May 5, 2018
Leeds Castle and Cobham Hall in Kent, England. From Morris's Country Seats (1880). X X
seen from Malaysia
seen from Netherlands
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Ireland
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Canada
seen from Italy
seen from Australia
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Saudi Arabia
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Russia
seen from Australia
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from Australia
Leeds Castle and Cobham Hall in Kent, England. From Morris's Country Seats (1880). X X
Darnley Mausoleum, Cobham, Kent
John Bligh, 3rd Earl of Darnley of Cobham Hall, Kent, left instructions in his will that a ‘Chapel or Mausoleum’ be built on Williams Hill, an elevated site on his estate. The building was to receive his body, and those of other family members if they should ‘desire it’. It was to be constructed of the finest materials, and the Earl suggested it ‘might be of a kind with four fronts supporting a…
Hiiiii, did you go to cobham hall?? I'm from america and i was wondering if you liked it or not. I'm trying to pick a boarding school to go to but they all look the same from their websites
Hi! I went to Cobham on exchange for three months. I really really liked it. The place is amazing and all the girls were really great. They do a lot of weekend trips which are really good because it gives you a chance to see lots of different places, while I was there I went to Cambridge, Leeds Castle and Brighton all on weekend trips. Other than that I think it’s a great school - I got to go to three different theatre shows just because I did Drama. I’ll post some photos for you :)
Hey did have a Great Time in England next year I'm going to spend mit exchange at cobham hall too and I would really like to know if you enjoyed the time
Oh my gosh that's awesome! I loved, loved LOVED cobham. I was there for 3 months and I boarded the whole time - if you're staying with a family try and board for at least a little bit, it's so much fun, plus they go on lots of weekend trips which gives you a chance to see more. It's such a beautiful place, take the time to explore the grounds because I didn't see half of it which I'm a bit disappointed about. Also, try and get involved in lots if activities, even if you don't do that kind of stuff at home. I'm the worst ever at sports but somehow ended up on their rounders team. PLEASE if you have any more questions let me know because I could seriously talk about that exchange forever. You're going to have so much fun I'm so jealous!
Dubai: Week 17
It started off as a quiet(ish) week. I didn't have my usual session with Rama on Sunday, and I didn't go to the gym either. I'd invited my friends from London and their kids over for lunch - and invited my cousin too. I'd asked Joy to make spaghetti and minced chicken (separately in case the kids wanted plain spaghetti), and broccoli salad. For dessert there was fruit (watermelon, blueberries, strawberries and kiwis) and vanilla ice cream. Most of the food finished - and while we were lingering over dessert the kids were running around the bare living room. They caught sight of the pool below and that was it - they had to be there. We went down for an hour and a half, the kids splashed around for a while, and then we came back up. The kids were changed and they all left at about 5pm.
I had no plans for the rest of the day so I got into my pajamas and watched 'Game of Thrones' in bed.
On Monday I had yoga and then was home working for the rest of the day. At about 4.30pm I decided to take my book down to the pool - it was such a nice day. There were a couple of kids and their nanny already there, but by the time I left at about 6pm, there were nine other people there. It was so nice, I thought I'd do the same on Tuesday.
But Tuesday was cloudy and grey and windy. I went to the gym in the morning, did some work and then decided to get my hair coloured. When I left the Fairmont, I walked to Gloria Jean's - I was at a good part of my book so I decided to sit in there and have a coffee while I finished the chapter I was reading. It wasn't hot at all and I thought about walking the rest of the way home. It would have taken me 15-20 minutes, but in the end I opted for a cab.
Wednesday was a busy day. After my session with Rama, my Dad and I went to Hakkasan for lunch with my uncle, aunt and cousin. We all had the set menu, but were there for quite a while. We didn't leave there until 3.45pm. After that Dad and I went to Festival City to collect our new car. He had been toying with the idea of getting a Jaguar or Mercedes, but I asked him what the point of that is when the only person who's going to be driving the car is the driver? So he settled on a Volvo. We got there just after 4pm and were there FOREVER. Paperwork, registration, insurance, plates. I had two coffees (which were very good, I have to say) talked James (the sales exec) to death, and at 6.30pm one of their drivers drove us home in our new car.
A little while later I went to MoE (by cab) to meet a schoolfriend for dinner. She was another friend I hadn't seen since I left school 20 years ago and she was in Dubai for work. We ended up at More Cafe and talked about school, and what we were up to now, and so on. Her flight back to Tokyo was later that same evening so we said goodbye a little after 9.30pm. It was nice to see her - and I think she'll be coming to Dubai twice or thrice a year. I think I've met more Cobham girls in the last couple of weeks than I have in the last year!
On Thursday I was home all day working (or trying to) and in the evening I went to a wine club meet-up.
I had lunch with Dad at Lemongrass on Friday. We both like the food there and it's reasonably priced too. After that we went for a wander around Lamcy Plaza - he was looking for a calculator but we couldn't find one. We went home and I went to my spinning class at the Shangri-La.
That evening we went to see 'Battleship' at the Dubai Mall with my cousin and her parents. It was so bad. It should be called 'Battlesh*t'. It's set in Hawaii - and I kept hoping Alex O'Loughlin and the 5-0s would show up, save the day and cut the movie short. Bad script, bad acting, too long - the first and last 20 minutes were OK, but the rest was awful.
While we were at the mall, I could hear a lot of activity from the ice rink below. I walked over to the railing and looked over. The ice had been covered and people were playing football instead!
I had planned to spend Saturday by the pool, but that morning one of the women I'd met at the British expat drinks in January sent me a text about a new writing group that was meeting that afternoon. I decided to go as I hadn't done any writing since moving to Dubai (apart from this blog). I went down to the pool after breakfast and read for a while. I could only manage an hour as it was so hot. That evening I got into my pajamas, read a little and caught up on some TV shows.
I love my life.
See more Dubai updates here.