My Day in Chipping (Chicken) Campden

Patryk had Monday the 4th of April off so we went to Chipping Campden for the day. It is a small towne about 20 minutes from where Patryk lives. It was known for its wool trade, the way it became rich, and for looking so damn cute. About the title of this post: for some reason Patryk kept saying Chicken Campden instead Chipping, so the Chicken kind of stuck.

This is the market in the town. Everything, by law, must be built out of the local Cotswolds stone, so the entire town has this ambery look to it. Some of the buildings in Stratford have the same stone.

This is part of what is left of the manor house, which was burnt down in the civil war (by the Royalists I think). Cotswold stone turns pink when it is heated up, as you can see from the stones on the left. At the far end is a banqueting house. My guide book lied when it said this site is open to the public. Apparently we were trespassing, but luckily the people who lived there jus laughed and said not to worry about it.

This is the west door to St James' Church in the town.

Patryk and I after we ate our lunch. I felt like such a tourist that day!

After we left Chipping Campden we decided to go see Broadway Tower, in the village of Broadway. Patryk had tried to take me there twice before, but it was always closed. One night we even had a night time picnic in front of the gate when we found out it was closed. The tower is a folly built in the 19th century. It served no real purpose other than something for a victorian businessman to spend his money on instead of using his money to help people.

It Has Been a While

Ok, so it has been a while since I last posted. Oh well.

*My friend Victoria and I are moving in together next month to a house in the center of town, which means much lower cost of living for me!

*I have a job as a barman at Carluccio's Italian restaurant in town. I want to be a waiter, tips would mean i made about 50% more than I do on the bar.

*I have a boyfriend (yay!).

*My best friend is getting married in Iowa this summer and I am in the wedding party (double yay!).

*I love living in England!!!

Ok, so that is the basic news. I will also be applying for a research degree to start in the Fall. It will definitely be an MPhil (one year) that might turn into an MLitt (2 year) or PhD (3 year) thing, but just the MPhil for now. Right now I am looking at researching the roots of theatre in the church and try to determine at which point theatre became truly secular (there is more to it that that, much more, but I don't want to say too much right now).

I have also been sick on and off since about New Years. I had the Mumps for about a week, just one more 'who gets thats' disease for me to add to the list alongside TB. I am getting over a sinus infection now.

So long for now. Tootles!!!

Christmas in Stratford-Upon-Avon

About two weeks ago we had the Shakespeare Institute Christmas Party. It was great, I danced all night long (as is usual for me) and got pretty drunk on Champagne.

This is Cassie and I making a sandwich out of Victoria.

General shot of Shakespearean scholars and wanna-be scholars partying in a mid 18th century hall.

This is my friend Amanda from Florida and Victoria, from Birmingham.

Christmas here has come and gone and I am now going back to work on my papers starting tomorrow. I was able to write a good chunk of one of my papers last week, despite that the weather made the library close one day last week. On Christmas Eve I went to the Carol service at Holy Trinity, then over to a friends for dinner with the other sad Americans left here. After dinner we went to midnight mass at the church, it was very pretty and nice. After mass I came home and called grandma and talked to everyone at her place.

On Christmas my friend picked me up and I went to her place to spend the day. I was supposed to spend the night there but something happened at my apartment and I had to come home (everything was fine, it was a false alarm). At Harriet's, my friend, we attempted to make a snow man, but the snow was too powdery so we just kind of carved one in the snow. We had a great dinner and played some board games before watching Coronation Street and then East Enders (soap operas). I have never watched either of these shows, but I was instantly hooked on East Enders; I barely know what was going on but it was riveting!

The first picture of os Stanley the cat and I sleeping off dinner on the couch. The next is Harriet and I after making the snowman-like-thing.

I didn't do much today: just the gym, then I took a load of laundry to a friends to wash it (the pipes in our laundry room have frozen so I can't use them now) and watched a movie. I have been washing my clothes in the bath tub very slowly over the last few hours....I do lead such an exciting life here! Luckily we have a dryer in the laundry room.

This week is a week of research and writing. I hope to finish one essay and finish most of the research for another by Friday night. I am going to Birmingham to use the library sometime this week, but I don't know which day yet.

I am planning on going to London the week after New Years for a day to see Derek Jacobi in King Lear, I am pretty excited about it.

