Willow Weaving November 15th

November 15th was thankfully, a clear day...


5 am. alarm... up and attem...


I had arranged for a cab service to pick me up at 6.05-they were late, which made me extremely nervous, though Stuart was up and offered to run me down to the station if they didn't show by 6.15... which they did, at abut 6.14.53.


At the train station, my VISA card would not work in the machine. It had worked the previous week!! Since I only have the one card, I started to panic internally... had I somehow messed my card up? I had just used it the day before with no trouble... After several attempts, the guy suggested I try buying my ticket from the conductor on the train...


At this point, I was not getting a good feeling about this day... was it going to be fraught with trouble from beginning to end??


I sure hoped not.


6.36, the train arrived. The conductor had no trouble with my card. A couple minutes and I had my return ticket in hand. Whew.


A note about charge cards here. Many machines here don't allow the cashier to fully swipe the card through, it's like a partial swipe and then it rests in one spot, if you can visualize that. European cards contain a "chip" that gets read, so, American cards seem to work intermittently. The conductor has a hand held machine which allows for the card to be fully swiped through... as do many pubs and restaurants. This type of machine seems to consistently work better than the other.


Anyway. Ticket(s) in hand I settled in for this first leg of my journey. From Henley to Twyford calling at (stopping) Shiplake and Wargrave.

I had my 'security blanket' with me... my handwritten itinerary.... dog-eared as it is getting to be.

At Twyford I make a change to go to Reading... which means, basically I am heading west to catch a train that will take me east/southeast. Many people, and I'd say most people in Twyford are catching trains into London.

While there are a handful of people heading in my direction and waiting with me on platform 3. This is what it looks like on the other side...

The rest of the trip went pretty much without a hitch--no delays, no troubles. I arrived at Penshurst 9.20 and John was waiting there.

John had the truck all packed with the tools we would need and willow rods, so Burt the dog moved over to share his side of the truck with me and I hopped in.

We headed directly to a school in Sevenoaks where John has installed 3 living willow structures over the last few years. a short drive in miles but a bit time consuming making our way through town at that time of day. We arrived about 10am, signed in, got our visitors badges, gathered our tools from the truck, and got to work.

Our first structure was essentially a central domed space (5-6 feet diameter and height) with a 'tunnel' leading in from two sides. It was planted 2 years ago.

The new growth on the willow will grow 'up'. Our first job was to weave in all the new growth horizontally. This needed to be done carefully as putting to much tension on the new branch might break it off the stem altogether, or bending it to acutely might put a kink in it, neither of which is a good thing. There's nothing worse than hearing that 'crack' and knowing you've just made a boo boo. Where are my secateurs (pruning shears)? Gotta prune that branch off!

The weaving in finished, we did minimal pruning to the new growth along the top... and that structure was finished.

The first structure, finished... I asked John to wave at all of you!

a view from one of the entrances...

The next structure was a tunnel maybe 12-15' long and 3-4 ' tall. It was planted last year so it had much less growth to weave in. Hope you can somewhat see the original construction weaving pattern down there at the ground. This structure was located in relatively close proximity to a large tree. So, whether from being partially shaded or competition for water, there had been significant death of perhaps 10-12 of the original willow rods (maybe 1/4?). After doing whatever weaving in and pruning was necessary, we added new pieces of willow into the ground at the base of the dead rods. This is such a blurry picture, I'm not sure if you can see what I'm talking about, or not.

a piece of willow cut to replace the dead rods...

The willow has 2 sets of buds. If you look closely, you'll see larger buds alternating at semi regular intervals along the stem. These are the buds that will turn into the new stems. If you look more closely and really use your imagination, you'll see a lot of little 'dots'. Those dots, will produce a root once the willow is planted in the ground.

So, these 1/2" diameter, 10-12" long pieces of willow, once planted, will grow and replace the dead rods. Next spring, the new shoots will be woven in along the existing dead piece, and form new structure.

Our last structure for the day was a much larger dome. This one was perhaps 8-10' high and diameter. Hope you can see from the pictures... the structure of this was based on two series of arches at right angles to each other.

 So the willow rod on one side was joined (by biodegradable string) at the top with the rod planted directly across from it. Many of these connections had come undone, so that there was essentially very little top to the structure.

While I worked on weaving in the new growth around the outside, John worked at bridging the gap with new rods, effectively re-joining one side with the other. These new pieces will die, but the idea is they replace the structure and provide something for the living growth to be wrapped around. This is the completed structure... once again a beautiful dome.

