Sunday 17th June 2018.......to all Dads!!!

I just want to wish Dad’s everywhere today a wonderful safe and happy Father’s Day......I once read that the best gift any Dad can give to his children is to love their Mum!!!!!

I left my Airbnb this morning around 9 am and drove an hour to a town I had not been to before, Lincoln....below you can read a little about the historic town..

One of Europe’s finest Gothic buildings, once the tallest in the world, with stunning views from the roof and tower and intricate design inside.

Once described by Victorian writer John Ruskin as "out and out the most precious piece of architecture in the British Isles and roughly speaking worth any two other cathedral we have", Lincoln Cathedral is not to be missed.

With the Norman invasion of Britain in the 11th century, William the Conqueror commissioned the building of Lincoln Cathedral and in 1092 it was consecrated, becoming the head of the largest diocese in England - extending from the Humber to the Thames.

After fires and earthquakes had demanded rebuilding of some of the cathedral, it took on a Gothic style of architecture. When the central spire was eventually raised in 1311, it became the tallest building in the world: taking the mantle from the Great Pyramid of Giza. This lasted until 1549 when the spire collapsed.

In spite of its size, the cathedral is filled with intricate detail. In Lincoln Cathedral the architects of the Gothic style perhaps reached the pinnacle of their art; it is an absolute must see for anyone visiting Lincoln.

There is something for everyone to see at Lincoln Cathedral and children love seeking out the funny carvings - in particular the famous Lincoln Imp!

MAGNA CARTA

Lincoln Cathedral owns one of only four surviving copies of Magna Carta, signed in 1215 and brought back to Lincoln by the Bishop of Lincoln, which is now on loan to, and resides in, Lincoln Castle.

There is a facsimile of Magna Carta that can be viewed inside the Cathedral, near the cloisters, with detailed interpretation.

I parked and walked into the centre and went inside the cathedral it was awesome....

ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON

Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892) was born and grew up in Lincolnshire. He was the most famous poet of Victorian Britain and was Poet Laureate between 1850 and 1892.

A memorial statue to him can be found on the East Green of Lincoln Cathedral bearing the words of his poem Flower in the Crannied Wall.

This is a very famous street...

Managed to get up and down OK...

In the castle grounds there was an antique car show being presented....

This is the same as the first police car I drove in 1969....

And this is the car I owned in Bermuda except mine was mustard yellow!!

On the way home I went over the famous toll bridge called the Humber Bridge..

For a long time the Humber Estuary was a barrier to trade and development between the two banks and local interests campaigned for over 100 years for the construction of a bridge or tunnel across the estuary.

The first major crossing proposal was a tunnel scheme in 1872. This scheme was promoted by Hull merchants and businesses dissatisfied with the service provided by the New Holland ferry crossing. Over the next 100 years, a variety of proposals were put forward in an effort to bridge the Humber.

In 1928, a plan was drawn up by Hull City Council to build a multi-span truss bridge four miles west of Hull between Hessle on the north side and Barton-upon-Humber on the south. However, the scheme sank without a trace after being hit by the financial woes of the great depression of the late 1920's and early 1930's.

The reasons why a suspension bridge was chosen were twofold. Firstly the Humber has a shifting bed and navigable channel along which a craft can travel is always changing; a suspension bridge with no support piers in mid-stream would not obstruct the estuary. Secondly, because of the geology and topography of the area, the cost of constructing a tunnel would have been excessive.

Work on the construction proceeded for eight years, during which time many thousands of tonnes of steel and concrete were used and upwards of one thousand workers and staff were employed at times of peak activity.

When traffic first crossed the bridge on 24th June 1981 many local dreams were fulfilled and similarly many people will have happy memories of the Bridge's official opening on 17th July 1981 when H.M. the Queen performed the formal opening.

The Bridge has saved many millions of vehicle miles and many valuable hours of drivers' and passengers' time - an important factor not only for the drivers and operators of commercial vehicles but also for tourists and holidaymakers who would have had to travel around the estuary to reach destinations in the region.

The Humber Bridge is a Grade 1 listed iconic structure linking Lincolnshire and Yorkshire on the A15. It remains the longest single-span suspension bridge in the world to cycle or walk across.

This afternoon Mark and Claire came over to visit with his Dad and then Janet, Malc, Andy and I went over to Sam and Ian’s for dinner.

Ian’s Mum June was there and I had not met her before, she is lovely.....Sam and Ian had prepared a great dinner thank you and here is Malc on his special day.

......with June, Janet, Ian, Sam and Andy!!!

After dinner we watched a live soccer game from Russia ....Mexico versus the last World Cup winner Germany who are &favoured to win again this year BUT someone forgot to tell the Mexican players and they pulled off a major upset winning 1-0🇲🇽 

These flowers are in Janet’s garden they are lovely but what are they???

Home now for a few days before I head out on Thursday for another little adventure!!

Yashi Kochi!!