My room is cold. Like Dickensian cold. As I noted before, I thought myself to be a genius by figuring out that if I pile a bunch of my clothes (yay, for over packing!) up in front of the window with the curtains shut that manages to block out the draft. Then the room is not exactly warm but if you sleep in socks, slippers, long sleeves and a sweater – you will live.
However, the kindly british housekeeping staff at the estate keep sweeping my curtains open for me like they do at a hotel. Pip, pip, cheerio and what the frak! They totally keep breaking my beaver dam of warmth. I can only imagine what they think upon seeing all my clothes piled up on the windowsill Henry Hughes style. So today I shut the curtain tight, walled up the window with clothes and left this note,
PLEASE DO NOT OPEN CURTAIN. I FOUND DOING THIS KEEPS THE ROOM WARMER. CHEERS.
I added the cheers with the small hope that this would keep them from thinking I’m batshit crazy. Fingers crossed it works!
Yesterday I had fish ‘n chips for lunch, we were visited by an amazing poet and I learned what Treacle is and I worked on revising my drafts for pieces that I’m sharing in a workshop on Saturday and a new student reading on Sunday. More importantly, I finally managed to get my hair looking half-way decent. This morning, after a really amazing workshop I set off to walk the grounds. The sun was shining and as I trekked across the estate taking pictures of rolling green hills, fairy tale trees and the redrum-esque abbey itself I settled into a rare moment of complete peace and gratefulness. Then it started to rain, sprinkling at first. I had walked to the farthest point of the grounds, out by the waterfall (yes, a waterfall!!) and I stopped in awe to admire the grand double rainbow this sunny sprinkle-shower created. I tried to get a picture of this beautiful phenomenon but like a foreboding jump cut in a horror movie the sky went hazy grey and it started to pour. My moment was over.
Sliding back across the muddy estate while being drenched by a sudden rainstorm was actually quite fun. Only my hair is back to crap. I immediately came down to our computer lab in the basement of the abbey, not only to share this with you, but because it is snug down here and if I went back up to my room I’d be risking pneumonia.
Upcoming: Today my group workshops the writing samples I brought with me, I am on a mission to eat Bangers and Mash, and tomorrow I’m going to try and visit Oxford.
