Back to my homeland (part 2)

Days 1-4

Day 5: It was a Friday of some driving and some research.  We had lunch at a canalside pub.  How very English.

Click on the pictures for a closer look and use the back button to return to the blog.

Unfortunately I have no idea where we were, but it was quite idyllic.

Most English canals and locks date back at least to the 18th century. (Unless someone knows better.)

After lunch we went to the Northampton Records Office to research our great-great-great grandfather who was from Peterborough, and then we went to our weekend accommodation.  We stayed for the whole weekend at the Axe and Compass, a pub near Leighton Buzzard. (You can Google it if you'd like to see it.)

Day 6: It was unfortunate that we picked a Saturday to visit St. Alban's because it was very busy and there were delays on the roads going into the city.  We managed to do what we set out to do, though.  We drove along Colney Heath Lane where our great-aunt and uncle had lived for many years.  We also visited the town museum where we took our donation of four miniature bottles of Roses cordials (made in St Alban's) and we found the burial place of our third set of great-grandparents.

The grave was unmarked so my sister marked the place herself for the benefit of my camera.  I hope they didn't mind her lying on top of them, but I think great-grandad had a sense of humour...

We returned to the Axe and Compass for dinner and the US v England World Cup game.

That's a heart attack on a polystyrene tray, that is!  Sausage roll, chips and baked beans, all washed down with a glass of Pimms.

Day 7: This was going to be our rest day. We went to Milton Keynes to meet a very old school friend for lunch, and to do a little shopping.  We didn't do much but we did walk around a little bit.  It was nice.  The rest of the day we just meandered around the Buckinghamshire countryside.

Day 8:  On the Monday we left the Axe and Compass and drove to Lincolnshire where me met another old friend in a pub by a shopping outlet near Spalding.  It was a brief meeting but it was lovely to see her again. 

After lunch we made our way to Stamford to see where our great-great grandfather's brothers had gone to school.  It was my first visit to Stamford and as soon as I arrived In knew that a couple of hours weren't going to be enough.  It's on my list of places to visit again for an extended time. 

See what I mean?  Lovely.

More to come another day.