Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire.

In honor of my brother I am writing a little about the village that Scott Jonathan Wakefield was born in. My brother was born on March 30th 1962 in Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire. To be honest until this post I have never researched where my brother was born. I lived in Canterbury where my sister born and chose to visit Rochester where I was born, I even visited Dover where both my parents were born. But never have I seen the beauty of the small village of Sharnbrook located 9 miles north of Bedford where Scott was born. It is located of the A6 and north of the River Great Ouse. Here it meets a brook that gives the village its name. This small village dates back into the Saxon times. It was recorded in the Domesday book of 1086.

The village grew through agriculture. The old stone houses use to be small farm houses which had tiny pieces of land behind each house. In the seventeenth century this village started to grow with many manors being built. It had eight manors, three of which are still standing today, the Tofte Manor, Ouse Manor and Colworth House can be found in this wonderful village as a part of Sharnbrook's history. Although the other manors are no longer there for us to see, this small village has preserved their names by naming roads after them.

I hope you have enjoyed your first peek at my brother's birth place.

Wishing you lots of Tasty English Delights

There's always room for one more.

Places I Love in Kent, Hope You Visit Them Soon

St. Margarets Bay

Chilham

Rochester Castle

Canterbury Cathedral

Canterbury

Dover Castle

White Cliffs of Dover

Leeds Castle outside of Maidstone

Before we leave Kent, here are some pictures of my favorite places in Kent. Enjoy!

Wishing you lots of Tasty English Delights.

There's always room for one more.

Chilham Kent England

This is Chilham Kent where my brother and I drank cider at the local pub near to the church. Where I have walked around this quaint village and loved the castle. The grounds are amazing and the atmosphere will transport you back in time. Indeed jousting events are held in Chilham's castle grounds. If that is not your cup of tea, you can always go and have some tea and delicious cakes and treats in Chilham village. Then if you are feeling up to it go for a pleasant walk in the countryside. Whatever you do, just remember to take your mind back to years gone by and be transported to another history, then you will appreciate the wonder of this wonderful village.

Wishing you lots of Tasty English Delights

There's always room for one more.

Kent Countryside

As we drive to Chilham, I thought it would be nice for you to see what the countryside in Kent looks like. As soon as you leave London and enter Kent, you see the rolling hills. I've included a map so that you can understand where Kent is and how far the White Cliffs of Dover go along the south coast of England.

Wishing you lots of Tasty English Delights.

There's always room for one more.

St.Margaret's at Cliffe

When I lived in Deal Kent my brother and I would drive down and park right near the picture above and walk along this beach. You can already can see the white cliffs that follow through to Dover. My brother and I would love walking around this quaint village. It was almost as though a person is transported back to the 1930's . The houses vary in style and yet this a little piece of tranquility.

During the second world war most of it's residence were moved out and the military moved in. There are places still there, left from the war my brother and I came across a almost like tunnel that went for miles. We did not go to far into it. It was like a underground motorway, although much smaller in size.

There were four guns stationed there, Winnie and Pooh and Jane and Clem. These were there to protect England from the Germans.

Noel Coward and Ian Fleming lived in this quaint village . It even has a windmill which was bought to generate electricity in 1929 and since then this village has done it's part to make this world a greener place.

My Brother and I loved this village. So if you are ever on your way from Deal to Dover take a drive to St. Margaret's Bay. Maybe like my brother and I you will be captivated back into time and see just the true beauty of this kentish village.

Wishing you lots of Tasty English Delights

There's always room for one more.

Young voices

Before we go back to Kent I thought I would review the London Riots. I have some wonderful friends in England and British friends in America as well. It is true none of us in our time have seen such pictures that came out from London and other parts of England this week. However a good friend did post on Face book that prayer can change anything and it is times like this that we need to pray. I would agree with her. So easy to gossip and do nothing.

My daughter in the last post wrote an amazing piece. Young writers really need to be praised. They are the one's that hold the key to bringing words to life in the future. They hold the key to seeing the world perhaps in a different light than us old folks see it.

Many young artists, musicians and writers may never be given the chance to go much further than their schools, or colleges. However it is in all of us praising and encouraging these young people that will keep the arts alive.

