Haring about

Along with my Dad, David and I had the absolute pleasure of going on an organised hare walk up on the South Downs this week. I've had the privilege of seeing a few of these magical creatures in my time, but never so many on a single morning. There were a few hunkered down which took time to spot as many a clod of earth looks to be the right shape at a distance, but several were out and about being busy. I knew before we started that there was no point in taking any photos with my phone so all my viewing was done through binoculars. Thankfully David Taylor of the Friends of the South Downs Society [https://www.sussexnature.co.uk/], who led us, shot this stunning footage and he has very kindly given me permission to share it on here so you can enjoy it too.

Hope you have a corking weekend.

꩜Aril꩜

 

Diamonds are forever

Today it's my parents' 60th wedding anniversary. It's an amazing achievement and we have celebrated with a stunning Sussex family lunch out. They don't care for a big fuss or being centre of attention, but I did have a quiet word with the monarch who's kindly sent them a card with a golden tassel no less. It's been back here to GBT for a post prandial slice of homemade Dorset apple cake and a glass of prosecco. 

Cheers!

꩜Aril꩜

Two by two

Two days, two museums, two extraordinary artefacts, two things crossed off the list.

Saturday, Worthing Museum and exhibit one.

This 'thing' came to my attention a few years ago when a friend sent through a photo of it. At the time it had been lost and only photographic evidence remained. However, more recently it was rediscovered inside a box in the stores, but wasn't on display the last time I visited. The museum only reopened last month following a two year long refurbishment and has yet to put out the accompanying labels. You won't be remotely surprised to be told that this is known as 'The Cissbury Phallus' and was discovered in 1953 by a local archaeologist John Pull. It was found down shaft 27 of the neolithic flint mine nearest the entrance to the southern entrance of the Cissbury Ring Hillfort. I am just imaging the miner's glee when he happened upon it whilst excavating way back in 3800 BC...I am sure that there must have been some ribald comments for it's a big beast shall we say. Although it has been lightly shaped in places, it is mainly a natural formation of a flint shaft with a fossilised sea urchin [echinoid] attached to the top.It was the first time that I learnt that the phallus as an art form/ritual item had been part of the human story for so long. The oldest one dates back 28,000 years. We can speculate upon its role in the society of the day, but the suggestion of it being used as a fertility symbol seems likely, but knowing human nature as it it I am sure that people also enjoyed the visual rudeness of it. Whilst my friend and I were actually there for a folkart exhibition. this unexpected Brucie bonus was an extra highlight.

Sunday, Ashmolean Museum, Exhibit two.

Way back in 2018 I specifically travelled over to Oxford to go to a witchcraft exhibition at the Ashmolean and with a bit of time to spare beforehand I had a lovely wander around some of the galleries of interest to me and saw some amazing sights. It was only when I got home that I realised with great frustration that it is the home of the Alfred Jewel and I had missed where it was housed. We were back in the city this weekend dancing at the folk festival and with an hour to spare and only a five minute walk away from our first dance spot I wasn't going to miss out on another opportunity. It really was a case of dive in, take a photo and dash out again, but  so worth it. 

The jewel was discovered in 1693 by a labourer digging peat in North Petherton, Somerset and it is known that Alfred The Great established a monastery in nearby Athelney having sought refuge there in 878 from the marauding vikings. It is a miniature masterpiece formed from gold with a dragon finial and an enamelled portrait of a man sealed beneath a teardrop shaped piece of rock crystal. Upon it the translated inscription reads 'Alfred ordered me to be made'. It has been in the museum's possession since 1718. Various theories have been put forward to its purpose, but the favoured one nowadays is that it is the head of aestel which would originally have had an ivory pointer and was used for following written text. Alfred is known to have given every bishop in his kingdom an English version of the Regula Pastoralis [written by Pope Gregory] to improve the clergy literacy. Maybe this was also sent out to someone of high status. If you're a fan of the tv series 'detectorists' you will know that this is supposedly the piece Lance found which ended up in the British Museum😀 It might be small, but it certainly packs a punch impact wise.

