Recluttering

It's no secret that I don't do clutter and I've successfully rehomed several items lately via the various free options open to me. However, it has its downsides in that being on such sites means that I see things which take my fancy. It's not helped by the fact I am a maximalist when it comes to my walls...in fact anywhere that is an upright space where I can hang my interesting treasures which is.exactly how I found myself with these two lovelies.

This one was lurking in a box labelled 'please help yourself' outside a house that I run past. After a clean it's come up looking refreshed and fits in happily with the folkart style of our bedroom.

As for this one...it was on complete impulse. Our local free group moves very swiftly so you can't hang about if something appeals to you. To be quite honest I didn't really expect to be offered it and this style of fantasy art is a long way from what I'd normally go for. However, something in the colours and the image just spoke to me. I didn't even know how big it was...turns out it's quite large. After many years David is quite used to my quirky ways...he just smiled and asked if I knew where I was going to put it. I had no idea, but it has a home now. It's devilishly difficult to photograph so please forgive the less than perfect images.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Arilx

Our first Monday out this year.

It was our first non hospital Monday of the year. There are inevitably many more medical trips to come, but this week we were able to make a trip of our own choosing and for that I am very grateful. It was a muted, washed out, pale sort of day, but we were just delighted to be out and about again enjoying ourselves at the Arundel Wetlands. If you're anywhere near next week there is free entry from 2nd to 8th February (but double check before you travel)

Arilx

Showery and flowery

In a bid to get out of the house and remain moderately dry, I have morphed into an avid weather forecast checker and as soon as it shows a period of time as being dryish, that's it I'm out of the door. We arrived at Nymans last week with grey skies overhead and damp in the air, but for one glorious hour it stayed nearly dry, which allowed us a potter around the grounds. We went completely wild [yup living the rock'n'roll lifestyle now I'm a lady of leisure] and reversed our usual route. I tend to be a creature of habit so it did give me a different perspective as we approached everything from the opposite direction. I was curious to see what might be out as January is not known for its abundant floral displays. In amongst all the dead and dripping plants in the borders from last season I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was a lot more going on than I had anticipated and several spots of welcome colour.

By the time we had completed our circuit the rain was pelting down again so we retired to the café for a 

restorative cheese scone and pot of Earl Grey. Replete and home dry thank goodness.

꩜Aril꩜

The Egg Collector

 [Image from Pixabay]

I spent three hours on Tuesday morning ferreting around in a hedge on a nearby nature reserve collecting eggs. The blackthorn at Chesworth Farm needs to be flailed in a couple of weeks before it blossoms and the nesting season begins. A third of the hedges are treated in this way every year to stop them from growing out of control and destroying other important habitats. For the past few years Warnham Nature Reserve [another council owned green space and one of our favourite haunts] has been trialling a policy of searching the blackthorn for the miniscule single white eggs laid by the Brown Hairstreak butterfly on it before it's cut back. When found the relevant branch is removed and stored for a short while and then after the cutting has finished, the branches are tucked back into the hedge so that the insect can resume its life cycle. The feedback from adopting this method has shown a year on year increase in eggs found and numbers of this endangered species counted, so the warden and his team have decided to try it at the farm this year. It was slow going at first and after an hour I was beginning to feel a little despondent as I had only found a single egg, but after a restorative coffee and biccie we moved onto a new area and the eggs were everywhere. The two rangers and us five volunteers found over 200 in the end and the lady leading it was amazed. She'd had a quick scout round the day before and only located two. At the end of our session she admitted that she'd hoped to find maybe 30 or so, but this has given her not only more information about the biodiversity of the area, but also where the butterflies are favouring. It was so successful that another session was hastily arranged for next week.

As for me, I absolutely loved the experience [a new one for me], but in many ways it has felt like a return to my roots. Just before I finished my degree in 1988 I paid a visit to the college careers office in Winchester. Imagine my surprise that on a table of leaflets I found one about the National Trust Conservation Volunteer groups and listed amongst them was one for Horsham. I knew that I would need to join groups and create a new circle of friends once I returned home and at the beginning of 1989 I did so. Frankly it was one of the best decisions I've ever made [that and joining Mythago] and through it I made many friends with like minded people and had lots of adventures. It also gave me a love of nature which has remained a strong thread over the years. Oh yes and one of the members was called David and the rest is history as they say! With all the commitments you get with working and raising a family I've had no time to do any conservation work for years, but that period is now past and it is a joy to drop back into it. I am looking forwards to becoming more involved once again.

Have a good weekend folks.

