Eccentric Amblings and Ramblings From Gnat Bottomed Towers

 Back in 1907 the now controversial sculptor Eric Gill [you may remember his Prospero and Ariel statue on the outside of the BBC Broadcasting house was defaced by a man with a hammer a couple of years ago] moved to the small East Sussex of Ditchling. In 1921 he set up the Guild of St Joseph and Dominic which was a Roman Catholic community of arts and craftsmen which drew many others to join him. The museum focuses on this period of the village's development, but Gill is less prominent than he once was reflecting the changing attitude towards him. As a man he was deeply flawed, but the magnificence of his work speaks for itself. I went with my friend E and it was a first visit for both of us. To be frank I can't for the life of me see what drew people here in the first place😆 The village has been here since at least 765AD and was in the hands of King Alfred the Great by the 9th century. By 1086 it was noted for having 196 households which would have been considered large by the

 Picture me sitting in the car waiting to start my afternoon's work [nowt wrong with that bit], but it's a grey Friday afternoon and it's just started to drizzle...well that was me last week, but then I saw this parked just up the road.....the colour alone cheered me up no end💛🌞🌻. It belongs to a local company which have been based at the same site for over 100 years. Besides their earthmoving business they own a whole fleet of traction engines which they take to lots of events in the district and beyond. They show great support and contribute greatly to their community. I have a further personal reason for being drawn to this particular little car.....we had an Austin 7 for our wedding car the only difference being that ours was a rather more subtle midnight blue😆 Hope everyone has a good weekend. Arilx

 "Focus on the good and the good will come into focus." Esther Hicks [I believe] Arilx The mosaic is one of a series outside an optician's in Brighton

 The woodlands near the small Sussex village of Clapham have earnt a reputation for dark and strange phenomena. It's supposed to be at the meeting point of a series of leylines and there have been reported sightings of UFOs, orbs, spectres and weird beasts. Certainly there were rumours of dogs going missing, four bodies were found between 1972-81 and it was claimed that a satanic cult practised black magic there. I've linked this article here if you want more details  https://www.mjwayland.com/ghost-research/clapham-wood-haunted/  It's certainly a favoured destination for many paranormal investigators and a quick search on Youtube will turn up any number of people's night time explorations. Personally I am open minded about what people experience up there, but I shan't be one that ventures forth into any woods after dark. However, I can vouch that the claims that no birds sing up there is complete bunkum as proved by my visit there with Nurse L on a sunny Monday mor

 🐶I keep my eyes peeled at all times for signs which amuse me. This was on a house in a nearby village. Have a great weekend folks🐶 Arilx

 Knowing I was due to meet my friend Nurse L on Monday I deliberately got there early to give me time to nose around the 12th century church of the Blessed Virgin Mary which sits proud upon the top of the hill overlooking the tiny Sussex village of Clapham. Outwardly it looks like a fairly typical flint church from around this area leading down to the South Coast. I know it was restored by Sir Gilbert Scott between 1873-4....that'll be a quick pop in, whizz round and straight out then I thought smugly to myself.....think again Mrs GBT!! There are lots of ancient brasses and tombs inside and even three bells which were cast between 1350-60 by Alan Rous [probably] making them the oldest triple ring in the country. If that wasn't enough to whet my appetite I then came across this monument to Sir William Shelley [same family as the poet who came from near me] who died on 4th January 1549. Aside from its remarkable condition what's of interest is the depiction of Sir William in

  "Having a heart of gold" is a lovely thing to say about somebody, but for today's useless bit of information we all have a bit of trace gold in our hearts along with other metals. Of course today it's all about romance so I shall gleefully ignore the whole thing. I have invested a whole 75 pennies on a packet of Mr GBT's favourite biccies, but beyond that it's business very much as usual. I'm not completely hard hearted though because I know for many it's a very special day which they like to mark so here's my latest appropriately themed topper seen on my adventure out with my friend E on Sunday. Hope you enjoy your Tuesday however you're spending it💓💕💖💗💘💝💞💟🌹💌 Arilx

 One of the hangovers from when I was a full time working Mum is that I still go and do the weekly shopping ridiculously early....the logic back then was that I wanted to spend as little of my precious weekend in the supermarket as possible. Some things never change. You might not think of your local Tesco as a source of entertainment, but it's surprising how often I come back with a small tale of mirth to tell Mr GBT. Overheard snippets of conversation, exciting tattoos, novel haircuts [yes I am that woman who stopped the customer in the bakery to tell her how stunning her apricot and baby pink bob looked...she looked a little startled but then smiled at me] or the lady wearing the fabulous Joe Brown coat. Sometimes it's the items for sale which amuse me....I had an interesting chat with a fellow a few weeks back and we agreed that Christmas Pudding flavoured crisps are just plain wrong. A couple of weeks ago it was this by the front door which made me look twice...... The fir

"Surrealism is destructive, but it destroys only what it considers to be shackles limiting our vision." Salvador Dali This is the type of art which resonates with me. Lovely Grey and I both thoroughly enjoyed the "Objects of Desire" exhibition which is currently showing at the Design Museum.  Dali's sofa was based on Mae West's lips. Arilx