'Free'dom

It's always a good day in my world when I have an unexpected free day. These gaps in my work are precious to me, so I want to try and do something positive with them. We've had an expensive month so far, so whatever I was going to be doing on Thursday needed to be in the cheap/free category. The newly opened dinosaur exhibition at our museum seemed to fit the bill. However, although I enjoyed it it would really only be of interest if you're a local yokel. However, I did have a poke about whilst I was there to see if there was anything new to catch my eye. Turns out there was......

These running shoes belonged to a chap called Alfred Shrubb. He was born in 1879 and by the end of the century was working as a labourer until a fire in a nearby village changed the course of his life. At the time the fire engine was still horse drawn so one of his workmates asked him if he could run there to help out. This he did across the fields still in his workboots at remarkable speed and on the back of this he was invited to join a running club. From there on he went on to represent his country and hold many world records at middle and long distance. In one race he even went up against a horse which only beat him by 10 yards. Few could catch him and the running manual he wrote later in life went on to inspire the likes of Roger Bannister amongst others. Weirdly Shrubb was largely forgotten until fairly recently round here. It seems that there was some kerfuffle over prize money he'd accepted which forced him to turn professional and he moved over to Canada where he is much better remembered. Nowadays his legacy has been recognised and there's an annual five mile Alf Shrubb race run in his honour.

This rather exotic piece of 17th century wallpaper [c1700] was discovered when some renovation was done on one of the houses which stand in the same street where the museum is located. The peacocks are rather fun and its lucky survival gives us a glimpse into the decor taste of the past.

Sussex is known as the land of the South Saxons. Our Saxon heritage is a huge part of the county's story and we were the last place to be converted to Christianity. These rather wonderful glass Saxon beads were found around here.

It's amazing that this tiny little scrap of paper has made it down through the centuries in such good condition. The peace dinner held on 11th August 1814 was to celebrate the capture of Napoleon Bonaparte. Unfortuately it turned out to be rather premature as Old Boney managed to escape and remained undefeated until the Battle of Waterloo on 18th June 1815.

This type of bisque doll was mass produced during the Victorian era. She came in a multitude of sizes ranging from 1" to 18". The smallest ones were sometimes called 'Penny Dolls' due to their price and affordability. I've seen several mudlarkers get very excited when they find one [usually the tiny ones] and they're usually called a Frozen Charlotte. The story goes that their name is based upon an American folk ballad which tells of a young lady who declined to wear any warmer clothing to a party she was attending and supposedly froze to death as a result. There is a male counterpart called a Frozen Charlie, but they seem to be less common.

With all these little curios I found this one has to be the best and thus I have saved it to last. This is....wait for it.....a potato flask. Who knew😂 It was a new on me too! This one is metal, but others were ceramic. There seems to be very little written about them, but the suggestion was that it was a way of disguising that you were having a few sneaky nips of an alcoholic beverage when you were out in working in the fields. That's one theory anyway. The only information provided about this example was that it dates from the late 19th century. Social history just constantly fascinates and surprised me in equal measure.

Not a bad haul for a bitterly cold and very grey afternoon eh.

Arilx

Spring Cleaning

Have a fab weekend folks.

Arilx 

A Quite Interesting Monday

I had yesterday off and we spent nearly three hours in a queue [the British do so love a queue] in London in the freezing cold. Was it worth the shivering and chattering teeth....hell yeah. We met some lovely people and we got in to see a live recording for the next series of QI [they're up to W] which is one of our all time favourite shows. It'll be aired later on in the year. Without giving much away I now feel all the better for knowing that wombat poo is the only one that is cube shaped🧊💩🤣

It was incredible how quickly the time flew past once we were in the studio and so good to laugh like a drain for more than two hours. What an amazing afternoon. I just snapped a few photos of the Television Centre as it's such an icon and such a huge part of my viewing from childhood onwards.

Arilx

Back to where I was

This is the post content you were meant to get before I got distracted by those gorgeous windows last time....must concentrate. However, before I dive in I just wanted to mention that the aforesaid stained glass work was done by an Irish artist called Wilhelmina Geddes [1887-1955] who, during her lifetime, was regarded as pioneering and an important figure in the Arts and Crafts movement. I am championing her contribution as her name has faded from view whilst her male counterparts continue to be lauded. Time and time again I come up against this in different areas...women's contributions being set aside and forgotten about. It greatly frustrates me.

Now to get back on topic....a short three miler of a walk near the town of Petworth  in the utterly fabulous South Downs in all that beautiful sunshine we had last Sunday. The stunning view is of Shimmings Valley says it all. We got to walk across there and then up Sugar Knob Hill [childish I know, but I'm British so have to titter to myself😁] and along Lover's Lane. With the weather being so good there was time to just stop and drink it all in. It was my first time of ever seeing a kestrel at relatively close quarters and the grey horse just quietly stood and watched us as we sauntered past.