I love art, writing and nature and see so many young people who's parents who ignore the talent that their children have.

So Thank you Emily for such an amazing piece and your perspective on the London Riots. May more young people like you have a voice that will do amazing things.

Wishing you lots of Tasty English Delights

There's always room for one more

Respect Protects

Respect protects so they should manage the damage and do it the right way if being respected is what they want. London, England, has had a lot happen to it. There was the Great Fire of London in 1666 which happened when the Great Plague was ending and everyone was just starting to get back on their feet after the massive disease. The fire though was not done on purpose. With such a little thing as forgetting to put out the ovens, many builds came tumbling down but luckily only a few were killed. The London Blitz of 1940 was definitely not by accident and destroyed many buildings and killing thousands of people. This left many people's lives very different than what they had lived before. And now, we are dealing with the horrible London riots where there are houses and peoples lives going just before our eyes. These people think they are making a statement by telling everyone to respect them, but really they are just being foolish. There is an economic crisis going on, and these riots are not helping anyone. Respect protects so they should manage the damage and do it the right way if being respected is what they want.

What we have to look at is that in everything that has happened before, there has been an end and Britain has made it. Each time the country and city has gotten stronger and closer together as a community. In these trying times, we need to work together, help each other, and stand up for what is right. If that means helping a neighbor or keeping your an eye on your teens, then that is what has to be done.

God will see us through if we just put our strength and hope in Him.

Emily

Wishing you lots of Tasty English Delights.

There's always room for one more.

worst since the Blitz

So to side track our trip through Kent. I have to talk about the London riots which have bought scene's to London that have not been seen since the second world war. I will have to say that it is so sad hearing businesses that survived both world wars then destroyed by rioters.

In a world going through such economic times this is not helping anyone.

Scenes of a woman jumping from a window, cars on fire and police in hoards trying to stop these riots scenes not seen in England for years.

These are the times I cry for England.

Let us all remember those serving in the armed forces and those serving in the Police forces and in other area's trying to bring peace to our countries.

Wishing you lots of Tasty English Delights

There's always room for one more.

Wonderful places in Kent

Well before we move on from Kent and onto the next place I lived as a child. I would like to share some of my favorite places in Kent. As you drive through the Dartford Tunnel and on the Queen Elizabeth the second bridge, you see wonderful Kent, it's amazing. It is like you have escaped into another world. You see those rolling hills and for me there is a sense of home. I never visited Kent as a child although all of my mum's relatives lived there. Well, take that back, I did go to Maidstone once. I will have to say my love of Kent has grown more as I see it as an adult. I see the tremendous beauty and how rich in my mother's heritage this place is and the wonderful wealth of history hidden it's every corner.

My brother and I loved driving to St.Margaret's Bay it is so pretty and is on the outskirts of Dover. I loved Chilham, a quaint village where a drink of cider from the local pub has you been transported to long ago. These two places bring back memories of the days that my brother and I would drive to them. Once on the way to Chilham Scott's car ran out of petrol opposite was a petrol station. The problem was the place to put the petrol in was on the side where the traffic was merely going by us. I remember looking around the quaint shops in Chilham, and it seemed for a moment life stood still.

So let me entice you by a few photos of these two places and we'll go there again when I blog next time.

Wishing you lots of Tasty English Delights

There's always room for one more.

Rochester, Kent, England, My Hometown

So my last words about Rochester at this moment in time are probably summed up by some pictures from the past. This was the town I was born in, and I became a Kentish Maid. It is a place where I would love to take my family to visit, and one that I am surely glad I made my own opinion about. I am glad Rochester was the place that I was born. The place that I share with such writers as Dickens and Shakespeare. A place full of history and memories to come.

Wishing you lots of Tasty English Delights.

There's always room for one more.

Christmas Dickens style.

Rochester comes alive once more at Christmas with the Christmas Dickens festival. Rochester has one of U.K's largest authentic Christmas Markets.

This year it runs from 30th Novemember - December 11th 2011.

Although similar to the Christmas festival, this festival focuses on A Christmas Carol. Once again Dickens' characters can found in the streets of Rochester and entertainment and Christmas caroling heard throughout Rochester's streets. Enough to bring cheer even to Scrooge himself, who might well make an appearance.

