The Kiss

 As usual we are ignoring all the Valentine's hullabaloo, but here's something vaguely romantic for y'all. The Kiss by Alex Davies💋😘😽. 

That said it was a good excuse to buy some choccie biccies to scoff😀

꩜Aril꩜

Park Art

 One of the BT boxes in the local park got its very own makeover a few months ago. I finally found my way over that side of town earlier this week and snapped a photo of it. Much jazzier than its former olive green.

I see a lot of this type of art in the cities I visit, but this is Horsham's first example. Maybe just maybe the council will go wild and commission some more. Fingers crossed. Have a great weekend. Another wandering to come next week.

꩜Aril꩜

Grey days

Thus far February has done a rather splendid job carrying over the leaden skies of January. I really don't mind this time of year, but I am not big on dull colours. It was meant to be dry last week when we paid a long overdue return to the Farnham Sculpture Park, but Zeus and Jupiter had been busy boys and instead we got showers. Somehow though, being encased in suitable waterproof clothing with brollies and under the tree canopy, it didn't seem that bad. If you are craving anything that isn't grey right now then please let me bring to you the pieces that stood out for their colour with a couple of cheeky pieces thrown in for good measure.

It's open every day (including Christmas day) and we were able to use our BBC Gardeners World voucher to get a 2 for 1 entry.

Arilx

Mourning Jewellery

Before our overnight stay in Harrogate last September I had never heard of jewellery made from human hair bar the lockets and rings with hair mounted in them. I saw my first pieces in the museum up there and weirdly I have encountered yet more on two separate occasions recently. The latest was here as part of Horsham Museum's newest exhibition last weekend. Intriguing.....

Mourning jewellery has been with us since at least the 1600s, but as ever the Victorians took it to a whole new level following Prince Albert's death in 1861. Human hair was woven and then covered in glue to enable it to become rigid. Some designs have it plaited or laid flat under glass. The idea behind it was that it was a way of keeping a part of your loved one with you at all times and keeping their memory alive. Unfortunately, as with any business, there are those who operate without scruples and at times the hair was replaced by some from living people [often bought from the poor or brought in from abroad] or even horsehair as it was easier to manipulate than hair from the deceased. As ever there were ingenious solutions offered to circumnavigate this problem with the publication of DIY guides showing people how they could make their own items. Ultimately this style of remembrance fell out of favour with the introduction of photography which gave those left behind not only the memories, but a precious image of their loved ones. Jewellery incorporating the hair of those we've lost or stones created from their ashes remain a popular choice with some today.

Arilx

Check the pockets

Hasn't everyone shoved a garment into the washing machine at some time only to find little stray bits of tissue attached to all their clean laundry because someone hasn't emptied their pockets🤣. I'm glad that I checked this particular pocket hidden round the back of this fellow I met today🔥

It's been another mischief Monday and I have seen many wonderful things. This one is my.top find by a country mile. Make sure that you don't leave your baby dragon in your pocket people!

Arilx

Recluttering

It's no secret that I don't do clutter and I've successfully rehomed several items lately via the various free options open to me. However, it has its downsides in that being on such sites means that I see things which take my fancy. It's not helped by the fact I am a maximalist when it comes to my walls...in fact anywhere that is an upright space where I can hang my interesting treasures which is.exactly how I found myself with these two lovelies.

This one was lurking in a box labelled 'please help yourself' outside a house that I run past. After a clean it's come up looking refreshed and fits in happily with the folkart style of our bedroom.

As for this one...it was on complete impulse. Our local free group moves very swiftly so you can't hang about if something appeals to you. To be quite honest I didn't really expect to be offered it and this style of fantasy art is a long way from what I'd normally go for. However, something in the colours and the image just spoke to me. I didn't even know how big it was...turns out it's quite large. After many years David is quite used to my quirky ways...he just smiled and asked if I knew where I was going to put it. I had no idea, but it has a home now. It's devilishly difficult to photograph so please forgive the less than perfect images.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Arilx

Our first Monday out this year.

It was our first non hospital Monday of the year. There are inevitably many more medical trips to come, but this week we were able to make a trip of our own choosing and for that I am very grateful. It was a muted, washed out, pale sort of day, but we were just delighted to be out and about again enjoying ourselves at the Arundel Wetlands. If you're anywhere near next week there is free entry from 2nd to 8th February (but double check before you travel)

Arilx