April 1, 2008
-
A Walk to Girton
Now, I should give you some elaborate April Fool’s joke, but I’m rather lame with them. So instead, I’ll tell you about my Sunday walk to Girton.
About a mile from my house, there is a sign which says “Public Footpath to Girton” and opens into broad fields. Every time I’ve seen it, I’ve been tantalized. Sunday was the most gorgeous day we’ve had since we’ve been here, and the outdoors beckoned.
I donned my trainers, jacket, and floppy hat and headed out. It was just about wonderful–all that English countryside and wide, blue sky.
And when I get excited about England, I get all literary.
Is this where Jane Eyre might have popped out…
As Mr. Rochester was riding down this road?
Could this be where Harry and Dudley met the dementors?
Had we but world enough, and time…
We would sit down and think which way
To walk, and pass our long love’s day;
Baa Baa Black Sheep
Oh, for some pattens!
And then I came to a closed and locked gate barring my path. What to do? This was supposed to be a public footpath! But, then I noticed it. A stile! This tickled my literary fancy more than just about anything else had so far. One can hardly read an English book about walking in the country without the mention of stiles.
After about an hour, I reached Girton, a village of about 4,500 people to the
north-west of Cambridge. The old name for
Girton was “Gretton,” meaning “village on the gravel,” because the
settlement grew up along a gravel ridge. People have been living in Girton since pre-Saxon times, although I didn’t see much evidence of it in my brief jaunt. The houses I saw were modern and tidy an had a pristine beauty of their own. (Further investigation is required!)
This photo was taken rather hastily because I didn’t want any of these tidy English villagers to think ill of me.
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise…
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England
Did anyone pull any April Fool’s jokes on you?
Comments (34)
hard to dream of austen and bronte when there are shiny cars in the picture!
Beautiful countryside! BEAUTIFUL!!! I love this post!
Love your journey and the photos! To think, you actually went over and English stile!
Beautiful pictures, Mary. God bless you.
I love your pictures Mary. Thank you so much for sharing them with us.
Love the photos!! How long have you been in England?
@ThankfulMamma -
We’ve been here since January 10th. Our plane tickets back to PA are for May 28th.
Hey, I just noticed that I had 5 credits for Minis. So they are yours now.
The picture of you in shadow is really neat. Nobody played any April Fool’s pranks. My girls did tell their daddy that I made a coconut cream pie for him and then they yelled, “April Fool’s.” He thought it was mean and pretended to cry over his favorite pie!
Awww, the 28th? Too bad you’ll miss the play.
Very nice photos. That looked like just a heavenly walk!
Nope. No April Fools jokes! I was gonna write one on my blog & say that I’m pregnant, but, thought it might be a tasteless or tacky joke. I could pull that joke on my husband, though… then it would be FUNNY!!
I guess I should end this comment since it’s been sitting here for an hour or so (got distracted & called away!). But, in the meantime, I made “Indian Fry Bread”…. which should be outlawed, it was so good!! YUMM! With honey & cinnamon! YuUMM! A treat that I’ll only be able to make about 2x a year, it’s so loaded with grease!
Good Night, my dear! AJ
I grew up in Oxford (UK) and used to cross a stile everyday on my way to school. Now I’m a ‘town-mouse’ and can’t remember the last time I even saw one.
*sighs*
I hope your stay here is going well. Best wishes. CARAX.
England looks soo lovely. I hope one day to travel there. I love days like this, where you can just relax and do something that’s been in the back of your mind. Yeah YouTube and many of the users pulled a few on me this morning!
It does look lovely. You should ask some of the farmers if they every find any artifacts.
Oh my. I just LOVE your pictures….and especially the shadow of your floppy hat.
Your walk sounded so lovely. I’m going to be dreaming all day. No April Fool’s jokes here either.
Sara called me at work and told me someone stopped by and offered to buy my entire garage’s worth of computer junk. I fell for it . . .
RYC: Is it wrong for a dandelion to decorate with daisies? Oh no, we weeds are totally nondiscriminatory! hahah
What beautiful pictures! A day walking in beautiful weather and countryside? Priceless
I watch a little news in the morning before I actually get up while I sip my tea (formerly coffee). This morning on CBS they were with a couple that lived in a 300 year old house in England. It has flooded twice recently due to a block in the drainage ditch. The ditch cannot be cleared because it might have an endangered species of newts living in it. Did you see this?