 As we were finishing up on this structure, John said, "Susie, I think you've got the hang of this".  In a much more British way, of course. Ah. Music to my ears! I definitely felt like had gotten the hang of it more as the day went on. So. Yay!!! I can't wait to do my very own installation somewhere once I get back home.

These structures were all done as a workshop with the kids at the school. So much to learn on so many different counts from math and geometry to natural science.

It was back to the shop to unload the truck, and have a quick cup of tea (it had gotten quite chilly as the sun got lower in the sky) before I once again headed back home to Henley, feeling fully satisfied at having done a good days work and learned something new and fascinating into the bargain!

Maybe some of you reading this in Vermont want to start thinking about a willow structure at your home, or business or a school you are affiliated with? I'll be looking to put all this into practice when I get home in April!! Keep it in mind...

love, susie

The Butcher, Two Bakers, A Chocolate Maker...

When I was still in the early stages of dreaming about coming to England I did a little research to find places where I could get particular products I use regularly or medical supplies I might require etc.

One of the things I was thinking and dreaming about was to locate a gym where I might able to get back into my personal groove and regain a certain level of fitness I'd lost over the last year or two.

My life had become pretty discombobulated there for a time and I'm afraid I had more or less lost my way.

Maybe you think I was kidding about staring into space, but I wasn't. Thank God for my friend Kathy who pretty much listened to me bounce between various plans on a daily basis...if this... then I could do a, b or c... if that, then I could maybe do a but definitely not b or c, possibly e, f or g...

You get my drift.

I wasn't sure what end was up most of the time.

So. I just could not find the time to get my weary body over to the gym. I know... I know... I know. The picture would have seemed brighter with a few endorphins rolling around in my brain... And I know from personal experience that for me there is no better medicine for stress than some cardio time. So, it is possibly more excuse than reason, but, I just had to give myself permission to work on the various tasks at hand which at first was to find work and get relocated and then it simply became a mad push to just get out of the house.

Anyway, I googled gyms in Henley. Got a couple hits and checked out the first one. Seemed nice, and smallish, which was very appealing to me as I really liked that atmosphere in my "used to be" gym in St. Albans, Dukes Fitness Center http://www.dukesfitnesscenter.com/. I just discovered that there's even a picture of me in the changing banner on the home page! The picture where you see all the legs on stationary bikes? That is a spinning class, something I dearly love and miss! I'm wearing black pants and have the pink shirt. Evidence of where I was fitness-wise not too long ago and hope to be again.

I sent off an email to the address that was listed and was pleasantly surprised to get a return email very soon from Ruth, at reception for Expert Fitness Studio http://www.expertfitnessstudio.com/. I visited them soon after my arrival in Henley and had the pleasure of meeting Ruth in person. I met with one of the trainers, Richard the following Monday to help me put together a program. Since then, I've been going on a regular basis and it feels great to get to back into the swing of things, it really does. A little hard work and I hope to find myself spinning regularly again!!

Hopefully, this will be a link to a google map of the area:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=Lovell+Close,+Henley-on-Thames&daddr=Expert+Fitness,+Bell+Street,+Henley-on-Thames&hl=en&sll=51.533042,-0.911307&sspn=0.014496,0.042272&geocode=FWc_EgMdW_vx_ymPDXIHlI92SDH0YRsWSzwzWQ%3BFXBqEgMdnDLy_yGCLGNaXfjDESm9OpTFpo92SDGzh7AeKBLTtg&vpsrc=0&gl=uk&dirflg=w
&mra=ltm&t=m&z=15

It is a 1.2 mile walk down the hill to get to the gym, which is in the center of town. Usually I take either Greys Road or St. Andrews Road. Going down is sort of like flying in an airplane with a tailwind... you can imagine then what coming up is like.

To get to the gym you have to go through a little tunnel/alleyway that has cobbles down the middle and marble pavers along the sides!

The entrance to Expert Fitness Studio.

the "tunnel"... the marble pavers are shiny!!

This leads to a little courtyard area... the bathroom/locker rooms are in a seperate building to the left (where the big "expert fitness studio" sign is on the wall) and the rest of the gym is straight ahead and to my right (out of the picture). It is small but cozy-and oddly, they are doing some renovations too... opening up two smaller rooms into one bigger one.

the entrance courtyard

Richard recommended using the Butcher on the main market place as a good source of free range-grass fed meats and poultry. Melissa and Stuart are getting the Thanksgiving turkey from Gabriel Machin too! We are having Thanksgiving next Saturday...

THE BUTCHER...

(That's Melissa, Stuart and the girls posing in front for me.)

