Eccentric Amblings and Ramblings From Gnat Bottomed Towers

Grunt work....you know those jobs you put off because you loathe doing them. Two of my pet hates are cleaning the oven properly [the stove top is kept very clean] and weeding. However, seeing as I have no underling to delegate them to I've just had to be a Big Girl and get on with them. Despite the lower temperatures on Saturday it was still sunny in the back garden so harrumphing and moaning to myself I rummaged around in the garage to find the necessary kit to make this happen. As is often the way it took under an hour and there has been an upside to all this. Whilst sorting out the borders I came across two patches of wild violets in bloom which didn't show up before and after I'd finished I rewarded myself with this tiny posy of blooms. In a bid to encourage as much wildlife into our garden we don't use chemicals and we deliberately don't keep it too neat. It was a joy to have a wren dibbling about in the raised bed Mr GBT had cleared and planted up with

So we're now living the high life here at GBT with our wild evenings in. Thursday evening saw us all attend a virtual pub quiz....the first time I've ever been to such an event without physically being inside a hostelry. Mind you with 180k of us participating it might have proved to have been rather a squash! Going for the full throttled experience we filled our glasses with something tasty and filled our ramekins [these are proving to be an excellent way of enjoying a naughty snack whilst restricting our consumption of supplies] with peanuts. It was a brilliant evening with all 3 of us knowing different answers and we relaxed sufficiently to sleep well for the first time in several days. Fast forward to Saturday and we upped the ante....digging around at the back of the cupboard of puzzles brought forward these long forgotten treasures. It's been years since we've done anything like this as a family and it was just a real treat to spend time together even if TY

Last Saturday [not yesterday] I popped out to pick up a couple of books a client had kindly given me. Knowing that possible change was afoot I snapped a few pictures on my short walk there and back. Nature is still doing her beautiful thing. If you are not too bored by my drivel I intend to post every day whilst the current situation continuesxx Arilx

We are spotting lots of hand drawn rainbows appearing in windows as we take our permitted evening perambulation. I pondered about putting one in our window, but then I remembered I already have this which was rather out of sight...I changed its position so that it now hangs in our kitchen window. Am really enjoying the play of light as it catches the sun streaming in. Arilx

So here's some of the thrifty ways I've been entertaining myself with since we were confined to barracks earlier this week. Being a self employed bod I am no longer earning for the foreseeable future so I shall be using every penny pinching method I know so that we eat into our savings as little as possible. As many will have done, Mr GBT and I spent a thrilling session going through our food stores at the weekend to get a handle on what we actually did have in. With an inbuilt penchant for buying dented tins or torn packets of cereal in the reduced shelves and an inability to resist [Mr GBT suffers from the same affliction] appropriate and useful yellow stickered fresh stuff we had already built up quite a good store of useful longlife and frozen stuff. Despite what dear old Boris says online shopping slots are as rare as hen's teeth round here so we have to brave the supermarket once in a while, but are choosing quieter times and generally finding what we need. I can b

Last weekend we sought out a new yet hitherto unknown local green space to us. There were very few people and we were able to keep the required distance. Just a friendly smile and a quick hello with the unsaid understanding of a shared experience. Sunlight and birdsong with a groovy psychedelic fairy door painted by little hands for good measure ....soothing balm for the soul. Arilx

With everything being cancelled I decided to share a photo of the kit I finished earlier this year [still a symbol to be added on the forehead which will get done once things get back to normal] with Mythago as a little surprise on our Whatsapp group. It met with a very positive reaction...quite what our neighbours thought about a batty middle aged woman striding around her garden dressed like this at 9.30am is anyone's guess....👿👿 Arilx

The anthropologist, Margaret Mead, was asked by a student what was considered to be the first sign of civilisation in ancient society. Surprisingly she replied that it was when you found a healed femur. If your leg is broken you can't escape from danger, catch food or get to water sources. If it is healed somebody else has bound the wound, moved you to a place of safety away from predators and cared for you. Civilised people help and show kindness to others. I made this one before last month and it's now stuck on the back of my front door to remind me when [meaning only for food...I have suspended my cleaning for all clients to keep them and myself safe] I go out. Arilx

