Alfriston

An Excerpt from Extraordinary Places…Close to London

The legend of St. Lewinna, a young Saxon virgin, began in the 7th century. She was just a girl, bordering on womanhood when pagan Saxons took her body and life. Her broken body was taken to a nearby church where her remains were kept for centuries. It was rumored that those who made pilgrimage to the site of her remains were miraculously cured of their afflictions and their prayers answered. Testimonials of the miracles performed adorned the walls of the little wooden church. A Flemish monk called Balgerus who visited the church by accident on Easter Monday stole the bones of St. Lewinna and took them back to Flanders because she appeared before him and said, “Rise, take me to yourself. Have me, I say, for the companion of your journey.”

Drogo, a 12th century monk, told the story from Flanders, who documented the events of the young girl’s life, death and how she became a saint. In 1058, Balgerus left his monastery in Dunkirk, France and traveled across the sea to England to help convert the pagans to Christianity. He arrived on the mainland at an unknown location on Easter Monday. Aware he needed to observe the day with a special service, he traveled inland looking for a church. He came upon the small wooden church of St. Lewinna and spoke with the custodian who gave a full account of the virgin Lewinna, the miracles and the answered prayers. The priest was intrigued by the stories of hundreds of pilgrims who traveled for days to obtain a cure. He was ashamed to admit that he secretly desired to possess them.

The custodian left the church briefly, believing he could safely leave the priest alone with the remains of St. Lewinna. Balgerus prayed for guidance; should he leave the relics that had remained in the church for over 400 years or transport them to his home in Flanders? It was a difficult decision and the priest struggled with the sense of right and wrong but then, according to Balgerus, the saint appeared to him and suggested he take the bones to his town across the sea. He hurriedly collected the bones together in a sack but as he did so, the bones from St. Lewinna’s fingers fell to the ground. Three times he tried to collect the bones together and each time he dropped them to the church floor. Taking this as an omen that the saint wanted some remains left at the church, he left the finger bones behind.

Balgerus clutched the bones of St. Lewinna to his chest and hurried back to his boat, afraid the villagers would discover the theft and pursue him. The captain and crew were waiting to depart but a storm had begun and the group was not anxious to take to sea. Once again it is said St. Lewinna appeared and indicated the journey would be safe and without incident and the sailing party departed the shores of England. During the following weeks, Balgerus paraded the relics around the towns of Flanders holding them aloft for all to see. It is believed that pilgrimages began immediately and those who traveled to visit the remains had the same miraculous cures bestowed upon them as those in the little town in England.

Sir Loin

When I arrived in America in 1978, I learned very quickly that everyday terms I used in England did not necessarily mean the same thing in the U.S. I recall that when I asked the butcher in the meat department of my local grocery store for “nice joint” for Sunday’s dinner, I realized I had asked for something unusual. It was obvious that although we spoke the same language, there were many things I needed to learn so that I could better convey my true wishes.

In actual fact, the term ‘joint’ or ‘roast’ has been used for centuries to describe a particular cut of meat, notably a sirloin. There are two variations as to which King of England gave the name of sirloin to a piece of beef but both King James I (1603-1625) or King Charles II (1660-1685) have been credited for the incident of ‘knighting’ the meat.

My favorite theory is set in a manor house called Friday Hill, in Essex, located close to Epping Forest a favorite place for kings (and queens) to hunt the royal deer. The king and his entourage had spent the day hunting and returned to his host tired and hungry. He was pleased to see that his host had ordered a magnificent meal be prepared in his honor. A huge loin of beef, roasted to perfection was placed on the table. Being of high spirits after a day of hunting, the king was delighted with the sight before him and suggested it should have a title. He immediately drew his sword in mock solemnity and knighted the meat ‘Sir Loin of Beef’ – hence the term “sirloin” of beef.

Evidently, the long table on which the meal was supposedly served was kept at the manor house for many years. A brass plaque with the inscription: “All lovers of roast beef will like to be informed that on this table a loin was knighted by King James I on his return from hunting in Epping Forest’.

Cozumel Trip Planning Advice

My husband and I spent most of a recent Saturday morning using Orbitz, Trip Advisor, and general Google searches to help decide/plan a first-ever Cozumel trip, with only limited success. We selected a package deal and then checked it out on Trip Advisor only to find conflicting reports on the hotel and the area.