TWO BAKERS...

A CHOCOLATE MAKER

Need I say more? Actually, no. I have not yet been in to either of the bakeries or chocolate shop. Really... I'm not kidding you, I haven't. Honest.

My favorite little coffee shop has enough temptations for me for the time being! More on that, next time!

love and hugs-
susie

Fish 'N Chips with Mushy Peas

A couple times since I've arrived I have tried to have fish and chips at a pub. Because it does seem like a very English thing to do!

Once, they were out of fish, of all things! Another time the fryer was broken.

Last week Melissa and I went into Reading, with a few "things to do" on our list.

First things first, Starbucks for a cup of coffee. A plain old cup of coffee is not easy to find here, and not something every coffee shop has, believe it or not. Most cafes serve coffee drinks that are based from espresso. Even harder to find... cream for the coffee. Starbucks has what they call "filtered coffee" AND cream. So. Yay!

After coffee we went off to try to locate me an inexpensive rain coat for working in the woods-which we did find pretty quickly, at maybe the third place we tried.

Next stop, was the Reading Museum...

This is my friend Melissa waving at me!

Reading Town Hall... and a couple details of brickwork, windows. The architecture and work-manship here are exquisite...

 (http://www.readingmuseum.org.uk/) where Melissa wanted to see the newest exhibition by a local Reading artist Robert Gillmor.

This is one of his pieces - of a partridge. And right this moment I am wondering if that was the type of bird I saw during the train-ride to Bore Place, and not pheasants after all? The exhibit was wonderful, we both thoroughly enjoyed it... lots of early pencil, pen and ink and watercolour works in addition to his specialty, linocut prints.

Next on the agenda, was a bite to eat. We decided to try a pub that was between the Museum and the bus stop where we'd be collected by Stuart later, O'Neill's.

Dining out in a pub here is an entirely different experience altogether than I am used to. For starters, you place your food order at the bar and pay for it right then. Usually your table has a number that you give to the folks behind the bar when you place your order, but here, the tables were not numbered. (Just when I think I have got the hang of things here I seem to run into the 'exception to the rule'!) Instead, they gave us each a wooden spoon with a number on it, when we placed our orders.

Our spoons and the caddy they bring with the cutlery and condiments-pretty much the standard way of doing things at most every pub we've been to so far. The folks behind the counter then deliver the food when it is ready. One thing that is so difficult to get used to is that there is no tipping! I mean, these folks do bring you food and drinks, and at the end, no tips. This is hard to wrap my brain around, and every time I walk out of a pub it just doesn't feel right to me! But, you know what they say, "when in Rome..."

Melissa, feeling a little embarrassed at me being such a "tourist"...

So, finally I got my fish and chips (french fries) with mushy peas (slightly mashed, cooked peas)...

And after I'd taken 3 pictures of my food trying to get a good shot of the peas with no glare Melissa made me put my camera away and eat my lunch... it was yummy!

FINALLY!! The Long-Awaited Day Arrived (Part 2)

I had wondered if I would recognize John, and hoped he looked more or less like he did in the video (yes, he does)! Also it helped that as we pulled up to the station he was the only person there! He was very gracious and seemed unphased by my late arrival. We found our way to his Land Rover truck and I was introduced to a VIP, Burt (Burtie) a very friendly 12 year-old black lab.

I have to admit, the whole meeting and drive to Bore Place was a bit surrealistic for me... in a very wonderful way. The culmination of months of dreaming, planning and emails! And I'm not ashamed to admit it either, but, I had watched that Woodlands TV video enough times that in my mind John Waller had become sort of celebrity to me! And, I had formed a pretty high opinion of him. Which is risky to do because, then, when you finally meet them they may not live up to your expectations.

In this case though, I'm pleased to report that I was right to form that high opinion and it holds true.

John is very easy going, gracious, personable. He strikes me as the sort of person who seems to intuitively know what to say in every situation, how to handle things tactfully, how to put people at ease. He has got kind of a mischievous sense of humor... something I picked up on from the video and am so pleased to discover that I was right about that! He laughs easily, and often. He also holds such a depth of knowledge about all that he does in managing the woodland and the traditional crafts he makes. If I manage to carry even a small portion of that knowledge home with me, I'll be thrilled!