This though was the reason I chose this route. The chance to see the Virgin Mary Spring was too good an opportunity to miss. There is something so special about being in close proximity to running water and although this one is only 25 yards off the main path it feels very calm and spiritual there. This is only the second sacred water related site I  have been to in Sussex, but having discovered there are more wells and springs I intend to seek others out.

Having made it back to the car it was still only early afternoon so 'twas time to reveal my cunning plan to Mr GBT. I hasten to add this type of reveal is a regular occurrence. My husband has played many times before and he knows to expect that I'll have something extra up my sleeve if time permits. I like to get the best out of my adventures after all all. This time by little 'add-on' was a quick drop-in to the village of North Chapel which is only a few miles up the road. My intention was to see the latest sculpture by a local artist, Nathan Blatherwick, which was installed last summer. He carved it out of a diseased horse chestnut and its position next to to the main road means that it's very visible to all passing through.

I can never resist a ghost sign nor a church for that matter [as if you didn't already know that]. Seeing as the church was next to the carving it would have been foolish not to at least check to see if it was open. The door was indeed unlocked and the inner doors were decorated with the most beautiful glass etchings inspired by the life of a former parishioner Jonathan Henty. Different images depicted his life and this one of the two angels was the one which I was drawn to. It's based upon the Mappa Mundi in Hereford and was included because he was the Chancellor of the Diocese of Hereford. 

Having finally achieved what I set out to do several days ago may I just wind it all up by wishing everyone a good weekend.

Arilx

Imbolc Adventures

 In past years I've found Imbolc the hardest of the eight annual festivals to mark in a way that is personally meaningful to me. I'll hold my hand up and freely admit that I am hopeless at doing any sort of ritual or meditation. As far as I can see my own druidry has always presented itself in very practical terms and in a way which I can relate to. This year I had no such problem. Last week I stumbled across the details of a walk route which sounded perfect. With the weather so glorious we headed out into the South Downs yesterday and it was absolutely magical. The intention was to write all about it in this post, but then I started to edit the photos of a stained glass window I came across.......

 As I've done so all these stunning details have jumped out at me which I simply couldn't see at a distance. You never know what's lurking and somehow these Medieval style depictions of the elements accompanied by the sun, the earth and the moon seemed perfect. This is the work of W Geddes [1930] and is to be found in the church of St John the Baptist in North Chapel, West Sussex. I am so taken with them that I really feel that they deserve a post all of their own.

I'll write the post that I meant to next time!

Arilx 

The January Man

I heard this song for the first time at our folk club recently. As we head out of January with the promise of some early signs of Spring dandled in front of us in February I thought others might enjoy it. This version is by Steeleye Span.

 Hope everyone has a good weekend and Imbolc blessings to those who celebrate the Old Ways.

Arilx

Weekend Shenanigans

Trotting in to say hello. I do hope everyone has been safe in all these storms we've been having of late and that you were able to enjoy a slice of that Saturday sunshine which was crammed in between the not so pleasant weather.

 I couldn't believe my luck as I was at yet another wassail [that's my main form of entertainment in January these days😂, but this one was a Tudor one held at Michelham Priory over in East Sussex. As ever I took very few Morris photos as I really don't want to bore everyone to death, but this candid one did make me chuckle. Everyone patiently waiting to be sprayed with fire retardant before our fire dance that evening🔥[I drummed for that one....my anxiety levels skyrocketed at the prospect of it].  As our foreman wryly commented 'They were all very trusting. I could have been de-licing them for all they knew!'

We needed to be there an hour before the gates opened to the afternoon session for the children so I took a little wander around the beautiful grounds to settle my nerves [it was a new event for us so I didn't know what to expect]. That first glimpse of snowdrops is always a special moment for me and a reminder that the early beginnings of Spring are on the way.

Choosing to spend a goodly chunk of my spare time as I do means that I see all sorts. The lady accompanying the Mari Lwyd in its very fine fruit festooned cloak was sporting a very impressive and might I say beautifully embroidered codpiece under that cloak. I only know that now as I've seen somebody else's photos of it, but she was definitely keeping it under wraps when the children were about😁

As you might expect from this historical period there were plenty of people wafting about in Tudor costumes. The group below were dancers and I think were meant to depict Henry VIII and all of his six wives together at once. That's a happier outcome that the truth.

At the end when all of the audience had gone onto the orchard for the wassailing I volunteered to look after all our kit so that the others could go and join in. To be honest I was perfectly happy to just sit quietly in the courtyard having a bit of downtime whilst drinking a coffee and watching the world go by. With a stunning sunset like this to enjoy I definitely wasn't suffering from any FOMO😊 As darkness fell the evening visitors arrived and we commenced our second performance. 

It was great fun, but took a lot of my energy so I was more than happy to spend yesterday pottering about at home. We amused ourself by following the WWII Ministry of Food's recipe for mock turkey. I don't think we would have fooled anyone, but, if like us, you are a big fan of stuffing then it's very tasty. There's still plenty left for us to another day and we'd definitely do it again. Would we bother with the faff of shaping it though? No 

Speak soon.

Arilx