Eccentric Amblings and Ramblings From Gnat Bottomed Towers

 You're getting a bits and bobs sort of offering from me today as it was precisely that sort of weekend. There's been a lot of this going on [minus the feline] over the past two weekends...to be frank I will be very happy to not sew anything black for quite some considerable time. I can't even mither really as I chose to do it♥❤🖤, but thankfully the finish post is now in sight. In between shifts of sewing [my hands are telling me that I've done lots of little stitches over the last fortnight] I nipped into town for a spot of necessary festive retail therapy. I don't go shopping very often so am hopelessly out of practice, but I did get there in the end particularly after being fortified by a particularly good cuppa and a coffee bun at the Repair Cafe. Since I stopped volunteering at the beginning of the year [I'm still on the recycling team for Sussex Green Living] due to time constraints I've not been free when it's been held. It was good to catch up w

Lanhydrock house in Cornwall is a Jacobean marvel built in the 17th century. Tragedy struck in 1881 when a fire ripped through great swathes of it leaving a trail of destruction and devastation behind it. It underwent a massive rebuilding project to bring it back from the brink and restore it to the splendour you see today. Despite the carnage it wrought I'm pleased to say that the long gallery escaped the ravages of the smoke and flames and we were able to enjoy the stunning original ceiling. Various scenes from the Old Testament are depicted in the detailed plasterwork. On this occasion I am shamelessly sharing Mr GBT's photos for he's the one with the long lens😁 I wondered about how much to include in my post about our recent visit [this was our day of relaxation post the Dark Gathering dancing and before we had to travel back to Sussex], but in the end I have plumped for the part which made the greatest impression upon me! Hope you all have a great weekend. More jobs f

While the weather outside is frightful let's go somewhere delightful shall we........how about the classically inspired gardens of Stourhead in Wiltshire? Under normal circumstances this type of heavily designed and landscaped gardens is not to my personal taste. However, this one is the work of Henry Hoare II, one of the so-called "Gentleman Gardeners" [which I'm guessing translates as he had the ideas, but got others to do the work for him] in the 1740s. He was heavily influenced by the Grand Tours of Europe and this shows in the pantheon, the palladian bridge [after the 16th century architect Palladio] and the temples to Apollo and Flora. The later addition of the heavily restored medieval Bristol Cross [built in 1373] in 1765 seems rather at odds with the other garden statuary, but it had been moved a couple of times around Bristol and was basically causing a nuisance. Rather ignominiously it ended up being taken apart and the pieces stored in the cathedral for tw

 I have, of course, shamelessly copied the title of the book by John Masefield for this blog title, but this box is of a rather different nature. Back in 2018 we travelled over to the local hamlet of Shipley to pay a visit to the church of St Mary the Virgin. On that occasion I was in pursuit of a rumoured standing stone and a couple of bonkers carvings that I'd got wind of  http://gnatbottomedtowers.blogspot.com/2018/07/sheep-pasture.html . I didn't make any mention of the Medieval reliquary facsimile it had on display so I guess I wasn't aware of it at the time. Subsequently I learnt that the original box had been stolen in 1976 and had not been seen since. Thankfully I am delighted to report that in the last year the story has moved forward as the current owners recognised what they had in their possession. They had no idea how it had been obtained and have very generously returned it to the church. It's a rare survivor and much smaller that it looks in the pictures.

I was delighted to come across this unexpected colour [not natural I know] amongst all the Autumn tints of reds, oranges and yellows on my recent travels. I hope everyone has a good weekend....blogging has been a bit sparse of late due to a lack of time [am busy finishing the Mythago kit as we're now doing the story again next month for which it's intended] so have made no plans. We both have a lot of catching up to do jobs wise. Ah well there's always wine and Strictly👏 Arilx  

  We met up with a local historian on Saturday. Last year I found an unusual [for West Sussex] church carving and I notified her as it was not recorded anywhere and this is one of her areas of interest. Since then she has done some research on it and had a short article accepted for publication next year. The editor had requested some additional photos so Mr GBT had agreed to help her out. This lady is a lively raconteur with a fund of fabulous stories and after we'd finished she shared this little gem. One of this lady's friends lives in a very old and rather spooky cottage. She's been to stay there in the guest room which is up in the eaves and all the cobwebs and spiders don't trouble her in the least. One night though her friend was up there and as she lay in bed a little black human looking hand appeared round the edge of one of the beams before quickly disappearing. As you might imagine she wasn't quite sure what she'd witnessed and her imagination began t

It's not often that I have had personal experience of people sharing their wartime memories with me, but I do remember falling into conversation with a delightful lady a few years ago when I was out walking, Then in her 80s, she recalled as a six year old being at home with her Mother and Aunt. Her Aunt had lost her husband to influenza in 1919 after his return from his service in the Great War. Their only son was away fighting in WWII and on that day she recalled the policeman Norman coming to their front door. Her Aunt stood up saying it would be for her and he gave her the news that her son had died. It was the sound of the scream and then the two women crying which had stayed with her the most. Her recollection made it seem so much more real that reading about it. I've been quietly photographing all the beautiful work which has appeared round the town in remembrance of the fallen.  The Unknown Soldier Arilx

 It's not often that I get to saunter along the pier, but if you're ever in Worthing I can heartily recommend paying theirs a visit. It wasn't a bag of chips or a chance to win a cuddly toy that we were after, but E wanted me to see the 'windows on the pier' project. The wind break which runs along the centre is full of panes of different stained glass panels depicting images of all sorts. Some mark historical events, local groups, loved ones, landmarks in the town....the list goes on and on. It's still being added to and the intention is to create a cathedral like effect. With the sun shining through them they certainly seem to have more than achieved their aim. I have only shown a small selection, but I hope that it gives you a taste of the sheer variety on show. You can see more images here  https://windowsonthepier.co.uk/windowgallery.html Arilx

It's surprising where I stumble across inspiration. This was stuck on somebody's postbox in Lewes.   Arilx

  This caught my eye on the way to work yesterday. I had time between my clients to park up and take a photo. It took me a minute to work out what it was all about, but those of us of a certain vintage who enjoyed the Two Ronnies I only have to say "fork handles or four candles" and you'll get it. This won first prize in a local scarecrow trail over the weekend. Had I been here I'd have gone to have a look, but I was in the company of boggarts and giants...... An extraordinary day of dancing alongside the incredible Beltane Border Morris and Boggarts Breakfast at the Dark Gathering in Boscastle. It's a real privilege to have been invited and aside from Beltane who are a mainstay of the annual event, you only get asked once. I took the decision to not photograph the event bar these two hastily snatched ones [I was literally about to go out and dance again] as I wanted to drink up the atmosphere in real time, not filtered through the camera lens. If you want to catc