The drive from the train station to Bore Place was over what I'm going to label as 'typical' English roads... two-laned roads which are paved and narrow, mostly without 'shoulders' like we have in the states and frequently with a hedges and/or walls right up to the traveled way! Definitely wide enough for two cars to pass but when you meet something wider like a bus or bigger truck, you hold your breath. (At least I do :-). Plus, as you probably know, they drive on the opposite side of the road here and the driver and passengers are on opposite sides of the vehicle as well. Up to now, I've only ridden in the back of a station wagon with a fairly cautious American driver (who is driving in a more authentically British manner more and more each time). So, it was a different experience altogether riding with John. Before long we turned off the two lane and were now on a more or less one lane dirt road. I don't know why, but when I see another vehicle coming at me my heart skips a beat or two... doesn't seem to bother these folks... they pull off the road and let the other by. I asked what happens if you meet another vehicle in a spot where you can't pull off, and John said someone backs up until there is a pull off area. OK. But how do you decide who is going to back up? Are there some unwritten rules that people going north-east-down the hill back up and those going south-west-up the hill get to keep moving forward? I don't know. There seems to be alot of waving and nodding and they manage quite well. I'd be in lots of trouble, not being the best at backing up under the easiest of conditions! Definitely have no burning desire to drive while I'm here, but, I would like to figure out what all the 'rules' are. More on that in the future.

Anyway. We arrived at Bore Place and had to pass through a gate which needed to be opened and closed behind us. I can't remember why exactly... were we keeping something in, or out? Not sure.

Straightaway, I was introduced to Mike, a person who has been volunteering with John for many years. He was getting things set up in the courtyard at Johns shop for what would be our first task that day, making apple cider. But first things first, a cup of tea! We were still making tea when Brian arrived. He had been a student in Johns chair making workshop in October, and was going to be working in the shop that day making some alterations to his chair. So, we settled in to drinking our tea and having a bit of conversation. Then being refreshed, John took me for a quick walk about Bore Place while Mike finished set-up  for apple pressing and Brian got back to the the pieces he was turning on the pole lathe. This is not Brian, but, it is someone using a pole lathe at another of John's workshops...

Our tour over, it was time to tend to the 2 wheelbarrows full of Bore Place 'cider apples'.

We first sorted the apples - those that were rotten went to compost, the others into a 5 gallon bucket for a quick wash and wiped down, "to get the worst of it", Mike said. The cleaned apples went into an electric chopper. When we had a 5 gallon bucket about half full of the chopped apples it was time to get them in the handmade wooden press. This is a pic off the web of a similar design...

This took two people, one to get the netting in place inside the slatted wood pressing tub, and hold it in place while the other person scooped in the chopped apples until the tub was about three-quarters full. Then the cloth was folded down over the apples and a round piece of wood fitted on top of that. Next, on were several blocks of wood and then it was time to turn the handle on top to press the apples. It was important, Mike said, to stop every so often to let the apples fully release their juice before continuing to crank the handle down tighter. In our setup, the juice was released into a wooden tray, about 14" x 18" x 4" high, with a spout at the front that let the juice flow into another 5 gallon bucket. All in all, the two wheelbarrows full of apples produced an almost full, 5 gallon bucket of apple cider. It was a fun and very rewarding experience. I had never had opportunity to see a small scale pressing operation  such as this before.

It was about 1 o'clock when we finished cleaning up and so we all sat down to eat our lunches and have another cup of tea. The shop is divided into a couple of rooms, and i'd not spent much time in this one. Eating, gave me an opportunity to look around. There were alot of tools in this small space. The video above actually shows the room from pretty much the same perspective I had where I was sitting. There's a little sink over in the far back, right corner. Shelves to the right of that hold examples of John's baskets, including (a moses basket) that was used by all three of his children! He brings samples to shows etc and people place orders for "bespoke" items. Under the shelves, a few chairs were stored, including that famous chair from the video I watched so many times!! In keeping with this whole experience, it was a thrill to see it it in real life! The big door was open behind me, that's where the pole lathe was set up that Brian was using. There was a work bench with shelving above it along nearly the full length of the wall to my left... plenty of storage for books and a multitude of handtools. There was another tool cabinet in the back left corner. Three shave horses found there home along the back wall. And a small woodstove- though I can't remember if it stands ready to provide heat this winter or if it is just sitting in storage there.

Bodies rested and tummy's satisfied Burt the dog, John, Mike and I headed out to Bushy Wood for the rest of the afternoon to work on hazel coppicing, leaving Brian behind to finish work on his chair in peace and quiet.

Please check out this Wikepedia link if you don't know what coppice means: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coppicing

We were going to be cutting hazel coppice, harvesting all the wood at each stool, and separating it out into piles for three different purposes: hurdle making, pea stakes and 'alternative Christmas trees'.

