A far as we are aware, there are a number of buildings – each owned or administered through various charitable bodies – all relating to the historical character of “Jane Austen” (1875-1817), and claiming to be one of her abodes in one form or another. Indeed, Jane was only 42-years old when she died (despite never marrying or having children of her own) – but she lived through the heady days of French Revolution, the rise of Napoleon, and the Battle of Waterloo. Despite the political class of Britain opposing the French Revolution (and opposing all the Socialist developments that arose from it) – many middle-class, literate British individuals found the times to be inspiring. Although I do not know for certain with regards Jane Austen – she was one of those literate British women who trailblazed in a man’s world via her written works (Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, etc) – which are still best sellers today. Many of her works are performed as plays, and have been adapted for TV and the big screen. Whatever the case, on Tuesday May 26th, we headed out up the road to a nearby place called “Chawton” – where one of the houses owned by the Austen family is located.
We are experiencing something of a “heatwave in the UK at the moment – with temperatures hovering between 30-34 degrees Celsius. This is the type of heat we might expect for a few days in mid-August – but not usually May. Still, it has coincided with a week away from the usual grind of life. The children are sizzling and using umbrellas as parasols – but today – Mei-An was able to purchase an actual parason from the shop attached to the exhibit:
Another issue we have had is that there was a power-cut in the log-cabin park we are staying in at around 9pm on Monday evening (probably related to the intense heat). Although the power was replaced in about 10 minutes – the camp internet remained down for the next day or so. We had to rely on our own net connections – but as this is deepest, darkest West Surrey – there is not must Wifi coverage. We have been accessing the net wherever and whenever we can. This is why I am working at around 4am in the morning!
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 