Meeting my thoughts coming back.

Hello Emily,

Brr 'tis cold today. Got to get Miss Emilia and Mr Marley exercised though- up the Down and towards the Monument. When you reach the top and look down towards Yarmouth you can see the view that Dodgson ( a keen walker as well as stalker ) would have seen- which is pertinent to our Chapter today- so shall muffle up and get up there for a piccie for you!

So, Emily, I wrote the above bit this morning- and had intended to do a little bit about the scenery and where Dodgson was inspired to set his characters- and then we were moving on to the Edward Lear chapter. But, me-thinks we shall alight here as it's probably worth a post of its own!

Here's a War department map of the time. Just to the left of the Bay, is Plumbly's Hotel where Dodgson was staying for three weeks in July/August 1864.
Dodgson was known to be a keen walker- often covering 20-30 miles a day. You can see Farringford in the middle of the map, surrounded by trees and meadows, defined by hedges and trees. Just to the bottom of the estate is a plot surrounded by woodland coined 'The Wilderness' ( which crops up in 'Through the Looking Glass'. )

If one takes a diagonal route up from Plumbly's and over the Down through the Wilderness and then onwards off the map to the left, one reaches The Needles- and the then 'Needles Hotel' where we know Dodgson walked to visit friends. That he took this route more than once is also known- and as it is a walk of outstanding natural beauty, plus it means you get a good look at the Farringford Estate, from what we have already learned about Dodgson, it's highly likely he tromped around quite a bit.

I've been convinced that this particular scenery was where Dodgson placed his story since we moved here last June- it was the scenery that actually gave me the first clues. The Wilderness is mentioned, and each precise Tenniel illustration sums up the woodlands and copses succintly for me.

But to try and show the reader my birds-eye view? Tricky.

Anyhows, off I went Em armed with two Labradors to get some shots that aid my notes.
Here they are:-

This is on the way up towards the High Down, ie across a field from Plumbly's towards the Wilderness.

( We'll go into the Wilderness another time ) This one is when you turn around and start to come back, and look across the meadows towards the Farringford.

Turning your head towards the right you start to see squarish meadows cutting the landscape into chunks edged with hedgerows.

Looking further to the right again, you can see GiGi's house in the middle and Freshwater Bay peeking out on the right. This scenery was also intersected with Hedgerow in the 1860's, you can see some of this on the map.

And there you are, on your way back to Plumbly's with the Bay in full sight ( again, remember the fields were at that time intersected and outlined with hedgerows. )

So there we were Em, I thought that was adequate to show where I was coming from on this- so to speak. So I sat down to do a 'colouring in'...

And, whaddya know... It was there all along! Tenniel had already drawn the Bay in the top right hand corner I just hadn't seen it before...

Lucky old GiGi, saves a bit of doubt for the reader eh Em!

Tomorrow, we'll get on to Humpty Dumpty I expect.

Yours as always- ever-loving Grand-mother GiGi xxx