There is an old pub, deep in the rolling English countryside, not so very far from here. Baskets of flowers hang from its every exterior beam and bracket. A little fountain plays on the lawn out front, and a stone lizard guards its small pond. A ghost roams its cellar. There are rooms to rent for the weary traveller, and the bar is crowded with a collection of champagne bottles and every beer you could imagine. Returning outside, the flowerbeds are edged with bright pool balls, and the view is of gently sloping arable fields. It stands outside a picture-postcard village, on an old drovers’ route, where travellers in former centuries herding livestock to market paused to rest their feet, frown at their blisters, and drink awhile.
Yes, yes, you may be thinking. That’s nice, but there are thousands of pubs like this across the UK, and TheTwistedYarn does her level best to keep them all in business. So why mention this one?
I mention it because for the 300 years until 1940, this pub belonged to my forebears. This is as close as the ‘Yarn gets to a family seat. Not quite Windsor Castle, I know, but one does one’s best. And we – the Stoic Spouse and his visiting father, the Gregarious Grandfather, together with the Toddler Twinnage and I – decided to visit yesterday for lunch. I had never been before. I was so intrigued that I actually PUT DOWN MY KNITTING.
There is a ghost, apparently, the sad soul of one of my ancestors who potters about in the cellar rearranging barrels and causing general mayhem. Apparently he hung himself down there, and still wanders morosely amongst the soda supplies and spare wine. As a psychologist, I can’t help but wonder what drove the poor man to it. There is a story that one particular chair in the pub always feels uncannily cold thru’ his influence, but as we sat outside in unseasonably hot September sunshine, I cannot comment.
I spoke to my Mum on the phone about all this today, for it is on her side of the family that this pub was owned. She explained that our ancestors had a hefty role in running many many pubs in rural Oxfordshire and west Berkshire. A few things clicked into place. Maybe it’s no coincidence that I live in a converted brewery. Maybe it’s no coincidence that I’m not entirely averse to a drink. Maybe it’s no coincidence that I’ve settled in this part of the country, despite the fact that I wasn’t raised here.
Anyway, we came, we lunched, we conquered. And now I must get back to some knitting, and listening to some attempts by the Gregarious Grandfather to persuade me to buy a skein of qiviut, because he rightly thinks that it sounds like yarny heaven. If I succumb to the pressure, be sure to know that I will blog about it mightily here whilst hoping that my bank statement gets lost in the post.
Oh buy the qiviut and make him happy. I have my eyes on some bison yarn I’ve been coveting for over a year. You only life once …….. well, maybe not. At least your ancestors knew the value of a good snort. My poor Native American ancestors just roamed around, finding new places to live every few years ……….. and I’m a nomad, wonder why?
Ooooh bison yarn…. *scurries off to investigate* I imagine your Native American ancestors could tell some powerful stories, if only we could conjure their souls.
Surely if Gregarious Grandad wants you to buy qiviut he should pay for it?! By the way my iPad kept spell correcting qiviut to ‘wiv it’, I am not sure why as I never type ‘wiv it’ – though now my iPad thinks I do – and is possibly not the tone I was hoping for 😉
Ha ha, maybe your iPad judges itself to be ‘wiv it’? Unlike mine. Qiviut would be amazing but is definitely not justified when there are trivial things like mortgage and food to cover. Unfortunately I may yet do something reckless. Who needs food, anyway?
Erm you have never met me. I like my food….
Totally had to ‘google’ qiviut, is it easy to come by?
Lovely view from the pub garden.
We happen to live fairly near a seller of qiviut, although when I visited their shop they hadn’t got anything more exotic than Debbie Bliss pure wool on display. If you’re happy to mail order and spend half your month’s mortgage payment, then yes, I think it’s reasonably easy to obtain.
