Every time I drive up the M40 to and from Ruf, I am reminded.
But, particularly so at this time of year.
It was such a happy time at the beginning of my relationship with my Husband. He had to do some business in Woodstock, a tiny village near Oxford.
Woodstock is a beautiful little place, steeped in history. There have several palaces here, one of which housed Queen Elizabeth I in her childhood, when she had upset her sister, Mary. While imprisoned, Elizabeth wrote a poem. “Much suspected by [of] me, None proved can be.”
It is more famous for Blenheim Palace, built by John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough, to commemorate his historic victory at the battle of that name. His wife, Sarah, was a favourite of Queen Anne, one of the few women to reign alone in our history.
But what I remember about Blenheim and Woodstock is spending the night in a little guesthouse – we couldn’t afford to stay in the beautiful hotel pictured here. But the bed was comfy and there was a fabulous full English breakfast served in our room overlooking the little High Street. It was all just so quaint and surreal.
It was the beginning of December and we woke up to a chilly, misty morning. Walking through the picturesque village, we came to a wall and some gates, the entrance to the Palace grounds.
The mist was thick and clammy but the trees were just so pretty that we didn’t mind that we couldn’t really see any of the famous views.
And then, after we had been wandering around for an hour so, we turned a corner and the clouds lifted quite suddenly to reveal the splendour of the palace itself, backlit with the pale winter sun. It was magnificent.
I was very much in love and I guess it colours my memory of that day.
I can still see the photos. I look so fragile, so insecure and anxious to please him as I look nervously into the lens.
That was my goal, to be accepted by him as somehow worthy of his attention.
Thirty years later, part of me is still that young girl so desperate to be loved, but the woman that she finally became, released from the confines of what she thought was love…?
Well, she truly is a miracle.
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