Ely Cathedral - quilt exhibition

 

At the moment there is a quilt exhibition in Ely Cathedral UK. It is quite stunning.

Ely - Bishop's Palace, UK

Over the centuries, this has been many things. Today it is part of the King's School. 

In WW2 it was home to the Red Cross. 

My dad was a Pathfinder (the elites) flying over Germany at night.  He had his appendix out here in case he was shot down over enemy territory

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishop%27s_Palace,_Ely

Boy's Toys

For some reason, amateur radio is a hobby appealing mainly to men. 

There are other hobbies too that appeal mainly to men, like train spotting and model railways.

Yesterday, whilst we were at Ely, there was a gathering of the MG MX-5 owners club. 

At a guess there were about 100 cars there, maybe more. I can imagine the conversations!

Ely for coffee

This morning we went to Ely. We had brunch in a cafe overlooking Ely Cathedral.

The photo shows the walk up to the cathedral.

Ely Bishop's palace - NOT amateur radio

 

This is  now part of the Kings School.  In WW2 it was a hospital where my  dad had his appendix removed  before joining the Pathfinders flying  Lancasters

Lunch in Ely - NOT amateur radio

This week, we have had our wedding "best man" staying with us. 1971!! He always treats us to lunch out as a way of saying thank you. 

He is a very old and good friend. 

We ate by the river in Ely.

Ely, UK, High Street - NOT amateur radio

This was Ely High Street yesterday in the pleasant spring sunshine. 

The cathedral is next to it, dominating the fen countryside. 

Ely is an old island, famous for eels!

See https://www.visitely.org.uk/ .

Ely, UK, market - NOT amateur radio

 

A drop of sun and everyone seems to come out!  This was Ely market a few hours ago.

Ely Train Station - NOT amateur radio

 

The photo shows Ely rail station with Ely cathedral in the background.

Ely Cathedral - NOT amateur radio

 

This is Ely Cathedral from the nearby meadow.

Near Ely Cathedral - NOT amateur radio

Ely is unusual in having a park with delightful views of the cathedral nearby. This is about 300m from the cathedral and is a delightful walk.

Ely Cathedral - NOT amateur radio

This is called "The Ship of the Fens". It is on top of a hill and can be seen for miles, much like Chartres in France. 

The photo shows the view from the Almonry that has been serving meals since the 1200s.

Ely, Bishop’s Palace - NOT amateur radio

During WW2 my dad was a Pathfinder flying night raids in Lancaster bombers over Germany. 

Before joining flying crew he had to have his appendix removed here. It is now part of the Kings School.

I am sure he hated war.

Sean Henry statues, Ely - NOT amateur radio

At the moment there is an exhibition at Ely Cathedral of statues by Sean Henry. 

These are large and small and some are very realistic.

Ely last Thursday - NOT amateur radio

This was Ely earlier in the week. Ely Cathedral is in the background.

It is called "the Isle of Ely" as it is built on a rare hill in these parts. 

Much of the Fens area is flat for miles. It is one of the most fertile areas in the UK.

Ely waterfront - NOT amateur radio

As mentioned before, we went to Ely with a friend yesterday. 

This is the River Great Ouse, into which the River Cam flows is shown in the photo.

Peacocks - NOT amateur radio

 

Yesterday, we went to Ely with a friend who is staying with us. 

We ate at a small cafe at lunchtime.

Almonry, Ely - NOT amateur radio

The place in the photo has been serving food since the 1200s. Luckily the cheese scones are not that old 😉😉.

Ely from the train - NOT amateur radio

 

The photo show Ely as the train from Norwich drew into the station earlier this week. Ely is dominated by its cathedral on the hill. The River Great Ouse (into which the River Cam flows) runs through it. hence all the boats!

Ely snack lunch

On Wednesday, we ate at the Almonry restaurant in Ely. This is next to Ely Cathedral and has been serving food since the 1200s - that is some time!! Thankfully, the food was fresh and not that old. It is hard to imagine who was eating here back in the 1200s. I guess it was an alms house back then, giving alms to the poor.