Rain and reading

In the morning I strode forth to do some more geocaching. However, the rain was so heavy that I soon took refuge in a cosy little café. Honestly, Winchester is the home of the cosy café!

Fortunately, I had the new book with me that I picked up yesterday: “Winchester: A poetic history in inconsequential moments”.

It’s such a great idea. In 2021, Winchester Poetry Festival’s Poet on the High Street, Jon Seagrave, collected people’s memories of things that they’d experienced around the city. Some contributed poems themselves, and other tales were transformed into poetry by Seagrave. The book includes maps and routes so you can visit the spots where these memories were made.

It’s a charming alternative history and guidebook based not on the doings of great kings and bishops, but of ordinary people.

I had fun reading. And when the rain let up, I got to explore one of the routes, too. Which – to come full circle – also led me to another geocache.

Translator chat

Then it was time to meet a couple of colleagues from the translation/interpreting world. It was a pleasure to reconnect with the very splendid Suzie Withers, who I’ve met in person a couple of times now. And we were joined spontaneously by the lovely Paul Appleyard. We had a delicious brunch at a French brasserie-style place – very appropriate since I was with two French specialists.

We had a wander round Winchester afterwards, then Paul headed off home. Suzie helped me find the geocache I’d abandoned due to rain in the morning and then there may have been more coffee before we set off to the station.

Change of plan

The idea was to take the train to London and continue to Manchester. Getting to London was fine, but Euston station was having a bit of a moment, with cancellations and disgruntled passengers as far as the eye could see.

Fortunately, I had a very convenient (and free!) plan B. I was able to go to my parents’ place for the night. An early train would get me to Manchester in time to meet up with my next networking buddy as planned.

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To find out more about what led me to go on tour, how I planned it and what the benefits are, have a look here.

And read the rest of my tour diary here.