Another glorious day and I’m certain that the organisers of the Farnham Carnival are all delighted. I saw them popping their witches hats into empty car spaces as cars drove off while I went about my shopping morning. Old chaps, generally with beards, wearing hi-viz vests would spring out from behind innocuous looking vehicles, pouncing like clunky panthers, rejoicing as they claimed another parking spot in Castle Street as if they were engaged in a Chess Masters Final in Moscow. It was all very jolly.
Having an awful lot of fun were the chaps weaving the thick gangle of cables up and over door frames, around posts and brackets, splitting off speaker leads, power leads and other leads, as they neared tables. It is this time of the year that these chaps come out and enjoy themselves, playing at being Festival Organisers, Rock ‘n’ Roll Roadies, Truly Cool Guys. It’s a fun departure from their usual jobs as bankers and brokers and bakers and butchers and Totally Uncool Dads.
My favourite cart
It’s why the funfair is up at the park, of course. The carnival. We are not going though. We have much older fish to fry. We are going to where Mirinda has her book club meetings!
OK, that doesn’t sound all that interesting but really, it is. She discusses the books her group read at the home of Edward Knight who, adopted into the Knight family, was actually Edward Austen. His sister was a rather good writer and it was because of him that the rest of his family settled in Chawton and why Cassandra, Jane’s sister, opened a tea shop across the road.
The house isn’t generally open – although Mirinda goes there once a month – so I was very keen to have a look. As well as the house (and it’s superb library) we were promised Regency Dancing, refreshments, insects, Shire horses and the walled rose garden.
I should mention Summer, the new Shire pony born in the spring. Very cute and still a bit wobbly on its massive feet. Claire, you’d have loved it!
Mother and baby
We had a lovely, relaxed afternoon at Chawton House Library, though we didn’t get to see many insects, and drove home the long way, through the lovely countryside around Alton and Odiham.
The weather is hot. Worse is, apparently, due tomorrow.
Apparently it’s National Insect Week.
How lovely just the sort of afternoon I would like. You can keep the Insect thank you.
love mum