I consider myself to have been really lucky these past couple of days.

꩜Aril꩜

White Ermine

 If anyone ever tells you that moths aren't beautiful...this is the White Ermine moth.

Arilx

Easter Monday Jaunt

With many folk in full holiday mode yours truly has been seeking out the quiet places away from the crowds.  A couple of hours walking in the stunning Sussex countryside a few miles from home was just the ticket and gave me the reset I needed. Please tag along if you'd care to join us on our most recent meander.

Regular visitors here will know that I am a lover of Spring and Autumn. This time of year it's all about the freshness and vibrant colours of the new season. Nature didn't let me down. Photos never capture the true beauty of the woods at bluebell time...the colour is sublime as are the lime greens and the sharp orange of that lichen [imaginatively called Common Orange Lichen]. The wings of the orange tip butterfly are tangerine, but they rarely land for more than a brief moment so capturing a close-up is well nigh impossible! 

This particular combination of a high gate above and a stile below was one neither of us had encountered before. The design is to keep the livestock in and once we'd crossed the field we found out first hand why that was. That goat is the ringleader....

He called his ovine mates over and then they started nonchalantly following us at a distance to lull us into a false sense of security.

As we neared the other gate on the far side, these would-be Houdinis sped up and we had to get through pretty sharpish. I think that they might have played before😀

Having been very slack this year and barely set foot in any churches I got two for the price of one on this occasion. The first one was a RC one which I only popped over to because I wanted to see the grave of the writer and former MP Hilaire Beloc who lived round here. Not much of interest to report, but then we washed up back at the parish church of St George's in West Grinstead where we'd parked the car. Having been before I wasn't even sure if I was going to bother again, but as ever when temptation is dandled in front of me it is too hard to resist. Am mighty glad that I gave in again for I have learnt over the past decade where I might find things lurking and as you can see below I turned up several things which had previously passed me by.

The faded remains of an early 16th century set of wall paintings featuring St Christopher holding the infant Jesus with a windmill? That's definitely a new one on me. The picture gives you a better idea of what it would have looked like back in its heyday.

You really do find all sorts of things knocking about in churches and often without explanation. At the time I theorised that this wooden box might have been an ancient coffin, but looking at it back at home I can see that it would have been for a very short person and why would it have had strap hinges. Then I wondered if it was the partial remains of a so called crusader chest, but wrong again. It is a hudd [hood] which was a portable shelter to protect the clergyman when he was conducting a funeral service at the graveside in inclement weather conditions.

I have seen my fair share of arcaded 12th century fonts in my time and this one was lovely, but not particularly noteworthy...or so I thought until I saw those teeny faces peering out at me from the corners. Possibly lions, but delightful and nearly missed.

It felt like my outing had definitely been sprinkled with fairy dust.

꩜Aril꩜

Ostara/Easter

David has been baking and a friend dropped this book off that she saw in a charity shop💚 That's my Easter sorted then. Hope you all have a good weekend.

Arilx

Wedding

 

Doesn't this image just sum up spring. My Dad told me that when the blossom cascaded down my Grandmother always said that it was because there had been a fairy wedding. What a lovely window into the folklore of her Edwardian childhood.

Arilx

Not giving a fig

There was the 10.17 bus up on the board yet when I looked a couple of minutes later it had vanished into the ether without any explanation for its mysterious disappearance. With the next one not due for an hour David and I regrouped over a coffee and doughnuts. We were soon chuckling about just how grumpy we'd been about a missing bus [first world problems eh!] and before long we'd come up with a plan B. Half an hour later and we were on our way down to Tarring.