We used hand saws to cut the hazel which averaged, I'd say, roughly between 1 to 1.75 inches diameter. Then, the hard part. Look at each piece and decide then and there which product or combination of products that particular piece was best suited to...

hurdle making... it needed to be straight and at least 4 meters, that was a challenge for me right there. How many feet is 4 meters?
pea sticks... needed to be at least waist high with branches on opposite sides. And alternative Christmas trees... well, sort of whatever the other two weren't, if you get what I mean.

So, once the hazel was cut we used a billhook to clear away the smaller branches (some of which would become pea sticks). This is a new tool for me and it was somewhat challenging to use. When John was demonstrating he made it look completely effortless. When it was my turn... not so much. As a matter of fact, I was using great effort and sweating my brains out too. I found that if a branch didn't come off the first time, I had a heck of a time hitting the same spot the second (third-fourth-fifth time). Some of mine were pretty hacked up by the time I was done with them! Oh dear!

So. Each product went into it's own pile. One very cool method that John uses to maximize productivity is this, when he is removing the branches and preparing each piece he stands in one place near the cut wood and makes each of the (in this case 3) product piles near so that he doesn't waste time wandering from pile to pile.

John and I were working near each other, so had a chance to chat some, though, I have to say I was concentrating pretty intently on what I was doing, and trying hard not to cut something off of my body that I'll be needing for the rest of my life. I had made some comment when we were loading up the truck to go into the woods, don't ask me now what it was, I don't remember, but John went in and got the First Aid Kit. Thankfully, it didn't get used.

All in all, it was a great afternoon. I managed to get maybe a half of the stool I was working on cut and processed, and felt pretty good about it. As it was getting dark, we packed up and left Bushy Wood, heading back to the shop to put the tools in their rightful place and have another cup of tea and a piece of yummy cake that Mike had brought along before it was time to head to the train station.

I think I got on the train about 5:30. There was a slight delay at the first stop, Redhill. I recognized a fellow passenger from the morning, and we struck up a conversation. She and I ended up sitting together on the train and it was nice to have someone to talk to for at least part of the trip back home.

Stuart collected me at the train station in between chauffeuring the girls to and from each of their school Halloween parties. That was most appreciated, because I was tired to the bone.

So, there you have it. That's my account of The Long Awaited Day... and what a tremendous day in my life it was!!

FINALLY!! The Long-Awaited Day Arrived... (part 1) lots-o'-links

On Friday, November 4th.

My little kitchen timer alarm clock beeped at 5 am, and Melissa's knock on my door followed soon after. I was mostly prepared the night before, just had to get myself ready, grab my PB&J out of the freezer and pack my lunch. No coffee though, so, it was all in slow motion. Thankfully, Stuart had offered to drive me down to the Henley train station because I needed to be there at dark-thirty to catch the first of several trains before reaching my final destination, Penshurst.

Having purchased my return ticket {train travel terminology... a one way ticket someplace is a 'single' a two way ticket is a 'return'} the day before, I only needed to be there in time for the train's departure at 06.36 am.
Having not figured out how to print yet from the home network I wrote out the itinerary for myself. It's sort of like my little, tiny security blanket... getting dog-eared already after just a couple of trips...

Henley to Twyford is a quick trip. Then it's up the stairs, over the tracks and down the other side to 'platform #3' to catch the next train to Reading. {More train travel terminology... 'platforms' are just designated areas adjacent to the tracks where the trains sit... they may be adjacent to each other or you potentially might have to find your way up and over the tracks to get to the correct platform. Reading is a very large station and has escalators, but at the smaller stations, it's the stairs or an elevator, which is called a 'lift' here.} 

Somehow, I managed to catch an earlier train than I was supposed to, which gave me a few extra minutes in Reading to locate a cup of coffee, and go through the gates in the wrong direction a few times before I located where I needed to be. I had incorrectly read the itinerary online and thought I was looking for platform 48 and wondered how far that was from where I arrived at platform 10!! Fortunately, there are usually rail employees available at each platform who seem to know the entire train schedule by heart, which is hugely impressive to me! Thanks to them, I discovered I was actually supposed to be at platform 4B which was right around the corner! Whew! The next leg of my trip was to be the long one. An hour a 12 minutes. Time to relax, take in the scenery and/or read a little.

Turned out that the train's departure time was delayed for 20 minutes... something about fog and 'signals'... which meant I would miss my connecting train at Redhill and would consequently arrive at Penshurst later than planned. Oh No!! John Waller would be waiting for me and I had no way of reaching him to let him know. I did fret about it some... because it didn't seem like a very good way to get off on the right foot... ultimately though I realized it really was out of my control. I reminded myself of something my Dad would say, "it is what it is" and decided to relax and enjoy the journey.

