30 July 2025

Berkshire

Tomorrow we will be off down south. I have rented a house in the Berkshire countryside - not far from the little town of Hungerford. It suffered a terrible tragedy in 1987 when a crazy shooter went on the rampage. Such mass shootings are very rare in Great Britain where it is very difficult to acquire guns. I hope to visit The Tragedy Garden and pay my respects to the sixteen innocent victims of Michael Ryan. Thankfully perhaps - he also killed himself.

But that's not the main reason we will be staying there. In a nearby village there will be a big wedding on Saturday. The bridegroom is going to be one of Sarah's brothers - Sarah being Ian's girlfriend and our grandson's mother. Shirley and I will be looking after little Zachary for much of the weekend.

It's going to be nice staying for five nights in a  quiet house in the country far from busy roads and it is a part of England that I hardly know though I once tied a handkerchief to the wire fence at nearby Greenham Common airbase. The handkerchief had belonged to my father and it had an embroidered blue "P" in one corner - P for Philip. With a laundry marker, I had drawn the famous "ban the bomb" symbol on that white linen...before tying the knot.

With all my many health appointments in the last nine months, planning any kind of holiday has been tricky so these five days in Berkshire will be most welcome. As well as looking after young Zach, I hope to get some walking done in what is for me virgin territory.

Shirley will be taking her laptop with her and though I have never used it as a blogging device, I hope to be be able to post from our rental house - "The Forge". We will see. Otherwise, I will be back with you in the middle of next week.

27 comments:

  1. Have a pleasant time in the country, Neil.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It is lovely that you will be there for Sarah's brother's wedding, and that you and Shirley will be looking after little Zachary. Enjoy your peaceful stay at "The Forge" and exploring the new walking territory. It must be a welcome break after all your health appointments. I hope you manage to post from there.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I can tell you're looking forward to these five days. Enjoy your time.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Enjoy your quiet time and new surroundings! Yes, I remember reading about the longstanding women's peace encampment at Greenham Common back in the day.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Enjoy your change of scene. It's a beautiful part of the country.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That sounds lovely, enjoy it all.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I don't understand the murderous rampage and kill yourself thing. If you want to kill yourself, go ahead, but don't take innocent people with you!
    I didn't know that symbol meant ban the bomb.
    It looks like beautiful countyside, will you take Zachary on a walk with you? A short ramble in the sunshine?

    ReplyDelete
  8. A nice break, and if all goes well, you will show us pictures from a walk (or two) in the Berkshire countryside.
    The crazy shooting has left a mark on so many people. For them, I guess time will always be divided into before and after.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Enjoy your time in pastures new. Looking forward to what photos you take.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wonderful. I hope the weather gods are kind to you.
    Unless it is urgent, holidays take precedence over medical appointments.
    I remembered Ryan's name and the town of Hungerford, but not much else.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I went on a massive CND March in London in the 1980s led by Bruce Kent. Now you never here of it.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Enjoy the getaway, the family and the grandson!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Enjoy the getaway, we hope to see and hear about the relaxation.

    ReplyDelete
  14. As others have said, a lovely part of the country. Did not know about the Hungerford Tragedy (wasn’t in the country then) but have just read up on it. We are very lucky such events are rare in this country.

    Have a great trip.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I hope you all have a wonderful time. Will you be taking Zach on any of your walks?
    I quickly glanced at a map to see how far Hungerford was from Sheffield and it looked like a long drive, then I took a closer look and it's only as far away as Calgary is from Edmonton. Not a bad drive.
    Take lots of photos.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Enjoy your break down there in the civilised south!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Enjoy! And this will be a good chance to get to know your grandson better and he, you.

    ReplyDelete
  18. well done for organising the trip away amongst the calendar of appointments.... liberating.... enjoy the new vistas..... looking forward to taking a vicarious trip down the footpath with you

    ReplyDelete
  19. Have a good time with your grandson.
    I thought that was the peace sign.
    Hope you have nice weather for your hikes!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Have a great time! Take lots of pictures! I have to read about that shooting -- I'm sure I've heard about it before but the details have escaped me. (Probably crowded out by all the subsequent shootings in my own country.)

    ReplyDelete
  21. I remember Greenham Common but sadly I don't remember much about Hungerford. Weddings are fun, and looking after the little one will be even more fun. Have a blast.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Just read up on Hungerford shootings. Horrible!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Have a wonderful time, Grandpa!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Enjoy your stay in Berkshire. I hope the rain holds off.

    ReplyDelete
  25. The work 'Berk' is short for Berkshire Hunt, but I'm sure you knew that. Cockney rhyming slang is occasionally quite crude.

    ReplyDelete

Mr Pudding welcomes all genuine comments - even those with which he disagrees. However, puerile or abusive comments from anonymous contributors will continue to be given the short shrift they deserve. Any spam comments that get through Google/Blogger defences will also be quickly deleted.

Most Visits