I had always believed that the beautiful village of Tarring was separate from Worthing, but turns out that once again I am misinformed. Once upon a time it was the more important town and Worthing was just a small fishing village, but over time fortunes changed and these days it's been absorbed by the ever expanding coastal conurbation. Somehow though it's retained its character and although the oldest part is only a couple of streets now, it's a joy to spend an hour or so there admiring its medieval buildings which are in such contrast to its surrounding environs. Personally I like to have a starting point when exploring new areas and the short heritage walk provided exactly that. 

The church of St Andrew's dates from the 13th century. As ever the Victorians have had their mucky little paws all over it, but I found the medieval feel of the 19th century stained glass pleasing. John Parsons died in 1633 and his tomb is now the oldest remaining one in the churchyard.

For those like me who enjoy different architectural styles the High Street is the place to head for. Below we have the timbered 15th century Parsons Row along with the very familiar Sussex flint covered former Malthouse. Many of the houses would appear to be later, but if you were to remove their once fashionable brick frontages you would find the much older timber framed structured hidden behind them. The Castle Inn lamp is an amazing survivor when you consider that the pub served its last pint way back in 1911. Although I spotted the castle adorning the top of it when I was there the presence of the cannons were a later discovery. My absolute perfect type of small and easy to miss detail.

Prior to coming here I had wanted to follow up the legends of both Thomas A Becket and the figs. It is rumoured that the great man himself came here and stayed at the grade1 listed Old Palace below. Sadly the facts don't stack up as this dates from 1230 and he met his grisly end in 1170 nor do the claims end there.

The house below is called Bishop's Garth and is nowadays a private residence. If you squint you can see a fig tree growing up above the garden wall and that's where the former Archbishop of Canterbury comes in again. This time it is claimed that the great man himself planted the first one and this little nugget gave the 19th century tourist industry just the boost it needed. By 1830 the fig garden covered three quarters of an acre and had boasted over 100 trees. Visitors flocked in to see this spectacle and with the Victorian nose for ingenuity very much in full view the house became a cafe. One could enjoy a cuppa and bowl of fresh figs. Legend has is that such was the high quality of the figs an Italian warbler called Beccafico bird would fly all that way every year just to feast on the Tarring figs! Legally the homeowners have to open the garden to the public once a year which they do so in July, but nowadays it's a much smaller affair as much of the land was sold off during the 1980s for house building.

As it turned out this change of plan worked in our favour as we had sea mist and drizzle for most of the time we were out and about...we were never going to get fabulous sea views down in Worthing under those circumstances were we😉There's nothing for it...we're just going to have to hop on the bus another day and give it another whirl. Hope everyone has a good weekend.

꩜Aril꩜

New sightings

 I adore this time of year when the breezes are soft and there's some warmth in the air. Have so enjoyed the past few days, although the month has been a quiet one. It seems like this past year has gone past in a flash and we passed the first anniversary of David's cancer op last week. The memories it has stirred up has seen me seeking reflective spaces and heading out into nature has always calmed any emotional maelstroms for me. We are in the best place we can be and I am delighted to say that for the first time the surgeon didn't find anything to remove to test following David's latest biopsy. With a couple of recent wanderings I am so very happy to have seen my first Redwing. Close up you can see very clearly that they are part of the thrush family with their speckled breasts, but the smudge of rouge on their side gives away their true identity. Alas no photo, but instead I have this one to share. My first encounter with Coltsfoot💛🧡

I will endeavour to write about our latest bus adventure next time.

Arilx

Saying it with flowers

We have a rebel with a cause living amongst us. A local chap plants up the worst of the local potholes. Literally flower power in action.

Arilx

Garden doings.

David is naturally a very busy sort of fellow and he's often found to be making or adapting things. A number of factors have combined which has seen a flurry of garden related activity from him recently.

I have spoken before about our efforts to make our teeny garden more wildlife friendly. Our efforts seem to be paying off, but the one thing we didn't have was a pond. There isn't enough room to have anything huge, but it all helps and one black bucket and a wooden hedgehog ramp later and we now have this.