Football Christmas Dinner and other Christmas-y Goings On

Hello all. Last Friday the Institute Football people, like me, had out Christmas party at the Shakespeare Hotel and Restaurant. It was great: the food, the people, the music (well the music was stuck in the 70s for a bit) and the dancing.

The dance floor....my legs hurt more the next day than after and hour and a half at the gym.

The ladies!

We all had these balloons to blow up and then let fly, but they were hard to blow up. Emma had quite a problem, but was successful in the end.

The next day we had a secret santa party at Emma and Red's house. I got the tea pot I have had my eye on since the beginning of October. On Monday we had a party for our friend Gareth, were we watched Eddie Izzard and ate a "Cake or Death?" cake. Then last night Emma and Red came over and we exchanged presents. I got the tea cups and saucer that match the tea pot I got for secret Santa! YAY!!

This is Emma and Red in front of my Christmas display (thanks Kak and Grandma for it).

Wait, no, I mean......I have spent every waking hour studying, reading and transcribing, yes that is it.

Friday Futbol and Snow in Stratford

I played futbol again on Friday, and we lost of course....the curse-of-Jason-being-on-your-team continues. There are a few pictures for your enjoyment. It was frickin cold this week. The ground was frozen and I could hear the sound of our feet hitting the ground. It was cold enough that even when I didn't need to I ran, just to keep warm; and we all know how I feel about running.

Now it may appear that I am attempting to attack emma, but in fact I was going after the ball; getting to attack her was only secondary to the retrieve-the-ball mission.

I GOT THE BALL!!! NOW WHAT THE HELL DO I DO WITH IT?

Did I mention we play til we can no longer see the ball? And sometimes we play past that.

It snowed a bit this week, not much really, just a dusting, but the weather has been cold so it has stuck around. These are a few of the Church across the street from me.

The tower of the church facing the river Avon.

The main entrance to the church

The churchyard. Pretty lighting I feel.

The door on the south side of the chancel. I just think it looks cool.

The church from the north side.

Richard III, Propeller Production

So my friend emma is in love with an all male Shakespeare company in England called Propeller. Last weekend they opened a new production of Richard III in Coventry (about 2 hours away by bus). It was really good. Easily the bloodiest play I have ever seen. It is a history play of Richard III, who basically kills his way to the throne. He even murders a man, then convinces his wife that he loves her and killed him for her; she falls for it and marries him (he later kills her, and, in this production, bites her finger off to get back the wedding ring). It was set in a Victorian hospital. emma knows one of the actors (who played the deposed Queen Margaret), so we had coffee with him after the show. He has to play Pinch in their next show (Comedy of Errors) and for the role needs a southern accent, so our friend Red taught him a bit o southern.

It is an all male company so the women (all of them queens in this play) were played by women. I liked it, I have never seen an all male cast before. THi is the only portrait (I believe) of the actual Richard III, who was not as bad, most likely, as Shakespeare made him out to be.

Thanksgiving in Stratford

Last night was Thanksgiving dinner at the Windmill Pub across from the Institute. There were about 35 people there, about maybe half were Americans. The pub provided turkey, mashed potatoes, veggies and roasted potatoes. Many people brought food as well. I made green bean casserole (from scratch, since I could not find the cream of mushroom soup) and cranberry sauce. Unfortunately the pub also made cranberry sauce, so I have a lot left over.

I will post pictures later; my camera died right when I got there and so I have to get pictures from friends. I will tell you that there is a fantastic Turkey Hat making an appearance in many of the pictures.

This morning I went and joined the gym at the Holiday Inn. It is small but the Leisure Centre next door to it is more like the YMCA, and I don't want to deal with little kids and families running around. Since I got here I have been sure that I have gained weight, but if the scale at the gym is correct I have lost almost 15 pounds, I am now were I was before I quit going to the gym. YAY!!!

I almost forgot to mention this. I went to meet a friend for drinks on Tuesday night after rehearsal. He was meeting some friends after they had dinner to celebrate a birthday. When I walked in to the room where they were sitting I noticed someone with them who I recognized. It was Stanley Wells, potentially the most well known and knowledgeable Shakespearean scholar alive, and maybe of the last 100 years (ok, I may have a bit of an academic crush on the man). We talked and had drinks for about an hour before Stanley left. Do you have any idea how terrifying it is to have Stanley Wells ask you anything pertaining to Shakespeare? because I do! It was a good night. God I love it here!

This afternoon is futbol. My friend is taking pictures so I will be able to upload those this weekend.