Room with a view

From today until Saturday morning, I am staying at a B&B on the edge of Curry Mallet which is not far from Taunton in Somerset. Somerset is one of my favourite counties and is also the starting point of the story. Where I am staying is a room that also has a balcony with a table and two chairs and this is the view you see from there. My room is very comfortable and has everything you need.

The journey down wasn't too bad in the main, except at Winchester. At Cheesefoot Head off the A272, the so called Boomtown Festival was taking place. That was OK, except that it had created utter chaos and gridlock on all roads into and out of the city and all around. It was really awful trying to get through there.

The hills in the distance are the Blackdown Hills. These reach over 1,000 feet and are made up of Devonian rocks with Upper Greensand (a local rock to me) on the top. The area is very wooded which resembles home somewhat. This woodland was part of the Forest of Neroche, an area in Medieval times used for hunting. Under the hills in the distance lies the small village of Staple Fitzpaine.

The story begins in the autumn of 1408 when Hawise Fitzpaine has to leave her home at Staple and travel to Shalden in Hampshire to marry William Mauditt who she barely knows. So Staple Fitzpaine which is about 5 miles from where I am staying has considerable significance as it is where it all starts. Rachel Dibble the teacher of History in the present also comes from Somerset, making the connection between Hawise and Rachel.