I probably write this every early December; how can we be heading towards Christmas? But what about November? Let's take a look at the numbers: 100 years since the Armistice ended the First World War. Lest we forget. 20,633 was my highest daily step count total. 15 Christmas presents bought and wrapped ... some of … Continue reading Month in Numbers | November 2018
Sunday, 11th November 2018 marked the Centenary of the ending of the First World War. We attended the service at our local war memorial and The Boy Child wore my old RAF beret.We planted two crosses of remembrance this year - one for Flying Officer Roy Stewart Wilson and one for my four of my … Continue reading Remembrance and Beyond the Deepening Shadow
During half-term, The Boy Child and I spent a day at the Imperial War Museum in Lambeth, South London. The building's exterior is currently home to Weeping Window, an art installation of 11,000 ceramic poppies (which were part of 2014's Blood Swept Lands).We were there for opening (always the best time for The Boy Child) … Continue reading Imperial War Museum
September meant that the Season of mist and mellow fruitfulness was approaching. It also meant that Shimelle was running her annual class, Learn Something New Every Day. Like last year, I’m recording what I’ve learned throughout September here. Day 21: Vacuum cleaners always break down at the most inopportune moment. T'was ever thus. Day 22: … Continue reading Learn Something New Every Day | Days 21-25
In mid-September, we made a return visit to Hughenden Manor for their 1940s Weekend. We'd gone there for two reasons: 1) we like it there and 2) dogs are welcome. But as luck would have it, Hughenden was hosting a 1940s Weekend. There were loads of people in vintage clothing - a lady who looked … Continue reading 1940s Weekend at Hughenden Manor
Sitting on a hill in a beautiful and tranquil part of Surrey is the Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede.It commemorates more than 20,000 airmen and women who were lost in the Second World War during operations from bases in the United Kingdom and North and Western Europe who have no known grave. As you wander … Continue reading The Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede
My In-Laws gave me a family ticket to Heroes at Highclere as a birthday present. I'd never been to Highclere Castle, but like many millions of people around the world, felt as though I knew it intimately … who didn't love Downton Abbey? With the centenary of the end of the First World War looming, … Continue reading Heroes at Highclere Castle
After visiting Carlyle's House, we had lunch at the Royal Hospital and then popped into the National Army Museum. We focused our attention on the temporary exhibition Special Forces: In the Shadows, which presents ideas of security and secrecy through the lens of the UK's Special Forces. It's a fascinating exhibition and one that makes me … Continue reading National Army Museum
A little over 10 miles from Duxford, you'll find the Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial. Once America entered the Second World War in December 1941, air, ground and naval forces began streaming into the United Kingdom. The US commitment to freedom and democracy brought more than 3 million Americans to our shores during the Second … Continue reading Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial
Our first outing of the Summer holidays was a return to the Imperial War Museum at Duxford, where we found much better weather than last year.I actively didn't take that many photos, just enough for a scrapbook page and I enjoyed not looking at things through a viewfinder.As I said last year, the museum has … Continue reading A Return to the Imperial War Museum, Duxford
