Misty Krueger

Oh, how bittersweet my last day in Chawton was. The bitter part? It rained a lot that day, and I had to walk in it a few times. It was a sad, gray day. Actually, the day was mostly sweet, for I got to look through a book that I have been wanting to see…

On August 7, I decided to go back to Basingstoke to see the recently unveiled Jane Austen bronze statue standing in front of the Willis Museum. There I also planned to see one of the Sitting with Jane book benches and an exhibit called “Retail and Romance: Jane Goes to the Ball.” In case you…

Pop Quiz: How many of you recognize the building shown behind me? Most of you, probably. Once upon a time I was a fan of Downton Abbey. My favorite characters were the servants, not the wealthy Grantham kin. I watched for Mr. Bates and Anna, mostly. I stopped watching during season 4, particularly after episode 3.…

I never really thought about what kind of beach one finds in England. I guess I imagined a rocky coast like that of Maine. This past weekend I even visited a chalky coast line in Seaford. The beach itself consisted of millions of pebbles ranging in size. I even managed to pick up a heart-shaped one…

I have always wanted to visit the white cliffs of Dover, but they have always been too far away! Little did I know that on this trip I would visit the white cliffs of Seaford, which look like the white cliffs of Dover! As it turns out, there are more white cliffs than one, and…

  Today was my last day to volunteer at Chawton House Library. Friday was my last day at Jane Austen’s House Museum. Of course, this will not be the last time I go to these places, but in the future I don’t suppose that I will be a volunteer. I will go back to that…

Yesterday we visited Brighton. You wouldn’t know it from this image, but this is not an Eastern palace situated in some far off clime. Oh, no. It is a British palace located in the heart of downtown Brighton. The Royal Pavilion was commissioned by the Prince Regent, George, who would become King George IV. The…

I knew it had to happen eventually, but I hoped that it wouldn’t happen at all: I have been called out as being an American. Yes, most people who talk to me know that I am American (except for those few people who thought I was from Canada or New Zealand). Many British people have…

On Wednesday, the Jane Austen Society of the UK’s wonderful secretary, Maureen Stiller, picked me up from the Stables and drove me out to Steventon. For those of you who do not know the significance of Steventon, it is the village where Jane Austen was born and lived in for the first twenty-five years of…

A simple, polite sign* sits on a piece of furniture in a museum or gallery. It nicely asks you not to touch the items. It is cautionary by nature, unthreatening in appeal. Still, people disregard its humble request. Maybe it’s OK to touch that chair, desk, piece of paper, glass bowl, or book! Maybe the…