The Slower Road

Jill’s report for today:

All of the CAA group managed to arrive safely yesterday, and we enjoyed a walkabout from Eton to Windsor and then all stopped to enjoy an afternoon tea (tea of choice and two scones each with clotted cream and strawberry jam – yum!!). Then many enjoyed an early evening after their long flights. 

This morning (Wednesday), we all enjoyed a breakfast in the hotel and then walked up the hill in Windsor to watch the changing of the guards just before 11 a.m. The guards are accompanied by a military band, and the cars are all stopped as the troops walk up the main road from the barracks to Windsor Castle.

the band and guards as they walk up through Windsor town from the barracks to Windsor Castle for the changing of the guard (photo by Jill Ryder)

Then the CAA group assembled outside the Windsor Castle Mews to await Terry Pendry, Stud Groom, who had agreed to show us around the Royal Mews (not open to the public). As you will probably have heard, the British government just elected a new Prime Minister and so the Queen was in London to accept Gordon Brown’s resignation and then welcome David Cameron as the new Prime Minister. All this had an effect on Terry and what he was to do that day (as she would normally be at Windsor to enjoy the show and often ride in the morning).

We were admitted by the castle police and stood patiently to be welcomed by Terry. He arrived and spent the next one-and-a-half hours showing us the carriages and cars in the Mews, the many horses of the King’s Troop (who are temporarily housed in the Mews as they are to perform at the show), the harness, the farrier’s shop, and the Queen’s horses and ponies. Of course, the Mews itself is an interesting study with its stables, riding school, grooms quarters, and offices. Members of our group were really interested in everything they were shown, and we were sorry when we had to leave!

Terry Pendry describing the Royal Mews riding school building and its use and pointing out the King's Troop's guns (photo by Jill Ryder)

The morning weather was nice: the sun had come out and all the while we were in the Mews, the sun continued. Just after we left and stopped to watch more King’s Troop horses arrive from London by horse van (and be unloaded out on the street and walked into the Mews), it began to shower!

The forecast is for it to get better each day – hope so.

the Long Walk, taken from just in front of Windsor Castle (photo by Jill Ryder)

Tonight we are going to enjoy a group dinner in our hotel, and we will welcome guests George and Eileen Bowman, Tommy and Barbara Fawcett, Geoff and Anne Woods, Tony and Jan Sellers, and Marie Wood, all from England, plus Jack Pemberton from Canada.

Here is Jill’s first report from England, which she sent on her Monday afternoon and which arrived in my U.S. email inbox on Monday morning:

“I arrived on Friday in England, with only an hour’s delay because of the volcanic ash. I landed at Heathrow and then took a train to Dorset to visit my brother, John, and his family for the weekend. They have recently finished building a new house and I was pleased to see it. Great location and a wonderful house! Then on Sunday, I took the train back towards Windsor and settled in to our home for the week, The Christopher Hotel in Eton.  We always receive a warm welcome in this small, old hotel, formally a coaching inn. Several people were due to arrive today, one day early. I have only seen two people of the five due and both of them were delayed (one for more than four hours) because of the volcanic ash. I went down to the showgrounds today, to the driving office, to pick up our tickets for the show and the Tattoo (which we will enjoy on Friday night). The horses are due to begin arriving tomorrow (Tuesday), and so I was glad to get in and out of the way before the mayhem! The weather has improved a little today and we saw the sun. It has been cold all weekend, colder than ususal.”