Bluebells on 15th June 07

Still 14 st 12lbs. But that's O.K. I can be patient.

I inspected my garden this morning and was surprised to find (this is June for pities sake) a bunch of bluebells emerging. English Bluebells! The bulbs were given to me as a Christmas Present and I planted them in March and here they are!! They were not supposed to come up 'til next year. How lovely. Other than that our small cottage garden is quite lush (nice word that). It changes from blue to red/pink to white/ yellow as the year progresses. The orange blossom is wondefully aromatic and the honeysuckle, blossoming now, promises as much. The coriander is flowering and it will soon be time to harvest the seeds for cooking. In fact all the herbs are doing well this year (thyme, hissop, rosemary, sage, three kinds of mint, fennel, angelica, parsely and chives). I thought I might make a 'Victorian' herb garden but it would be really too formal for this tiny plot.

The village and surrounding area looks 'lush' (that word again).

That's not my place by the way, I just work there. Took it this morning.


Edward Costello was a soldier in the 95th Rifles. He recalls this day in 1815 the day before Quatre Bras.

'On the 15th of June, as I retired to bed, at the hour of eleven o'clock at night, I heard bugles sounding and drums beating through different parts of the city. Equipping myself as quickly as possible, and entering the marketplace, I found the whole of our division assembling. I then belonged to the 5th division, under the command of General Sir Thomas Picton. Being orderly non-commissioned officer of the company at the time, I received orders to draw three days' rations for the men; the chief part of this was left behind, as none but old soldiers knew its value, or felt inclined to take part with them; some of the men, however, cursed their hard fate for not taking away a portion. All things arranged, we passed the gates of Brussels, and descended the wood of Soignies, that leads to the little village of Waterloo. It was the 16th-a beautiful summer morning - the sun slowly rising above the horizon and peeping through the trees, while our men were as merry as crickets, laughing and joking with each other, and at times pondered in their minds what all this fuss, as they called it, could be about; for even the old soldiers could not believe the enemy were so near. We halted at the verge of the wood, on the left of the road, behind the village of Waterloo, where we remained for some hours; the recruits lay down to sleep, while the old soldiers comrnenced cooking. I could not help noticing, while we remained here, the birds in full chorus straining their little throats as if to arouse the spirits of the men to flesh vigour for the bloody conflict they were about to engage in. Alas! how many of our brave companions, ere that sun set, were no more! '



The Black Watch (The 42nd Highlanders).

On the 15th of June some of the officers and soldiers from the 42nd performed at the Duchess of Richmond's Waterloo Ball in Brussels whilst the rest of the regiments prepared themselves for battle. Then news reached Wellington that Napoleon's armies were marching through France. In the early hours of the 16th of June the 42nd left almost immediately with many of the officers still in their white dress knee-breeches to confront Napoleon, marching to the tune of "Hieland Laddie". After a gruelling journey in full marching order the 42nd arrived near to the French/ Belgium border at Quartre Bras by the Charleroi Road at about 3pm on the 16th of June and entered a 5 hour battle .