Eccentric Amblings and Ramblings From Gnat Bottomed Towers

Ouch that's got to hurt! Seen in the Temple church London. Have a fabulous weekend. Arilx

[Image from Pixabay] Over the years we've moved over to rechargeable batteries wherever possible. Less recycling, more reuse etc. We had some more arrive yesterday as Mr GBT has tweaked his amp for his mandolin so that he can use them rather than the standard ones. After he'd opened his parcel he pottered downstairs brandishing a scrap of paper with some teensy, tiny writing on it. "Put your heart, mind and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success." Swami Sivananda I've popped it into my glasses case for safekeeping. Not what I was expecting, but a charming surprise. Arilx

Frankly it's not everyday my friend tells me that I've just been "gongoozling"! And there was I thinking I was just innocently watching a narrow boat in the lock on the local Wey and Arun Canal. There really is a verb for every activity....my lovely chum Ice Badger and I were enjoying a couple of hours gently strolling along the banks drinking in the beauty of this local green spot near us. At the moment IB is in training for a charity walk she's undertaking later in the year. This route has been one she's done on a near weekly basis since January and she's been amazed at just how much more you notice when you're revisiting the same spot on a regular basis. It's particularly been the changing seasons she's enjoyed with every month offering something different. Now the banks have burst forth with an abundance of wild flowers. There's no other word for it...these young bullocks were definitely posing for us over the f

If you are a bee or a bug who is lucky enough to reside at Charlecote Park you get the chance to move into a des res like this one. If you are a bee or bug who resides at GBT accommodation is available, but a little more on the modest side. Mr GBT put this up on Saturday and I am really genuinely excited to say I saw a bee in it by Monday morning! I think we'll put more up as we go along as space permits. As I've mentioned before, we aim to garden organically with as many insect friendly plants as possible. Despite it being a very small garden there's lots of little critters and the bees have been busy working their magic. Our tiny apple tree is absolutely laden and the flowers are putting on a lovely show. Arilx

Manicule. I have learnt that it means a symbol of a pointing hand highlighting information. There really is a word for everything isn't there! This sign is in Chester. Arilx

We happened to come across this pub by chance on our trip up into London earlier this week. It's the Black Friar and stands on the site of a former Dominican priory. Designed by the architect H Fuller-Clark and the artist Henry Poole, I've now read that it is famous for its quirky Art Nouveau exterior and interior. During the 1960s during a period of expansion and changing tastes the building faced demolition. Thankfully Sir John Betjeman stepped forward and led a successful campaign to save it. Another time perhaps I'll have time to pop in for a pint now I know it's there. Just a few snaps to give you a taster. Hope you all have a good weekend. Am planning a walk with Ice Badger and I sincerely hope to include wine drinking in my activities at some point! Arilx

Actually if you're asking me [which you're probably not] I think I prefer this version which I came across last week! "Resistance is fertile" Arilx

Postman's Park was opened in the City of London in 1880. It's one of those little green oases that you stumble upon when you wander off the beaten track. It was sunny and people were quietly sitting on the grass and benches relaxing. It gets it name because it used to be a popular lunch spot with the employees of the old General Post Office nearby. Off to one side is a shelter with the back wall lined with glazed Doulton plaques commemorating everyday heroic acts of bravery and sacrifice which would otherwise have faded from memory. The scheme was the brainchild of the artist G F Watts [he of the Watts Memorial Chapel  http://gnatbottomedtowers.blogspot.com/2014/11/hidden-surrey-gem.html ] and his ceramicist wife Mary. Watt was a well known socialist and a champion of the ordinary person. In his lifetime 13 memorials were put up and his widow added a further 34. There was a hiatus until 2009 when one dedicated to the selfless Leigh Pitt who saved a drowning boy, but trag

I was on a break between dance sets, so set off at a fast pace to see if I could track down the water fountain behind the cathedral in Winchester and take a few shots....of course, I didn't find it because it was at the Great Hall! What a ninny....however, as I headed back to the others I overheard a woman rather sniffily say to her friend "Wherever I go today all I hear is bells!"....well that's kind of what you have to expect if it's the city's annual day of Morris dance. Her friend's reply made me feel quite devilish.... "Yes I know. It's SO annoying isn't it!" I simply couldn't resist giving the bells round my ankles an extra vigorous shake as I walked past👿 Despite all that we were privileged to be able to perform in the Great Hall. It's an incredible space with fabulous acoustics. It's not often that we don't need to amp up to make our big, noisy presence known. We were in our element. A few photos....not th

There is only the Great Hall and these few walls remaining of Winchester Castle. Not a lot to go on really when the decision was taken to construct an accurate 13th century garden in memory of Queen Eleanor of Provence and wife of Henry III and her daughter-in-law Queen Eleanor of Castile, wife of Edward I. Both Queens lived at the castle. The specialists turned to the manuscripts and descriptions of the other contemporary Royal castles for inspiration and detail. The garden is built on the original front of the Great Hall and uses the plants of the time which are mainly grown in this country. The holly, ivy and bay represent the Medieval virtue of faithfulness and the rosemary, columbine and strawberry aspects of the Christian spirituality Although tiny, it has a wonderful ambiance and fits in perfectly with the ancient building which stands next to it. The seats are copies of ones within the Hall, there's a wall turf seat which would have been a common featu