Today I went to the Lake District with my class. It rained. I stared out the bus window, mouth agape, in shock at how wildly beautiful it was. If you ever need to understand the picturesque and the sublime, the Lake District is the place - obviously, that's where a lot of the writers on the picturesque and the sublime got their inspiration.
We went to the most beautiful house, too - an Arts and Crafts masterpiece. Also jaw-droppingly nice. It was all carved wood panelling (done largely in rowan berry and leaf motifs - which made it even better, considering my personal attachment to that plant), simple stained glass, and window seats and Inglenook fireplaces, which I am wildly in love with. Always have been. If I could make my own house, it would be small and furnished almost exclusively with built-in furniture - window seats and Inglenooks, dining table with a banquette, beds set into walls, and book shelves book shelves bookshelves.
Also today, the only church designed by one of the great Arts and Crafts architects, full to the brim with Morris & Co. stained glass designed by Edward Burne-Jones. Impressive, to say the least. And so gorgeous. I love Burne-Jones with a wildly colourful, flowery, mannerist passion. Oh, and one of the angels in the main east window looked quite a lot like Evan, a friend of mine from Wesleyan. Which was strange.
The day ended with us all stood on the edge of Lake Windermere, being dripped on by trees and stared at by swans, drinking wine from plastic cups. It was a nice way to end the class, and it was our last real meeting. Which is too bad in some ways, but good in others. I was getting really, really tired of Gothic revival churches (which was a great thing about today - only one Gothic Revival thing, the rest was Arts and Crafts!), and spending so many hours in the bus with a small group of people was really starting to grate on my nerves.
It was a 7am departure again this morning. I'm tired, but not sleepy - maybe because I just had a huge cup of tea. I've been watching Michael Palin tour about Eastern Europe, and a book quiz which made me feel both intellectual and not well-read. I'll miss being able to watch BBC programs on demand.
I did well on my exam last term, I've found out - so that's nice! Hopefully I can get down to work on my paper for this term and do well again.
Hm. Time to turn on something instrumental and get under the covers with my book on William Morris and garden design. It all sounds rather pleasant, which is good, because it's work for my paper.
(largely copied from my livejournal)
Friday, June 20, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
June Beauty
As of today, I am officially no longer apologizing for failing to update this thing. But rejoice! For here I am. Writing!
I had the most ridiculously nice afternoon today. One of those ones I'll remember ages from now when I look back at my time here in York, I think.
There was nothing exceptional about today - it just all lined up so nicely.
I headed into town this afternoon with a few things to do, a craving for iced coffee, and a greyish cloud threatening me. The threats were empty, though, because the weather remained gorgeous - perfect to walk in jeans and a tank top, or to sit with my favourite canvas jacket on. A bit breezy, but not blustery - enough to break up the slightly stifling humidity.
I went first to King's Manor, which is an extension of the University of York campus located in a very old (medieval to 19th century) complex of buildings near the city art gallery, the Yorkshire Museum and it gardens and ruined abbey, and the Minster. There I did a bit of research for my upcoming final paper, and was pleased to find enough material to do my chosen subject - material that also will likely pertain to my senior thesis, which I'm already working on a bit. So that was perfect. And I sat in the ancient, wood-beamed high-ceilinged room and looked at books about gardens, and felt the breeze from the open window, and that was all just very nice.
After checking out three books for my research I went and got an iced latte thing at a coffee shop in town (I've been craving iced coffee as a result of it being relatively warm and very humid these last few days). I also got a muffin, and just sat about, reading Alice in Wonderland and enjoying my refreshments.
After this, it was time for a spot of shopping - something I've been avoiding, but the craving for new summer dresses has proved too strong. I went to H&M, and got no dresses (though I saw several I'm considering going back for), but I did pick up two tops (I got lucky on the sale rack), and a new bag to use this summer and for school next year, as my current bag is falling apart. It averaged to about 5 pounds an item - which is an incredible haul.
