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- The Royal Connection
- Berkshire Eats
- Berkshire VIPs
- Richard Remembers
- Owlbut's Birdwatch
Windsor Castle is the
oldest and largest occupied castle in the world and luckily it is in Windsor which is in Berkshire. The castle was founded by William the Conqueror
in the late 11th century and if I was to tell you which Kings and Queens have used it as a residence it would almost be like going through the list
of monarchs.
However William never lived there. Henry I, II and III all lived there and Edward III made it the base for his new Order of the Garter.
In fact the garter ceremony still takes place through the streets of Windsor every June.
Queen Victoria made Windsor the main palace of the British monarchy. Both Edward VII and his son George V used and made changes to the
castle. When George VI came to the throne in 1936 he and his wife and their two daughters were already living at the
Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park. While the King and Queen stayed in London at Buckingham Palace during WWII both Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret
were brought up at Windsor.
During and after the Covid pandemic, Queen Elizabeth II spent most of her time at Windsor and, following the death of Prince Philip,
She made Windsor Castle her home, rather than the traditional royal home of Buckingham Palace.
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Eton College and Harrow School always,
well since the 1800s, had an annual cricket match, usually held at Lord's Cricket Ground. Traditionally, at the match, a dish of strawberries, pieces of
meringue and cream was served to the boys. The dish became known as Eton Mess and has become a great favourite around England. No one is really sure where
the "mess" bit came from but, when served, it does look a bit messy.
However another possibility is that the "mess" is where soldiers gather to eat their meals so the idea that this word could be used
for where English public school boys eat is a possibility. Personally, at my school, we ate in the refectory which apparently comes from the Latin word,
reficere, which means to restore or remake. A good lunch time meal always restored me and I was ready for a full afternoon of lessons. Food and Latin,
what more do you want.
Whilst strawberries are the traditional fruit, you could use any refreshing summer fruit. You can now buy ready-made Eton Mess but, to be honest,
why would you. Pick some strawberries, make some meringues and add some cream. It doesn't matter if the meringues are a failure because you are going to break them into
pieces. This is my sort of meal preparation
By the way, or to my younger readers, BTW, I had to choose between Eton Mess and Windsor Soup for this section. Made the decision in less than a second.
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Seven random people who were born in Berkshire in the last 100 years:-
Posy Simmonds (Cartoonist/Writer/Illustrator), Will Young (Singer/Songwriter), Hannah White (Sailor/Broadcaster), Catherine Middleton,
Duchess of Cambridge (Member of the Royal Family), Ricky Gervais (Writer/Comedian/Actor), Max and Harvey Mills (Singers).
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Berkshire has no coast so, like others,
there are no memories from any of my three coastal journeys. However I had an aunt, who died back in 2016 aged 97, who lived in Slough and that is now in Berkshire
so I have some memories from visits to her. I say "now" because I think I am correct in saying that at one time Slough was actually in Buckinghamshire.
My aunt lived in her house for over 55 years and so there were many visits.
A big treat on some occasions was to be taken to Windsor to look at the castle but I've already given you that treat. I was also told by said aunt that
the traffic light system in Slough was set in such a way that, if you drove at 28mph, they would always be green. The more I think about this I find it hard to
believe but maybe it is.
The other memory I have of Berkshire is the name of the little
village of Aldermaston which, in the 1960s, was the scene of many protests. The reason
was that the Atomic Weapons Establishment which develops, maintains and disposes of the UK's nuclear weapons, was, and is, situated there. As you will know from other parts of this site I
occasionally give you my opinion on something and, when I do, I tell you it is just that. It is not a fact just a view that I hold. Everyone is entitled to their own
opinion and so if you disagree with me, that's fine. You could even try to convince me I am wrong and I would always listen.
I think, had I been older, I would have joined those protests. You see my thoughts are this. We are told we need nuclear weapons as a deterrent. That's
fine if it works. If it doesn't deter any enemy then your nuclear weapons are useless; the other has used them and not many of us may be left. If you don't have them
as a deterrent then there is no need for another power to use them against you. So, we spend an awful lot of money on making something that, if it is successful, will
never be used and if it isn't is too late to be of any use. Think about that and form your own opinion.
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The house martin is a small bird. It has a glossy blue-black back and white underneath. It has white legs which, unusually for
birds, are covered in white feathers. It has a forked tail and a short, thin, black beak. House martins eat insects and also spend much of their time collecting their prey.
They spend the summer in England and their winters in Africa. They are on the Amber List as recently there has been a decline in their numbers. There are
about half a million house martins which currently nest in England. They build a mud nest and it can often be found under the eaves of buildings. They usually return
to England in March/April and leave again in September/October. They can be seen in towns and the countryside, often near woodland or water.
House martins are 12 cms in length, have a wingspan of about 27 cms and weigh between 15 and 23 grams.
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Two extra sections, "It Happened Here" and "Now That's Weird", will appear on 30 September 2024
