Julia and Emma's Arboretum

Morning! It's been a hectic [in a good way] few days and am grateful for a day off today to catch up with myself. Amongst all the people and clamour there was a moment of much needed and appreciated stillness.

Much to my amazement [and all my other local friends and family I've asked since] there is a small arboretum tucked away quietly in the village two miles up the road from me. It really is hidden in plain sight. There's no signs to it and very little on the internet, but it's known to and enjoyed by the locals.

Planted in 1998 it is there to perpetuate the memories of Julia and her young daughter who were tragically killed by the Flowers Gang in South Africa in 1996.

Nineteen years on it's flourishing and you can feel the calmness emanating from the trees and shrubs as you go through the gate. Julia loved the view of the village green and the Downs in the distance and its location captures this perfectly.

The family have set up a charity to educate the public about plants.

I think it will definitely merit a return visit in a few weeks time once things have moved on a bit.
Arilx

April Scavenger Hunt

I mean to do this every month, but somehow it never happens. I can see another six months has passed since I joined in. Linking to Kate http://livelovecraftme.blogspot.co.uk/

1. New...a webcam. This has been recommended as one of the best ways to keep in touch when our son heads off to Bangladesh for three months. I shall be pleased to be able to "see" him as well as speak to him every couple of weeks. Sometimes I curse technology, but Skype is fantastic.

2. Rust...this is actually a paint effect called faux tina. Seen in Brighton last year.

3. Box...this glass box contains the London skyline made up of coffee related waste. It's part of a campaign to draw attention to the appallingly low recycling rates in this area.

4. Ingredients...what you need to be a Morris Dancer. The tankard is not obligatory, but show me a dancer without one...they are a very rare breed!

5. Begins with D.....This is Dobbin who lives at the NT property, Standen. His saddle asks you not to touch him because he's old and frail. As a child I always loved rocking horses. It was always with great excitement that we went shoe shopping....nothing to do with shoes, but the chance to ride on the rocking horse they had in the shoe shop back then!

6. Mechanical...Victorian "Thunderbox". Only available to those who had money. It must have seemed such a huge improvement on what went before. Thank goodness for flushing toilets! This example is at the Farnham Rural Life Museum

7. Something seasonal Seeing as I didn't do anything for St George's day blog wise I shall make amends here. This example hangs on the wall in Southwark Cathedral

8. Recently finished At long last the stitching on my wall hanging has been completed. Just need to stitch some tabs on it so that it can actually go up somewhere! Every part of it has either come from the charity shops or jumble sales over the years. I plan to paint one of my son's old cot bars cream to suspend it from.

9. Begins with R Red Kite. It still thrills me whenever we see one of these, but we are invariably travelling in the car when we do. They are beginning to appear in my little pocket of West Sussex. This one was circling on the thermals up above our son when he was running a half marathon near Windsor recently.

10. My own choice Jukebox in a Sussex pub. The notice said that it still worked if you put 20p in it. We only popped in that day fleetingly so didn't get the chance to try it out.  When I was at college in the 1980s we had one in the Student Union bar. I can remember playing Tom Jones "It's not unusual" on it one summer. Funny really because I am not a TJ fan in any shape or form, but I do have a soft spot for this track!

Arilx

The Great Dictator

I found this quote in a book I've read recently. Simply liked it. It was said by Charlie Chaplin at the end of the film  "The Great Dictator". This was in 1940 yet its sentiment is oh so modern.

"We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical, our cleverness hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness we need kindness..."

Anyone want to start a revolution with me?👊

Arilx

It's a tough gig....

...but hey somebody has to dance with this lot. I shall heave my carcass out of bed at some ungodly hour on Monday [having had a late night Saturday and an even earlier start on Sunday....this 50 year old bird is mighty glad she has a day off on Tuesday to recover👵], strap on some bells and do some stick clashing whilst accompanied by this lot down at Hastings. Of course, I don't enjoy it one little bit😆

Kempshott Hunt. Recorded at our local on Saturday. The dancers are to be seen "relaxing" [drinking in popular parlance] in the background having done two sets in unexpectedly warm temperatures. Another really great stand.

Arilx

23rd April

Tonight at 6.45 the monthly vigil will be held at the Crossbones Graveyard just a stone's throw away from Southwark Cathedral. Poems will be read and ribbons tied on the railings to remember all those on the fringes of society who were buried without honour in this piece of unconsecrated ground.

The earliest bodies were those of the anonymous Winchester Geese. These were the prostitutes who worked in the stews [brothels] in this area of pleasure seeking which was beyond the walls of the City of London and outside its jurisdiction. Ruled over by the Bishop of Winchester, they plied their trade legitimately and he earned income from the taxes he levied from them. Most it is believed died from syphilis or in childbirth.

This area continued to be in use as a more general mass grave for paupers until it was shut down in 1853. It lay forgotten until 1993 when excavations for the Jubilee Line started to unearth the bodies and it is now reckoned that it contains about 15000 people, over half of which were infants. Over time it has become a focal point for many to gather to honour these lost souls. Hidden away in a backstreet its stark simplicity and heartfelt messages sends a tingle down the spine. The memorial garden next door was shut, but I definitely want to return. More info from here https://crossbones.org.uk/

This quote is by Tish Thawer.

Arilx

Recalibrating

Recently I shared my dislike of slugs https://gnatbottomedtowers.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/hug-slug.html. At the bottom of the post I mentioned in passing my equal distaste for the komodo dragon and the blind mole rat. A friend has flagged up this article about the latter. I guess I have to give the ugly little blighters a modicum of respect after finding out about their rather impressive survival skills!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/04/20/naked-mole-rats-turn-plants-survive-without-oxygen-scientists/

Much as I think every creature is fully entitled to its place on the planet [I often think humans deserve theirs the least] it still doesn't endear them to me, but I will accept [grudgingly] that I do need to soften my stance a little. Shan't be having one as a pet anytime soon though👿👿

Arilx

Black Box

This was a first for me. The phone boxes are painted black to denote that they are within the city of London.

Arilx