1 November 2010
Our House
We are so thankful that God provided us with a beautiful home while we are in England. We could not have asked for a better situation. It is a beautiful cottage in the midst of a lovely garden. The house is actually an old vicarage that up until 3 years ago was used for the vicar (priest) of this area. Our landlords bought the property at a public auction and have spent the last three year renovating it.
The house is divided up into two sections. The Old Vicarage had parts dating back to the 12th century when they think that it was used as a convent. We are actually in the Victorian addition called The Annexe. It is such a comfortable living space. There are three floors with bedrooms on the 2nd and 3rd. The girls were thrilled at first to have rooms on the 3rd floor. Needless to say, their excitement has waned with the number of times they have had to make that trek.
My favorite part about the house is the lovely stone casement windows. They are so bright and we enjoy the lovely views outside. The living room had a wood-burning stove that keeps the room very cozy. There are only 1 1/2 bathrooms so thankfully our girls are still at an age that we have to coax them in to take a shower rather than having to coax them to come out.
The house has a lovely driveway into town that is shown in picture 6. You see the back of one of our favorite houses in town. The front of this house is the next picture and it is called "The Old Hall". It is a beautiful house and we recently met the gentleman who lives there. I call him that because there is simply no other word to describe him. He was my perfect idea of an English gentleman and looking just like one too.
After almost two weeks the house and the town are beginning to feel familiar if not quite like home yet. I am still trying to put my own touches here and there and develop my own routines. It was fun yesterday to spend the whole day out and then to have a warm and comfortable home to come back to.
5 November 2010
Guy Fawkes Night (Bonfire Night)
Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Bonfire night, is celebrated mostly throughout Great Britain on (or around) the 5th of November. The celebration commemorates the failed gunpowder plot of 1605 in which a group of English catholics attempted to assassinate King James I.
On a bit of a whim, we struck out for the town of Pitney. I had convinced Rachel that it was a short 4 minute bus ride and a "short walk into town." It turns out the bus ride was, in fact very short. After getting off the bus, we walked down a long road in the pitch dark. After walking for a few minutes, we turned left onto a dirt road heading toward a farm (we saw the huge bonfire from the distance). Upon arrival, the bonfire was quite different than anything we expected. The farm setting proved a good background for what must have been a 15' bonfire. The fireworks followed and we were all thoroughly entertained for the next 40 minutes.
We headed back down the long dirt road, this time with confidence of our location and destination. It began to sprinkle, but just enough to wet our hair and make us wonder how we could be in England for over one week and still not have an umbrella(or "brolly" as they are called here).
We got on the bus at the "Halfway House Pub" named because it is halfway between Somerton and Langport. A gentleman at the bus stop had taken the bus from Yeovil about 10 miles away just to come to this pub because "it's like a pub should be." Rachel asked about the term "Free House" on the sign and he explained that a Free House is a pub that is owned by a private individual rather than one owned by a brewery and then rented to an individual. The brewery dictates which beers can be served whereas a free house can serve whatever beer they wish.
When on the bus, the rain began to come down much harder and we had a short walk (or run) of about 200 yards to our house. The girls loved running in the rain (and so did one of the grown-ups).
6 November 2010
Visit to Wells
We have been looking forward to our trip to Wells since before we came to England. It is one of our friends, the Ivester's, favorite cities in England so we had high hopes. Wells is England's smallest cathedral city and also the city where many of its medieval buildings are still in use.
It was a glorious morning and we set out early so as to have enough time to see the many treasures of Wells. Saturday is a market day in Wells so we spent plenty of time winding in and out of stalls sampling fudge etc. We even saw a booth with freshly caught pheasants. The proprietor of this booth told us proudly that his was the most photographed booth that day. Charlotte's tender heart could barely stand to look.
The market leads straight to the gardens surrounding the Bishop's palace. This is the past and contemporary residence of the Bishop of Bath and Wells i.e. (Somerset). The palace is surrounded by a moat. Now instead of protecting the Bishop the moat serves as a pool for swans. Our girls were delighted with them.
We next went to the stunning Cathedral of Wells called The Cathedral of Saint Andrew. The Cathedral dominates the city. It was begun in the 12th century and they say it is England's first completely Gothic cathedral. The outside is dominated by statuary, the lowest of which were destroyed during the English Civil War by Cromwell's men because they believed that they were graven images. It was difficult to explain all the religious differences to our girls, but we made a valiant effort. Of course all they want to know is "who was right?" We haven't figured that out ourselves, but it did seem so sad to all of us to have destroyed such beauty.
Before we went into the cathedral we were able to have lunch in a lovely enclosed garden. The girls favorite part of the entire trip was the cat that we found wandring around the garden. The girls, thinking that the cat was female, christened the ginger cat "Gingevere" and wanted to take her home. We found out later that the cat is quite a fixture at the cathedral and is called Louis. I suppose they would have noticed if we had taken him home!
The cathedral itself was so lovely. It is especially known for the scissor arches in the nave. I was especially taken with all the beautifully carved stone. There is also a clock on the north side where when it strikes the hour, four knights come out and joust. We walked up some very worn and uneven steps to the Chapter House where all the men who governed the running of the church would meet. The acoustics are so good in this room that you could be sitting on either side and in a talking voice hear the other person perfectly well. The girls and I had fun singing quietly here when no one else was around.
The last delight of the day was joining the boy and men's choir for evensong at 5:15. Because it is usually such a small group all the attendees gather in the central area called The Quire. It is the very heart of the cathedral. We sat in beautifully carved stalls with needlepoint covered seats. It is was such a lovely and solemn service, but I was rather on edge trying to keep my tired girls in check. I am always so afraid of being conspicuous, and I could just see one of us making a horrible faux pas during the service. Margaret came down with a severe case of the hiccups, and I was in constant dread that she would have her mouth open at the wrong time. Thankfully, we got through the service with nothing that will go down in the Brown's history books besides a beautiful memory for all of us.
