12 more days

I cannot believe that I can now say that I have less then two weeks before this sojourn comes to an end. Who could imagine that a year and two weeks could go so quickly?! As I type Norbert is fast asleep in OUR BED in Long Beach! I am very jealous. He arrived last night. Today he’ll begin the strange task of becoming familiar with the familiar. I am here 12 more days and then I will end my fellowship a week early, in order to give myself a week to get my head on straight before the semester begins. Although I wonder if it will take longer than that!

Our time in Chawton has been quite wonderful really. It was relatively uneventful, as we spent most days in the reading room, and most evenings around the table in the conservatory or reading in the cozy stables. There were a string of fellows and visitors to cook with and get to know, and we simply enjoyed working in these peaceful surroundings. We went to London a few times to work at the British Library, meet up with friends and play a bit in the city. Here are a couple pictures from those visits.


Here's a picture of us at the Princess Diana Memorial in Hyde Park. Lots of people thought dipping their toes in this cold water was a good idea on this quite muggy London day!


And we did a wonderful walk (21 miles!) last Saturday from our doorstep across the Hampshire countryside to the quaint town of Winchester, where we stayed in a B&B and celebrated the end to this fascinating globetrot. Here are a couple pictures from our amble.




For those of you in Long Beach, I am ridiculously excited to see you! And for those of you elsewhere, I look forward to keeping in touch and seeing you—maybe in LB! While we are swearing that we will never leave Long Beach again, you’d be wise to catch us there before we hatch another crazy plan!