Can you imagine being on horseback and storming across the bridge into the open gate of that castle? Well, I can. Because I did it 🙂
When I was about 13 or 14 my parents sent me to England for eight weeks in the summer; my school ended first week in June and started back last week of August, so nearly three months of summer vacation! But -don’t forget I attended school from 8am to 4pm and had homework, as well as Saturday school until 2pm!
I stayed with a family somewhere in the larger Tunbridge Wells area, in an old English cottage with low ceilings that had big black beams in them. I had my own room upstairs which had a window seat and I read all of Gone with the Wind on that window seat that summer. What a story to read for a young teenager! The family consisted of an English lady and her husband who came from Yugoslavia. He was an immigrant having escaped the communist regime. He was also a chess master and he taught me a lot of chess. He was very patient with me and most evening we would play a game or two.Â
They raised pigs in their backyard, as well as hens for eggs, and a lot of vegetables. Some Saturdays we would go to the market and the lady would sell eggs and vegetables there. I got to help them, and remember when the sow had piglets what an exciting time that was. A week or so later they castrated the males and I remember thinking “how gross” and how the piglets squealed.
The best part of the summer was, however, that I had my own pony. They had rented a Welsh pony for me for the summer, her name was Marigold and she was dark brown with black mane and tail, and a little white on her nose and three of her legs. I have been trying to find pictures of her but – no luck. Marigold was sweet and gentle and she and I got on really well. Of course, I had to take care of her completely, feed and groom her and see that she was alright in her paddock. I used to ride her every day, often going on long rides and walks all over the country side with her. After a little while I got to know some other kids my age who also rode and we would go off together on our horses and ponies.Â
One day we went quite far, in distance I don’t have any idea, it was so long ago, but it took us at least a couple of hours to get there. There was a castle ruin on a rise surrounded by a moat, and it looked very much like Bodiam Castle. Can’t say for sure that it was, but something very very much like it. After we discovered it we would go there as often as we could because it was heaven to play in. We would split into two teams, one would be the defenders of the castle and the others the attackers who tried to take the castle. Storming up the incline on our horses, hearing the hoofs clattering across the bridge and then being inside the walls – exhilarating!