I have no idea what quiviet is – see I can’t even spell it – qiviut – but I am sure a skein of it would be adorable! I love your old family seat – I was thinking if you had to flutter about ethereally for eternity there could be no better place – then I got to the bit where he is unhappy. You probably should have sat in the cold seat , had a beer and told him he could go now, you have things in hand……. then you could knit a nice seat cover for his chair and all would be well in pub land again 🙂 It’s nice to know why you have your attachment to things alcoholic isn’t it – wouldn’t want folk thinking it was just a random happenstance. .. Hope you will blog about your exotic skein when/if you get it. 🙂
A nice knitted seat cover! That’s the answer. The Twisted Yarn must return to the family seat and get this sorted. The ghostly ancestor may not disappear but at least he will be content.
Exactly! 🙂
Gallivanta, yes, I think this is the solution! You never know, it might cheer our poor sad ghost up a little. And maintain the family connection.
I will be strong… I will not spend next month’s mortgage payment on qiviut… I will be strong…
Actually, your comment made me wish I’d stayed awhile and tried to connect with the poor sad ghost through his seat. I’ll just have to go back there some time soon. Meanwhile I’m hoping to visit another pub (no family connection) which dates from the 11th century and which has apparently been the scene of at least 60 murders. Supposedly, the landlord and landlady had a hinged bed in one of the guest bedrooms, and rich guests would find themselves tipped up into a vat of boiling liquid in the middle of the night before their possessions were all stolen.
Am I supposed to laugh when I read this? I am ashamed to say I rolled onto the floor ….. I don’t think any amount of your beautiful knitting will assuage the pain of that particular place 🙂
I’m also hoping you will spend next months mortgage on qiviut because I really want to see what it is and what you do with it. [Then I would sqeeee over it and you would feel it just right and proper to send it on to me and I would be ever so happy and grateful and you would feel it was all thoroughly worthwhile losing the brewery for ……..] 😀 😀 😀
I just love the way you write, I have never heard you speak, but I can hear you talking to me through your writing. We really should meet up one day. Lovely post as usual x
Thank you. And I love your stunning photos of crochet and Norway. I will – belatedly – reply to your email…..
That’s pretty neat about your family connection there to that gorgeous place. It does make one kind of connect the proverbial dots when so many familiar dynamics has played a part of your life.
It’s a shame about the sad ghost. Bless his heart.
Yes, I wish I knew more details about him. How sad that he felt driven to kill himself.
Thanks for sharing that travel post. I love armchair travelling– one learns much and can easily imagine being there. I do want to actually get to the UK one day, but in the meantime —- cheers! {clink}
Ooooh yes, come! We don’t bite!
*Cheers*
Thank you so much for sharing. I feel as if I was able to escape stress with your post. All is so beautiful again, thanks.
Thank you for your incredibly kind comment.
Wow, what a beautiful place to visit. I wish I could be there. 🙂 Thanks for the share, it makes my day so much brighter. I love reading about other places across the world, it is so very interesting, specially to see it through someone else’s eyes.
Thank you for your lovely comment. And I agree with you about reading about other places across the world. I particularly love reading other bloggers’ descriptions of the changing seasons.
What a great story and you tell it so well! I just love a proper pub don’t you? Such a quintessentially English concept and part of our heritage that we take for granted I fear. Photo of said qiviut please when bought please:)
Oh yes, we do pubs rather well in this country. 🙂
I have done everything (aside from go to the Red Square…funds are low this week) to enter this competition aside from standing on my head as I live in Australia and figure that I LIVE standing on my head anyway so that is accomplished easily :). Fingers crossed and good luck to everyone in this awesome giveaway 🙂
🙂
If my family were to have a family seat, I would much prefer a beautiful, comfy pub to Windsor Castle!
🙂
How delightful and fun☺
Thank you. 🙂
Sounds wonderful, what a glorious description and lovely photos. Am closing my eyes and imagining myself there!
Very nice, if ever I’m in the area I’ll be sure to drop by the pool ball pub.
You put down your knitting?!!!!! Must be worth a visit, please can we go next time i’m down??? 🙂 x