Thursday 13 August 2009

Truth and fiction - # 09/117

Don't believe everything just because it's on the Internet.

Alert readers will have realised that yesterday's gibbet was in fact a modern replica. But the site at a cross roads on the ancient Roman Army road once known as Ermine Street certainly does exist. You can read the true story of Ermine St. on the www. Just enquire about Ermine St.

The air station known as RAF Caxton Gibbet existed as an Elementary Flight Training station, but the main bomber airfield was at Bourn, not far away. You can read the true history about RAF Bourn on the www. Enquire about RAF Bourn.

I twisted things round a little bit to make up a piece focused on the horrible weather we are suffering.

The photograph today shows the Manor House at Caxton built in around 1590. You can read all about the long Roman and Medieval history of Caxton in Cambridgeshire if you simply enquire about Caxton Cambridgeshire.

As a very tiny baby boy I lived for a very short while in the magnificent old house, and unbeknown to me all the history was happening around me. That's true. And also true is the terrible grey, rain-filled sky you see in the picture, taken yesterday when I visited the house after many years away.

9 comments:

  1. C,
    What a beautiful old home. How nice that you got to go back and see it and photograph it. Sorry about your weather. It's sunny and HOT here in B'ham. BTW, I wish I were back in Paris, but you knew that didn't you! Sigh
    V

    PS Twice in Paris, I was asked if I was British! Now that's a good one. I'm sure you can imagine my southern accent.

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  2. @Virginia......Pah! ;-) Were they trying to be polite? Great to see you here once again. Greetings and good wishes to you, V.

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  3. Chucker - that's a really crap photo. Are you teasing us? It has a bit of compositional stuff going for it.....

    However, the image of Chuckeroon as a little bouncing boy rescues the situation a bit

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  4. I sympathise with the grey skies being overhead. I did wonder about the gibbet, but then again we only got rid of the birch here in '73.

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  5. Well I left a comment on the gibbet but see it didn't arrive (I obviously didn't properly complete the anti-spam code) - so just as well cos I believed it was real....I'm a trusting soul.

    This is a beautiful house - how wonderful - fabulous - to have been born there. Bet the sun shone on that day, Chuckeroon!

    Sorry you've had so many grey days - if it makes you feel better, here it's hot and humid and crowded and everything is wilting. Send us some of your rain.

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  6. @Richard......apart from the visit to the old house and the welcome I received it was a crap day. The cameras remained tucked away. No decent photo ops because I don't have an iPhone. Great roads though! Hardly another car to get in the way.

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  7. So...
    over here it's winter.
    And sunny.

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  8. @Freefalling...........but we're winnin the cricket. Aren't we?

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  9. Hi Stuart!
    Lovely picture; but that August sky is unbelievable... Better Iceland... ;))

    Blogtrotter is leaving Iceland, but before departing it shows you the incredible Blue Lagoon. Enjoy and have a fabulous week!

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