Jasmine's 30th Birthday today. xx

Off to Windsor Castle today. Took the train from Reading to Slough then changed trains to Windsor and Eaton Central (£9,50 each).

At Slough Station is a display of a stuffed dog, 'Station Jim', on Platform 5. He stands proudly in a glass case, with his collecting box strapped across his shoulders. Jim was brought to Slough Station as a three month old puppy in 1894 and worked as a Canine Collector for the Great Western Railway Widows and Orphans Fund. He was taught to bark whenever a coin was put into his collecting box. Poor health meant that he worked for a relatively short time, but nevertheless he managed to collect the sum of £40 (equivalent to over £2,500 today)! He died suddenly, in his harness, in November 1896.

At Windsor Station is the Queen's Train. A full size replica of a Dean 4-2-2 used as part of Madame Tussaud's 'Royalty and Empire' exhibition for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897. The original steam locomotive conveyed her to London on her jubilee 22 June 1897.

We grabbed a self walking tour booklet of Windsor from the Tourist Information - The Queen's Walkway - follow the plaques in the footpath. It is a 6.3km trail connecting 63 of Windsor's most significant attractions.

We looked at the Windsor Parish Church of St John the Baptist then into Windsor Castle (£20.50). We saw The State Apartments, Queen Mary's Dolls' House, St George's Chapel and some of the grounds. The ticket also included an audio guide. A magnificent experience. We took 3 hours to get through the tour.

We did not have time to complete the walking tour. Back to Reading to meet Sue.

Dinner at Abbot Cook Pub in Reading then drinks at The Nags Head. Ron drank 'Pressed Rat and Warthog' beer from Hampshire, Sue had 'There is a Light that Never Goes Out' stout and I had 'Cuckoo Penny' Cider.

Back to Sue's to finish off the evening. Another fabulous night with Sue.