A Letter to Sally

Dear Sally,

I am so glad the dress that my Mum has made fits you well, you do look so pretty in it.  I have worked out that you are my cousin for sure, it has to be true as I so want a lovely little sweet cousin like you so we can keep in touch with each other.  

A while ago I wrote to Rosey who I am sure must be another cousin of mine and told her all about where I came from, although I have very few memories, and how I came to live in England.  I have been promising to write about where I live now for ages.

My home is a bungalow, a single storey house and it is detached which means it isn't attached to another house.  Lots of places over here are attached to at least one other house and are called semi-detached, or if to lots of house, a terrace.  We are lucky as we have a big front and back garden with lots of trees planted which means there are lots of birds around which is nice as unfortunately we are also quite close to the big motorway called the M25, which roars away in distance.  My Mum tries to pretend it is the sea roaring sometimes, but I'm not convinced.

We live in the county of Hertfordshire which has a fascinating history and I still have much to learn.  So far I have learnt that it was an area originally assigned to a fortress in Hertford in 913 and was under the rule of Edward the Elder.  Isn't that amazing?  The name Hertfordshire first appeared in 1011 in the Anglo-Sazon Chronicle.  I just can't imagine anything that old.  When you drive into Hertfordshire you see signs with the emblem of a deer on it.

Apparently they have found evidence of humans in Hertfordshire from even earlier than that, since the Middle Stone Age.  Goodness, it almost makes me feel giddy thinking about that. My Mum has told me that the Romans also settled here and that one day she will take me to see the Roman ruins in St Albans which used to be called Verulamium.  St Albans takes its name from St Alban, the first British martyr who was an Anglo Roman soldier who took the place of a Christian priest and was then beheaded.  I don't like to think about that sort of thing and don't want to scare you so won't say any more about that, except to say it was a very very long time ago around 293.

On to nicer things...we live close to London and can catch a train there, although I haven't been on a train yet.  Mum has said she will take me up there one day when her shoulder is feeling better as I am quite a heavy girl.  (giggle)

It gets dark here really early now.  It didn't when I first arrived but they change the clocks.  Not really sure why they do that, but they do, either forwards an hour or backwards an hour in summer and winter.  So that means now it is dark at a bout 4.30pm which is horrible and soon it will be darker even earlier!  It has actually been quite dark here all day, which is why there aren't any photos today and I decided to write my letter instead.  It has been wet and miserable and feels very damp outside.  I have kept busy reading my books.

Well it is going to be dinner time soon and as Mum has been helping me with some of the bigger words in this letter I have to go now so she can cook our dinner.  I might see if I can help her, although I thinks she wants to make me an apron first.

Love to you Sally,

Anne-Marie

PS I hope you read this as well Rosey.