Stumbling across things

 Brighton is like London in many respects....impossible to travel any distance and not stumble across something pleasing to the eye. We hardly covered any ground on our visit last week...just a quick trot down a side street to pay quick homage to the sea and even within those few steps I saw this across the far side of the road. The others waited for me patiently as I nipped over to take a photo. Proof that gates can be beautiful as well as functional.

 Have a great weekend folks.

Arilx

It's a kind of magic

On Saturday four wizards of middling years hopped on the Knight bus and apparated outside here. No need for any muggle disguises....if you're in Brighton you're never going to stand out😀 Note that this is not the Leaky Cauldron, but the place where refresher potion making classes are held for those like myself who didn't pay attention in class way back when🪄

Meet Lucy the dragon who dispenses a premixed welcome cocktail,

George the phoenix who dispenses a welcome mocktail,

and Gary, Larry and Barry who were supposed to be dispensing ale, but were not complying.

Now these potions are a great deal more fun to mix than those we had to make at school. They just make you a little sillier for a couple of hours. Mr GBT and I made the Summoner's Siphon and Stingy Jack's Doom. Our fellow wizards made the other ones so we all able to have a sip of everything. Some of it was rather akin to the old chemistry lessons with the equipment we used and I was delighted to see that it included a smoking cauldron, luminscent elements and 🔥

Way back in November I decided that I need to get some things organised which would add a dash of fun into February...hence QI and this. A great time was had by all.....as attested by the levels of cackling caught on a couple of short videos we shot. I'm a thrifty dame so that I can enjoy such experiences as these.

Arilx

Little Things

Seeing as there's very little to report in the way of blogworthy things this week, I thought that I'd get in a spot of much needed practice with my new phone and show you a photo of some of my fabulous miniature toy dolls. The one in the centre of the front row might be less than an inch, but rather amazingly she's fully jointed. Maybe I'll share some more of the treasures in my collection if people are interested. Hope everyone has a fab weekend. I'm off down to the coast for a new experience🍸🍹 Arilx

'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