Home Goal

For my own sanity as well as yours I've been uber keen to winkle out things locally that are not in any way related to the events of the past few weeks. I've covered Horsham so often on here and really relied on it during the Covid lockdowns to keep me sane so I wasn't really sure how well I'd get on. However, I set myself the challenge with the walks I've taken over the past couple of weeks and just trusted that the magic would happen. It's as random as ever, but I don't think that I did too badly all things considered😊 I am bookending the post with purple flowers. Have never really had myself down as a purple kinda gal, but I seem to be finding it at every turn along with cats, robins and butterflies. Weird but I'll take it.

Couldn't resist this anemone.

This is the first time I've seen this version of the King's cipher [and on a white Royal Mail van]. I prefer its more classical appearance than the more modern one they're putting on the new post boxes.

Look I found me another cat. You might imagine that this is a regular occurrence, but it really isn't. This one wasn't fully grown. It rushed over to make friends and then dashed off to play in all the dead needles that have fallen from the pinetrees. 

I'd heard about George the cob in Horsham Park who's developed a bit of an attitude these past few weeks in the park. He's gone all alpha male and has already chased off the teenager cygnets who were still hanging around and is now refusing to let the pair of Canada Geese anywhere near the pond. It's a bit of a Mexican standoff at the moment, but I'm sure that it will all settle down again once his pen Sweetpea is on the nest. This sculpture has been hidden away for years and to be honest I thought that it was meant to represent a swan, but had been vandalised. As is oft the case I am wrong in my assumption. This week I have found out that it's called 'Waterforms' and is by Claire Morgan [2003]. It's recently moved to a much more prominent position where it can be admired. I shared it on our local FB group and lots of people had never noticed it before.

I have no idea what this graffito near the station is about, but may be something to do with Mick Lynch who was the secretary general of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport workers until last month. It's near one by the same hand that says 'Tories out' so I am guessing it's some sort of political statement. As to the 4pm? Am completely stumped.

It's been an age since I've been able to show off any quirky gargoyle/grotesque type things. You've got my parents to thank for this dragon shaped ridge tile as they sent me a photo. I couldn't resist popping up to pay homage and the road it's in proved rather fruitful in the end as the two following photos on from it show.

I just liked this mad house shaped play equipment. The design of these is just so much more imaginative than what we had back in the 1970s and much safer. All our playground stuff was embedded in concrete so if you fell off you really did hurt yourself!

This grave in our parish churchyard caught my eye last year...that carved church with its broach spire is a dead ringer for St Mary's which stands directly behind it. Frustratingly the light wasn't right to take photos then, but lady luck smiled upon us and this time they came out rather well. Some of the epitaph is undecipherable, but someone kindly looked up the records and I can tell you that Charles Yohurt [d1790] and his wife Ann [d 27 January 1797] are interred here. With all that detailing it must have cost a pretty penny.

Sorry [not sorry], but couldn't resist this iris either.

 

Brace yourselves...tomorrow is our first day out beyond Horsham just for the sheer hell of it. It might not be to the most exciting of the Sussex towns [David is hoping to buy some binoculars], but I am very excited😁 Progress indeed.

Arilx