All the traveling up to that point was done in the dark, but it was light by the time we left Reading. I didn't have the presence of mind to take any pictures along the way--will do that another time. It was foggy and rained off and on the whole trip. We traveled through small towns and plenty of beautiful countryside which very much reminded me of Vermont...

I saw several different flocks of sheep along the way... presumably different breeds, a herd of Belted Galloway cows which made me miss the Noel family at http://maplewoodorganics.biz/... some pheasants (I think) and a small flock of what looked like geese flying overhead, could it possibly be? The country side in general seemed to be comprised of hilly pastureland in between heavily forested areas. Most trees holding on to their leaves here still. Lots of oaks and beeches? Also, lots of something with orange berries which I think might be Mountain Ash, but not sure. Many fields of a low growing crop, bluish green in color. I asked a fellow traveler who said he thought it was Rapeseed and went on to say that farmers receive an incentive from the government to grow it. At least, that was my interpretation of what he said.

At one stop, lots of students got on the train and the noise level went up significantly until they got off a couple stops later. Most of the trip was quite quiet though. Mostly individual travelers, going to work... in their own little world either reading the paper, drinking coffee and gazing out the window or, more often the case using some form of technology. The guy sitting across from me spent a goodly amount of time on his iPhone and looking at his watch. Clearly, he was going to be late for something and wasn't too happy about it. When he looked up, taking a break, I struck up a conversation with him. He looked up the train times for me and I was relieved to hear that there would be a train leaving for Penshurst within a few minutes of our arrival in Redhill... which meant I would only be 20-25 minutes late.


Redhill was a good sized station, but there were just a handful of people there who were continuing on in the same direction as me. My next train arrived when it was supposed to and it was mostly empty. It was me and one other guy in my coach-very different than the train from Reading which had started out pretty full to begin with and got fuller along the way. We left on time and arrived at Penshurst 20 minutes later.

It was hard to contain my excitement about finally meeting John and seeing Bore Place in real life... for months I'd been looking at the google satellite photo of Bore Place and anything and everything I'd found online about it, including their website http://www.commonwork.org/ along with Johns website http://www.underwoodsman.co.uk/ AND the Woodlands TV/YouTube video of him weaving a willow chair back http://www.woodlands.co.uk/tv/2008/10/willow-weaving/... I encourage you to check those links out-lots of good stuff going on!!

So. I was terribly excited. This is a condensed version of the timeline that occurred from inspiration to reality...
Early February-- my friend Mark was traveling in Europe visiting people and places who use coppicing as a form of woodland management and utilize the wood for any number of traditional crafts. Mark and Dave are co-authoring a book about the subject check out: http://www.coppiceagroforestry.com/ for more on that...
Mark visited P.H. Coate and Son (http://www.englishwillowbaskets.co.uk/) and posted some pictures on the blog-- and what, for me, had been a casual interest in willow grew three sizes that day--just like the Grinch's heart!

I started dreaming about coming to England... and doing some online research as a first step.

a couple weeks later in February -- my friend Melissa emailed to say, "guess what... Stuart is being transferred - we are moving to the UK!".

March-April -- try to figure out the details of my life... aargh!  more research... emails sent to various UK places mostly no responses from willow people... a potential job opportunity comes up that has housing... I pursue it...

May-June --  sell... pack... give away... in prep for the July 8th move out date... the job with the housing doesn't work out! two more seemingly excellent job opportunities come up and I submit applications...

July 4th -- find out I don't have to move out by the 8th.

July -- stare into space and wish I... hadn't sent all the furniture off to the auction house so I'd at least have a comfortable place to sit and ponder what to do next... those last two job applications were for naught... more staring... and pondering...

July 25 -- decide to do one more google search and Johns website comes up... why did it not ever come up before? I watch the WoodlandsTV video... I send an email hoping for a response... and low and behold, I get one!

early August -- realize the home will have to go... and I guess in my heart it is settled for once and for all... I am leaving. I am leaving Vermont, and going to England, plan or no plan.

August 21 -- purchase plane tickets

And, you pretty much know the rest. Stay tuned for part 2 where I actually meet John and see Bore Place!

Home is Where the Heart Is...

So. I have a couple of friends who are really encouraging me to do some watercolor journaling while I'm here, and yes, I did actually bring quite a few art supplies along with. Patrick and Rhonda, does doodle blogging "count"? Just getting warmed up.

