Richard III found .............

So Richard III has been found, buried under a car park in Leicester. He died in battle in 1485. That is a long time ago. I am just amazed that they managed to find DNA to work with in a skeleton so old. It is fascinating, though. This is not far from where I live at all. Neither is Fotheringhay Castle (where he was born and where Mary Queen of Scots was executed). The castle is long done, but there are mounds and dips and plans to look at. The battle ground where King Richard died is not far away either. Nor is Naseby.

All of the country is like this, you see - riddled with historical snippets, links and happenings. Did you know that Washington's ancestors came from Sulgrave, not far away? Or that Benjamin Franklin's father grew up in the next village to this? Fascinating, if you like history. And you cannot escape history if you live in old countries which have seen the world change for centuries. Like this.

There is going to be a programme on the discovery and ID check of Richard III tonight. Now that, I hope, unlike the long-winded press conference, will be really good to watch. He was 33 when he died, I think. Young. Jesus was also 33, wasn't he? It is only as my own children have passed that age that the significance of His age hits home. So young.

Not that I am in any way connecting the two, of course.

And what happened to the two little princes in the Tower?

Anyway. Back to every day life. I have just lopped some of the low apple tree branches off, but I am not going to prune it this year. I am told that leaving it for a season will do it no harm at all. Of course, given that it never got pruned for years and survived, I am sure it will be fine. Last year was not a stellar apple year. The year before was bountiful. Maybe this year will be good again. And I must remember to get a bigger freezer before the freezing season kicks off. I think I say this every autumn. Hah. I am on the case this year. Watch this space.

Space being the optimum word, of course. I will never have enough space. I have a collection of American house plan books here. I love reading them. I can visualise perfectly from a floor plan, and I have my favourites. However, in most of them, the size of the average closet is roughly the size of a normal bedroom here. Just so you understand the smallness. It took me forever to get used to lower ceilings and tiny rooms when we first arrived. Claustrophobia. Our homes in SA had high lofty ceilings, and big rooms. And, miracle of miracles, you could have windows on all 4 sides of the house, and what is more, you could actually walk all the way around your house outside.

Not here.

But then, small houses should be cheaper to heat, shouldn't they. One hopes.

I am used to it now, but space is always a problem. Finding space for a small freezer is going to be difficult, but I am sure I can cover it with a cloth and plonk a vase on top and call it a side table if I have to. Inventive. That's me.

There is a cold wind blowing today. A good excuse to stay in now and do some more crocheting. Hot coffee. Good TV to watch later. Roasted vegetables for supper with chicken. A good book to pick up later. All good. What are you all reading at the moment? I keep meaning to ask - I am reading "And I shall have some peace there" by Margaret Roach. She was once a Martha Stewart Inc executive and walked away to her cottage in the woods. I think that when I can manage more than a page at a time, I will get into it and zip along. I just keep falling asleep right now. No matter what time of day! The pile waiting to be read never seems to go down at all around here. There is always something else in the queue!

But I love piles of books waiting.................