TEDDY BEAR’S PICNIC

TEDDY BEAR'S PICNIC

‘If you go down to the woods today……sing sing …….Today’s the day the Teddy Bears have their picnic.’ Well I love picnics….I think it’s in the genes of bears really, don’t you?  Most picnics require a bit of shopping before hand; bread, wine  and stuff like that.

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THOSE OLD CHESTNUTS!

THOSE OLD CHESTNUTS!

  Every autumn my guardian Pauline Conolly takes me to Mount Tomah Botanical Gardens  so we can gather  Spanish chestnuts from their big tree. It’s very exciting.  It’s usually a bit chilly, but there is a lovely fire in the cafe where you can warm up first. 

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KING ALFRED AND A WHIFF OF BURNT CAKES.

KING ALFRED AND A WHIFF OF BURNT CAKES.

King Alfred’s legendary burning of the cakes was the subject of my first history lesson, delivered by my mother as she popped a tray of rock cakes in the oven. Her notion of where the incident took place was vague; ‘In the woods  somewhere’, she said…handing me

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RIVER THAMES- AND THE BIRTH OF A BOOK.

RIVER THAMES-  AND THE BIRTH OF A BOOK.

A HOUSE BY THE THAMES In 1996 my husband Rob and I bought a holiday house on an 18th century estate called Harleyford, by the banks of the River Thames in Buckinghamshire. For the next fifteen years we divided our time between England and Australia. Originally we

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MURDER OR MALADY? INTRIGUE BY THE THAMES.

MURDER OR MALADY? INTRIGUE BY THE THAMES.

DEATH BY  THE RIVER THAMES Walkers along the Thames Path  should take a break at the village of Cumnor, otherwise reached by car via the A420 from Oxford. In the 14th century the monks of Abingdon Abbey built Cumnor Hall, scene of a mysterious death in the

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WALTZING MATILDA DOWN THE RIVER THAMES

WALTZING MATILDA DOWN THE RIVER THAMES

AUSSIE  HISTORY ALONG THE  THAMES For Australians exploring the River Thames there are  places of particular interest.  When my partner Rob and I walked the Path we found lots of Aussie associations. On the upper reaches of the  river  is the village of Buscot, and the National Trust owned  Buscot

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BLOOD ON MY BOOTS…..MURDER ALONG THE THAMES!

BLOOD ON MY BOOTS.....MURDER ALONG THE THAMES!

  Blood On My Boots was one of the titles I considered for my book on the Thames Path. I love social history , especially murder mysteries,  and  many bodies  have  ended up in the  river.   The  book was eventually published as All Along the River;

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A VERY SPECIAL REVIEW OF MY THAMES BOOK

A VERY SPECIAL REVIEW OF MY THAMES BOOK

Dr James Colthurst is perhaps best known for having been  a  close friend of  the late Princess Diana.  He  was trusted implicitly by Diana , and acted as a go-between during one of  the most difficult periods of her life.  It was Colthurst who   conveyed the secret tapes  she

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The Queen’s Oak at Hurley – a Royal Mystery.

The  Queen's Oak at Hurley - a Royal Mystery.

This is a 2022 update on the story of the Queen’s Oak at Hurley Lock. In 2014, I was in the UK following the launch of my book on the Thames Path, held at Marlow Library. Everyone was so kind and generous, especially as I was an

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