Scrumping Moments

Just returned from my first drink in England. My thoughts of the evening are short and to the point (and point form).

First of all, I should introduce someone, as she will likely appear in stories and photos throughout the year. There is one other lodger in the house where I am staying. Her name is Sarah. Turns out that she not only also from Canada (Nova Scotia) but also in the same program as I am (MA in Devised Theatre).

Sarah and I walked up to Dartington Estate today, my first visit to the college. The Estate is rather stunning and has a fascinating social/experimental history that I
want to tell you all about but not till I know more about it. It has to do with sustainable community, alternative education….and a trust fund. Next to the grandness of Dartington Hall (think Mansfield Park though maybe slightly smaller) the college buildings are impressively and rather amusingly ugly – models of 70s architecture. Actually they rather remind me of small versions of FAB, the Fine Arts Building at the University of Alberta. I haven’t seen the studios yet but I’m told that they are much nicer than the outside of the building.

Dartington Hall (entrance) - I DON'T have classes in this building)

Philosophies of the Dartington College library:

• Every library worth its salt needs a spiral staircase (the Dartington Library has one)
• If they don’t have the book and you need it for your research, tell them and they will get it for you.
• Food and drink are allowed
• Talking is allowed

I even heard tell this evening that they are starting a project at the library in which they will find books on the shelves that can be painted, invite students to paint them, and then re-shelve. I will report back once I have confirmed (or debunked) this delightful possibility.

We got a bit lost on the way back to Totnes, attempting to follow a trail that should have taken us home and obviously getting off to the wrong start. But it was fun climbing fences and walking through cow fields for a bit before finding the main road again. I’m terribly excited about wandering the fields this year. And people keep mentioning the moors, the idea of which holds a great deal of literal (in the literary sense) appeal to me. Perhaps it is my last name, perhaps it is the promise of heather and hills and rocky crags but I feel that I shall love it on the moors.

Friends from the field:

Observations:

• Ginger beer is better here
• Cider is better here

Best word of the day (maybe ever):

• Scrumping, as in "scrumping apples" (stealing apples from an apple tree)