MissElaineous

More Thought, Less Waste

More Thought, Less Waste
[ In addition to writing the MissElaineous Blog, I also tackle the problem of litter and waste over on Off the Ground.  I’ve written an environmental gift guide over the past few years, and this year I’m continuing the tradition with a greatly expanded look at eco (or at least eco-ish) presents. The topic of waste reduction is one I care… View Post

London Accompaniment

London Accompaniment
Our inside joke started way back in the distant year of 2010, when MrElaineous was still known as Jon and I was just about to embark on the phase of my PhD euphemistically known as “writing up” (reality: “academic hell”). I had a paper accepted to an archaeology conference in Granada, Spain and Jon was interested in going as well;… View Post

A Walk in the Woods: Wonderful Westonbirt

A Walk in the Woods: Wonderful Westonbirt
Every year, as September gives way to October, MrElaineous and I start to have heated discussions about a very important topic: when do we go to Westonbirt, the national arboretum? Too early and there’s not much autumn colour. Too late and the colours are faded and most of the leaves are on the ground instead of on the trees. It… View Post

Opening Doors in London

Opening Doors in London
Imagine a house you’ve lived in for years. You can navigate to the bathroom in the middle of the night without turning on a light or stubbing your toe. You know those spots of scuffed paint or the peeling wallpaper you keep meaning to fix. You are familiar with every step, every floorboard creak, every quirk of architecture or design.… View Post

Dive into Bath

Dive into Bath
“Hi, would you like to participate …” “Hello, I’m researching the audio guides and …” “Hi, would you like to take part in a survey about the audio guides here at the Roman Baths? You would? Great!” Over a period of months, I accosted hundreds, if not thousands, of visitors to the Roman Baths Museum with a spiel like this.… View Post

The Autumn Collection

The Autumn Collection
[ If you have been following along with my daily posts on Facebook or Instagram, this might look familiar! ] Growing up in Florida, plants consisted of flowers, palm trees, pine trees, and evergreen shrubs. There were two seasons—hot and hotter—but every building had air conditioning so most time was spent in a climate-controlled bubble. So going to Bryn Mawr… View Post

She seeks seashells (and fossils) by the seashore

She seeks seashells (and fossils) by the seashore
Fishpond Bottom. Thornfalcon. Monkton Wyld. Cricket Malherbie. Beercrocombe. Curry Mallet. Cheddon Fitzpaine. Queen Camel. MrElaineous and I were heading south, and as I followed our route across the map I couldn’t help but wonder about the subconscious impact of cartography on a nation’s mindset. After all, this is a country that has given the world both Monty Python and Middle… View Post

Wiltshire Round Up

Wiltshire Round Up
If you have ever watched any television series, you’ll be familiar with the phenomenon of the clip show. These often string together the best segments from previous episodes, or perhaps are built around a particular theme. Welcome to the clip show in blog format! This past summer I’ve been exploring closer to home and enjoying the wonders of Wiltshire, but… View Post

Summer, Shakespeare, and Sightseeing

Summer, Shakespeare, and Sightseeing
It was Shakespeare—and a very dedicated English teacher—who brought me to the UK in the summer of 1999. Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying a number of plays (and the odd musical or two) in gardens across the country. This is because once the weather warms up, outdoor spaces are converted into open-air theatres for local amateur dramatic… View Post

Down the Garden Path

Down the Garden Path
Although I have lived in the UK for nearly 15 years, I am still discovering new things on a regular basis. One such recent discovery has been the National Garden Scheme. While I had been vaguely aware of their existence before, I have to admit I had never actually visited one of the participating properties. What a mistake that was!… View Post

Seduced by Salisbury (Part 2)

Seduced by Salisbury (Part 2)
“The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” This famous quote by writer L.P. Hartley opens his novel The Go-Between, and I think it gets to the heart of why I enjoy history so much: it’s just like travelling, but in your imagination. There’s the same excitement of learning and discovery, of figuring out how things work,… View Post

Seduced by Salisbury (Part 1)

Seduced by Salisbury (Part 1)
[ PART 1 ] [ PART 2 ][ VISIT WILTSHIRE ] [ If you follow along on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter you may have caught my trip to Salisbury this past weekend — I am reposting it on the MissElaineous Blog to make it easier for everyone to access. ] I have a confession to make. Narrow, winding stairs are my… View Post

Making the Past Present (Part 2)

Making the Past Present (Part 2)
[ PART 1 ] [ PART 2 ] We are all time travellers. We just happen to be moving towards the future at the pace of one day at a time. But the past is all around us and, with the help of the right person, it’s possible to find it. John Swann of the Travelling History Company is one… View Post

Making the Past Present (Part 1)

Making the Past Present (Part 1)
[ PART 1 ] [ PART 2 ] Car parks are not exactly known for having great views. Indeed, that is one of their defining characteristics: whether situated underground, in a multi-storey tower, or sandwiched between shops, they tend to prioritise function over form and practicality over aesthetics. So pulling into Chepstow’s Castle Dell car park was unexpected: as the view of a medieval… View Post

Life in Lavender

Life in Lavender
It is twenty-five miles between our house and MrElaineous’ hometown. Due to the “you-can’t-get-there-from-here” phenomenon, it takes us about an hour to drive there on winding country roads, which allows us to avoid the often grid-locked city of Bath, and instead takes us through picturesque towns like Bradford-on-Avon and small villages such as Faulkland. I hadn’t paid much attention to… View Post
Devizes

Delightful Devizes

Delightful Devizes
Sometimes travel planning can be a hassle: searching for the best price for flights, trying to find accommodation that meets all your criteria, or ensuring that what you want to see is actually open while you’re there. At other times, outings can fall into place at the touch of a button. In this particular case, that button was the Facebook… View Post

Postcards from Across the Pond

Postcards from Across the Pond
Big photo, short text: It’s practically the definition of a postcard. This blog post is taking a lesson from them to provide a wrap up of my trip to Devon with some views that I didn’t have a chance to share in the Bound for Beer series. Click on any of them to enlarge, and scroll to the end for a… View Post

Bound for Beer (Part 4)

Bound for Beer (Part 4)
[ PART 1 ][ PART 2 ][ PART 3 ][ PART 4 ][ POSTCARDS ] My final morning in Beer dawned as one of those late spring/early summer days that seemed absolutely perfect, the type you wish would go on forever. The mist of the past few days had completely vanished, leaving blue skies in its wake, and the colours along… View Post

BOUND FOR BEER (PART 3)

BOUND FOR BEER (PART 3)
[ PART 1 ][ PART 2 ][ PART 3 ][ PART 4 ][ POSTCARDS ] Rather than the antiquated local museum I was expecting, from the moment you step inside Seaton Jurassic it is clear that time, money, and passion have gone into creating an engaging and educational experience for visitors of all ages. You start off by exploring a Victorian… View Post
MissElaineous Travel Blog: Escape, Explore, Discover, Enjoy