(the view from Jenny and James')
Today was a relaxing day. I slept incredibly well as it is so peaceful here and I was very comfy in bed. I was shocked when Tom came in and woke me up saying it was half nine. That is late for me these days.
We had a good breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon and both black and white pudding. Delicious. It’s a luxury for me to have cooked breakfasts, as usually it’s a quick bowl of cereals or porridge on my way out the door before work.
After breakfast I experienced an exciting bit of Tom’s family history… Jenny has a collection of letters her Mum, Monica, wrote throughout her life. In the 1940’s Monica married a soldier named Paul. He is a descendent of the affluent Colman family. The Coleman’s make Colman’s mustard, the traditional English mustard. Her mother-in-law regularly collected letters from all of the family members and condensed them down into one. This condensed letter, called the Budget, was sent out to everyone who wrote in so that they could stay up to date with each other’s news. Paul ended up dying in the war, but Monica continued to write letters to her mother-in-law and family. The letters begin with her talking of air raids and bombings, of letters to Paul and trying to find a job to help the war effort. After Paul died Monica remarried Tom’s Grandpa, Malcolm. Malcolm worked for an oil company in the Middle East. So the letters continue with Monica making her journey across Europe and northern Africa to join him, of having children (Tom’s aunts and eventually Mum and uncle), life in the middle east and all of the back and forth between there in the winter and England in the summers. Then, finally settling back in England and watching her children grow. It is a very interesting collection of letters that tells story of an exciting life over a range of forty years. Jenny has the idea to turn these letters into a novel setting them within a historical context. That is an ambitious project, but I’m sure people would find it intriguing.
After exploring these letters we set off for anther castle.
Today we went to King John's Castle in Limerick. It is much different than Bunratty Castle. King John's Castle was a military castle built to protect and keep out unwanted soldiers. It is much older than Bunratty and saw a lot of war and fighting in its time. Archaeologists are still digging and learning more about this castle, as most of the old city is now underground. The story of the Siege’s of Limerick confused me greatly as I really don’t know anything of Irish history. To be honest I don’t know much of European history in general. Tom patiently went through it with me a couple of times and Jenny got me a book on the history of King John's Castle. There were so many families and so many countries coming in and fighting it’s hard to keep straight, but I think I get it now. As we left the castle today I felt as though I had really been educated. We then visited the Limerick Museum next door, which houses an impressive number of artefacts that show the history of the city through many years.
We have now just finished a Chinese and are settling in for the night. The weather has been grey and drizzly today, reminding me of Seattle. Although, hopefully those of you over there are still seeing the sun that has finally come out of hiding for you.
Love
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