Sunday to and from Winchester

Clare (who works at CHL) and David  very kindly got me to Winchester, showed me around the Cathedral area (at right), and recommended a pub for lunch (The Wykeham) so we had a lovely meal there. We went into a book sellers at the back of the Cathedral (photo of C and D outside booksellers) where there was a dusty, musty set of rooms. In one of these there were musty, dusty JA related books. I found a very early biography. It was far more than I wanted to pay but it contains details about Jane's domestic life I hadn't read elsewhere so I gulped and paid the cash! [I learned in the Textile Arts program that if things smell musty, to put them in the freezer, so that's where that book is right now! I'll report back on whether freezing actually works.]

We then parted ways. I went into the Cathedral where heavenly music was being sung by a boy's choir. Gorgeous.

I admired the abundant needlework in the church (machine stitched altar cloth; woolwork chair pad below), and paid a visit to JA's tombstone. 

  

From there, I walked along the High Street where a Sunday craft fair was in progress, found a tea shop to buy a proper tea strainer (the one I use at home is plastic and horrible), popped into yet another charity shop, visited the working Mill Museum where they have just started up the works and are once again grinding wheat (the mill, in its day, was used to grind all kinds of grains, so said the shop staff), and THEN (very proud of myself I am for figuring this out), I took the local bus service back to Chawton. 

The driver was very helpful, as were some of the other passengers. While the bus doesn't stop at Chawton, the driver called back, "I'll get you as close to Chawton as I can". That was nice. The two elderly passengers in front of me looked at each other quite perplexedly and said, "Chawton? This bus doesn't go to Chawton". Oh no...what havoc was about to unfold in the schedules of the bus full of passengers in order to get me to Chawton? I needn't have worried....

After the roundabout nearish to Chawton the driver stopped the bus, and a number of passengers said, "This is you!"... so off I got. As I was exiting the driver pointed in one direction and said you can go that way or get off at the next stop in Alton at The Butts (a stop I know as one walks by it to get to the grocery store). I assumed his pointing was a hint on the direction I should take but when I looked up the road and watched the bus disappear around a bend, I saw no signage, no buildings in view, etc. I felt like I was in one of those movie scenes where the heroine is dropped in the middle of the moors as her passage fare only took her that far. What to do? Luckily, I had the bus schedule with a wee map on the back in my bag so studied it, and decided I needed to go back to the roundabout. Lo' it was the right choice; the signs pointed me clear across to the other side of the roundabout!

Once there, there was the Chawton sign, and just down the road TWO signs proclaiming that I was entering the village, one on eather side of the road. I figured there were signs on both sides to alert North American and European righthand side drivers of where they were should they happen to find themselves in the lane that feels right but is wrong.

Before too long (maybe a two-minute walk?) there was the comforting sign indicating the back garden of Jane Austen's home. Phew. I gathered blossoms that had dropped from shrubs overhanging the wall for my flower pounding project and then headed back to the Stables (about an 8 minute walk).

The VFs' plans for a Sunday roast meal in Alton fell through; one had just returned from London where she had had a big lunch and one was feeling unwell. No matter...I'd been shopping yesterday so was spoiled for choice for my evening meal! A very fortunate position to be in...

After that, started stitching on my charity shop find quilt.

Tomorrow, back to the Reading Room. Next weekend, London!