As we arrived at Hodnet Hall it started to rain. This didn’t matter as we intended to have lunch before going for a walk. Lunch, as always was delicious and the rain had stopped by the time we were ready for our walk.

The rain fall had enhanced the vibrancy of the garden colours leading to our walk being especially enjoyable.

Much later in the afternoon the heavens opened which meant we got a bit soggy walking to and from a family visit.

PS: Mr C was with us

Thank you for your long and selfless service to this country.  You were an amazing lady.

My thoughts are with the Royal family at this sad time.

I am sure that this evening’s glorious sunset was in honour of you.

The day when I should have been packing for my twice (due to lockdowns) postponed holiday in celebration of my significant birthday last November was busier than planned.

In the morning I attended one of my former WW leaders’ coaching sessions. After being made redundant in late 2020 she has set up her own business as a weight loss coach. On the way home I called in at a local garden centre for an anniversary card but ended up with a new pair of shoes for my holiday.

This holiday was now due to coincide with our anniversary and we had extended it from four to seven nights. I had not dared to look forward to the holiday in case it was postponed again so I was totally disorganised and without a plan for what I needed to pack. I managed to get everything organised but not entirely packed before it was time for a late afternoon visit to my in laws to celebrate our anniversary with them.

Later we were invited to dinner in a local eatery by a couple of family members for a belated birthday meal. This celebratory meal meant that now I had officially reached the age of my significant birthday. We had an evening of laughter and I ordered what turned out to be a whale of a cod.

When we returned home we had a nightcap on the patio looking forward to our holiday as the sun set.

On my recent walk that took me past Hadley Cemetery I noticed a sign on the gates that said it was a site that contained Commonwealth War Graves. On that occasion I didn’t have enough time to investigate so I planned to return in the next few days.

When I posted about my walk I learned that the grandparents of a local fellow #walk1000miles participant were buried there. Lockdown restrictions have meant that he has not been able to visit their memorial site so I offered to take a photo of the memorial stone when I returned.

Today, when I retraced my steps I was hoping for sunshine. The sun had other ideas and left its hat off until I got home after my enjoyable local walk.

In early 2020 an unexpected virus arrived affecting our lives, causing us to stay at home for a while to stop the virus spreading and getting out of control. During this time Captain Tom Moore inspired many people with his uplifting spirit of life and walks round his garden to raise money for the NHS.

It was an honour to walk in memory of him on the day of his funeral and pledge my miles as a donation to his Charity Foundation. I was joining others from the #walk1000miles community walking their own miles to celebrate his life.

Mr C accompanied me for what turned out to be a 5 mile walk so my donation will be doubled to £20.

To my disappointment I couldn’t persuade Mr C to set off on a walking adventure.

So after lunch I had a solo walk to some childhood haunts near to what was once my family home as I was growing up. I walked past the Wrekin College and the houses at the crossroads where two of my friends lived.

One of those friends had a parent that was a teacher at the college and I have fond memories of walking through the college grounds with her. But of course those walks are out of bounds to me now. I enjoyed the views from outside the boundary walls.

Thinking of my childhood friends and one of those houses reminded me of a birthday party. The birthday party got interrupted with black and white footage of the Apollo 13 Command Module landing safely.

Happy days

I share a personal family anecdote.

My grandfather’s brother served in the Royal Army Medical Corps during WW1, serving some time in Egypt.  Within his line of duty, he treated casualties from both sides. It is difficult to comprehend the atrocities he would have encountered and been forced to deal with on a daily basis. He became friends with one of his German patients, who out of gratitude gave him his field binoculars.

During WW2 whilst carrying out his duties as a member of the home guard he was shot in the face with blanks which blinded him for a time.  In 1942 he shot his wife before shooting himself; my aunt still remembers the day the news came to the rest of the family.  There was an inquest which concluded that his being shot in the face had caused blood clots which led to the actions he took.

Unlike his brother, my grandfather didn’t serve in WW1 although he did try to join the Navy on two occasions.  On the first occasion he did join up and received the ‘King’s shilling’ only to be told by his mother to take it back.  The second time he tried to join up his boss persuaded him against it.  He was in a reserved occupation and therefore not obliged to sign up and take part in the conflict.

Some years ago the German field binoculars were passed on to me along with a pair of my grandfather’s binoculars.  The binoculars that belonged to my great uncle are a poignant reminder of the futility of war and the consequences of power and greed but most importantly they remind me of man’s humanity to his fellow men.

When I went to get the binoculars out of the cupboard to take the photograph to go with this post I got both pairs of binoculars out and it was only then that I realised that the second pair were English Army issue from WW1 and that they must have belonged to my great uncle before my grandfather.

This personal story highlights the effects of PTSD, that many service men suffer, even now in more recent conflicts.

Everyone was up bright and early. After a breakfast of buttered toast it was time t0 make preparations for the housewarming party that was taking place that evening. Initially, we weren’t needed for any of the preparations so we took a short walk to the nearby Parish Church of St. Mary Willesborough.

The church looked delightful from the outside but on entering it looked a little cold and clinical because the pews had been removed and the area around the altar seemed a little bit cluttered. The people of the church were welcoming and when Mr C stopped for a cup of tea and tea cake in the teashop he got chatting to the lady who served him. He asked about the pews being removed and was told that this was to enable ‘Messy Church‘ to take place on a Saturday. They found that this increased community engagement that encouraged more people to attend church services on a Sunday leading to the reintroduction of Sunday School.

Upon our return to the house, party preparations were in full flow and we were put on bunting duty which was not as easy as it sounds. We were attaching bunting to a fence whilst standing on a fairly busy road. Thankfully we completed the task without any problems although one car tooted at us. We were then sent to the local Co-Op to pick up bottles of soft drinks. As there had been no talk of lunch, whilst we were there I bought a salmon salad snack which I ate in the car before we returned to the house. A short while after we returned we were advised that lunch was served; this turned out to be bread, cheese and ham.

Shortly afterwards this the first of the party guests arrived. We enjoyed meeting and chatting with many of the guests. One of them,  in many ways, reminded me of a friend of mine. The younger guests enjoyed splashing around in the swimming pool until the buffet was served during which time the pool was closed. After the younger guests had left the pool was reopened for the students and older children to enjoy whilst the adults chilled out with a glass of wine or two.