Three more spreads have been added to the One Little Word traveler's notebook: The Ceremony of the Keys: The Festival of Remembrance: And, last but not least, Tilly's family reunion: There's just one double page left - perfect for Christmas and wrapping up a year of thriving.
It's all very well visiting the towns and beaches from the Normandy campaign, but I also felt that our visit wouldn't have been complete if we hadn't paid our respects to Britain's war dead. The cemeteries offer an opportunity to pause, reflect and remember. Bayeux War Cemetery Cpl Sidney Bates, VC, lies in Bayeux War … Continue reading Road Trip to Normandy | Bayeux and Ranville War Cemeteries
Pegasus Bridge, originally called Bénouville Bridge, is a crossing over the Caen Canal just outside of Caen in Normandy. In the early hours of D-Day the bridge was, along with the nearby Ranville Bridge over the Orne River, the objective of members of D Company, 2nd (Airborne) Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, a glider-borne force. … Continue reading Road Trip to Normandy | Pegasus Bridge
As we begin one of my favourite months of the year, let's look back and see how November's numbers looked: My biggest daily step count for the month was a whopping 24,698. I swam 360 lengths of the pool at the gym. I donated 8 bags of clothes and books to the charity shop. I … Continue reading Month in Numbers | November 2019
Look closely at the tower ... The small Norman town of Ste.-Mére-Eglise is famous today because it lay at the epicentre of the D-Day drop zones for the US 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. In the early hours of 6 June, 1944, a house in the town square was burning. The German commander ordered the … Continue reading Road Trip to Normandy | Ste. Mére Eglise and the Airborne Museum
High up on the bluffs above Omaha Beach lies the American Military Cemetery. The 9,386 marble crosses and Stars of David constitute the most striking American presence in Normandy today. The 30,000-square-foot visitors' centre provides displays and films which help to provide a visual connection to the D-Day events on Omaha Beach. Numerous photographs and … Continue reading Road Trip to Normandy | The American Military Cemetery at Omaha Beach
The town of Arromanches-les-Bains was chosen by the Operation Overlord planners as the site for one of the two Mulberries, the artificial ports planted offshore to handle the movement of men and supplies before established ports could be captured. The remains of what was called Mulberry B are still clearly visible on the beach. For … Continue reading Road Trip to Normandy | Arromanches
The lovely Mary-Lou of Patio Postcards blog pointed me recently in the direction of Brené Brown‘s new weekly gratitude practice, TGIF. Most of us would recognise TGIF as an acronym for Thank God It’s Friday, but in Brené’s world it stands for Trusting, Grateful, Inspired and Fun. Trusting: that I can keep on top of our Christmas preparations. … Continue reading TGIF #12
For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to attend the Royal British Legion's Festival of Remembrance at London's Royal Albert Hall. This year I made it happen for The Boy Child and me. On the Saturday before Remembrance Sunday, the Royal British Legion hosts a televised commemoration and celebration of the our … Continue reading Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall
There is always a well thought out class timetable for a GoGo weekend, where delegates chose their classes in advance. Each class has three choice and are graded in technical difficulty. Of the five classes I took, I think 4 were intermediate and one was advanced. Friday night's class involved paint and a lot of … Continue reading Gogo Getaway | The Classes