Already I feel like I am behind in keeping track of this adventure and to a certain extent days are running one into another. Help! Could time stand still for a minute or two while I get caught up please?

Officially, I have been really, badly homesick one day since I arrived here. That was the Sunday it was snowing like crazy in Vermont and the rest of New England. I was here, sweating my brains out...not because it was necessarily too warm (even though it truly has been unseasonably warm here until the last few days) but more because it was/is damp. You know how Charlie Brown's friend Pig Pen always has the dust and dirt surrounding him? If that was me I'd have droplets of water surrounding me... a fine mist... like I am my very own little micro climate, with 117% humidity... or more.

Wait. Where was I?

I was homesick. Really, really homesick... because I wanted to look out and see snow falling and then look again in a little while and see it sticking to the ground and then look out and see a blanket of white.

I started thinking about "home" and then... how I don't really have one anymore.

That was a sad thought.

Melissa was working on Halloween costumes for the girls that day, and the girls decided to do some sewing too. It has been years since I did any hand sewing myself just for fun and so I joined in the sewing bee. It was a great diversion from the homesickness. Mel does counted cross-stitch and so has little bins full of the leftover embroidery floss, in a rainbow of colours. The dining room table was covered with remnants of cloth and felt, pins and needles and loads of other sewing paraphernalia.

One of the girls was finishing a heart shaped ornament, Melissa was adding heart motifs to one of the costumes...hearts seemed to be the theme of the day and that's what I decided to make too.

It was wonderful to just go for it... no pattern... just deciding what stitch to do here... what colour to use there. With each stitch realizing more fully that the old saying is true - that home really is where the heart is.

And for now, my heart is here.

My cozy little room faces west. The afternoon sun streams in. My bed is one of the fancy kind of air mattresses and that thing is so comfortable it is crazy... some of you know how I felt about leaving my bed back home. Like, at the end of a long day, it was my best friend. It is a blessing to have such a cozy room here. It was the girls playroom- and they gave it up for me. If that's not love, I don't know what is.

The view out my window is mostly consumed by a big ole tree. I think it might be a chestnut but I haven't gotten around to figuring that out for sure...

You can see my handmade/homemade heart hanging in the window... home sweet home.

susie...

A Walk About Town...part one

my feet... a view from above

Henley-on-Thames (ⁱ/ˈhɛnliː ɒn ˈtɛmz/) is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in South Oxfordshire, England, about 10 miles downstream and north-east from Reading, 10 miles upstream and west from Maidenhead. It is near the corner between the counties of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. Population 10,646.

The official website is: http://www.henley-on-thames.org/

...more info compliments of Wikepedia...

HISTORY:

The first record of medieval settlement dates to 1179, when it is recorded that King Henry II "had bought land for the making of buildings". King John granted the manor of Benson and the town and manor of Henley to Robert Harcourt in 1199. A church is first mentioned at Henley in 1204. In 1205 the town received a paviage grant, and in 1234 the bridge is first mentioned. In 1278 Henley is described as a hamlet of Benson with a Chapel. It is probable that the street plan was established by the end of the 13th century.
As a demesne of the crown it was granted to John de Molyns, in 1337 whose family held it for about 250 years. It is said that members for Henley sat in parliaments of Edward I and Edward III, but no writs have been found to substantiate this.
The existing Thursday market, it is believed, was granted by a charter of King John. A market was certainly in existence by 1269, however, the jurors of the assize of 1284 said that they did not know by what warrant the earl of Cornwall held a market and fair in the town of Henley. The existing Corpus Christi fair was granted by a charter of Henry VI.
During the Black Death that swept through England in the 14th century, Henley lost 60% of its population.
By the beginning of the 16th century the town extended along the west bank of the Thames from Friday Street in the south to the Manor, now Phyllis Court, in the north and took in Hart Street and New Street. To the west it included Bell Street and the Market Place.
Henry VIII, having granted the use of the titles "mayor" and "burgess", the town was incorporated in 1568 by the name of the warden, portreeves, burgesses and commonalty.
Henley suffered from both parties in the Civil War. William III on his march to London in 1688 rested here, at the nearby recently rebuilt Fawley Court and received a deputation from the Lords. The period of prosperity in the 17th and 18th centuries was due to manufactures of glass and malt, and to trade in corn and wool. Henley-on-Thames owes much to its location and port that supplied London with timber and grain.
A workhouse to accommodate 150 people was built at West Hill in Henley in 1790 and later enlarged to accommodate 250 as the Henley Poor Law Union workhouse.

