JAS AGM

My first Saturday staying in Chawton. To start off the day, I hitched a ride into Alton (about a 25 minute walk) on the vintage bus that was ferrying people to Chawton House from the train station for the AGM to get provisions.
The bus was a 1962 bus used in Winchester. The driver and conductor were very kind and even though they said they couldn't drop me on/near the High Street, they did anyway. I suspect he (the driver) must have broken some sort of 'one way' rule to do so...I was most grateful!

My shopping was very productive; I visited my favourite of the four charity shops on the High Street and got two skirts (read that as cheap cast offs that I have since cut up) for my quilt project. I also got a copy of JA's letters that I need for my research (one I can put sticky notes in, something we are not allowed to do in the Reading Room's copy...for good reason).; then walked back the Chawton. Such a crowd was here by the time I got here!

These shots are of the quilt on my bed. Lovely muted colours, soft cotton, all hand sewn. It, along with the V and A quilt show have inspired quilt making while I am here.

But before I describe the day's events, I'll report on an emergency surgery that occurred yesterday afternoon. I turned from my workspace quickly to chat with another researcher when she mentioned baby clothes appearing in some writing of the period. I ended up with splinters of antique wood floor boards in the side of my foot (that I couldn't reach). I thought I could hang in and have them removed at the end of the day but found that was not going to be possible. I sort of limped down to the Stable Block to ask another VF, Fran, to help me out and she performed surgery with a sewing needle and tweezers while I sat in her window seat. All the while we tittered that perhaps I might get into trouble making off with expensive antique flooring.  In time, she extracted three bits of the wood...my foot felt much better.

The offending threesome! Small bits of wood cause much pain when where they ought not to be.

And now back to Chawton and the JAS AGM....

Cars in the sheep pasture? What? The AGM is clearly a popular event so there were loads of cars where there are normally sheep. The horses were in the pasture next to the Stable Block...contented as you see - completely unaffected by the goings-on just up the drive.

A very interesting lecture was on offer delivered by Edward Coupland (forgive any misspelling) about the generation of writers that followed Austen and their shameless rip offs of her plots, characters, dialogue, etc. The tour from JASNA was in attendance so I even got to meet someone from the Vancouver chapter, and a member from Ontario who came dressed as Mr. Austen would have done in 1800 on a summer afternon.! I mistakenly asked him if he was impersonating Paul Revere...my goodness, such a set down I got! "I am Canadian!", he exclaimed. Afterward we had a lovely chat...he grew up about 5 km from where I did in S. Ontario. We wondered if we might ever have met before since we are roughly the same age. We concluded we had not.

We (the AGM attendees) then attended Evensong at St. Nicholas' Church (across the driveway) and awaited the start of the Chawton Ball. It is going full tilt at present. It is a black tie affair where one brings their own picnic supper and drinks, and the band (a mix of rock, disco, R and B) plays and plays. I was invited to gate crash but alas, left my gowns at home so enjoying the festivities that I can hear very plainly from the Stable Block.

I met Richard Knight (at left) today, current owner of Chawton House, and President of the Jane Austen Society. He and his wife, Phillipa, were staying at the Stable Block. Richard was very pleasant (as was Phillipa who offered me a glass of her homemade elderflower cordial...delicious and refreshing!). Richard was apologetic for entertaining guests at lunch in the Stable Block (everyone brought packed lunches), hoped we didn't mind, etc. We (the VFs) assured him it was absolutely fine, as awestruck as we still are about being able to stay here ourselves. Richard expressed interest in all of our research efforts; I was thrilled to have a conversation with him have him engage in a conversation about what I am working on here, about the nature of the food supply (another VF tells me she has heard Richard describe himself as 'just a farmer', about connections between diet and health, etc. What a bonus of my stay here!

At the AGM presentation I got a very good clue about a resource to sleuth out in Winchester; the provisioner's records for a company that delivered to Chawton and the Austen's house! What a wonderful clue...the sort of thing that someone just casually mentions that can be a 'Eureka' moment for someone else! I asked Edward about details after his presentation and will chat with Jacqui, the librarian, about it on Monday then plan to go to Winchester to have a look!

Speaking of Winchester, tomorrow's plans are to hitch a ride there with Clare, the housekeeper, as it is JA Weekend in Winchester and I haven't been there yet. This means giving up the Alton bus rally but alas, these two places are in opposite directions. Will take the local bus back to Chawton.