꩜Aril꩜

No more knitwear.

"No more knitwear" are words I never intend to utter. We've just finished redecorating the TYM's old room and as usual I have chosen a non bog standard border.

 In my hunt for a terracotta throw for his bed to cover up his blue bedding which now doesn't go with the decor I found myself on Vinted. Well there's a reason why I don't venture onto these sites unless I'm looking for something specific...because this is what happens 🧡💛

100% wool and all for £20 including postage and yes I did find the perfect bed cover too!

Arilx

A blue day in January

January is traditionally the month for having the blues and I was intrigued to read recently that the phrase originated from 'the blue devils'. It can be a hard month for many with the shorter days and the challenging weather. I have gone ever so slightly rogue this year and left all the fairy lights up and it cheers me up no end to be able to switch them on if it's grey and drab outside. I try to get out of the house even when it doesn't seem very inviting and without fail I return home feeling lighter of spirit. During treatment cycles we live a five day week because David must stay home the first day and he needs a second day to recover. I'm quite good at coming up with places for us to visit on a Wednesday that don't involve travelling far. On our most recent foray I even managed to line up some blue sky to ensure that any lurking blues were firmly banished.

It's been at least twenty years since I last stepped foot into Tilgate Park and I have no idea why I haven't been back since. Thank goodness I have now made amends. These days the area is publicly owned, but the lakes and walled garden once belonged to a large Victorian house. The owners' fortunes were ravaged by the two world wars and it was eventually demolished. This is what we have left today to explore. It is the venue for the weekly Park Run and in the summer there are lots of different water sports you can try your hand at on the lake. When the weather is more clement and it's drier under foot we'll come back and tackle some of the walking trails round the woods. At the moment a lot of it is under a sea of mud and I could really understand why all the dog owners might want to avail themselves of this dog bath before transporting their pooches home.

Within the walled garden there are a couple of rather nice bits of artwork. There was a big old fanfare back in November when the sculpture with the boy and the sturgeon [known locally as the boy and the dolphin] reappeared after many years in storage. Back in the early 1950s it had pride of place in Queen Square in Crawley which was the jewel in the crown of the new town development, but tastes change and it's much more suited to being here I think. The bird bath is another piece called 'The Vessel' by one of my favourite local artists, Janine Creaye, although I wasn't aware of it at the time. I did my usual and gave it a proper check over and found all manner of things to please me😊

Apparently today is 'Blue Monday', but it sounds like you can take that with a pinch of salt as social media [so it might still be a load of old bunkum] is claiming that it was actually invented by a travel firm back in 2005 to get us all booking more holidays. Your day can be any colour you choose as far as I'm concerned💙

꩜Aril꩜

Another day, another wassail.

Two wassails down and one to go. The tradition is seeing a significant revival. The chance to dress up, sing, make loads of noise and come together with others for a goodly dose of raucous fun...I'm in!! Have a great weekend.

꩜Aril꩜

Aril woz 'ere!

 'Aril woz 'ere'..yes she really was and yes she has been writing on walls [well one anyone]. There is a first time for everything, but perhaps if I reveal that I was at a Banksy exhibition at the time it might make more sense.

I am a great admirer of Banksy's work and was lucky enough to see a few pieces in Bristol a while back. 'Banksy Limitless' still has a few weeks to run and was superb. My sister and I were totally immersed in the experience for at least two hours and it showed a huge range of his pieces both over time and different mediums. As an artist who operates on the edges of society and freely comments on what he observes about us and how the state operates his fame has been a bit of a double edged sword. It has opened up his platform, but also brought him into the mainstream as his works fetch ridiculous sums or are stolen within hours of appearing presumably to be sold on to make money for somebody else. His reaction to such a conundrum was to set up an anonymous market stall in New York where originals of his were sold for $60. People had no idea what they were buying so negotiated a discount and very few sold. With a maverick like Banksy you never know where his next public art installation [remember Dismaland in 2015 which took a very dystopian view of the world of Disney]  will pop up or what he will comment on next. I hope that he never stops being subversive and shining a light on the dark underbelly of our world. He's controversial, but he got his political message out by the artwork he left on the standing ruins of Gaza and Ukraine and he uses his money to do good. The purchase of the former French Navy vessel [painted pink and renamed the Louise Michel] to rescue refugees is only one example of his philanthropic work. Long may he continue to provoke and challenge. He makes me stop and think.

In the words of the Rebel Poet Benjamin Zephaniah " We need troublemakers to challenge the Establishment". I would argue that it's the case now more than ever.

꩜Aril꩜