After a lot of effort we decided the comments were very subjective and therfore not much help, but without previous personal experience or input from friends and family we were struggling to make our planning decisions--that is until my husband found the Cozumel My Cozumel web site.

This site is packed full of incredibly useful information from two Americans who live on the island year-round. The site offers information and advice in six main categories:

• Travel Basics


• Lodging Related


• Eating Related


• Things to Do


• Cozumel for Cruisers


• Diving Cozumel


• Living on Cozumel

Each category has as many as 12 to14 subcategories that include "Money Matters", "Health and Safety Issues", "The Art of Bargaining", and so on.

I particulary appreciated the recommendations on lodging and diving. And once the trip was booked, we're now spending time planning the stay with advice on restaurents, trips, and shopping.

In short, if you're planing a trip to Cozumel this is a must-see web site!

Civita di Bagnoregio

Last summer my husband and I were invited by a life-long friend to stay in a chateau he had rented in Umbria. Although we’ve visited Italy at least ten times in the last six years, we’d never spent any time in the Umbrian countryside and decided we couldn’t miss the opportunity and happily agreed.

The chateau is located near the ancient city of Orvieto, which is about 90 minutes drive from Rome airport. Like many of the cities in this area, it is built on the top of a flat-topped hill and has its origins in the Etruscan era, and so has been occupied and maintained as a fortress city for over 2500 years.

Orvieto is a great location for exploring the whole of Umbria and even southern Tuscany. We spent one day driving on country roads from Orvieto to Sienna—a drive that takes you through Montalcino, which is one of the most beautiful wine making areas of Italy, famous for the full-bodied red wine called Brunello di Montalcino.

Lago de Bolsena is also within easy reach of Orvieto and offers swimming, boating, and shopping opportunities in lovely old towns such as Bolsena.

The photograph above is of a unique little city called Civita di Bagnoregio, which is only about 20 minutes drive from Orvieto. Civita can be reached only by the footpath shown in the photo. There are no roads into or out of the city, although we did see scooters using the footpath to take supplies into the town!

Like Orvieto, the city was founded by the Etruscans about 2500 years ago because of its position along trade routes. It thrived until 1695 when an earthquake damaged buildings and roads and forced many to abandon the city for the surrounding fertile valleys.

The Legends of St. Osyth

Frithewald, King of the East Angles and first Christian ruler of his tribe, was in constant fear of being attacked by marauding Danes whose notoriety preceded them. They were known for their brutal attacks, sparing no life regardless of age or gender. He and his wife Wilaburga were fearful that their home would be pillaged and their beautiful young daughter, Osyth, would be kidnapped.

Frithewald and Wilaburga were so concerned for Osyth’s safety they sent her away to the relative security of the county of Warwickshire. Her personal care and spiritual guidance were placed in the hands of Abbess St. Moden, who ran a strict priory but provided love and care of her novices.

One day, Abbess St. Moden sent young Osyth on an important mission to visit a nearby priory to collect a precious book from the Abbess St. Edith, sister of King Alfred. Osyth set off pleased that she had been given such a significant task. After her visit to the neighboring priory, Osyth carefully carried away the book, mindful of her duties to guard its safety. However, on her return journey, the weather worsened and as she crossed a bridge, she was swept into the swollen torrents of the fast-moving river.

Three days passed without St. Moden hearing from Osyth so she decided to visit St. Edith herself. St. Edith told the Abbess that Osyth had collected the book as instructed and, after some brief refreshment, had set off on her return trip that same day. Prior to knowing that Osyth was missing, St. Edith had a vision in which an angel told her to visit the river. Believing this to be an omen, the two women set out on their journey fearing the worst, but they found Osyth sitting quietly by the river with the precious book unharmed in her hands.

