Farnborough & Windsor

I arrived in Farnborough just fine and my carer placement with my new client went very well. She was very nice and easy going. Couldn't have had a better first client. Over the next 2 1/2 months, I went to the gym during my breaks and went for walks around the town and in the parks. Not a very big place, and not a lot to do, but luckily I made a friend at the gym. Maxine moved to England from Algeria and we'd  meet up from time to time. He even planned a day for us to go to Windsor castle during one of my breaks. See the oldest and largest occupied castle. It's also where her majesty resides. Initially built in the 11th century, by William the Conqueror.
Maxine picked me up and we drove to Windsor, about a 30 mins drive from Farnborough. There was a long queue to the entrance, but I was impressed with how quickly it went. We both took audio guides for the visit to learn a little more about the castle. However, there we plaques at most of the listening stations and throughout the castle. So, you would be fine without one if you're not wanting anything to detailed. I have to admit, I zoned out on a lot of the history in the audio guides. Too much information for me at one time.
On our way from the entrance to the north terrace, we walked past the Round Tower. It had a lovely garden in front with a small pond and benches. The St. George's Chapel was closed when we arrived. Although, we enjoyed the sculptures on the outside of the decorative building.
Of course we had our picture taken beside one of the guards. They don't seem overly impressed with all the tourists photos though. Even in their stillness, I could see that. Poor fellows, guess it comes with the job.
We went inside the Queen Mary's Doll House. A gigantic dollhouse! Queen Mary, as a child, needed a ladder in order to play with it. It was a replica of an aristocratic home, complete with electricity, running water (yes, the miniature toilets flushed) and elevators. Yup, no detail was forgotten there. Barrels and bottles in the wine cellar, books in the library, framed photographs on the mantles and walls in the rooms. Anything you'd think there'd be in real life was there inside this modelled house. Very impressive work.
The State Apartments were next. It took a long time to go though all the rooms. We had to rush so I could see most of it during my short break. There were paintings, treasures, furniture, weaponry, armour, statues, engravings, huge intricately carved fireplaces, chandeliers, mosaics, tapestry, beautiful painted ceilings, wood carvings... and more. Many rooms had their own theme, and you could see the different tastes of art from all the numerous monarch's collection over the centuries. I believe 39 monarchs have lived at Windsor. There was a lot of red, gold and white coloured rooms. The sheer size of the rooms and halls were overwhelming in all their splendour. A breathtaking place to visit.
The Drawing Gallery changes different exhibitions. The one presently was of Queen Elizabeth II over the past 6 decades of her reign, portrayed by photographers and artists to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee. There were some very nice photos of her with a genuine smile. It was nice to see.
Windsor Castle is definitely worth a visit, and you get your money's worth.
Another event during my time in Farnborough was the airshow. It's the home of British aviation. Over the week before the international airshow, I could watch the pilots practise. And of course, hear it! My client's house was very close to the airstrip so all day long we'd see and hear the planes. They did amazing dangerous displays, had coloured smoke and huge airliners that swooped in the air at such a slow pace, I thought it was going to stall and fall on the house!
Another fun trip for me was to the Hearing Dog Society. My client was looking into one and it was really neat to learn how the hearing dogs were trained and how they worked with the hearing impaired. They were trained to all sorts of rings, alarms and household sounds. We had a couple demonstrations to see how they respond and interact with their companion. Incredible what dogs can do.
I have my last day today with my client and this afternoon I head back into London for a week break before heading to my next placement. Time to look up a new hostel!