Photoshop Elements randomly creates collages from my photo catalogue. This collage brought back some happy memories.

I loved receiving these reversible skirts hand packed with a personal note making me feel special. When the parcel arrived I always took time to open it slowly and savour the personal touches that were added to my purchase.

I enjoyed wearing this skirt for the first time during a holiday in Norfolk.

This one, near to where I live is lovely.

The subsequent visits have not go got any better…

Khalil Gibran

After the long walk into town the previous evening, we decided that we wouldn’t be in the mood to walk into town for breakfast so we booked a table in the Brewers Fayre restaurant which is located next door to the hotel. This turned out to be a wise move because a lot of people without bookings were being turned away and asked to come back later.

Our friend’s funeral was at 2.30 so we had time to visit Great Yarmouth Minster which we had walked past the previous evening. The building is amazing and has a rich history. Whilst we were there, we each lit a candle in remembrance of our friend.

We still had a bit of time to spare so I was able to visit Edinburgh Woollen Mill where I ended up purchasing a couple of tops.

We returned to the hotel to change for the funeral. We were slightly delayed by the arrival of room service which turned out to be a far better service than some of the more expensive hotels we have stayed in recently.

We arrived at the crematorium in plenty of time so Mr C took the opportunity to finesse the Eulogy before we braved the heavy rain to walk to the waiting area. The service was secular, although the celebrant included some traditional words used in Christian ceremonies. The service included words of memories from his wife, words of tribute from Mr C and a poem written by one of his daughters.

For some reason I can’t quite explain, I shed more tears than I usually due on such occasions. Something for me to reflect on.
At the wake, I was able to spend time with our friend’s widow and share her grief whilst reflecting back on memories and regretting that future plans were not to be. The four of us, after many years absence, last met just a few months before his cancer diagnosis.

Later, Mr C had booked us into the Furzedown Hotel for an evening meal. The hotel turned out to be much further away than he thought it was. I felt like I was on a route march to dinner. Finding a bar for a post dinner drink also proved problematic. All the pubs we saw were closed or shut had already stopped serving for the evening. We had to retrace our steps to Weatherspoon’s which for some reason Mr C had wanted to avoid!

After completing my Queen Elizabeth II memorial walking challenge; 96k (60 miles) by virtually walking from Sonning Common to London, I retraced my steps on the virtual route from London back to Windsor (just under 29 miles). I concluded my challenge with a ‘real’ walk along the 2.64 miles ‘Long Walk’ from the Windsor Castle Cambridge gate entrance to the Copper Horse statue of King George III.

We enjoyed the views and seeing the deer herd as we got closer to the large statue of King George III that is at the far end of the walk. I enjoyed the sense of achievement and reflected on Queen Elizabeth II as I took in the view from the elevated location before walking the pathway back to Windsor.

My medal didn’t arrive in time for it to be presented at the end of The LongWalk . When it arrived I had it presented in one of my favourite local places, Hodnet Hall Gardens which also has lovely tree lined walks.

All the proceeds of medal purchases were equally donated between selected Queen’s Animal Charities. I have made additional donations to two of them; RSPB and the Dogs Trust. I have also made a donation to The Queens Green Canopy which was an initiative to plant trees to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The initiative has now been extended so that trees can be planted in memoriam to honour Her Majesty.

I am taking part in this virtual challenge to walk 96K (60 miles) in memory of Queen Elizabeth II. All profits from taking part in this challenge will be donated the many animal charities that The Queen supported.

I aim to complete the challenge before the end of September and when I have done so I will make a personal donation to one or more of those charities.

• You can find the challenge here.

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.

A friend suggested that we get together to visit Tewkesbury Medieval Fair which commemorates the Battle of Tewkesbury with re-enactments of the battle that took place there in 1471. Because different activities were taking place on the two days of the festival. Mr C and I decided to turn it into a mini break, meeting our friends when they arrived for their day trip on the Sunday.

After we had booked our accommodation we learned that the funeral of another friend, who had recently passed away after a long illness, was to take place on the day we were due to travel. The funeral, although sad, was an uplifting celebration of the life a lovely man who died too young and will be missed by many.

In the late afternoon, following the wake, we set off for Tewkesbury. We had a good journey without any holdups, arriving at the hotel earlier than expected. After checking in, we were given complimentary water bottles and a glass of Bucks Fizz (more Bucks than Fizz) to carry up to our room before unloading the car.

We had just enough time to chill out and freshen up before dining in Coopers, the hotel restaurant. The menu was brief but the food was delicious. I chose trout served with potato and rainbow carrots whilst Mr C settled for steak. We both had ice cream for dessert with Mr C choosing a rather exotic sounding burnt coconut flavour for one of his options which, when it arrived, turned out to be black, looking rather unappealing to me. I was glad I chose vanilla and salted caramel, both were delicious.

After dining we settled on the terrace to enjoy a post dinner drink soaking up the last of the sunshine from a beautifully sunny day.

In the morning I attended the funeral service for the mother of one of my friends. Before attending the subsequent wake I visited the crematorium memorial garden and spent a few moments next to the walnut tree under which my father’s ashes were sprinkled.

Later, in the afternoon, I walked one of my Leegomery circular routes. I would have liked Mr C to join me but he declined my offer. This allowed me to ‘Rest a While’ on one of my favourite benches where I lingered  a little too long… My brolly came in handy as I was chasing raindrops on my way home.

Carlos Castaneda