Archive for February, 2009
Wednesday, February 18th, 2009
An old event gaining new International prominence of late, Occurs at Coopers Hill in the Cotswold’s NR Cheltenham around late May!! Crazy Participants roll cheeses down the hill, A few seconds later they in turn hurl themselves down the hill in tumbling bumpy pursuit!!
This “Cheesy” event has been a tradition in this part of England, these past two hundred years !!
It’s all in good fun!! Except for a few bruises and the odd broken bone or two!!
You maybe wondering if the cheese is mellow aged!! There is no evidence of that!!
And certainly no “Mould” on the participants!! ”Has Anyone Seen Miss Muffet”
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Saturday, February 14th, 2009
The greatest display of aircraft on the planet, treat your family to the ultimate day out.
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Saturday, February 14th, 2009
One of the world’s most famous authors spent most of her life in the historic and beautiful county of Hampshire in the south of England.
It was in Hampshire that Jane Austen found inspiration to write such classics as Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Mansfield Park and Sense and Sensibility.
She wrote her famous works drawing on a large circle of friends, social gatherings and places around Hampshire that she visited to devise the characters and settings for her novels.
In 1809, Mrs Austen, Cassandra, Jane and Martha Lloyd moved to Chawton, near Alton. Here they lived in the former bailiff’s house on the Chawton estate. The estate had been left to Jane’s brother Edward, who had been adopted by a wealthy childless cousin of their father’s.
It was Jane’s last home, where she lived with her mother and sister Cassandra from 1809 until 1817. The rooms on show include the drawing room, and the parlour where Jane wrote on the small round table. Upstairs is her bedroom with the patchwork quilt she made with her mother and sister.There are four other rooms, one of which has memorabilia of her two brothers, Frank and Charles, who both had distinguished careers in the Royal Navy. Another room houses a period costume display.
The Jane Austen House Museum is housed in the charming red-brick 17th century house, listed in the National Archives as a building of historic interest Chawton House Library.
There is an extensive collection of family mementoes and documentary material, including copies of letters written by her. A pretty garden surrounds the house, stocked with many old varieties of flowers and herbs and Jane’s donkey carriage is displayed in the adjoining old bakehouse.
At Chawton, which is today naturally regarded as Jane’s literary home, Jane led a quieter life and resumed novel-writing. Jane revised both Sense & Sensibility which was published in 1811 (and made Jane £140), and Pride & Prejudice, which was published in 1813. This was an instant success. All Jane’s novels that appeared during her lifetime were published anonymously, merely bearing the legend “By a Lady”, which was not uncommon at the time. Mansfield Park was published in 1814 and Emma in 1815. Persuasion was completed in 1816 but was not published until 1818, after Jane’s death in 1817. Northanger Abbey was also published in 1818.
Jane and Cassandra normally went for a walk every day and used to go shopping in Alton, where their brother Henry, who was a London banker, had a branch bank. This was at 10 High Street, where the family post was delivered and collected
Also near Alton, and within walking distance of Chawton, was Wyards, the home of Anna and Ben Lefroy. Anna was the eldest daughter of Jane’s brother, James, from his first marriage to Ann Mathew. Jane and Cassandra were very fond of their niece, often visiting her or having her to stay with them in Chawton, and her memories recorded in later years provide a lot of biographical information about Jane Austen.
Right - A pencil and chalk sketch of Anna Lefroy, (1793-1872) attributed to her sister-in-law, Emma Austen-Leigh, Hampshire 
Record Office ref 23M93/84/3
Finally, in Chawton, a short walk from Jane’s home is St Nicholas’s Church where Jane’s mother and her sister are buried. The present church was rebuilt in 1872 following a fire which destroyed the church that Jane would have known.
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Saturday, February 14th, 2009
There’s always plenty to do the Peak District and Derbyshire, whether you’re uncovering the secrets of the ancient custom of well dressing, participating in a National Park Ranger guided walk, swinging high above the Derwent Valley on a cable car ride at the Heights of Abraham or having fun with the whole family at Alton Towers!
Whatever your interest, you’ll find a huge range of events available, from walking festivals, sheep dog trials and country shows to farmers’ markets, art exhibitions, music festivals, culinary demonstrations or even woodland laser quest in the National Forest!
Don’t miss the regular concerts and events at stately homes such as Chatsworth or Calke Abbey, the joys of the famous opera house at Buxton or the annual food fair and historic re-enactments at Bolsover Castle. Use the search panel on the left to find attractions and make your break in the Peak District and Derbyshire truly memorable!
The Peak District & Derbyshire straddles the border between the northern highland parts of Britain and the southern lowland counties. This is marked in a variety of ways, and is chiefly seen in the landscape features.
Travelling north from the rolling farmland and the National Forest in the south of the county, you first reach the limestone plateau – here, hedges and fields give way to drystone walls and deeply incised, verdant river valleys and dales – this is the White Peak.
Continuing north eventually brings you to the Edges – the start of high gritstone moorland which sits in an arc across the top of the limestone. This is the Dark Peak – a wild and barren landscape punctuated by weathered tors towering over heather moorland – an area which changes dramatically with local weather and light conditions, but one which has a powerful, stark beauty.
Across this varied landscape lies the Peak District National Park, Britain’s first created National Park. There are few areas in this country where you can see such varied landscape within just a few miles.
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Saturday, February 14th, 2009
Britain is made up of the United Kingdom of Great Britain (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) together with the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. Britain is a diverse nation full of contrasts; whichever direction you travel you will find a wide variety of landscapes and diverse cultures to explore. England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are all unique countries with their own customs, cultures and traditions. There’s something for everyone in Britain – from the wealth of natural and historical heritage to the vibrant and cosmopolitan towns and cities.
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Saturday, February 14th, 2009
Summer in England has many traditions - For example, the peculiar event of chasing oranges down the hilly high street of Totnes, In Devonshire.
This tradition dates back to the day When England’s noble seaman, Sir Francis Drake accidentally bumped into a local delivery boy, causing him to spill his basket of fruit, So now in August down the hill they go !! ”Oranges and people” In A Fruity Mix of fun loving Humanity!! ”Any Lemons in the Crowd” “No, Just Limies”
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