Cari touches the tree...
The Goblin was off work today so we decided to chase the sunshine. Last night the weather report suggested the most likely area to be sunny all day was southwest of London so I mentioned that the ancient yew tree at Runnymede (not far from Old Windsor) was down there and that I really wanted to see it. The word Runnymede should ring a bell…the name John should be coming to mind. Oh yes, him again! Apparently the signing of the original Magna Carta took place under an ancient yew tree that’s now well over two thousand years old. From a nearby flood plain next to the river Thames on a clear day you can see Windsor Castle in the distance, though in 1215 it would have been mainly a roundish looking tower surrounded by fortified walls. My Goblin informs me that Runnymede is AngloSaxon for Meadow of the Runes. This is a magical place…in more ways than one.
It wasn’t easy to find. On the “Welcome to Runnymede” pamphlet at the sight referred to as Runnymede there was no mention of the tree at all, infact the whole sight celebrated as the place where the Magna Carta was signed is on the wrong side of the river…almost opposite where the tree stands. The yew tree is on a piece of land called Ankerwycke, hence its name Ankerwycke Yew…it’s all rather confusing. Read more…
General, The Curse of Love
I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t fall back to sleep so I eventually got up. I read the BBC news while I ate some uncooked oatmeal sans sugar (I’m so good). But after perusing it for a few minutes I decided I didn’t really need to read one more article about the English economy being driven into an economic black hole by the present unelected Prime Minister (at least by the general population…a handful of (aliens?) voted for him up in Scotland. Mr Blair stepped down mid-term and Mr Brown elected himself as leader and the Labour party let him take the big chair instead of calling a General Election and giving taxpayers a say. Anyway, I decided I’d had enough and went to check out Austenprose (If you love Jayne Austen’s novels this is a really good blog). Some of the comments mentioned a quiz called Which Jane Austen Heroine are you? Read more…
General, The Curse of Love
250 years ago today Robert Burns was born. Today people all over the world will gather to celebrate his life and work. Why? Who was Robert Burns? He was a Scottish farmer-poet and you will know one of his songs even if you’ve never heard his name. Auld Lang Syne, the song the world sings at New Years…that’s Robert Burns! Technically he died before “The Regency” began, but his poetry heavily influenced the poets and politics of the nineteenth century. Read more…
General, The Curse of Love
It’s just gone eight in the morning and I should be going back to bed, but I have all these words swirling around in my head. Last night around ten-thirty the Goblin came into my study and said, “Bed time!” He’s a natural supervisor and this (sometimes) comes in handy because I never know what day or time it is. So I started shutting down which was hard because I’m nearly done with A Companion for Life, but I was really tired. I have maybe two pages to go…probably less…unless there’s another chapter I don’t know about, but it feels really good to be so close to the end. Read more…
The Curse of Love
