After the rustic, beautiful swaths of land in Cumbria and the Lake District, I took the train down to Euston Station in London, transfered over to Waterloo, and got off in Farnham in Surrey to stay with the talented and charming Tania Tirraoro.
Tania and I met on the internet about two years ago. Like me, she’s a publicity professional AND a writer, and we hit it off. We’ve corresponded and Skyped, but this was the first time we’d met. She has graciously blogged about it here. As for me, I was amazed and delighted that she welcomed me to her house and family for four days. The stay included a family dinner and a party for her 15th anniversary. It was all wonderful!
She also took time from her busy schedule (she was due to go to Sweden for a conference) to chauffer me around. The highlight was our trip to Jane Austen’s house in Chawton. Except for the garden, it’s not in great shape — the eaves sag and the floors squeak—so I hope renovations will be done soon. Still, it was fascinating. Here are some of my photos…
The exterior:
Two sides of the front room/parlor:
The dining room. (Dont you love the model?):
Dresses she and her sister wore:
Jane’s bed (She shared it with her sister and it wasn’t even a double!):
Another bedroom
Part of the garden
Historical information and artifacts (Feel free to click and enlarge)
Finally, we couldn’t leave without a visit to the pub across the street…