I walked back along the river, which is a new route Tom showed me recently. There's a greenway-type walk that runs down to Fulford, which is the town between the university and the river, and it's just as fast as going on the roads, but much, much nicer. I ended up sitting along the river, reading Alice and watching the water (which was blue, it was reflecting the sky so well) and the occasional boat of rowers go by. The sun was out, but it wasn't too hot - basically, it was just incredibly pleasant. I finished Alice, then walked back, a route that takes me along two roads of very cute British residential streets - one with terrace houses, one with semi-detached houses, and both with a beautiful collection of little front gardens. Everything is in bloom now - roses, irises, snapdragons, impatiens. I came across a huge white peony - it smelled absolutely wonderful. A cat made friends with me, too! And after the residential streets comes the allotments - a big community garden set-up where people rent fairly large rectangles of land and grow veggies and some flowers - stuff they can't fit in the smaller front and back gardens of the houses here. Then across the big field full of buttercups, with cow off in the distance, and I was back on campus, feeling ecstatically pleasant.
I'm ready to go back to the US, and to North Carolina, but I'll miss stuff like this afternoon. June is different here, but it's just as beautiful.
I had the most ridiculously nice afternoon today. One of those ones I'll remember ages from now when I look back at my time here in York, I think.
There was nothing exceptional about today - it just all lined up so nicely.
I headed into town this afternoon with a few things to do, a craving for iced coffee, and a greyish cloud threatening me. The threats were empty, though, because the weather remained gorgeous - perfect to walk in jeans and a tank top, or to sit with my favourite canvas jacket on. A bit breezy, but not blustery - enough to break up the slightly stifling humidity.
I went first to King's Manor, which is an extension of the University of York campus located in a very old (medieval to 19th century) complex of buildings near the city art gallery, the Yorkshire Museum and it gardens and ruined abbey, and the Minster. There I did a bit of research for my upcoming final paper, and was pleased to find enough material to do my chosen subject - material that also will likely pertain to my senior thesis, which I'm already working on a bit. So that was perfect. And I sat in the ancient, wood-beamed high-ceilinged room and looked at books about gardens, and felt the breeze from the open window, and that was all just very nice.
After checking out three books for my research I went and got an iced latte thing at a coffee shop in town (I've been craving iced coffee as a result of it being relatively warm and very humid these last few days). I also got a muffin, and just sat about, reading Alice in Wonderland and enjoying my refreshments.
After this, it was time for a spot of shopping - something I've been avoiding, but the craving for new summer dresses has proved too strong. I went to H&M, and got no dresses (though I saw several I'm considering going back for), but I did pick up two tops (I got lucky on the sale rack), and a new bag to use this summer and for school next year, as my current bag is falling apart. It averaged to about 5 pounds an item - which is an incredible haul.
I walked back along the river, which is a new route Tom showed me recently. There's a greenway-type walk that runs down to Fulford, which is the town between the university and the river, and it's just as fast as going on the roads, but much, much nicer. I ended up sitting along the river, reading Alice and watching the water (which was blue, it was reflecting the sky so well) and the occasional boat of rowers go by. The sun was out, but it wasn't too hot - basically, it was just incredibly pleasant. I finished Alice, then walked back, a route that takes me along two roads of very cute British residential streets - one with terrace houses, one with semi-detached houses, and both with a beautiful collection of little front gardens. Everything is in bloom now - roses, irises, snapdragons, impatiens. I came across a huge white peony - it smelled absolutely wonderful. A cat made friends with me, too! And after the residential streets comes the allotments - a big community garden set-up where people rent fairly large rectangles of land and grow veggies and some flowers - stuff they can't fit in the smaller front and back gardens of the houses here. Then across the big field full of buttercups, with cow off in the distance, and I was back on campus, feeling ecstatically pleasant.
I'm ready to go back to the US, and to North Carolina, but I'll miss stuff like this afternoon. June is different here, but it's just as beautiful.
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