Up until last week I had no idea what this yellow flower was called let alone that it smells divine. You know how these things go...find out on Tuesday walk past one en route to the dentist with Mr GBT on Wednesday. Whip out my new phone whilst importantly announcing this is a Mahonia. Naughty wifey omitted to tell him exactly how long she'd known for. With my scatty memory chances are that I will have forgotten again by next week anyway! We stopped for the obligatory whiffle. Just a little moment of joy during difficult times. It was good to see the new growth on the tree round the corner too....they look like little fireworks at the moment. Due to circumstances blog content will be more humdrum and home based I suspect for the time being. However, I promise that I shall endeavour to keep it a happy space...it's important for me to keep it as a personal tonic as much as anything. Arilx

TYM's idea of a suitable Mothering Sunday card....yup he's nailed it again! Arilx

Just keeping it lighthearted. We all need a break sometimes from the current situation. Arilx

I've caught the Swedish clog Ebay bug from Vix over at Vintage Vixen. The perfect pair winked at me and are the ideal footwear for the dress I bought last month for the upcoming wedding we're going to. I made a cheeky offer far below the asking price and was delighted to have had it accepted. Pillar box red! Arilx

Whenever I am either unsettled or uncertain one of the things I like to do as a distraction is to play upbeat music, especially folk music. We went to hear The Flying Toads at the folk club on Sunday and they are a complete treasure. Even the most miserable content is made to sound uplifting and joyful. Their latest CD has been added to our collection. Here's a taster for you! Arilx

Opposite the Victoria Embankment sits the Blackfriars Pub...a stunning example of Art Nouveau which I blogged about on a previous post here  http://gnatbottomedtowers.blogspot.com/2019/05/thank-you-mr-betjeman.html  Its extraordinary shape is because of the buildings and alleys which once surrounded it. They are no longer standing so it makes it look rather odd stranded all on its own. Back in May I hoped that one day I might have a chance to go inside....that time arrived with Lovely Grey and a couple of rather fine pints of pale ale. The interior is just as amazing as the outside. However, it wasn't appropriate to take photos when people were in there enjoying a quiet drink. However, the stained glass was right next to our table so I thought that was fair game. I know the friar has a tonsure, but I can't help thinking that it looks rather more like he's wearing a pair of those pixie ears people don! Across the road we have the polar opposite. The Unilever

Is not something I either aspire to or realistically stand a cat in hell's chance of ever achieving. Once upon a time guests would have asked you for the recipe if they liked something you served them. Then there was this...... Yesterday my friends emailed me to thank me for lunch and to say that they had popped into our local Tesco [they haven't got one near them] on their way home to pick up a frozen Jaffa cake dessert like the one they'd had at ours😆 In truth it's a long running joke.... all of us always make the main dish and then cheat with a bought pud when we get together. It was an unexpectedly delicious dessert for £2, but it has inspired me to go off and find a recipe for making something similar. This one looks a good 'un   https://www.janespatisserie.com/2018/07/16/jaffa-cake-cheesecake/  and could be featuring over Easter. I've not been a complete Slack Alice when it comes to all things culinary this weekend though as I've made a Frikadel

This poster was produced by the British government in 1939 just before WWII to alleviate fear and motivate the population. Despite its production it was rarely seen and not remembered until its rediscovery in 2000. Now you see it everywhere and in many forms. Perhaps it is overused and rather hackneyed, but I draw great personal comfort from it especially during times of uncertainty. I am keeping my sensible head on. Hope you all have a good weekend.....please allow me to leave you with this moose I met in London [report of the visit next week]. Rather more charming than the mounted head of a real one I think. Arilx

I am rather dithery today about deciding what I want to write about so instead I shall take the easy way out and share my newest word. "Spolia" is the term used for incorporating old fragments of stonework into newer buildings. Little did I realise that this is what I was photographing at Winchester cathedral a few months ago. There's a lot of this sort of thing seen in churches especially. If I can get my act together I will endeavour to show you some more of my visit to London tomorrow! Arilx

I came across this curious little green building purely by chance when I was walking up from the tube to meet the former blogger Lovely Grey on Saturday. It rang a vague bell and I was sure I'd seen something similar on a TV programme....turns out my instinct was right. Back in 1875 the Cabmen's Shelter fund was set up to pay for a whole series of these huts across London. They had to be no bigger than a horse and cart because they were positioned on the public highway. Originally 61 were built, but now only 13 remain. Back in the day the hansom cab drivers and later on the hackney carriage drivers were exposed to the elements when taking a refreshment break. Unsurprisingly the warm interior of the pub proved irresistible to many, so this scheme was rolled out to deter the temptation. In here the drivers could get a hot meal and a non alcoholic drink. Today the remaining ones offer a very reasonably priced takeaway service, but even now only those who have The Knowledge [