15 November 2010
Keeping House
Life is starting to develop a routine here. Of course our routine has had to be adapted to life in a small English town. It is amazing how many small differences there are between our lives here and our lives in the US. So far these changes have not bothered me although they have taken some getting used to.
The most difficult change has been having to live without an automatic clothes dryer (even though I would like to think of myself as a person who likes the simplicity of hanging the clothes out to dry). This house is certainly not an exception in not having a dryer. It would be the exception rather then the rule to have a dryer for the thrifty and energy efficient English (although this is probably changing with the younger generation). In the summer, I think that I would actually welcome this opportunity, but during the late autumn and winter it has been somewhat problematic. Of course England is known for its wet weather and this has been the first obstacle to lovely dry clothes. Inevitably when I spot a sunny day in the forecast I plan my washing, but more often than not I am dragging wet clothes off the line to avoid the afternoon shower. The clothes end up draped across beds and stair banisters etc. Today I was brave and actually washed my bed sheets and got them out early hoping against all hope that they would be dry before the evening. After my last check at about 3:00 they are still pretty wet.
One change that I have enjoyed is the way the English handle their recycling. Everything from plastic and glass to food scraps (including tea bags of which there are many) is recycled. This amazingly cuts down on the actual trash going into the landfill that each family produces. Recycling is highly encouraged by the fact that they only pick up trash once every two weeks. Recycling is picked up every week. The food compost is used to help fertilize local farms.
Another challenge that has been intimidating but welcome is that I am having to cook differently than I did at home. Not only is the grocery store very different (and very small) but also all of the measurements of food are different, not only in recipes, but also in the packaging of food. I am so used to being surrounded by all my kitchen tools like a food processor and my Kitchen Aid. I am having to relearn how to do all my pastry and dough by hand again. Our landlord recently told the girls that they could go into the orchard anytime and get some of the apples. This was a great motivation to try my first pastry, an apple galette. Per the advice of Pippa, I bought some lard to use with the butter. She said that is what created the lightness in the crust. By the time we were finished, Charlotte and I were covered with flour, but very pleased with our success.
19 November 2010
A November Walk
On a regular Thursday, we needed a break from school and work so we explored in our own back yard. We walked down a street named Behind Berry Street and headed down a trail. We experienced a lake, some sheep, and, of course, some rain drops. We took a detour home and ended up at the old viaduct At this time, only one of the girls had wellies... but now they each have their own pair. We also left without our umbrella (again).
Part of me wonders if one could ever tire of looking at the landscape... hedge rows and sheep, streams and old stone walls. On the bus, I'm reminded that the landscape could all become white noise as I see most riders listening to ipods or reading the paper while I am the only one glued to the window peering out across the pastures. I hope, however, it is more a factor of what one treasures than the mere passage of time.
24 November 2010
Barrington Court and Stourhead
We rented a car for the weekend and did some exploring of south Somerset. We visited two great estates that are now preserved by the National Trust.
Barrington Court was built by a merchant in the mid-16th-century. It was built using the honey colored Ham Hill stone that is found locally in the area. It passed through many hands, but eventually fell into disrepair and was bought by the Trust in 1907. The Lyle family took out a lease on the property and completely restored the house using wood paneling acquired from other dismantled estates.
The gardens were all created during the Lyle's residence. They were absolutely beautiful, even in the autumn. The Kitchen Garden was full of espaliered fruit trees and heritage pumpkins. The flower gardens were inspired by a plan written by Gertrude Jekyll who was an influential garden designer of the Arts and Crafts movement.
On Sunday we made our way over to the Stourhead estate. This estate takes its name from the river Stour that has its source near the property. Unfortunately, the house is closed during the winter months, but we were able to take a hike over the property. The gardens here were created as a reaction against the more formal style of gardens popular during the 17th century. This earlier style was intended to be very stylized and contrived. During the 18th century there was a movement to a more natural style that is more understated but no less beautiful.
We decided to follow a lesser used trail off the gardens leading to a medieval monument called St. Peter's Pump that had been brought to the estate by the Henry Hoare the owner of Stourhead in the 18th century. It took longer than we expected to get there, but we decided to push on to another monument built by Hoare called King Alfred Tower. We spent the next thirty minutes walking uphill in very muddy terrain (I was very thankful for the wellies). The monument was very stunning and beautiful in its simplicity. Unfortunately, it was getting quite dark and we tried to take a short cut. Not a great idea as it turned out, but we were thankfully rescued by a kind couple who volunteered to take Gary back to the gardens to get the car. The girls and I spent the time finding out how many paces King Alfred's tower was from the road. Frances's count was 437.
27 November 2010
The Ringing of the Bells
Our house is adjacent to the local parish church, Saint Michaels and All Angels. Many churches in England still utilize bell ringers to ring the bells in the tower and Saint Michaels is no exception. Rachel gained interest in the art of ringing when she read Dorothy Sayers' Novel The Nine Tailors. We were graciously invited to the Wednesday evening practice and were thoroughly captivated. The ringers answered our questions, showed us the belfry, and even allowed us to pull the rope of the large tenor bell (almost 1200 pounds). Charlotte was the first to "ring" the bell and she was quite proud.
The is some very good info at wikipedia if you are interested in reading more. They mostly do change ringing here but we also witnessed method ringing as well.
The Tower Bells
Charlotte rings the bell!
Leaving the church
