Chawton Cottage and Winchester

Wednesday, 16 October.

Once again I'm up early, relaxing in our comfortable living room, and enjoying my morning coffee. Dear Diane likes to sleep in while on vacation and I can hardly blame her. Sadly, my internal clock simply won't let me do the same.

After a quick glance behind the window curtain, I can see we won't likely repeat yesterday's glorious weather. It's overcast and looks colder than it probably is. Indeed, I just checked the forecast online and we can expect light rain and drizzle for most of the day with a temperature in the mid-fifties. We've become quite accustomed to such weather, though, and so remain undeterred and will as the English say, "keep calm and carry on."

I haven't written very much about Clinkers Barn, our delightful little cottage here in Chawton, an oversight that must be attended to. I can't imagine a better choice (slight pat on the back). The location couldn't be better, especially for a Jane Austen fan, but the cottage itself is just about perfect for anyone visiting the south of England for a week or more. It was also amazingly affordable, far less than a simple hotel room in the same area.

On the ground floor we have a fully equipped kitchen, including a washer and dryer, two indispensable appliances for travelers. There's also a half-bath downstairs, a dining area, and a comfortable and quite roomy living area. We have a TV with limited satellite access, a nice selection of books, and a DVD player and CD/Radio audio system. There's also free WiFi that works very well, once I found the password posted on a small bulletin board.

Upstairs consists of a long, narrow bedroom and a 3/4 bath that even includes a bathroom scale calibrated in kilograms. This is a true advantage for us periodic weight-watches since the numbers are much lower than on a scale calibrated in pounds. The cottage has a wonderful heating system which we use only when we're here during the day. At night there's no need since we're bundled up under a stack of warm comforters.

My only complaints are truly minor.  The shower's one of those tiny, European stalls that encourage you not to drop the soap. The shower itself, though, is quite good and puts out a strong spray of water. And the bed might be an inch or two short for me, but will be fine for most folks.

We also have our own off-the-street parking area, a real advantage in this nation of limited parking spaces. And for those planning a visit during the warmer months, behind the cottage and accessible from the living room is a lovely little enclosed private garden with a table and chairs, perfect for an al fresco breakfast or afternoon tea or a glass of wine under the stars. What could be better? Honestly, I'd rather stay here than in the most luxurious of hotels.

So...if you're considering a similar trip, our little cottage receives my personal five star rating: ***** Dear Diane is up and about, so we're getting ready to set out on today's adventure: a visit to the nearby city of Winchester. I'll tell you all about it this evening.

A Day of Rest and Recovery

Sunday, October 13.

I'm not feeling well. I won't offer any specifics, except to label it Cornwallis's Revenge. I'm certainly not well enough to attend Mass this morning, something we were looking forward to. We had planned to attend the 11:00 a.m. Mass at the nearest Catholic Church, St. Mary's in Alton, no more than three miles from our cottage. But given my present condition, I don't believe it would be wise. I suspect I am simply experiencing the effects of a change of diet and times and sleep, etc.  At least I hope so. And poor Diane must remain here too, since she will not drive over here.

And so, Dear Diane and I have decided to remain here today, relaxing and recovering. She's upstairs listening to Jane Austen's Persuasion on the new iPod I gave her as an advance birthday gift. And I'm stretched out on the sofa sipping hot tea, munching on a piece of toast, and tapping away on the iPad. Perhaps, if I'm feeling well enough later, we may go for a drive and check out a few of the local attractions. We'll see.

You can see our cottage in the photo below. Not a very impressive facade, but it was once a small barn. Its name is "Clinker's Barn" and is located immediately behind the 16th-century home called "Clinkers." Apparently, the home was once a blacksmith's shop, hence the odd name. [Note: minor correction...I just discovered that "Clinkers" was the name of the blacksmith family that once lived here. A fitting name for a smith.] Jane Austen actually mentions the smithy next door in one of her letters.

Last evening I made the mistake of looking up the local weather forecast. It seems we can expect heavy rain for most of today (Sunday). Even worse, the entire week promises more of the same with only occasional breaks in the soggy weather. We remain undiscouraged, though, and intend to enjoy ourselves despite Nature's attempts to keep us inside...well, after today anyway.

Yesterday (Saturday) was actually a lovely day, brisk but sunny and pleasant. After a breakfast here in the cottage, we drove to nearby Alton, stopped by a local supermarket to buy essentials and a few treats, and then spent an hour or so at a farmer's market and craft fair. See the photos below...


Dear Diane bought some mango chutney and a few pieces of inexpensive but very nice jewelry made by locals; I bought a small framed print of the Austen cottage in Chawton; and we both bought some fudge. A well-spent morning. Here's Diane checking out the jewelry, followed by the artist wrapping my print...


We then returned to Chawton and walked next door to visit the Jane Austen Cottage and Museum. It's really quite wonderful, staffed by competent, knowledgable volunteers who seem to enjoy what they do. Admission is a reasonable £6 (for us senior citizens) and includes a video on the author's life and a self-tour of the cottage and grounds. There is also a very nice gift shop filled with all-things-Austen for the fanatical Janeites who make the pilgrimage from every corner of the globe. Here's a photo (below) of the rear of the cottage taken from the garden, followed by one of Dear Diane and me sitting on a garden bench.


For the Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle fans who enjoyed the excellent 1995 BBC production of Pride and Prejudice, many of the period clothes worn by the actors are on display throughout the museum. In the photo below you can see the wedding garb worn by Colin Firth in the final scene of the mini-series.

After an hour so at the museum we decided once again to have lunch at The Greyfriar pub across the street. Dear Diane sampled the soup of the day and I had the ham and eggs. (Hampshire, we have learned, is quite famous for its ham..lots of pigs.) And again we were served by the lovely Jessie who continues to reap the benefit of my over-tipping. Here's a photo of the pub...

Refreshed and refueled, we made the drive to Steventon, the village where Jane Austen was born and spent her childhood. It took us longer than expected to find the village because of a wrong turn, but we eventually regained our bearings. Actually the extra time driving about the countryside was rather pleasant, except for a few scary moments when encountering opposing traffic on a one-lane country road. I have also never encountered so many pheasant in and along the roads. The birds seemed oblivious to our presence as we almost ran them over. We counted well over a hundred.
The rectory in which the Austen family lived (Jane's father, Rev. George Austen, was the pastor of the local church) was torn down not long after Jane's death, but the medieval church, St. Nicholas, is sill in use today. See the photos below...


We then made our way back "home" and settled in for the night.
Blessings and God's peace...