I know, I know: it’s been TWO months since my last newsletter, but what can I say? Life got in between, with happy, loud and wet grandchildren proving a distraction from all “musts”. I am good at flagellating myself with long to-do lists and “musts”, but this time, I decided to instead play in the
For my birthday this year, I decided to treat myself (and hubby, who, fortunately, is as keen on history as I am) by visiting two places in Spain I have always wanted to see: Carmona and Ronda. Carmona is a small town about 45 minutes from Sevilla, sitting upon a high rise surrounded by a
Ticking off my bucket list – visiting Carmona and Ronda Read More »
I am presently struggling with the depiction of one of my main characters in my WIP. I give you Pedro I of Castile, at times labelled “the Cruel”, at times “the Just”. (And as an aside, it is interesting to note that his uncle and namesake, Pedro I of Portugal, is also at times referred
Winners and losers – a reflection on historical depictions Read More »
When we bought our first house many, many years ago, it was a very small house in a very large garden. It was something of a magical garden, having been planted more than fifty years before to ensure whoever lived in the house was self-sufficient on potatoes, vegetables, berries of all sorts, apples, plums and
Ha! Surely you did not think I’d milked my recent travels to their full extent? No, no, dear peeps, that is not the case. So: a final post (hmm) about my recent adventures along the Thames, and let’s start with saying hello to Windsor. To me, Windsor is all about the castle, perched atop a
Waterways and Windsor – a coda to our hiking trip Read More »
On one of my previous posts, someone left a comment asking me to specify our route along the Thames. In total, the route we walked is approximately 77 miles, around 125 km, but that excludes back-and-forth to hotels, plus detours. Like on our second day, we detoured to Dorchester, which added a couple of miles.
I was supposed to have posted this yesterday, seeing as I promised you a follow-up post about Cliveden House the day before that, but I was simply too tired! But better late than never, right? So: on Saturday’s walk, we marched past Cliveden House, but after expanding on Bisham Abbey, it felt excessive to go
We left Hurley in a grey drizzle, draped in rain capes. Boy have they proved their worth, those rain capes! Today, the Thames Path diverged from the Thames—at least initially—due to a closed footbridge. But by the time we reached Bisham Abbey, the river was a mere stone’s throw away. Bisham Abbey—the name itself is
Walking from Pangbourne to Reading took us through a lot of classic English countryside – starting with a ramble through the Hardwick Estate. No, this is not the same as Hardwick Hall of Bess of Hardwick fame, that lies in Derbyshire, far, far from the Thames. For those of you who’ve never heard of Elizabeth
If anyone were to ask me, I’d say I am in good shape. I might even go as far as to say I am in very good shape, given how much I walk on a daily basis plus my regular gym sessions. Ha! Double Ha! Walking 27 km yesterday over eight hours had me staggering
Hiking the Thames Path – from Abingdon to Pangbourne Read More »