Joan at St Peter's Church, Merton

Today I was in Norfolk, visiting my friend Joan. She is one of the group of four of us who visited Woodbrooke for an 'Introduction to Quakers' weekend, while we were in the Sixth Form at Abbotsholme. It turned out to be a memorable weekend in many ways, one of those 'defining moments' that you don't necessarily recognise at the time.

It was lovely to spend time walking, talking and catching up with each other - we've kept in fairly regular contact by email and letters, so there weren't huge gaps to fill in about what we'd been doing. She is very knowledgeable about local history and gave me a tour of the local church. Edward FitzGerald, who translated The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám. died in the Old Rectory at Merton in 1883 while visiting his friend George Crabbe (the grandson of the poet). So in the web of connections which bind people and places together, I found myself thinking again of Ronald Blythe and Suffolk, where George Crabbe the poet lived.