Ebernoe

 Another Winter Sunday walk in another small Sussex village. I know that January has its critics and I understand why, but when the weather is dry[ish!] I do enjoy the quiet stillness to this part of the year after the frantic rush of the festivities. We met our friend H in Ebernoe this time to take a spin round the common which is now owned by the Sussex Wildlife Trust. It's really only used by locals and it's very familiar to H because she often walks her two dogs up there. However, I've only been the once and that was with her when our sons were of an age to have muddy knees and be permanently running ahead of us with huge sticks in their hands. Back in the day both were dirt magnets and virtually needed hosing down at the end of it all!

Whilst there might not have been a huge amount to see the birds are beginning to find their voices once again and the woods were humming with their song. Love is most definitely in the air. Today was still and cold with white cloudy skies, but H tells me that there will be carpets of bluebells in the Spring. I'm sure it will look beautiful, but for today it had an ethereal beauty to it with its muted shades and soft edges.

Passing the church it seemed a shame not to have a quick look in passing. It was built in 1868 and its brickwork detailing is most pleasing.

Seeing the organ reminded me of the West Gallery choirs that I heard about at a recent concert I went to. For a long time the church music and singing would have been provided by a combination of the choir and village band performing up in the gallery in the west end of the church above the congregation. It was a major part of people's lives and its replacement with the organ was not welcomed by many as the bands became redundant.

Ebernoe might be little more than a few houses these days, but if you google its name you'll see it's famous for its annual Horn Fair. I've never been along, but did write a post about it many years ago https://gnatbottomedtowers.blogspot.com/search?q=ebernoe There are some of the villagers wearing the sheep horns on the bottom right corner of the picture.

This rather large wooden apple and core [I like the detail of the pip in the middle of it] are just up the road in the nearby village of Kirdford. It once had a co-operative of apple growers and still has some fruit trees near the local shop. As with beers apple varieties have some of the best names and Sussex is no exception. Some of my favourites are Catshead Codlin, Lady's Fingers, Golden Knob and Old Maid's Apple. Those who pop in here regularly will know that there have already been a couple of wassail themed posts on here this month. At our final apple howling in Steyning last weekend one of the community orchard volunteers told me that a new one has been added to the list. An unidentified apple tree was found growing by the roadside and when its fruit was sent off to have its dna checked [yes that is a thing] it was discovered to be an unrecorded type. As of 2019 it's now officially named the 'Steyning Scarlet' and one of its progenies was planted in the orchard in 2021. I love hearing little heritage snippets of news like that!

Arilx