It may have been a while since we last caught up with Paddy and Plunkett, but that doesn’t mean that they haven’t been up to their usual tricks! Last month they set off to the south east of England, hoping to escape the decidedly un-spring-like weather we were enduring here in Ireland at the time. Luckily for them, they were greeted by sunny days, and lots of fun things to do!
Plunkett got to choose the first port of call – Fishbourne Roman Palace – but as you can see above, Paddy insisted they get into character first! Plunkett soon retook the lead though… here he is admiring the famous “Cupid and Dolphin” mosaic inside the palace.
Fishbourne Palace is considered the largest Roman villa discovered in the UK to date, and some of the decorated mosaic floors are in perfect condition. Plunkett asked a passing human to take a picture of this one for him as a souvenir – look at the detail!
But not all of the villa is in this pristine state. Other past inhabitants of this area have left their mark on Fishbourne too – look what the boys found here!
According to our trusty friend Wikipedia, Fishbourne burnt down in around 270AD, and was subsequently abandoned. Apparently they were doing extensive renovations at the time, so perhaps the builders decided to focus their energies on building a new villa, instead of fixing up an old one. Paddy is reasonably sure that this could have been the first recorded instance of an insurance scam, but Plunkett, as usual, needs more convincing. Anyway, many years later, the site was used as a Saxon burial ground – some of the graves cut right down through the mosaic floors! A few of them, like the one above, have been left in situ… But some of the Saxon remains have been exhumed for closer inspection by curious visiting Beasties.
Once the lads had seen everything inside the villa, they headed outside to have a look around the grounds. The gardens have been restored and filled with the kind of plants the Romans would have had here back in the palace’s heyday, and also included a “Triclinium”, or outdoor feasting area.
This would have been covered in sumptuous fabrics, allowing the family to sprawl around in the sunshine and enjoy tasty treats. Here’s Paddy demonstrating how to get the best out of your Triclinium.
“I think I could get used to this, Plunkett! Pass the stuffed dormouse!”
After they’d enjoyed picnic-ing like Romans, Paddy got to choose the afternoon’s entertainment. He decided on a trip on the Chichester Ship Canal… the passenger boats are captained by volunteers, so all the proceeds from the hour-and-a-quarter-long cruise go towards the upkeep and restoration of the canal. There was plenty to see along the way…
…Or was there?
Uh-oh! We all know what happens when Paddy takes the wheel… I wonder where they’ll end up next?
Be sure to join us on Tuesday for more monster antics! And in the meantime, have a super weekend!
Have a great week-end too !
Thank you! I’m hoping to get lots of crafting done 😀
I’ve been to Fishbourne too. Aren’t those mosaics incredible?
I’d love to see them myself! Unfortunately Paddy and Plunkett always travel without me, so these pictures are as close as I’ll get for now. I’ve been sent more photos of them gadding around this part of the UK too, so you might see some more familiar places over the next couple of weeks!
Never in my born days have I seen a pair of Beasties so intrigued by a skeleton, I hope they aren’t planning anything !!!
Nothing macabre, I’m sure… I’d like to think I raised them better than that! Mind you, I did spend a sizeable chunk of my own childhood staring at the Egyptian mummy in the Ulster Museum 😆
I was thinking more of your Beasties growing up to be involved in Egyptology, Palaeontology, or Antiquarians ( of the highest calibre obviously )
Why thank you! They’ll be most flattered that you’re taking an interest in their ongoing education. I reckon Plunkett will go far in the academic world… But I suspect that Paddy is more likely to take the Indiana Jones approach to archaeology 😆
Sounds like the pair have them have all options covered LOL
Yes indeedy! 😀
This is so cool, especially since I’ve never heard about these ruins (despite the endless hours I spend reading travel guides while planning my own next adventure). Thanks for adding yet another Must-See to my very, very long list.
Uh-oh, sounds like you need to take more holidays! Gotta hate that. But Fishbourne does look spectacular – and Roman remains are especially interesting for us Emerald Island-ers since the Romans never settled here!
I’ve always found that odd, I mean c’mon Rome, it’s just right there! Slackers. And yes, I need to figure out how to make my life one long travel holiday…although I’m not sure if the cats would like being crammed into a suitcase. 🤔
Cats don’t take well to being crammed in anywhere, do they? Maybe you could carry them around in your arms, Bond-villain-style? As for those Romans… tsk! Greatest army on earth at the time, but one taste of an Irish summer and they’re scampering back to the Mediterranean!
Well they didn’t make it to North America either. But the Vikings made it to both Ireland and America so score two for Vikings! Hmmm…I like this Bond-villain idea, could be just what I need to re-vamp my look!
Yeah, go Vikings! You could almost forgive their pillage-y-ness out of sheer respect. Ireland must have felt positively balmy after a Scandinavian winter and a long voyage in one of those open ships though 😀 I’m glad I was able to help with your new look too – are you on the lookout for a second home/lair in an extinct volcano as well?
Nah, I want to be a classy villain. Hence, why I’m looking for a chateau. Although if I could fed one with a subterranean lair, all the better!
Perfect! Make sure you tell the realtor that you’re a supervillain when you’re viewing, though… they don’t show the secret underground lairs to just anybody!
Just as a matter of interest, how do these guys get to such unusual places? Did you knit them a private helicopter or something? And another thing….how do they get so much travel leave?
You know, they never tell me… I figure it involves some not-entirely-legal stowing away in other people’s luggage, so it’s better not to ask. Maybe I SHOULD knit them a private helicopter before they get into trouble! And as the BeastieBlog’s roving reporters, all this travelling is part of their job – aren’t they lucky? I’m only a little jealous 😆
It was the name they gave to Ireland that says it all. HIBERNIA. It means winter….where you go to hibernate.
I know! I actually find it quite funny that, despite their ingenious building know-how (which even extended to underfloor heating!), they still scarpered after a taste of the Irish weather!
LOL at the blog post title! This looks like an interesting place, one that I have never heard of before – thanks Paddy and Plunkett for putting it on my radar, those mosaics look incredible!
Ah, I do love a bad pun! And the boys do seem to have a knack for finding these interesting places. Thanks for stopping by!