Burwell Railway Station

We're lucky to be living in such a pretty and active village as Burwell in Cambridgeshire. That may sound odd when I tell you that this afternoon I visited the unveiling of a plaque signifying the entrance to the former Burwell Railway Station on Reach road. The railway line was built in the 1880's from Cambridge to Fordham originally and then extended to Mildenhall. It was mainly used for freight - expecially the transport of coal and animal feedstuffs, but the general public also used it - the US airmen at the Mildenhall Air Force base in particular. The line closed to passengers in 1962 and to freight in 1965. There is nothing left of it now but, examining some old photographs of the scene, I can picture it much more clearly and the course of the original line. I also wasn't aware of a road bridge over the tracks - which has completely disappeared. When I commute in to Cambridge tomorrow morning at 6.00, via car rather than train, I'll remember the railway and the links it brought to this part of Cambridgeshire. Maybe I'll wish I could do my whole commute to London via rail?

Saddle up

Our daughter, Hayley, has horseriding lessons every other Saturday. Because of our hectic scheduls she hasn't been for a while and we're not sure if she'll continue or not. Last Saturday she rode 'Cherry' who was less impressed than she was and gave her quite a hard time. Hayley gets very nervous beforehand, especially after extended breaks, and I think her nerves or at least lack of confidence were transmitted to her horse. We'll see. It will have spawned some lovely memories if she does stop and certainly she could go back to it later on!

White Lodge days nearly over

Michelle and I took our eldest son, Nathan, back to the Royal Ballet School today. This is the beginning of his fifteenth and final term at White Lodge and he's been associated with the school since joining as a weekend Junior Associate (JA) since he was eight years old.

We have driven down so many times from Cambridgeshire or taken the train that it's become a very familiar journey at the start, middle and end of school terms. Although the M25 and M11 jointly behaved today, we have had some horrendously long trips and often wondered what it would be like when they came to an end. We had mixed feelings today, though, as the reality of July looks a lot nearer than at any other time.

Because of Nathan's change of physique hr does not wish to continue with dance as a career and is now looking forward to attending sixth form college in Cambridge. That journey is only about twenty minutes away and I wonder if we'll all miss the much longer days when he was heading in a quite different direction.