Stoke Goulding and Finningham
Sad news, but not unexpected, of the death of our extraordinary Queen Elizabeth II. I think everyone here is in shock, despite the fact that we all knew how frail she was. I am sure that over the next weeks in England, she will be very much to the forefront of daily life, especially when I am in London mid month, days before her State funeral. However, now I am with my half-sister's family , visiting them in very different parts of England, areas which are/ were virtually unknown to me . First stop was at Stoke Goulding, birthplace of the Tudor dynasty, after Richard III was killed in battle. It is a very pretty part of England with typical little villages surrounded by golden pastures with exceptionally calm sheep who stood and posed as well as surprisingly green fields with their extensive footpath systems. Having only left canal life the previous day, I was rather surprised to be back on a towpath so soon, this time by the Ashby canal, picking blackberries with...