This weekend is traditionally the one in which Nottinghill Carnival happens which I have attended in the past. This year, instead, I went to Wales- where (perhaps you might say unsurprisingly) it rained, then the sun appeared.... then it rained again.... and then the sun appeared.Luckily I had purchased a HUGE UMBRELLA from Sports Direct so as to avoid a repeat of my experiences last week in the Flash flood, when I ended up looking like a drowned rat, and then caught the flu! So this time, I didn't.
And I caught up with family, some immediate, some more distant ... and indulged in a moment of nostalgia when I had an onion bhajee and some chips from this award winning Fish Bar.
Sadly the food on this occasion wasn't as good as when I used to live in Cardiff. Major let down!
However having enjoyed the bank holiday I wondered what its origin was and so being a bit of a boffin I looked up its history. If you too wish to know how bank holidays started then here is a link for you.Now I am back in Berkshire, I am returning to my research and work towards my dissertation. As part of this, I recently read a beautifully crafted novel called Oranges in No Man's Land by Elizabeth Laird. I love Laird's writing style- it just flows wonderfully and I am in admiration at the way in which she is able to tackle issues in a subtle way. If you haven't come across her work before or indeed the book Oranges in No Man's Land, I can wholeheartedly recommend both.
