Only one more day to go and our wonderful holiday in England is at an end. What a very special time it has been. I have learned so much about my ancestors; where some of them were born, where they moved from and to, where they died.
Incredibly, one of my cousins gave us insight into the family of a second marriage of my paternal grandmother, of which I knew nothing about until very recently.
Unexpectedly coming upon the gravestone of a relative, the probable ancestor of my maternal grandmother, while walking around a cemetery in Swaffam, Norfolk for the first time in my life, was a thrilling experience.
During the trekkiing around the countryside, I learned so much about other historical events not learned earlier in my life, I feel as though I have been on a super elderhostel tour.
The weather has been marvelous, considering the usual inclement moisture at this time of year. Who would have believed that October would have been a half descent time to tour Roman Baths, Stonehenge, Cumbria fels or Hadrian's Wall!
This has also been a pilgrimage; so many ancient churches, priories and other ecclestiacal locations and people have been encountered.
I think it will take me some time to get back into ordinary daily life when we get home but there's one thing I know and that is that I have much more understanding of what life might have been in the recent and long ago past in the land of my birth.
What a history lesson!

Posted by lynda at 04:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This has to have been the most brilliant day yet, to use the local vernacular for awesome. The most spectacular scenery unfolded as we drove, made sharp by a clear, sunny day, first to Glenridding for a look at a friends home territory on Ullswater Lake. On the way to Keswick we stopped briefly to view, together with several hikers and cyclists, the Castlerigg Stone Circle. Standing in the centre of this ancient monument, to we know not what, we tried to take photos of the mountainous views that surrounded us. At least it got me trying out some of the features on the digital camera not heretofore explored.
Caldbeck was our first stop for victuals, cheese scone with tea, which sustained us through a mad purchasing spree in the mill shop of knitting kits, notions and items knitted and woven from hand spun hardwick sheep wool among other sources.
We resorted to Madam, our name for Lionel's SatNav gadget, to guide us back to the route on our return from a wonderful excursion in the Cumbrian Mountains.

Posted by lynda at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The journey from our digs in Kendal to ones in Patterdale was a mixture of interesting side trips, spectacular scenery and hardly a wrong turn.
A suprising view of a peacock along the roadside, obviously escapd from somewhere much safer, contrasted to ubiquitous sheep on the steepest hillsides.
Unfortunately, Lynda could not view as many of the breathtaking views as I, watching for oncoming buses, lorries and speedsters as she had to much of the way.

Posted by lynda at 11:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here we are at Stokenchurch, Buckinghamshire, having a conference with two of my cousins, that has been recorded on Lynda's laptop - which is what I am using to write this blog - all about our ancestors. Lynda now has 1200 names of people connected to our family. Now that's a tree!!!
This particular stop is to acquire details from Cousin Meryl Pace (Gardner) about what she remembers from her youth about my mother's side. Her son, Ant, also has delved into family history so we are gathering a considerable amount of detail regarding inlaws and outlaws. Also joining us for the day is Cousin Patricia Talmage (Gradwell) from nearby Cholsey who has much info on my father's brother Will Gradwell, whose childhood has only recently been revealed through orphanage records. As his story unfolds, a horrific picture of Victorian England has emerged. As cousins, Patricia and I have been in touch only sporadically so there's a great deal of catching up to do.
Talking about a step back in time:- A bit further back than Gramps etc., we trod the stones of the Romans while visiting Bath this week. We had a fascinating two hour tour of the complex on the original site in the centre of the city, and preserved as much as possible - crumbling stones and all. The baths offer a stroll through history on the very worn stone tablets surrounding a large pool where hot springs bubble up. Seating areas are depicted by illustrations beside the rooms where the locals gathered in various groups and numbers. An ingenious system of culverts and drains is still operational where heretofore used bath water was returned to the Avon River. A valuable free asset is a personal wireless guide allowing me to take as much time as I wish at each historical step.

Posted by lynda at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)