Chilterns and Thames Valley

In the shadow of the castle

Distance: 5.49 miles
Ascent: 11 metres
Duration: 1 hour 56 minutes

Walk 8: Windsor and Eton

The sky seemed keen to play its part in perpetuating the story about where Conservative party policy is dreamed up: as we crossed the playing fields at Eton it provided a deep blue backdrop for the poplar trees.

A circular walk from Windsor through the Home Park, round the north side of Eton then back along the Thames was always going to be dominated by one thing: the view of Windsor Castle.

But it was a delight to be captivated by other things: the poplars and leaves suspended below a a sheet of ice. This has been a great walk for a crisp wintery afternoon.

Personal

Zoom out

The news our friends had been fearing came through today: Ann's body has been found in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake.

And with that I began to zoom out and stopped focussing on one life. Suddenly the noise from all around came crashing through.

Before New Year's Day, Haiti was to me a location in a Bond film and the birthplace of a character from Heroes. Ann painted a picture of a vibrant, thrilling country. Then twelve days later...

Should auld acquaintance be forgot?

Comment

Double their money

For a good while now received wisdom has been that budget airlines excel at using low headline ticket prices to distract customers from the full cost of flying. This past week I've finally seen this first hand.

And I have to admire just how well thought-out their websites are. For the two airlines I looked at, the final price to be paid was roughly double the headline ticket price. On one I just clicked the "continue" button after selecting flights and on every screen thereafter an "extra" component was added: taxes, bags, insurance, seat reservations and credit card fee. When finally presented with the full price none of these items could be deselected - I'd have had to wind all the way back to the start for that.

The website was a work of genius.

Thankfully I managed to persuade my boss that there was a better alternative though: I'm going by train. It's more expensive, but should be far more relaxing. Details will follow in a week.

Comment

The personal stories

It's the personal stories that make the news real.

Last month an odd-ball music project twinned a school in Corby with a school in Haiti. A photograph was taken of the Port au Prince students holding a photograph of the Corby students. This week that photograph will be taken back to the Corby school.

It's the personal stories that make the newsreel.

Last month we met someone who spoke enthusiastically of the Caribbean country they presently live in. They are still missing.

It's the personal stories that make the news reel.