You can always count on snow to be at this festival whether artificial or real snow itself. I loved roasted chestnuts as a child. You will definitely find some here to warm your pockets and transport you back to the 1800's. Let's not forget to put on our skates at the ice skating rink that is found in the Castle grounds.

Don't be in a hurry to leave. The finale is a Dickensian candlelight parade with Christmas caroling that takes us through the high street to Rochester Cathedral.

Well I do think Scrooge after his night of visitors would even join in these festivities.

Let's hope we all get to go one day to experience being transported back in time to the 1800's. Until then enjoy the pictures and link.http://www.dickenschristmasmarket.com/festival.aspx?nav=2_1

Wishing you lots of Tasty English Delights

There's always room for one more.

Dickens festival.

The Dickens festival is celebrated on the first week in June. It celebrates the works of this brilliant writer. The Dickens Fellowship Society http://www.dickensfellowship.org/ which has branches throughout the world and many others join in this festival. If you go to the site above you will find many interesting facts about Dickens.It is an easy to follow site and one that many historians might well enjoy. For those who love Dickens writing it explains how one can join this society.

Many who come to this festival dress up in Victorian attire and walk through historic Rochester transporting any who come back to that period of time. You will see people dressed up as Scrooge and Oliver Twist, I hope you bring something to put in the poor chap's bowl. Maybe even Miss Havisham will be there perhaps a young man might not be after her money but more for the fact of the love of this fair maiden and her love of history.

As you walk along the streets wondering and pondering if you have perhaps been transported back in time you will pass Victorian shops and craft stalls.

Mr. Pickwick himself arrives by train and starts this parade along the Rochester High Street towards the Norman Castle. I wonder what the Normans would think of such gaiety.

I will have to say once again I would love to bring my family here on this day to dress up and be a part of the new history of Dickens would be such a blessing and such a captured of time for me.

Well as we close on one part of Dickens.

Let's not forget that this man brought hardship of his life into the rich peoples' lives in book form and let's hope that in his writing he changed them to help others.

Write it on your calendar June 8-10, 2012 is when you yourself can experience the Dickens Festival.

Wishing you lots of Tasty English Delights

There's always room for one more.

Great Expectations what can we learn.

In my life I have seen a few people who are like Miss Havisham. Maybe some have lost a loved one, some never married and some indeed once married but trapped in time by some hurt of the past or some left at the altar.

Dickens has so placed real life into a book that has become well known throughout the world.

I am sure all of us can relate to people who have immortalized time in a situation.

Dickens was a man who used his experience in life to reach out to others by using his writing to really show people perhaps the very reality that they did not want to face, of how the economic times of the 1800's effected the poor and how life was very different to the poor than the rich.

I clearly remember Great Expectations reading it at school.

What lessons can we take from a book written one hundred and fifty years ago.

Take the time to read some of Dickens books you may learn something about yourself and also how fortunate we are today.

Wishing you lots of Tasty of English Delights

There's always room for one more.

Charles Dickens his beginning.

Charles Dickens an amazing author who's works have lasted through time. Moved to London at a young age and seemed to live a normal childhood life until his father was imprisoned for spending beyond his means. My how life has changed, our prisons today would be full if that ruling still existed. Believe or not this amazing writer once pasted labels on shoe boxes to make a living. I wonder if the people who bought those shoes ever knew the value behind the person who had pasted a label on the shoe box. His father after receiving an inheritance was released from prison. However his mother did not request Charles back straight away and he stayed in the factory conditions. This caused Dickens to have a bad attitude towards women. However this time in the factory caused Dickens to have an interest in the reform of the unfair economic conditions of the poor of that time. I believe that this time was used to help him write such master pieces as Oliver Twist and Bleak House.

Perhaps in these small begins as so many famous people it was a time used to reflect and allow one person to impact so many peoples lives through history.

Small beginnings can lead to great things if we only allow them too.

So hold on tight and let's see what Dickens is going to serve us up on my next blog reading.

wishing you lots of tasty English Delights

There's always room for one more.