want to think twice! There are also several gardens in the grounds, one of which is named the Peacock Garden and has about as many peacocks per square foot as DelVal has squirrels (for those not at DelVal, that’s a lot!). While Warwick Castle’s stables has also fallen prey to renovations, this time to a restaurant, I was excited to see that they’d maintained part of the equine aspect, leaving some of the original flooring and placing tables in the old tie-stalls! The castle has somewhat of a Renaissance fair vibe about it, with costumed members of staff and activities such as jousting and archery, depending on the season.

What time is it anyway? (Or, things people don’t tell you about studying abroad: Part 1)

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Abbie Branchflower

So I don’t have too much to talk about this week (don’t worry, no impromptu history lessons either!), mostly because I was sick again, and there’s nothing interesting about that. I had another great ride on Charles, so that made me very happy; one thing that made me very confused was Daylight Saving Time. Naturally, most of my Facebook friends live in North America, and both of the calendars I have in my room are from the U.S. So when everyone was posting things about “springing forward” all over Facebook and my calendars claimed it happened this weekend, I didn’t initially think to wonder if this was also the case in England. Well, it wasn’t. At any rate, it’s a good thing I noticed that no one in England seemed to care about losing an hour of their weekend; otherwise I would have been quite cross showing up to things an hour early all day! Incidentally, Mothers’ Day (but, strangely, not Fathers’ Day) is also a different date in the U.K.

As I don’t have any Daylight Saving Time related pictures, here is a picture of the outside of my dorm building. It’s from when we first arrived, although it has been snowing again today-just not settling on the ground.

Since my last post, I also met the very sweet horses of two of the Hartpury girls who came to DelVal in the fall. Previous to visiting the barn, we ran into Gloucester where we passed the historic Gloucester Quays (I know I said no history, but that’s only because I didn’t have time to read anything or take any pictures!) Last night I visited my cousin, who lives in Gloucester; it’s certainly nice not being on the other side of the ocean from most of my extended family! Oh, and on a totally random note, I just read that J.K. Rowling was at a Literature Festival a few towns over yesterday; now going to that would have made for a great addition to this blog post!

London Calling!

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Abbie Branchflower

So I had an awesomely eventful weekend! My Dad picked me up from Hartpury and we headed to my Nana’s house. Saturday my Dad and I travelled to London with my Dad’s cousin and her husband.

Our first stop was the Royals Mews, what could be better than horses and history?! I got to see a couple of the famous Windsor Greys that pull the Royal family’s carriages and two of the Cleveland Bays that are driven to pick up Ambassadors and high commissioners visiting the Queen. After talking to them from across the barrier I finally got one of the greys to stick his head over the stall and pose for a picture. His name is Tyrone (fun fact: the Queen names all of the horses herself) and he reminded me a little bit of my horse, Keeper (I’m rather partial to greys for that reason!)

Tyrone!

The Royal Mews houses several state carriages and other horse drawn vehicles, including the famed Gold State Coach which is beyond ornate and weighs nearly four tonnes! It also takes two days to get it out of storage! Needless to say, it was very impressive. Another notable carriage was the Glass Coach, in which royal brides are drawn to their weddings. It’s hard to fully appreciate just how much history is represented at the mews, even when you are standing there.

After this tour we walked around the corner to pass Buckingham Palace (another great place to visit if you are ever in the neighbourhood!) We then headed to King’s Cross Station to see Platform 9 ¾, Harry Potter fans will understand! The queue was quite impressive considering it is currently the off-season and the platform is there all the time. It was fun to pose for a picture, and my Dad got me an official Platform 9 ¾ t-shirt which is very cool! We then enjoyed lunch at The Parcel Yard in the station, which is built utilising original features of the station. I had some more great fish and chips (I’m never going to settle for mediocre fish and chips again) and then we were back on the underground to head to the Tower of London.

The Tower would be a striking sight on its own, but it particularly stands out amongst its surroundings which are mostly modern style, glass buildings. They are pretty ugly too; my dad aptly referenced one as the “Monstrosity beside the Tower” (I was laughing at that all day). In spite of passing an old lady as we entered who loudly declared “That’s three hours of my life I’m never getting back,” we all had a great time. The history is fascinating, and covers centuries of British events.

I could have spent all day there, as it was we were able to see most of the notable components (the tower isn’t just one tower, it’s essentially a village within walls). This included the White Tower (where the bones of two children thought to be the “Lost Princes” were recovered) and Beauchamp Tower, which features very impressive etchings from famous prisoners including brothers Robert Dudley, a favourite of Elizabeth I, and Guildford Dudley (on behalf of his young wife, Lady Jane Grey, who was forced onto the throne for nine days and the executed for it at only 16 years old). Other famous prisoners include a young Elizabeth I (at the same time as Robert Dudley), 70 year old Margaret Pole (Countess of Salisbury), Anne Bolelyn and Catherine Howard (the latter two a couple of the unfortunate wives of Henry VIII).

Standing outside on the Tower Green was certainly chilling, and the monument there quite moving. I also caught site of the famous Tower ravens, legend has it if the six birds leave, the tower and kingdom will fall. The birds are well cared for, with one substitute raven also housed there just in case one of them decides to go on vacation (it’s happened!) There was an exhibit paying homage to the Royal Menagerie once (sadly) housed there and a diorama featuring the Peasants’ Revolt (the only time the Tower has been breached). We managed to just sneak in to take a peek at the Crown Jewels in their vaults before leaving. Other notable features are the beautiful and ancient St. John’s Chapel and a wide range of royal armor displayed in the White Tower.

I found more horses! These were designed as a display with British Monarchs riding them, the first instance of a museum at the Tower.

Well that’s probably enough history for everyone but me! On Sunday I spent a nice family day with my dad and my Nana, we paid a visit to friends of the family whom I haven’t seen in a long time and also drove around where my Dad grew up. Finally, we visited my Gramps’ grave before heading back to Hartpury.

Hartpury College – England Exchange Program

Just another WordPress site