On revisiting old friends

 

Every year we would make a trip across to Haworth to visit the home of my beloved Brontë sisters. Then the pandemic hit and we didn't visit for three years. On Friday my wonderful husband asked "Would you like to go to the Parsonage tomorrow?" Needless to say he scored a billion good husband points in that one moment.

So yesterday we got up bright and early and headed to Haworth. We were there by ten o'clock and I practically ran to see Charlotte, Emily and Anne's home again.

As we stood and looked once again at the Piano Emily used to play and the table the sisters walked around reading out their stories I felt like I was back at an old friend's house. One who you may not see for a while but when you meet it's like you've never been away.

 

Just walking around the house, looking at the kitchen where Emily baked bread, the study Charlotte had made for her husband, which now houses the copied out manuscript of Wuthering Heights, was a joy. 

The only thing that disappointed me a little was that when I entered Charlotte's room, where they usually have one of her dresses on display, this time they had a dress made for the recent film Emily. It's a beautiful dress, made to a pattern described by Emily in her diary and I was glad to see it but I would have been happier to see it in another room - I'm too much of a purist aren't I? As you can see it is a beautiful dress.

We continued around the exhibition to see Branwell's room, made when Simon Armitage was the visiting curator and on to see some wonderful exhibits of the sister's belongings and some recent acquisitions from the Honresfield collection and even a cutting of Charlotte's hair. These personal items always take my breath away and to see Charlotte's little book of rhymes was a delight.

After a break for tea and a cream scone at Cobbles and Clay we went to visit St Michael's church again.

Though we visit it every time we go, to see the Brontë chapel and the plaque above the crypt where Charlotte and Emily lie, I always learn something new. This time I got chatting to one of the guides and he told me a few interesting facts about old ministers and showed me something that I had never noticed in the stained glass American window. I won't say what but have a look in the bottom right hand corner next time you visit and see if you can spot something not quite right.

 From Haworth we went to visit another old literary friend. This time to the beautiful village of Heptonstall. As my son said "Well of course you did, you always do." 

Yesterday Sylvia Plath's grave was still filled with flowers as it was only 7 days since the anniversary of her death. Bizarrely I always stay longer at her grave than I do at my beloved Brontë's graves. Maybe because I have more experience of depression than consumption, maybe because I am a Mum who has struggled with winter too, maybe because I just love The Bell Jar. I really don't know. I just feel a strange affinity to her when I'm there. 

Yesterday as I said "Goodbye Sylvia" and walked away the rain began to pour. Very strange - no it's not, you're probably saying, it's Yorkshire in February! Well having visited Sylvia Plath's grave many times I have never been to visit Ted Hughes' parents to pay my respects. They gave us a fine Poet Laureate. This time, rain or no rain, I was determined to find them - and I did.

I felt  a sense of completion as though my task was done. Respects had been paid and it was now time to leave. 

I just had one more visit to make before I'd earned my cup of tea in the Towngate cafe. I had to see the ruins of St Thomas a Becket Church. My husband will tell you that I have photographed those ruins from every angle over the years and I probably have but the weather may have been different and there maybe some change in the ruins that is barely discernible so I went again.

The final delight of the day was in the Towngate Cafe. They had Sylvia Plath's lemon meringue pie. I got chatting to the owner and it seems that the organisers of Plath Fest had asked if they would like to join in with the festival and gave them scans of recipes in Sylvia's own handwriting. Apparently it was tricky to make as the measurements were in American units and the method was vague but they worked it out as best they could.

My husband said it was very lemony and delicous.

So yesterday, after a long time apart, we visited some old literary friends and they even gave us cake!

On discovering Mr Bronowski

 

(Image of  Jacob Bronowski via Wikimedia Commons

 link to licence - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:J_Bronowski.jpg)

When my husband was nine he was allowed to stay up each week to watch Jacob Bronowski's The Ascent of Man Series. It had a lasting impact. When he was eleven his dad bought him the book that accompanied the tv series. I think it was thanks to such programmes as this that Robert is such a wonderful scientist and is open to learning so many new things. I, however missed this and my scientific and historical knowledge is, at best, patchy.

A few years ago I bought him the boxed set of the series for Christmas. Every time he suggested that we watched it I found an excuse. I was hopeless at science and history at school and sort of switched off so, quite often, I will still avoid things in those genres now. Last year he finally persuaded me to watch the Cosmos series with Carl Sagan. It was wonderful and I learned so much. Still I put off watching the Ascent of  Man. It seemed far too intellectual for me.

For some reason a few months ago I suddenly wanted to give it a try. I am so glad that I did. We watched it each Sunday working our way through fossils, cave painting, agriculture, architecture, elements and alloys, mathematics, astronomy, technology, evolution and so many other topics. I learned so much and was swept along by Bronowski's enthusiasm and authority. Sometimes I would have to ask Robert to pause it and explain something in more detail but that was praise for Jacob Bronowski because I wanted to understand and learn, rather than switch off and avoid. This has to be one of the best series that I have ever watched.

I have now borrowed Robert's book, one of his treasures, but I want to learn more, to catch up on any bits that I missed or didn't quite understand. Jacob Bronowski has won me round to exploring more about our world and its history. Last Sunday I was so disappointed to find that we had watched the final episode. I will miss Mr Bronowski on a Sunday night, like a favourite teacher you leave behind.

Robert has suggested that we try something new, now that I have more enthusiasm for the subjects. He has shown me clips of  James Burke's Connections and Jonathan Miller's The Body in Question. Neither seem to have the enthusiasm and sheer enjoyment of the subjects that Jacob Bronowski had but of the two I have opted for The Body In Question. This was another series Robert thought wonderful in his youth and, as he says, I can try it and decide if I want to carry on after the first episode.

Maybe I will enjoy it, I'm getting more interested in subjects that I never thought I would try and, if I do, there will be another book to explain the bits I don't quite get - and, as you know, I love books!