Autumn Cottage Diarist

Transported Again - Another Place, Another Time

The Pedersen family (?) on holiday in Chesieres, Switzerland, 1897

The first time I have really been "out and about" for pleasure for nearly two weeks and my first thoughts today were "why couldn't it be like this a week ago?" - for today the sun was shining, the roads had not a trace of snow on them (though there is still plenty in the shady hedgerows) and it was more than easy to get to Hungerford. Too late for Britt-Arnhild to enjoy its pleasures this time - and my deep sadness still looms over me in regard to that disappointment - for me and for her. But I did make up for my continuing chagrin a little by finding a treasure in the Antiques Arcade - just a small portion of which I want to share with you  here.

Is this Eliza?

The label said "3 old photograph albums - £10.00" - the "old photograph albums" was enough to catch my eye, and though two of them are nondescript, the third holds such delicious images - and there is even a name inside the album cover... "Eliza C Pedersen - 1900"

 

The photographs inside are taken from 1893, and seem to be of a Swedish family, at home (?) in Raskog, and on their holiday travels to Switzerland. Anyone with an interest in the paintings of Carl Larssen will see many echoes of his domestic scenes in these photographs - they are pure delight - and because I have scanned them at high resolution, the costumes are also visible in great detail.

"An auction in Raskog"

Enjoy a little glimpse into another world of innocent pleasures - don't these children look just so contented and the adults so composed?

More images to come, when I have time to scan, enhance and tinker with some more, and with gratitude to my Epson scanner colour restoration feature - modern technology restoring a world that would otherwise have disappeared.

One Damn Thing After Another

What's missing from all these photographs, dear reader - that I only now have the heart to write about here?

Here is Britt-Arnhild, the missing person - and how very much she has been missed.

It has been one thing after another at Autumn Cottage since last Friday, when the snow fell, down, down,down - not great in quantity in comparison with those of you across the world who experience 5 foot drifts as a matter of course. But in this part of the country, on that day - down came the snow - then the sleet, then the ice....until I could not get out, and nobody could get here to me. So, as many of you know, I made "an executive decision" and advised Britt-Arnhild to divert to the relative calm of London rather than the wilds of North Hampshire.

That afternoon, I went out to take photographs of the unexpected snowfall - just minutes after taking the one of the house sign (above), I turned round to return to the house and promptly fell - er - base over apex, twisting my ankle and landing on the base of my spine. Since then, I have hobbled around like a Fairytale Crone - (even grateful for Mother In Law's walking stick yesterday morning, but don't tell anyone I did that!)

And then, also yesterday - a phone-call, while I was making my morning tea, from my oldest son, telling me that "I'm OK Mum, but I have had a car crash" - the words that every parent dreads to hear. It was the snow again - he was travelling at only 10 miles per hour, but hit black ice and lost control - finally coming to a stop when meeting a brick wall. Then someone else hit him. Thankfully, the kindness of strangers provided him with breakfast and a warm coat while he waited for the recovery vehicle. He is all right now, physically at least, but still shaken up, and the car is a write-off.

So - instead of enjoying the company of  Britt-Arnhild, whose visit I have been awaiting for weeks, painting and decorating, with textiles, old journals and cookbooks ready to share, (and a package of goodies for Marta!) - I am now sitting here all on my own, mostly enjoying the comfort of lounging on my bed, keeping the foot up and the bottom down, not getting around very well, and surrounded with textbooks and papers for a final essay submission at college.

At least something worthy is getting done - but I  would MUCH rather be visiting Kew Gardens with dear Britt- who I have just spoken to on the phone, and who is truly making lemonade from lemons! I am also lucky enough to be warm, and have food (loads of food - LOADS of chocolate!) and the company of the cats, (who want to know where their visitor is?), so I am very grateful for these bonuses...but still....

Come to England again, Britt-Arnhild, so that we can finally meet up and enjoy each other's company. Next time it will, I promise, be sunshine and roses round the door to welcome you, rather than a catalogue of disasters.

I'm so sorry, my friend. At least, have the welcome that awaited - and still awaits you here....

(Portrait of Britt-Arnhild, taken by B-A, from her blog)

Too Much White Stuff, Not Enough Grit

The view from my bedroom window at 8.30 am today

I had hoped and prayed that the snow which stranded 200 drivers near Exeter last night would not reach as far as here - but no luck. Since 6.30 am, when I got up, the weather has alternated between white-out snow and sleet, depositing not a great amount depth wise, but treacherous road conditions. The sleet is freezing, then getting nicely coated with another layer of snow, seemingly ad infinitum.

Four wheeled drive cars and tractors were able to pass earlier, but I have not seen any in the last hour - and because supplies of salt and grit are running out in some parts of the country, I don't think this road has seen either - if it has, then it has been covered up again. (The services have been pressed to breaking point this week, and have reacted selflessly - so no criticism there)

It is almost vain hope that Britt-Arnhild will reach me today - I definitely cannot get to the station, and I doubt whether or not a taxi would get out. Whoops - just looked out of my bedroom window again and  there goes a car sideways back down the hill!!

The worst thing has been the three short outages of power since dawn. Loss of that will equal loss of heating and lighting. Oh, yes, that's all we need....

All we can do now is see what tomorrow brings.

7.30 am - not too bad
 9.30 - a lull in the snowfall - the tracks made by the cars filled with packed ice, no grit.

"The car in the corner" a couple of hours hour ago - now the snow is up to the bumper...

A wee giftie from a passing lorry - outside my gate

A Lot of Fuss over a Little Snow?

Just a few pictures of what fell in an hour or two yesterday morning...and yes, it did bring the country to a standstill for a day - but all seems to be moving again now.

It was the speed with which the snow fell that took a lot of us by surprise...just a sprinkle by 7 am, when I got up to make a cuppa,  by 8.30 the road outside was treacherous. Ice forming, and snow on top of it. And so it layered throughout the day. Since we have barely had any winter frosts over the last decade, it was unexpected - but was greatly appreciated by many thousands of children who had never seen the quantity and quality before.

It has been a delight to see TV reports of so many children (and adults!) having such a great time in the snow. (I wish more reports would highlight that instead of sniping at emergency services and local authorities that were doing their best in some difficult and very numerous circumstances).

Last time I saw snow like it was 18 years ago, when the boys were small and they were taken by Daddy up Beacon Hill with their toboggans, returning home to home-made soup - they still remember that :-)

Much clearer now, but local weather forecasts are predicting "a significant snow event" hitting the South on Thursday. My friend Britt-Arnhild arrives from her House in the Woods in Norway to stay for the weekend on Friday (uh-oh - looks as if she was hoping to escape the snow!) - so for those of you who do prayers of any form, please send some up to the Snow Gods to just HOLD OFF until she has arrived here, OK?

(Sorry for my absence here yet again recently - painting and decorating plus a heavy college work load is to blame - will be back again more regularly soon...)

 Watching flurries from the comfort of the sitting room
A welcome splash of colour - geraniums against the snow

 Oh, my poor pots! Left out this year - because we were going to have another mild winter - weren't we???