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.

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

Stonehenge

For anyone who is interested in Stonehenge, but the history rather than any spiritual content, may I recommend the new series by the archaeologist Dr Julian Richards over on his Youtube channel. Each episode is short, but very informative and well presented.I found the content has already given me a much better understanding of this fascinating, but enigmatic monument.

 

The photo is of the slightly tacky trilithon/lintel display case they have inside the SH gift shop, but it rather amused me at the same time. Have a good weekend.

Arilx

 

Standen's Arts and Crafts

 Before getting distracted again and going off at a tangent [never been known eh!] I thought I'd pop up some of the delicious interior details from Standen House for any fans of the Arts and Crafts movement. It was built as a weekend home for the Beale family in 1891 and a place to escape to from their London life. Eventually they moved here permanently in 1912 and it is one of the first properties in the country to have had electricity installed right from the outset. It's a strange mixture of the modern combined with the ideals of William Morris and Philip Webb. It manages to be effortlessly elegant whilst homely all at the same time. The light was much better than on my previous visits so I have been able to capture more of it.

It's never a chore to come back here again. I adore it.

꩜Aril꩜

Sunnies and a brolly

OK own up...who stole the lovely weather eh🌞☔🌧 Just as I had dared to get my summer clothes out of storage the storm clouds have gathered and the mercury has plummeted😁 Thankfully it looks like things are going to take a turn for the better later on this week. These nippy, soggy days left me with a dilemma of what to wear yesterday when meeting my friend Eloise. I'd had romantic ideas of something floaty and floral with sandals, but in the end we settled for that oh so British combination of sunglasses and a brolly with a changed plan from being outside to one with both inside and outside options. After a bit of head scratching we headed for the NT property of Standen and a personal favourite of mine. As luck would have it we hit the jackpot...we managed to enjoy the beautiful exterior in the dry and sun and the interior [more of that next time] whilst it was chucking it down. 

I haven't been for some time and usually it's been at Christmas so this was my first visit at this time of year. It is very beautiful and gorgeous to see so many pops of colour after all the leaden skies. The metal sculptures are by Alison Catchlove [temporary display] bar the final one which was made to commemorate the restoration of the garden between 2012 and 2017. The timber is from the estate wood and the coloured glass represents the range of shades to be found in the flowers. You get a beautiful view out across the North Downs and the Weir Wood Reservoir from this point.

꩜Aril꩜

To a tee

My sister and I decided to have a day out with our Dad a few weeks ago. Now that's not as easy as it sounds as he and my Mum are incredibly active still and have travelled widely. He is also a keen walker and there isn't much ground left in West Sussex which he won't have already covered. However, I did happen to know that he hasn't yet visited the Wings museum https://gnatbottomedtowers.blogspot.com/search?q=wings+museum so that's where we plumped for. Since my previous visit they have rejigged all of the displays and it was just as fascinating as it was the first time around. Nevertheless it is all WWII related and I've chosen not to blog again about its content as some of it is difficult and I think we've all got enough on our plates right now. What I did find extraordinary though was this set of rules from 1940 for playing golf during these times. The mind quite boggles whilst managing to be frightfully British with a 'keep calm and carry on' attitude about the whole beastly business of war!

It's such an interesting place and the volunteers are an excellent source of information. We rounded off our day with a pint of good Sussex ale in a nearby country pub. Such times are to be treasured. Hope you have a fabulous weekend.

Arilx

Our Smallest Bird

This is the Goldcrest and it is the UK's smallest bird weighing in at a hefty 5g. The male has the blob of orange in addition to the yellow on its head. Rest assured that both birds were being handled by a qualified bird ringer and are so relaxed that they doze off in his hand. They were released back from whence they came very shortly after they had been caught to be ringed and recorded.

 As for me I am now a distinctly weary old bird now as this bird ringing event meant me getting up at the unearthly hour of 4.30am to be on the nature reserve by 6. I managed to persuade David to come with me this time as I knew he would love seeing all the birds at such close quarters. We've been joined by a good friend for lunch here and tonight I am going dancing. What a glutton for punishment. Tomorrow I expect to feel half dead, but oh so worth it😀

꩜Aril꩜