Connections

 Connections make such a difference to our experience of something. For me, especially, today's visit to Haddon Hall was very special, as it has played Thornfield in three adaptations of Jane Eyre. It is a familiar house to me, and a beloved one. To see it in real life was a moving experience. Here come a lot of photos; sorry.

The gatehouse

We enter just below the courtyard, and right away, it is familiar.

Bethany has watched all the Jane Eyre versions with me, though she can't make it through the book, and even Andrew recognised the rooms and garden.

The weather is so very 'hot' and dry, with no rain expected, so the gardens are struggling. Brown grass!

After leaving Haddon Hall, we went into Bakewell for lunch and a walk by the river. Andrew bought himself a bakewell pudding.

Ten years ago we stayed with Trish and Geoff, and they took us around for the most glorious day. This time, Geoff is in Australia (!), but Trish met us at Haddon Hall, and then had us over for dinner, with two more cousins, Jill and Tann.

Trish cooked up a storm, Tann made a spectacular trifle and chocolate cake, and Jill brought some fabulous cheeses (Stilton!), so we had a super delicious meal, but more importantly, we had a wonderful time with them. Great conversation, sitting in Trish's beautiful garden - family connections across the globe.

Oops, the only photo I have uploaded doesn't have Tann in it...

What a brilliant day!

Heading north

We have been here for more than a week, now, though we have only slept in two places. Today we left the south behind, but as we drove north, we stopped at Icomb, in the Cotswolds.

I love how you are able to go into churches; that they are left open for people to come into and have a look. There is so much history here. Church history, village history, and also family history.

When my grandfather and his brothers were young, they had a younger cousin come to live with them. Her name was Vanda, but they called her Bunny. Ten years ago we went to stay with her, and her daughter Cally, at her beautiful home, called Guys Farm, in Icomb. She was so very sweet to us, and the house and village so lovely, that we were keen to drop in with the kids during this trip.

Sadly, Aunty Bunny died earlier this year, but today we dropped in and met her other daughter, Debby. We had a totally delightful visit, not only because the village, house and garden are looking spectacular at this time of year. It was also wonderful to connect with a family member for the first time.

We sat in the garden and chatted over elderflower cordial, coffee, and pastries.

Debby told us of another Downton Abbey location nearby, but by the time we left, we really didn't have time to explore it as we still had a couple of hours left to drive.

Now we are in a completely new part of England, though it, too, has family connections. We are in Matlock, not far from Chesterfield, where my Granny grew up. We are in a  house with the steepest steps! Tomorrow, we're going to Thornfield Haddon Hall, and I am so excited.

What's occurring?

If you haven't watched Gavin and Stacey, Barry Island might not be that exciting. It's loud, full of game arcades and fish and chip shops. The beach has real sand, that is soft, but grey, and the promenade has two pavilions and some brightly coloured beach huts. I would say that the crowd at Barry Island, was very different to that at the museums and historical sites.

If you are familiar with Gavin and Stacey, though, you may well find it fabulous.

We sat where Gavin, Stavey, Ness and Smithy sat.

While Andrew, Joss and Beth played games in Nessa's arcade, Toby and I walked up the headland.

We drove up the hill to Gwen's house, but she didn't ask us in for an omelette.

She can see the water from her house, though. We didn't run into Uncle Bryn, either, but the whole experience was lush. I think you can find Gavin and Stacey on Netflix if you aren't familiar with them. A binge watch won't take you that long.

On the way home, we stopped in at Lacock, a beautifully preserved, historical village that is used to film period pieces almost constantly. Harry Potter, Pride and Prejudice, Cranford, Wolf Hall and many more.

It's strange to think that people actually live there, in houses that are many hundreds of years old.

There is a chapel at the front of this church that was built in the 15th century. That's six hundred years old.....

We were too late to be admitted into the Abbey, so I am putting that on my list for next time.

We had dinner at the Red Lion, instead.

