Harlaxton 2016: Class Day (D.H. Lawrence) and Free Time

By Jonathan Kinnard:

Yet another Harlaxton day started by most with a warm cup of tea and a hearty breakfast. This morning’s class started with presentations as usual. As the sunlight breached through the garden windows in the Long Gallery, I started by giving a brief presentation on Nottingham Castle and its history. This was followed by interesting discussions from Mia Weaver on Robin Hood and Amber Carroll on Lord Byron’s love-life. Without missing a beat, Dr. Rutledge then launched into our quiz on D.H. Lawrence and his literary works. Next was an unorthodox lecture that ended with each of us feeling each other’s faces to demonstrate how awkward it must have been for Bertie in D.H. Lawrence’s The Blind Man.

Next was lunch. Then we dispersed to all corners of Harlaxton and Grantham, England. Woodland walks seemed to be popular ventures today as the many nooks and crannies of the trails behind the manor were explored. Other students took biking trips to Grantham to shop, eat, and go to church. I was surprised to find that the bike ride to Grantham is not all cement and sidewalk either. Plenty of creek-side trails were used as shortcuts to get around. Thanks to Veronica Johnson’s expert trailblazing, my group made it to church safely and on time for a wonderful Sunday service. The Bistro (Harlaxton Manor’s basement) is certainly becoming a favorite spot thanks to the plethora of movies, darts, and cards available. I walked around the manor around 9:00 pm and noticed four different movies playing at once. Without a doubt, it’s been a relaxing day here with a beautiful sunset to put the cherry on the cake.