Me on Monday

It was a quiet weekend of finishing these socks

so I could start on this blanket, a kit designed by attic24. I'm loving the colours but finding it a little bit more fiddly than the ripple blanket I crocheted last winter. I thought I might also have a cowl on the go so have been searching the free patterns on the internet for something simple.

waving to Sian and hoping you all have a good week.

Jane Seymour

A trip to Marwell Zoo following in the footsteps of Henry VIII, he came here to court Jane Seymour as this was her family home

a few photos taken on a beautiful September day.

and some more!

 An early walk along the river brought us to this beautiful old Alms House called The Hospital of St Cross

There are Brothers still living in these houses

 a beautiful old norman church

with amazing old ceilings

 an old table that legend says belonged to King Stephen

Then it was on to a water mill

The power of water never fails to fascinate me

We then went on to The Great Hall to view the Round Table. For sixty years this would have stood on the floor but was later placed on the wall. Henry VIII had it repaired in 1516 and it was then painted with what was meant to be King Arthur, the painting however bares a strong resemblance to Henry as an attempt by him to reinforce his claim to the throne.

 Another little story that amused me. Look carefully and you can see the outline of a door in the wall. When Charles II came to Winchester he brought the Queen and 18 mistresses with him, this door was his secret way in to visit one of the famous ones, Nell Gwyn. I can only admire his stamina!

A holiday steeped in history

We've just come back from a few days away in Winchester, a lovely place with so much history. It was in this house that Jane Austen spent her last few weeks, she had come here to see a doctor.

  Unfortunately she died here at the age of 41yrs

She is buried in the cathedral where only the four male members of her family attended her funeral, in those days it was thought to be too stressful for a female to attend.

There is a memorial placed nearby which was bought by the Jane Austen society in America and they make sure flowers are placed there all year.

There is no mention of her writing only some lovely words about her character.

Nothing to do with Jane Austen but the story behind this stained glass window really touched me. Cromwell's troops came into the cathedral and smashed the windows, they were far too catholic for their taste. The villagers picked up as much of the glass as they could and saved it until Charles II was back on the throne then the window was restored as best they could.