Another legend concerns Osyth’s adult life. When she became a grown woman, her parents betrothed her to Sighere, King of the East Saxons. She was an obedient girl and would not defy their wishes and so agreed to marry Sighere. On the morning of the wedding, Osyth’s father, the groom and the men of the wedding party noticed a white deer in a clearing of the woods. They took off in pursuit of the deer leaving Osyth and the womenfolk alone. As she sat quietly awaiting her fate, Osyth decided the life of a nun was preferable to becoming Queen of the East Saxons (later to be known as Essex) and she defied her parents’ wishes and stole quietly away to a nearby convent where she quickly “took the veil.” Sighere was devastated when he returned from the hunt but he loved Osyth and only wanted her happiness, so he built her a priory on a quiet inlet on the coast. It was not long before she was ministering to several young novices of her own and pursuing her dream of serving Christ, but the location of the priory proved fateful.

In 653, on a warm summer’s day, a band of Viking pirates led by Hubba and Inguar swept into the village and came upon Osyth’s convent. The Vikings terrorized the nuns but Osyth stood her ground and proclaimed her faith in God. The Viking, Hubba, ordered Osyth to recant her faith and accept his pagan god. She would not, so the infuriated Viking ordered a warrior to severe her head. The order was carried out and according to local legend, after Osyth had been decapitated she gently bent down, picked up her head and walked to the chapel. Once at the chapel door, her bloodied hand pushed it open and she fell dead upon the floor.

An Excerpt from Extraordinary Places ... Close to London

The Mini - Then and Now

It is a different country, different manufacturer and obviously a different place in time, but one thing is for sure, I believe the Mini Cooper is here to stay.

My love affair with the Mini has lasted 40+ years. I grew up, married, raised three handsome sons, now have three beautiful daughters-in-law, and eight fantastic grandchildren, but recently, a new love has crept into my life - my Mini Cooper!

Living in England in the early 60s, my fiancée, soon to be husband, drove speedily around in his bright red Austin Mini sometimes to the annoyance of other drivers. I remember one incident when a driver, who had been beaten to a parking spot, yelled out “…bloody little thing…I could stamp on it….” Although we loved our old Austin Mini with a passion, a growing family dictated a larger vehicle.

Now, 40 years later, having lived in America for almost 30 years, this grandmother has gone full circle and is now the proud owner of a Mini Cooper. The buying process is of course completely different than it was all those years ago. With the help of a sales associate, one sits at a computer and literally builds the car on screen. Model, style, interior and exterior colors are chosen and then, one of the biggest choices of all for me, whether to choose an automatic gearbox rather than a stick shift. I chose the automatic and wondered later if I would be disappointed, I was not. After three months of “incubation”, which I was able to track on-line, my baby made its debut at Ralph Schomp Mini in Littleton, Colorado, polished and shining from its origin in Cowley, Oxford, England. As the proud owner, I was not sure whether to break open a bottle of champagne or give out cigars!

Evidence of BMWs fantastic engineering in the present day Mini Cooper is everywhere from the sports car like gearbox to the steering and braking capability. The car feels “as one” with the road providing a similar but much better feel than the old Austin model. Having once owned a Porsche 356B and a Mercedes 420 SEL, it was pleasure to discover again the thrill of driving a beautifully engineered car.

My Mini makes me smile – I actually smile at a car!! What’s wrong with me? But I secretly know the answer. For years I have wanted a Mini of my own, but raising a family, having a career and just the responsibilities of life meant I had to purchase a car suitable for my lifestyle. In 2006, with the encouragement of my husband, I chose a car just for myself, and I chose a Mini Cooper. Needless to say, my car is always parked in the nether regions of a parking lot to avoid the inevitable dings that will surely come. But the distance gives me the opportunity to walk slowly towards my car, appraise the workmanship and style to the extent that I always find myself smiling!

A New Member

The National League of American Pen Women was founded in 1897 as an alternative to the (then) all-male National Press Club. Realizing a need for an organization that would include women of the press, Marian Longfellow O’Donoghue, niece of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, decided to create such as organization. Along with Margaret Sullivan Burke and Anna Sanborne Hamilton, she made plans for “bringing together women journalists, authors and illustrators for mutual benefits and the strength that comes of union.”

After a fantastic lunch and general discussion, Nancy Bentley was inducted into the National League of American Pen Women by Diane Hoover at their Colorado Springs, Colorado, monthly meeting. Their motto: “One for all and all for one. www.americanpenwomen.org.