2023 Alpine hiking then the UK and Portugal

  A lot of activity going on at Garrington farm prior to the wedding on Friday 1st September. They have a mower and I was able to do a lot of mowing to get the place in great shape.

  The family kindly lent us a car so we spent the day at Dover Castle and then visited the Battle of Britain memorial.

We went by train from Cambridge to Canterbury - fortunately on a day when there were no rail strikes.  Sarah and Madeleine spent a night at Canterbury Youth Hostel because Sarah wanted to Maddy to experience it.  I met them in Canterbury having spent the night at Garrington. I was able to show them the Cathedral including a visit to the memorial garden where my mothers ashes were interned. We then walked through the King’s School to visit where my mother lived at 16 Abbots place.(She died at 97 about 14 years ago). St Augustines staircase on the King’s School property The plaque designating Canterbury Cathedral as a World Heritage site. I am standing close to the patch where my mothers ashes were buried in the memorial garden. The roof of the Chapter House in the Cathedral precincts These two windows of modern glass by (I think) Bosanje

  We spent the day in Cambridge before catching the train to Canterbury. I wanted to show Madeleine and Sarah Emmanuel College where I was an undergraduate  from 1957-1960. Nick and Sue came with us - we went to the park and ride and the bus was only 20 mins into Cambridge. The first stop was the Cambridge Museum which my Grandfather E Saville Peck was involved in founding in 1935. We walked down Trinity Street to the Senate House and Kings College (which was covered with scaffolding), saw where G Peck and Sons Pharmacy which used to be opposite Kings. Then past the Guildhall, snacks at a Pret A Manger and spent about an hour wandering around Emmanuel College. Punting on the Cam This was where one of G Peck and Sons three chemist shops (pharmacies) were - it is opposite the entrance to Kings college. Emmanuel College - this part of the building was designed by Christopher Wren I rowed every afternoon for three years when I was at Emmanuel College 1857-1960

  Near Madingley Hall is the Cambridge American Cemetry . It is a remarkable site which commemorates the deaths in WWII of all the American navy, airforce, army and marines who died. There are crosses for all those who died in the whole of the Atlantic and European theatre of the war.

  We then drove to Granchester where “The Orchard” is located. This was where Rupert Brooke, Bertrand Russell, Virginia Wolf and others lived prior to the First World War. Rupert Brooke died in 1915. He is most famous for his poem the soldier. If I should die, think only this of me: That there’s some corner of a foreign field that is for ever England. There shall be in that rich earth a richer dust concealed; a dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware, gave, once her flowers to love, her ways to roam, a body of England’s, breathing English air, washed by the rivers, blest by the suns of home. And think, this heart, all evil shed away, a pulse in the eternal mind, no less gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given; her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day; and laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness in hearts of peace, under an English heaven. Those of us who went to school in England may remember being  expected to learn this poem composed at the height of ...

  Madingley hall is about ten minutes drive from Nick and Sue’s house. They told the story that when they first looked at the possibility of buy a new build at Hardwick they drove to the hall to have a coffee and think about it. It seems being so close to such a magnificent hall and gardens influenced their decision. My parents were married in Madingley Church on April 20th 1937. My mother was a member of the Madingley singers which was organised by her sister Stella and conducted by Boris Ord who was the music director of King’s College Chapel choir. Madingley hall is an elegant country house built in the 16th century. In 1861 Queen Victoria rented it as a residence for her son Edward, Prince of Wales (who became Edward VII) while he was an undergraduate at Cambridge university. It was sold to the university in 1948 and is now a continuing education and conference center. You can also stay there for B&B.  There was about to be a wedding dinner held in this main dining roo...

  I met Sarah and Madeleine at Liverpool Street and we travelled to Cambridge North by train to stay with Penny’s brother Nick and Sue. Five months ago they moved into a new build house which is twenty minutes from Cambridge by bus. It is a wonderful location - close their family and more important to Cambridge city and all that that has to offer.