A Day Out

Glorious weather really made a lovely day out to the National Trust's Ashridge Estate and a chance to climb this hill, Ivinghoe Beacon.

Ashridge Estate is a bit controversial round here just now as they have decided to start charging people at weekends to go into the best bluebell woods. It costs 3 pounds per person. However, we walked away from the most popular spots and still saw oceans of purply, blue, really amazing.

The climb up the hill is a steep one but the view at the top is glorious and I like to imagine what it must have been like a few thousand years ago when the path which leads to the the top, The Ridgeway , was the main thoroughfare for this part of England. The view is spectacular and the sky seems wide and open, a very appropriate experience for this time of year between Ascension and Whitsun.

I read this week that the Archbishop of Canterbury was speculating about how convenient it would be to fix the date of the Easter celebration, I did not like the idea at all. That Easter still moves somehow still seems to be a live connection to all those first Christians many years ago and I wouldn't like to lose that.

How are you spending this lovely weekend ?