 

To meet the legal deadline our local council is finally rolling out a waste food recycling scheme. We are late to the party on this one. Currently we compost as much as we can, but we're now in the position that our borders are at a level where they won't take much more compost either so we will move over to the new system. We produce so little garden waste that we don't bother paying for the collection service offered (it used to free). That leftover empty bin has now been made into a new smaller compost one than our current one. There will be a space next to it to put our 4th slimline water butt and divert the rainwater from the shed guttering into it.

The final repurposing has been using the trunk from our neighbours' tree when they had it cut down last year (they were happy for us to have it) and making bee hotels. You have to drill deeper holes if you want to attract the female bees apparently.

To be honest I haven't had any input into this bar supplying him with homemade digestives and Dorset apple cake. I did suggest that we had a chat with the pond specialists up at the garden centre about suitable plants and then forced him to stop off at the cafe. Might have picked up a couple of unplanned for perennial wallflowers too🤣

He's now busy working on other stuff.....

Arilx

You doughnut!

"That sculpture looks just like a bleeding ring doughnut" I said to David rather sniffily. "We're standing on the Doughnut Groyne" replied David chuckling.....I should learn to keep schtum sometimes😉

 

꩜Aril꩜

All's well that ends well.

Aside from coppicing and hedge laying, we have been helping to complete an orchard restoration project at the same nature reserve. It had lain neglected for at least thirty years and over the past two winters the dead fruit trees have been removed, the remaining ones have been pruned and the thicket of brambles cut back and half a dozen new Sussex Heritage apple trees planted. There was one last push before the end of last month to get it done before the nesting season start on the 1st March. 

On this part of the site we're very near Chesworth House, a Tudor mansion which was the childhood home of Catherine Howard. Within the orchard [where there is no public access] there is an old well which we speculated might once have been used by the house. These days it's been capped off, but the stone top has broken so we couldn't resist moving it to one side just to see how deep it was. One of the chaps spotted this beetle swimming in the water and scooped it out as he didn't fancy its chances otherwise. Said beetle wasn't very thrilled at this human intervention and showed us so by raising its abdomen aggressively like some sort of scorpion. To my knowledge I've never seen one of these for real, but I knew from others' photos that it's the Devil Coach Horse Beetle.

This species doesn't have the best of reputations. Whilst it won't kill you, it can certainly deliver a nasty bite and it can throw out an evil smelling substance if it feels threatened. To be honest I think it would rather get out of our way as quickly as possible instead. It doesn't fair much better in the folklore realm either because it's claimed that it ate the core of the forbidden fruit or that it pointed its tail in the direction of Jesus to allow Judas to find him. The Irish call it the coffin cutter. However, don't believe all this bad press. They may not be pretty like the ladybird, but they are good to have in your garden because they and other carnivorous beetles enjoy eating slugs!

Have a great weekend.

꩜Aril꩜

 

Adventure on the bus No 1

"It looked as if the Dome of St Paul's had come down to Brighton and pupped."

Sydney Smith

Here we have the Royal Pavilion...once the fantasy and pleasure playground of George, Prince of Wales. Commissioned from John Nash and heavily influenced by all things Oriental, it's hard to not be impressed by this extraordinary building. Not only is the exterior impressive, but things continue in the same vein inside. It is a true assault on the senses.

On a personal level I am not a great fan of the interior. Chinoiserie is not to my taste nor do I enjoy  ostentatious displays of wealth [I could see this fitting right in with a certain president's plans for his $400m ballroom]. However, aspects of it are truly stunning and the chandeliers are divine. Although the entry cost is £19 each, we can now go back as often as we like for the next year. I am definitely going to do so again as they have a dragon exhibition starting soon. With David's new bus pass our horizons have suddenly opened out as we can get to many more places with only having to pay a capped price of £6 for me and not paying out for parking and fuel. This was our first foray and we have already ventured  elsewhere.....

꩜Aril꩜