Henley Bridge is a five arched bridge across the river which was built in 1786. During 2011 the bridge underwent a £200,000 repair programme after being hit by a boat Crazy Love in August 2010.
The church of St. Mary is located nearby and features a tower built in the 16th century. About a mile upstream of the bridge is Marsh Lock.
To celebrate Queen Victoria's Jubilee, 60 oak trees were planted in the shape of a Victoria Cross near Fair Mile.
The Old Bell is a traditional pub situated right in the centre of Henley. The building has been dated by experts at 1325, making it the oldest building in the town.
Just outside Henley, in Buckinghamshire, there are several notable private buildings:

• Fawley Court is a red-brick building designed by Christopher Wren for William Freeman (1684) with subsequent interior remodelling by James Wyatt and landscaping by Lancelot "Capability" Brown.
• Greenlands which took its present form when owned by W. H. Smith and is now home to Henley Management College 

PRESENTLY:
The town has its own railway station, with direct service into London Paddington during peak hours. Off-peak service requires a change of train at Twyford. In addition, there are also express mainline rail services from nearby Reading to Paddington and High Wycombe which accesses London Marylebone. A short drive along the M4 motorway leads directly into London or along the M40 motorway to Hillingdon for the London Underground. The local bus service around the town is operated by Whites Coaches as routes 151, 152, 153 and 154; other routes are provided by Arriva Shires & Essex, Thames Travel and Courtney Coaches.
The River and Rowing Museum, located in Mill Meadows, is the town's one museum. It was established in 1998, and officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II. The museum, designed by the architect David Chipperfield, features information on the River Thames, the sport of rowing, and the town of Henley itself.
The University of Reading's Henley Business School is near Henley. The UK branch of Weston Woods Studios, which makes short films based on children's books, is also at Henley.

Henley is a world renowned centre for rowing. Each summer Henley Royal Regatta is held on "Henley Reach", a stretch of the river that is naturally straight, although it was later extended artificially. The event became Royal in 1851. In that year Prince Albert became the patron of the regatta.

View from the Henley Bridge looking North...

and South...

the view entering Henley from the east... several famous landmarks can be seen including The River Thames... Henley Bridge... The Angel Pub and Restaurant... The church of St. Mary tower.

 the Church of St. Mary... today (November 1st) was a gorgeous fall day here! The clock on the tower was exactly the same color blue as the sky... I had to wonder if that was the plan when choosing the clock color?! It isn't apparent from the photo, but it is surprising how small each individual stone is used in the churches construction. Also note the planter-they are beautiful and Henley is full of them in various shapes and sizes.

The Town Council building... which also houses the visitor information center... is located at the West end of the Market Place.

The view from the top of the Town Council building steps looking east along the market place. You can see the St. Mary's tower off in the distance and the hilly countryside (if you use your imagination) beyond.
Thursdays are the regular market day here in town with vendors selling all kinds of wares from clothing to fudge...fresh produce...homemade jams and jellies...olives... a great variety, not unlike our own local farmer's markets in Vermont.


Sunday there was a special market day-- less vendors than usual... It was kind of a grey day but there were still many people out and about-- driving, walking, bicycling.

Sunday market

I love the Architecture in town, all of it, not just the famous landmarks. Most buildings are made to last and have clearly been around a good long time... there's a significant use of stone, but the most widely used building material is brick... it's everywhere! Homes, public buildings, garden walls...
Sidewalks and market areas are paved with cut stone, brick, cobbles... most all the neighborhood sidewalks in suburbia, where we live, are asphalt and not very even! Most all curbs I've noticed are made of cobbles - looks like granite to me.

There are planters and container gardens everywhere and things are still blooming here, including the roses!! Amazing! On the walk down to town whichever way we go almost everyone has a garden in the front yard no matter what the size of the yard. Where we live, there are lawns and gardens but as we get closer and closer to town the size of the front yard gets smaller and smaller and smaller. Hedges are used pretty extensively to separate private from public here in the 'suburbs', but again, the closer to town we get then stone or brick walls and fences appear more frequently and every front door in the town is off of a teeny tiny entrance garden with a wall and gate opening to the public walkway. Some are planted, some are paved, some have planters - it's fun to walk along and see what each family has done to make their own little garden uniquely their own. (Will try to get a pic of what i'm talking about if I can do it without infringing on privacy...come back and check here later.)

Hope this gives you some idea of what Henley is like. It is a wonderful English village and I am excited to call it 'home' for the next few months!

Stay tuned for more including some of my favorite places and the ones I frequent the most!

hugs-
susie