What an inspiring way to start my day! It was the next best thing to being on the walk with you. Loved it when you “went all literary.”
I called in sick today. I’ve had an odd headache since last night, and simply didn’t want to be nice to a hundred 4th graders with weird stabbing pains on the side of my head. Meanwhile, I have a clean house (we had a work function for my husband here last night) and a short to-do list (I’d nearly forgotten what that’s like), so I’m going to dedicate the day to being with God. It’s been a long time since I focused 100% on him for a chunk of time. Life has been more “pray as I go” this year. I’m hoping to hear something neat from him today. I’ll start with a walk and some pilates and then let God take if from there.
Mary……Thank you for sharing your pictures and ‘taking us on a walk with you’!!!! I really didn’t know what a stile was! Now I do!
I’d love to take a sabbatical sometime, and reside in another country…….really get to know the people, the pace of life, the countryside and customs. Someday perhaps, if the Lord wills. I’ve a few places in mind.
Dear friends of ours just got back from Costa Rica, with wonderful stories. I also have desire to travel to Ireland, as I’ve descended from some Irishmen!
Grace and peace to you today! Becky in Ky.
Hi!
My name is Alisson, I’m French and I study English at the University of Tours. Your blog seems very interesting, and I can easily notice that you love literature
Even if I would like to read more than I do, I can say that I like it too! I’m reading Atonement, by Ian Mc Ewan, and since I saw that you read it, how did you find it? I have a talk to prepare and I don’t know yet if it would be a good idea to present it and to compare it with the movie with Keira Knightley… Can you give me some advice please? If you have time, you can also visit my xanga, I would be delighted 
Have a nice evening, and thanks a lot
YES, I love stiles too! I have pestered my husband for one. He’ll make one maybe this summer! What a glorious walk!
@liliboucledor - A friend just recommended both the book and the movie to me less than an hour ago. She said the movie follows the book fairly closely.
Enjoyed walking England’s countryside with you!
Hello Mary. I’m Blandine and I’m a friend of Alisson. I just wanted to tell you that I love the pics you took. I went to England once but I was younger and it was with my class so we stayed around London and Sidcup. Your pics make me want to come back to your country and visit more places than I did. You’re a very good photographer
). Hope I didn’t make too many mistakes ! 
) Have a nice day.
@Blandine -
Not a single mistake! I am American and am living in England for five months. Are you French? My French is not good.
Je pense que le Français est beau! (I used a translator, but I know a few words.)
@TeacherPerson -
Great !!! My favourite English speaking country are the USA !!!
) Yes I’m French, I’m studying English at the University of Tours (Indre et Loire). Actually I’m in the same class as Alisson. Thanks for your post, it’s very nice. If you want we can stay in touch through xanga… 
) I would love to correspond with you, maybe you could help me for my English. As for your sentence, your French is good ! 
)
If you ever come to France one day, let us (Alisson and I)know it, it would be great to meet you. Have a wonderful day.
oh, lands, it’s Privet Drive! Looks absolutely delicious! Must return to England to walk on that simply splendid path!
Hi Mary!
Thanks a lot for having replied to my comment, it’s such a pleasure to speak to someone like you, indeed you gave me a wonderful idea! Unfortunately I haven’t read The Great Gatsby, but I bought it this morning
Nevertheless, I remember some lessons about it during my first year at the University, and I think that it could be interesting to deal with unreliable narrators. Moreover, I dealt with this subject in my literature exam on Tuesday! So, I really want to thank you for your help, you’re very nice. So now, I only have to work, that is to say read the two books 
I am in holidays tomorrow so it is a good opportunity to prepare my talk. I’m eager to give you my impressions 
Hope hearing back from you soon, thanks again an have a nice day
There were stiles on my great-greandparents’ farm in Illinois.
Yes, my husband gets me every year with an April Fool’s joke. You would think I would learn, but I always fall for it. *sigh*
It’s so green there! Everything here is brown & bare. Hey, I made a rhyme! haha I did not know what a stile was. Thank you for enlightening me.
One smart aleck at the VM retreat got me (& probably everyone else there) about something on my pants. Shame on him– pity his wife!
your photos are great.
Hi, I came here this morning and left a comment, but xanga was acting weird and I don’t think it took. I like the pictures.
A STILE??? Sweeet!