Hannah the Giant

Went to my first day of dance in Carshalton [which I didn't see much of beyond the pubs!] a few days ago. My single photo was of this 3.8m lass who is based on the legendary character of Hannah Clark who may or may not have existed. The story goes that Hannah was a witch from Hastings who lived in the Stag Inn in the 17th century. Tales of her antics abound, but the main one is that she walled up her cats in the chimney to ward against the plague. The evidence is there to this day as the pub is still going strong and the two mummified cats remain on display. This giantess was built by Derek Binns in 1994 as part of the Hastings Jack-in-the Green extravaganza, but after many years service she was retired in 2007 as there was no one available to carry out the running repairs she needed. She lived out her golden years quietly until the couple who housed her moved away in 2019. At this point Mark Duncan inherited her and he has brought her back to life. She was pressed back into action in 2022 and now has a few more miles on the clock. This year she has been over to Ath in Belgium to take part in their Maison des Geants event. She has a retinue of 15 volunteers who ensure she doesn't come to any harm and is apparently to be found when resting in her separate parts in the spare bedroom. Here she is dancing with her fellow giants earlier this year.

Arilx

 

Recommendation

We were chatting about upcoming hols with some Mythago friends and when I mentioned Anglesey they suggested a nearby NT property which I hadn't heard of. No idea why they thought I might like a castle rammed with grotesques👹

Now this might look for all the world like a traditional castle and it is indeed called Penrhyn Castle. However, appearances can be deceiving and for a mere 100 million quid [it cost£123K at the time] you could recreate this fantasy building we have before you. It was the fantastical idea of George Hay Dawkins-Pennant who owned obscene amounts of wealth earned from the enslaved people toiling on his Jamaican plantations and his slate mining interests in Wales. With this money this is what he and his architect Thomas Hopper created. George was a devotee of the Norman style of architecture and looked to the many beautiful cathedrals we still admire today in this land for inspiration. Believe you me it's all here and more. As you walk through the main door into the cavernous great hall it is akin to standing in one of these great churches. It's such an assault on the senses that it literally takes your breath away. Did I love it? Definitely not. It was way too much with every surface carved and it lacks a depth to it that the old carvings had. It's almost like painting by numbers, but it is equally extraordinary. The ornate staircase alone took a decade to complete and the whole project ran from 1822-1837. Sadly George only lived in his masterpiece for three years before dying in 1840. Rather touchingly the arch of hands are copies of the masons who created this work. 

Would I recommend a visit? 100% My photos simply can't capture how excessive and manic it is and I, for one, have never seen anything that even comes close!

Arilx

Goosed

29th September is Michaelmas and was once the traditional day for hosting a goose fair. It also happened to be my birthday and this old goose has stepped into another decade. Just some very quiet and lowkey celebrations here and just the way I like it. As I'm talking all things goose related I smiled when I spotted this sign on a recent walk. Out of a group of 15 only I and my Dad saw it. Now you.see where I get.it from. We both can't help, but stop to read stuff. Most definitely didn't want to get goosed by a goose!

Have a great weekend.

Arilx

Decisions, decisions.

Now that's what I call a sign. If you're wondering we plumped for a spot of lunch at the Partridge in Singleton after completing our six mile walk. Have a great weekend folks.

Arilx

 

Stone bothering

We chose to do something a bit different for this holiday and do a spot of island hopping. I've always had a yen to go to Anglesey and David felt the same about the Isle of Man so it made sense to combine the two and go away for a bit longer. I haven't been presented with an opportunity to do some intense stone bothering since we went to Orkney way back in 2015, but this trip more than made up for it🪨🪨

Our usual approach when we're away is to spend the first day doing something which doesn't ask too much of us and gives us a chance to find our feet somewhere new and rest up after travelling. Often it'll be a National Trust place or like this time a local gentle walk which leads out from the front door of where we were staying. The intention is that it's relaxing rather than taxing, but I might have got a tad excited when I came across the Bodowyr burial chamber in a local farmer's field. Like the others coming up it's Neolithic, but all you're seeing here are some of the remaining central stones. This one has never been excavated and I rather like to think that hopefully the person for whom it was intended is still quietly resting in peace.

I wasn't very calm either when we stumbled across this massive standing stone lurking in the hedge. It was much taller than me. David knew it was there, but as usual I hadn't bothered looking at the map or the route. Some things don't change😀

The one below is Bryn Celli Ddu which is the only one on Anglesey which is aligned with the rising sun at Midsummer. The earth mound was reconstructed during the 1920s and it was found to have a patterned stone [no longer there] plus its very own single standing stone inside. I've been in a few of these in my time, but have not encountered that particular variation before.

On our final day here we thought that we might pop into Barclodiad Y Gawres, but disappointingly my info was out of date and they only offer a few guided tours during August these days to stop vandalism. However, the universe was on our side and it was open to the public for a single heritage day. The date was 13th...definitely lucky for us! It meant that I could see the famous patterned stones inside at close quarters. They were done by pecking at the surface with quartz pebbles and hammer stones.

Once on the Isle of Man David put an extra loop onto our planned wander which meant I could take in King Orry's Grave. This is the largest megalithic site on the island, but nowadays it sits divided between two sites split asunder by modern housing and a road. It was still impressive though.

Unlike Orkney neither of these islands seemed to have many stone circles. We did climb up to Mull Circle enroute to another destination, but a closer examination showed it to be nothing like any other stone circle I've ever seen and believe me I've been to a few. Whilst going round I commented to David that they looked more like Bronze Age burials. As it turns out this is precisely what the monument is...six pairs of cists formed into a circle. Every time I visit a new site there's more for me to learn. 

This final stone was an unplanned for extra. We disembarked from the ferry at Heysham and dropped in for a quick wander round the village before travelling again. The local church was open and I met my first ever Viking hogsback grave marker. Seeing one has been on my wish list for ever, but you need to be up north or in Scotland to find them. This particular 10th century one was found buried when the church was being extended in 1812. This fact alone has meant that it's now the best preserved one in the country. There's something rather pleasing about seeing all that Pagan imagery within the context of a Christian setting.

More adventures to come.

Arilx

Weekend vibes

Happy weekend folks. Look forwards to catching up with you all next week when I'm home.

Arilx

 

Sundown

 This was whilst I was out on a bat and moth walk last Friday. Stunning💛🧡

I shall be conspicuous by my absence for the next week or so. David and I are going off to have some mild adventures!

Arilx