2016 revisited: July

11/1/2017

A summer of celebrations and holidays!

A friend came to visit in July. Having visitors is always lovely, partly because it gives us the chance to check out some of our favourite places and share them with other people. One day we went up to Battle Museum and spent some time in the gorgeous Almonry Gardens out the back. A community tapestry to mark the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings was underway, so we all went and stitched a bit of history!

It was a year for anniversaries in Sussex. Brighton was celebrating 250 years of Jewish residency in the town, with a series of cultural events including lectures, concerts and exhibitions. One key event in the calendar was the unveiling of a Blue Plaque dedicated to Brighton's (then called Brighthelmstone) first Jewish resident, Israel Samuel. Israel Samuel is my ancestor and we attended the unveiling along with another two hundred or so spectators and various dignitaries. There were three direct descendents including me, my third cousin from New Zealand and her son who lives in the USA. We were treated very well as guests of honour, invited to a reception in the mayor's parlor, a special opening of the old synagogue and to lunch in Brighton. The Middle Street Synagogue is a beautiful old building which is no longer used for worship and is not often open to the public, so it was a real treat to be able to spend some time inside.

We had a weekend break with friends in the little town of Haddenham in Buckinghamshire. It was lovely to catch up with them and to feed the ducks in the pond on the green outisde the church. (Plus, we just spotted it in the most recent episode of Midsomer Murders - yes, I have seen every single episode ever, don't judge me.)

And then it was the summer holidays. Several weeks off in July and August has to be one of the best bits about working in a school! We set off to walk from the English Channel to the Bristol Channel with nothing but a backpack (and reservations at a number of B&Bs, haha!). I posted lots of photos at the time, but here are a few more from the walk - including some from the last day, which was actually the 1st of August. Shhh, don't tell!

I shall sign off with a very short compilation of video footage taken at various places over the month of July.

Five Snippets (July 2016) from In Which I on Vimeo.

Previous 2016 revisits: January, February, March, April, May and June.

8 Comments

Lucy Edwards link

15/1/2017 01:14:05

Looks like a great month with plenty of fun adventures, I do love the summer months the best. What's the round brown thing in one of the photos above?

Jonathan link

15/1/2017 18:29:19

Yeah, it's just so much easier to get out in the summer (less prep, less gear). It's a - well, I was going to say "pebble", but clearly it's a bit big for that. It's a big round stone we found on the beach at Budleigh Salterton. You can see it in one of the photos from my original post, too: http://inwhichi.weebly.com/-write/channel-to-channel

Lauren M link

16/1/2017 00:16:49

Looks like a busy month! Great photos-particularly liked the ducklings. Glad I'm not the only one who gets excited when I see places I recognise on tv (or who has a softspot for Midsomer Murders!)

16/1/2017 02:56:33

Thanks Lauren. Another recent episode featured "Midsomer's most isolated village" which is apparently "surrounded by moors" - I swear this county must be half the size of England!

Sarah Irving | The Urban Wanderer link

16/1/2017 23:48:27

What a stunning month of adventures, Jonathan. How lucky to be able to visit the synagogue too, the roof light is absolutely gorgeous. And, I love you rolling down the hill too :D I really enjoy getting to see more of the writers behind the blogs and video is a great way to do it.

I haven't been to Brighton since I was a child and definitely need to think about adding it to the list of places for the next year or so :)

17/1/2017 06:50:52

Haha, thanks Sarah. It was a good hill for rolling - I definitely recommend it if you're ever in Honiton (Devon). Likewise, Brighton's a great place for a short break and, if you're around for longer, it's a good base for exploring the South Downs, too. Let me know if you're coming and maybe we could catch up! :)

Elizabeth link

17/1/2017 18:55:34

I think in the UK that July is the best month for getting out and about and it sure looks like you made the most of it. I love that old church photo - the stories those walls could tell, I am sure!

19/1/2017 07:07:24

Indeed! We only walked past the church (didn't have time/energy to go in after a long walk), but it caught my eye. A lot of the buildings in that area had a slightly dusty pink/red tinge to them. I think it was from the local rocks and soil mixed into the mortar.

2016 revisited: July

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