Toodle-loo

Many thanks for all your kind comments about David. This little corner of the blogging world is full of kind folk. This past year has taught us to live more and make sure that we get on with doing the things we have always spoken about trying. No week is the same and I have done the reverse to what most people do when they retire by stepping away from all the volunteering for which I needed to give a regular commitment. This week alone I've found some Roman sherds of pottery on another archaeological dig, got soaked to the skin whilst counting orchids in a local meadow and somehow found myself having a pint and watching my first ever cricket match which turned out to be a hilarious combination of the Horsham Lions versus the Lardy Army which is the name the supporters of our town's football team give themselves raising money for our nearest hospice. We were supposed to just be walking straight home after completing a dormouse and reptile survey. How do these things happen eh. Anyway it was a rather splendid diversion and not a bad way to spend an hour in some most welcome sunshine.

Every June I ponder whether I'll still be blogging in a year's time, but here we are thirteen years on and I'm still enjoying it so if you'll have me I've no plans to give up. We had rather a surprise this week to discover that we are due to go on holiday next week and not the week after as I had thought. Thankfully the cattery have been very accommodating about changing the dates for Humphrey. I will be back in a few days hopefully with fully recharged batteries and a tale or two to tell. 

If you're wondering the photos are from Winchester's small toilet museum which appropriately enough is displayed in the window of the public conveniences in the city centre. I was particularly drawn to the medieval water pitcher with the face. Hope everyone has a good weekend.

Arilx

 

Potty

Now either David has shrunk or that is one massive pot! If I reveal that the brush in the back of the  photo below is as big as your arm that should give you the answer. This is the work of the artist Felicity Aylieff. These huge masterpieces were created by the potters in Jindeszhen, China and then decorated by her. The non blue and white ones use the Chinese tradition of Fencai which means pastel colours, but in a striking and modern reinterpretation. Normally I don't give Chinese porcelain a second glance and it really doesn't do it for me, but on this trip to Petworth Park I paid attention and surprisingly enjoyed what I saw. The old next to the new particularly pleased me. This is the 'Blue Expressions' exhibition currently on and the perfect thing to do on a wet June morning.

Let's just say that the last few weeks or so have been somewhat of an emotional rollercoaster. Having been told that David was very likely to have cancer again, but elsewhere [looking at a probability of 90%] it's been a worrying time. Yesterday we had the results of the biopsy. As we went in the oncology nurse left and the professor opened with 'it's always good when the nurse doesn't need to be here'...incredibly and against all odds it would appear that the 'cancer' is probably caused by other factors relating to his ongoing treatment and he is clear! I'm a bit all at sea to be honest, but immensely relieved at this unexpected turn of events. Lady Luck was definitely looking down on us.

Arilx

Kirdford Tales

With more comfortable temperatures over the weekend I fancied doing a morning walk locally which would leave me with the afternoon free to get other stuff done. A three miler from nearby Kirdford exactly fitted the bill.

Now I really rather like this small Sussex village. It's got lots of ridiculously gorgeous old houses, two [yes two] thriving pubs and a delightful shop which was bought out by the local community a few years ago and continues to be run by them. Some of the earliest industries recorded were iron and glass making and the 20th century village sign plays homage to both with the decorative ironwork and diamond glass panel on top. Both needed large amounts of wood to make their end product and eventually the more lucrative iron industry saw off its less successful competitor. Over the years of the glass making sites have been identified by the glass shards in the ground and in a nod to this part of the history several were collected and made into this fragmented stained glass window in the parish church. Since those days many shops and trades have come and gone, but my personal favourite was learning of the walking stick business which switched to making crutches for the soldiers during WWI.

The walk itself mainly took us through woods and round the edges of fields so nothing out of the ordinary, but one thing you will often encounter on any amble of this type round here is sheep. The one with the horns gave us a very fierce stare and stood his ground and as for the ones with the chocolate brown fleeces and white faces I have never seen the like. My ovine knowledge is very poor [as in I know nothing] so haven't a clue as to what these two particular type of possible heritage breeds are.

This was our view from our coffee break....definitely moodier skies than we'd had the previous few days, but thankfully we managed to dodge the forecast rain showers.

This is a grave I have searched for before, but without success. I looked it before we went this time as I thought that I stood more chance if I knew what shape to look out for. It paid dividends, but the epitaph has almost completely disappeared. It marks the burial of five young lads aged between 13 and 19 who worked at Sladeland House [now demolished] baking and brewing. All shared an unheated room at the top of the house and their nightly routine was to bring up a bucket of hot ashes from the brick ovens to keep themselves warm. Tragically the carpenter mended the broken window in their room without telling them and they suffocated from smoke inhalation on 21st January 1838. Two of the boys were brothers and their family must have been totally heartbroken. A rather unbelievable tale recalls that a local gamekeeper was murdered by a poacher and from thereon in the grass never grew again on the spot where he fell and the bare earth remained in the shape of a cross.

Admittedly I have featured this Temperance movement plaque before which is on the wall outside the former vicarage. The rumour is that some who dwelt within didn't pay it much attention and I have to admit that we didn't heed the warning either. Instead we headed straight for the Foresters Arms and a most welcome half pint of Fursty Ferret😋

Hope everyone has a good weekend.