This is our fourth night in Wiltshire, and our eighth in England! Tomorrow we drive up to Matlock.

Jack de Crow

Oh, yes, I can make any day about books! Yesterday was the day that Joss and Andrew had a tour at Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey). It was only for the two of them because the regular tours aren't running on the days when we are in the area, only the special tours with restricted numbers, morning tea and signed copies of Lady Carnarvon's books. You can imagine that such a tour is much more expensive than the regular sort, so those of us who have no connection (Tobes and Beth) or who actively disliked all but the first series of Downton (I loved the first, bought the second and was completely cured by watching it - too much!), did not attend.

They had a cracking time; Joss got a bit teary. They both posted on Instagram and Facebook, but these are the photos they sent us:

Toby has school work to do. Yes, that is a shame, but it can't be helped, so a day at home was just the ticket. Bethany and I kept busy with the animals.

 We walked down the road to the canal and were able to see the locks in action. I have never seen a lock work, so that was fascinating, and we even helped open and close one. Travelling down a canal is a slow business.

We sat with our feet in the water and I thought about Sandy Mackinnon on his great adventure in Jack de Crow. If you haven't read it, I recommend it very highly. Cracking book, lovely fellow.

Joss and Andrew returned around 4.30, and after some soccer in the field behind us, we went into Melksham to try a new supermarket. It shouldn't be as much fun as it is; at home, I do my shopping online so I never have to go in!

Sainsburys is huge, and we exclaimed over everything (they have alcohol in regular aisles). The owners of the farm we are staying at, brought over fresh steaks from their own cows, and we had a lovely BBQ, followed by strawberries and cream. Delightful.

It gets dark so late here in summer. I went on a walk and took the photo below at around 10pm.

It's Bath time

Andrew, Beth and I have been walking the village lanes, spotting bunnies in the fields and a cat climbing the ancient roof of the farmhouse next to us.

We are taking things a bit slower, now we are out of the big city. We drove to a park and ride in Bath, and caught the bus into the city centre. My grandparents, who met during WWII, used to go to Bath, or did they have their honeymoon there? I can't remember, but that, along with the Jane Austen connection, means that I have always wanted to go.

We had just arrived at the Abbey, and were looking at the Pump Room and Roman Baths, when we saw a free walking tour, being conducted by Mr Knightley, so Joss and I joined them. I refrained from telling Mr Knightley that he is my favourite; Joss would not have appreciated that.

The city is, as you would imagine, very beautiful, and we learned a lot from Mr Knightley. They clearly get lots of Jane Austen fans who don't actually know much about her, though, as he kept asking whether we had read her books, or knew about her family. He and I also bonded over Great Expectations.

Trim St, the worst street in Bath, where poor Jane did end up for a while after her father died.

We walked up the hill to the Royal Crescent, which is far more spectacular than it looks here. I clearly need practice with the panorama.

There is a museum at No. 1, and we were able to see what the inside would have looked like, and how the household would have worked in the 18th century.

The weather has been extraordinary. It was drizzling when we drove away from the airport the day we arrived, but it has been sunny, and even hot, ever since. Today was over thirty!

Dibley

After a very bookish day yesterday, we did something television-related when we left London. We went to Dibley! It's really called Turville.

We have all watched the Vicar of Dibley many times over the years, and when Andrew discovered it was not far from London, we decided to go there first after picking up our car at Heathrow.

We drove down narrow roads which were like tunnels because of the trees, and came out into the sweetest village. Everything looked smaller than on TV, but it was definitely recognisable, and completely delightful.

 
After a delicious lunch at the village pub, we climbed a hill for the view. It was a steep climb, especially when one is full of venison pie and cider, so we were pretty pleased with ourselves.

 Bethany wasn't up for the challenge, however, and sat on a rock at the bottom of the hill, and wrote in her journal.

 

It was sad to say goodbye to London, but tonight we are staying at a farm on a hill, and tomorrow we go to Bath (back to bookish).