Today was Remembrance Sunday. My friends Sally and Ken, of narrow boat fame (see blog 23/10) will have been flag bearers for the service in their village - a strenuous task which they have undertaken over recent years, involving very heavy flags, training with army personnel to "get it right", marching, lowering the flag to a halfway position and holding their elbows away from their bodies for the majority of the time. They will, no doubt, be grateful it is over for another year.
Cirencester held a service around the War Memorial this morning after the 9.30 a.m. church service in the centre of town. Philip and Rosemary attended ... I didn't. People have been wearing poppies all week - and some vehicles even have them on their front grilles. And of course, there is the two minutes silence which is observed at 11 am on 11/11 (last Friday, Armistice Day)
Philip and I took a stroll around (part of) the Earl of Bathurst's estate this afternoon. The 8th Earl died in October and only last week there was a remembrance service held in his honour - so now his son takes on the mantle of 9th Earl of Bathurst. The public are permitted access to the grounds (14,000 acres) and if today is anything to go by, they certainly make the most of the opportunity. It has been in the family since 1695.
I've never seen so many dogs - or people walking, for that matter. It was a pleasant, though invigorating, day, as can be seen by all the coats, hats and gloves!
Philip tells me that Cirencester is "twinned" with a town in Germany and as a goodwill gesture the City Council here gave them a tree (I think) to plant. As a result, the german town named the area "Cirencester Park". Evidently, just to remind the local council who owned what, the Earl closed THE original Cirencester Park for a day, to jog their memories!
A view back to the "house" with the tower of the Church of England church tower in the background. The church is in the centre of town with the Estate right on its outskirts.
I liked the way the sun settled on the church tower - it appears I was further away from it than I thought, so that little bit of artistry is wasted!
There are a number of outdoor groups that have activities within the Estate - maintained by the Earl - as can be seen (with binoculars) this is the tennis courts ... far more impressive than it appears - perhaps the photographer isn't quite as crash hot as she tries to make out.
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Believe it or not. them's horses under those covers ... not freisian cows. Just beyond are 7 polo fields provided by the Earl. Originally he organised and allowed hunts through his grounds but when he stopped those, he provided polo fields instead. Evidently, some time ago, the Earl was incensed to see a car driving through his grounds at a speed greater than the 20 mph he allowed, so he gave chase - tooting, flashing his lights etc., only to be stopped by Prince William's body guard who were following!!! He plays there on quite a regular basis by all accounts but there was no sign of him today. (It is also the grounds where Prince Charles broke his arm or dislocated his shoulder when he fell off his horse playing polo - remember?)
A better view of the house from a different angle.
Walk out of the Estate and you have Cotswold Street - a very attractive street very close to where Philip and Rosemary live. I don't know whether it is easily detected, but some windows (particularly dead centre on the second and third levels) have been bricked out. It is quite a noticeable feature around the town and it seems that when the Window Tax was brought in a few centuries ago, many people closed them in so that their fees were not so great.
I've said it before, but I'll say it again - I really DO like this place.
As a postscript, it appears Hannah and James have been successful in their offer to purchase a new home - a very nice birthday present for Hannah on her 39th birthday. Fingers crossed they will not be gazzumped again - I can't imagine why the UK has such an archaic method for purchasing a property.
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