HOME OF THE BULLARD ANCESTRY - BARNHAM, SUFFOLK, ENGLAND

My town! I was so happy to go there. We knew before we got there that there wouldn't be anything left - but we couldn't be in England and not go see for ourselves.

Well, I had to get one of me - as close as I can get to my ancestors right now. It was wonderful to be there walking in the places that the old Bullards walked in.

I asked the people living there if they thought this huge tower was an eye sore and they all said with one voice. We love it - it's wonderful to see even this much history. It was built in the 1300's. There is a chicken coup behind it. Oh, the indignity of a once great church. They said that when they were digging up ground for gardens and their houses, they found all kinds of bones from the once grave yard. Man, they could be digging up my ancestors. You can see the tower from far away.

Water Lane is the street that the Bullard's lived on - right by St. Martin's Church. It was wonderful to even see the name of the street and know that that's where my people came from. We intend to go to the Isle of Wight before we leave. Another branch of our main line come from there. I just want to be there. I don't expect to get any new information.

OUR LITTLE HOME!

Well, I got the pictures screwed up - so you get our bathroom first. The footstools are blocking the emergency exit door, because we have no room for them any where else. When security finds out, we'll have to change it. Until they leave. You really can't expect me to obey EVERY rule. The shower dribbles out 5 drops at a time. It's an amazing experience. We never have to worry about building up too much steam - the water doesn't get that warm. Oh, home, sweet home.
This is our living space - yes, that's the bed you see - we have, maybe, four feet of space from the end of the bed to the wall. Our computer is where you see the kitchen chair. Every time I need to get into my closet, I have to move the far chair to open the doors. Dad of course, has another closet on the other side of the bed. The chairs really are comfortable and there are footstools to go with them. We just don't have room to keep them with the chairs.

This is where we eat! We get to face a wall and bump knees. When we have company - and we can only have one other couple at a time, we move the table into the center of the kitchen which means we can get four chairs around and grab our food off the stove or counter top - which we can reach without getting up.

Kind of the view from the door - I couldn't get it any better than this - but I'm standing at the door taking this picture.

HEVER CASTLE

I decided to send some pictures of a visit we made to Hever Castle. That's the home of Ann Boelyn's family. She grew up there and King Henry VIII met her there and wanted to marry her. He had an affair with her older sister and when he got tired of her he turned to Ann. She wouldn't have anything to do with him because he was already married and she wouldn't have an affair. But he got rid of his first wife (invented the Church of England so he could get a divorce) and her parents forced her to marry him. When he got tired of her, he accused her of treason and threw her in the Tower of London. She was finally beheaded along with her brother. Her parents went back to this castle in disgrace after this all came down. Do you love my little history lesson? In case you forgot - Henry VIII - was a rotten guy - he married 6 times.

Anyway, in this castle, there is a room where he slept when he came to visit. Really cool.

I thought you might like to see the mail delivery truck. It's just different from U. S. Mail.

Royal Mail. On the door is QIIE for Queen Elizabeth II. This is outside our living quarters - nothing to do with Hever Castle.

Ok, you said more pictures with us in them - here's your dad outside Hever Castle.

This is the outside of Hever Castle - we couldn't take pictures on the inside - I got the guide book, so you can see what it looks like - it really is beautiful. Fully furnished with ancient furniture.

This is just the gate, but I thought it was great.