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At Max Gate (Hardy's last home) we learnt of the author's humble childhood and his rise to the status of pre-eminent architect and writer. We also visited the cemetary of his numerous pets including Snowdove, a white cat with an unfortunate penchant for playing on the nearby railway!
In a moment of silence, we paid our respects at the burial place of Hardy’s heart and heard some appropriate words from the distinguished author himself. It was then off for a ramble in the countryside that inspired so much of Hardy's work. Reminded of some of his fictional characters, we gazed at expansive views and munched a delectable picnic.
The sun smiled on our visit to the beautifully kept, thatched cottage that was the place of Hardy's birth and then the Wessex weather revealed something of its capricious nature in some moody displays as we headed back to the bus.
All the more welcome, then, was a visit to a local tea room but not before we had scrutinised some unique stained glass windows in the church where T E Lawrence's burial place is to be found. He was killed in a motorcyle accident near to his home, Cloud Hill, which is now an idyllic sanctuary that we also visited.
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