Early announcement of 2025 dates for Angela Thirkell Society meetings.
From Jutland Cottage, Chapter One
“At the moment when our chronicle begins to continue its well-meaning but eccentric (in the scientific sense) way, it was a nasty cold day in early February . But in the Old Rectory all was pretty comfortable owing to the excellent central heating which would heat pretty well anything and the supply of wood from the Gresham estate. Mr. and Mrs. John Leslie were having breakfast with the heat at full blast and a good fire and not feeling in the least too warm. Indeed a great many of us, owing to the years of fuel and food shortage, will be like Harry Gill* and our teeth (though we have not earned our fate as he did) will chatter still; and not to be warm enough is a state which leads us to hope for hell unless we can be authoritatively assured that heaven has a good reserve of whatever fuel it uses, with the rider that if people like Aunt Cecily—who comes into the room in mid-winter merely to say “What a fug! I don’t know how you can bear it!” and open the windows wide—is in heaven too, we shall strike.”
*Harry Gill from Wordsworth’s “The Ballad of Goody Blake and Harry Gill”
Following some particularly dark and damp February weeks, a day of unexpected sunshine and NO rain has inspired an air of optimism. Tempting though it may have been, the Angela Thirkell Society hasn’t been hibernating and members can look forward to several social gatherings.
The next Midland meeting is on Saturday March 8th, in Harborne, Birmingham. The book chosen for discussion is Before Lunch: we’ll begin before lunch and continue for some time after.
The London and South East region are meeting at Penny’s home in Blackheath Park, London, at 2pm on Thursday March 20th. The book under discussion is Summer Half. It’s recommended that anyone planning to attend for the first time should contact either Penny or Rita (contact details inside the 2024 Journal) for directions.
Although designated “London” and “Midland” regions, please remember that all ATS meetings are open to Society members, regardless of location. The willingness [to travel] is all, so please contact a committee member for details if you’d like to attend a meeting, or if you’d like to host a meeting, wherever you are.
ALLIANCE OF LITERARY SOCIETIES AGM 2025
The ALS AGM weekend is hosted in Brighton by the Kipling Society, Friday 16th – Sunday 18th May. The programme includes talks about authors, and an apposite discussion on the role of literary societies in the digital age. A display of items from the University of Sussex’s Kipling papers will be on show.
On Sunday choose from a guided walk around Rottingdean (with Kipling and Thirkell connections) and a visit to Kipling’s house, Bateman’s. More details are available on the ALS website.
Ready to plan further ahead? The ATS Annual Outing will be to Red House, Bexleyheath, the Arts and Crafts home of William and Jane Morris. Final details are yet to be confirmed, but the committee is hoping for a private guided tour for members on Wednesday 8th July. You can read about the history of the house on the National Trust website. Full details in a forthcoming newsletter.
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