꩜Aril꩜

Happy Monday

One of my longest standing friends has just retired and is just starting to find her feet in the new world of not working. She developed a love for walking and nature during the lockdowns and is particularly fond of birds. We wandered out from GBT to my beloved Warnham Nature Reserve which she hasn't been round in many years. Her delight at seeing the fluffy tern chicks was joyful. We get good use out of our membership and it's been one of our favourite places to go when life feels unsettled. Jo enjoyed it so much that she has now joined too.

It's only been a week since I was last up and in that time this rather fabulous new mural has appeared in one of the hides 

Arilx

The Bank and the Buttons

Sussex is busy, but Surrey is next level at the weekend as many people come out of London for a change of scene. Where to head on a hot Bank Holiday Monday when you know many of the local beauty spots will be rammed. The answer was staring me right in the face...keep it simple and stick to your original destination exploring on foot.

We returned to Guildford and met up with TYM for an overdue visit to his part of the world. A free historical guided walk in the morning and a family stroll after lunch turned up some treasures.

This beautiful building is the Guild Hall and the clock upon it is the handiwork of John Aylward who was trying to curry favour with the merchants so that he could trade in the town. They turned his first request down, but then he returned with a gift. Yes bribery was alive and well in 1683.

I saw this as we wandered past. It was once the frontage of a cinema which stood here, but has been repurposed and reimagined as the attractive feature on the exterior of the recently build Tunsgate shopping arcade.

Guildford has its very own castle, although mainly what you're looking at is the Norman keep on top of the motte. It is of note because usually William I just handed out these things like smarties to his dukes to keep them onside, but this one is a Royal one and there are records of several members of the monarchy spending time here and hunting. To this day the hill where the cathedral is situated is still called Stag Hill. The ruins are part of what remains of Henry III's castle...it was very plush with stained glass windows and a green ceiling with gold stars apparently.

In the grounds I was pleased to discover that the gate has the four card suits in reference to the Alice in wonderland sculpture https://gnatbottomedtowers.blogspot.com/2020/02/in-wonderland.html which stands near by and the house which Charles Dodgson [Lewis Carroll] bought for his unmarried sisters just over the way. As I have previously blogged he contracted a fatal bout of flu on one of his visits to them and is buried in the Mount Hill Cemetery. I like the way the tree roots have been accommodated in the adjoining wall.

Below is the Jacobean Hospital of the Blessed Trinity or The Abbot Hospital as it is more commonly known. It was founded by George Abbot who was born here in 1562 and rose to become the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1611. Work started on this building in April 1619 and it was to offer housing to 12 unmarried men and 8 single ladies. Incredibly it is still doing the same job some 400 years later only now it has space for up to 30 people with some flats offered to married couples. It stipulates that you must be over 60 and in a financial position where you would be eligible to claim housing benefit. To mark the 400th anniversary these superb ceramic panels representing the history from the 17th to the 20th centuries were created by Carlos Espana and Lilian Montoya. You can find them in the adjacent Jeffries Passage.

If you should find yourself in Thorneycroft Wood it now contains a recently scheduled monument. This might lead you to expect something ancient, but this one is relatively modern. Masses of anti tank traps which are normally known as dragons teeth from 1941-42. I have to say that they look like rows of concrete Toblerone pieces to me. It's only now that such vestiges of WWII are beginning to be recognised and this example was deemed to be one of the best of its kind in the country by Historic England and hence its listing last year. Quite chilling really.

And what of the bank and the buttons in the title? I had no idea what those round, pierced disks were on the exterior of the Lloyds Bank building when our guide asked.

Buttons certainly wasn't the answer I was anticipating. The detail was saved when the building was extended in 1899 and it marks the earliest modern bank in the town. It was established by a draper called William Haydon in 1765 and his original intention had been to use the secure room he'd had built to keep his valuables and business takings safe. It was only when other shopkeepers requested that he provided the same service to them that he realised that there was a great deal more money to be made this way than selling buttons and other notions. It was my top tale of the day and I don't think I'd have ever made the connection had I not had it pointed out to me.

Hope everyone has a cracking weekend.

Arilx

 

Photo of the day.

 Someone making sure that the female Canada goose on the local pond has some shade, whilst she is incubating her eggs💖

As ever not the planned post, but simply couldn't resist. Photo was taken at a distance to not stress her.

Update...the goose has successfully had three goslings who are now swimming happily on the pond.

Arilx

In the heat of the moment.

 It's quite toasty temperature wise in the South East at the moment so lots of us will be following the advice.and taking on board lots of liquid. Unfortunately on a hot day back in May 1764 one Thomas Thetcher was not so lucky for he died of drinking cold small beer. The advice on the gravestone is that he should either have drunk strong beer or none at all!

It seems strange that he should have died from drinking what was essentially a very weak, low alcohol beer when that's what everybody had been imbibing since the Middle Ages and was considerably safer than the polluted water of the time. Perhaps he was already unwell with his violent fever. We shall never know, but the story of his demise has survived and can be seen outside Winchester Cathedral. Thetcher is more commonly known as The Hampshire Grenadier and it is indeed a sad tale.

I went in search of this historical gem over my lunchbreak when we danced in the city last weekend.

Arilx