Slugs and Snails and Puppydog Tails.

Once upon a time there lived a dirty little monster at Gnat Bottomed Towers. If he had shorts on he had muddy knees and if he had trousers they were either grass stained or had a rip in them. Pockets were always stuffed full of bits of screwed up paper, fircones, stones and other treasures and in all likelihood he would be armed with a stick or several. I would say his primary aim in life was to grub about and this he did with great frequency and relish. If he needed to look clean and smart you need to change him just before he got in the car and not allow him to eat or drink en route...he was the most incredible dirt magnet.....I know because I was the Mother that had to hose him down after a hard day of muddy shenanigans!

Now of course he's all grown up and we share our home with a very clean being who single handedly keeps Lynx [or Stynx as we prefer to call it] in business. It seems that grubby little boys are nothing new though if this sign seen in Hythe is anything to go by!

Arilx

The Churches Conservation Trust

As ever I am late to the party with this charitable trust. I've known vaguely of the Churches Conservation Trust from snippets I've seen in the press but not really thought until now about investigating any further. To make the best use of the time when I'm away I like to have an online nose to see what's available in the area before I sally forth and anything that is a bit off the beaten track, quirky and free/low cost piques my interest. I've discovered there are many churches in Sussex that I will pay a visit to when I am in the area [I tend not to make special journeys] but I've dipped my toe in the water with a couple of little gems which were only just up the road from where I was staying.

 Firstly St Peter's, Swingfield. This was a Knight's Hospitaller church [the order was dedicated to St John and set up to care for the pilgrims who visited the Holy Land and were struggling due to poverty, illness or injury]. The wonderful turret was added in the 15th century and houses the stairs. It was used as a watch tower in WWII.

18th century moral reminders adorn the walls and just loved the foliage draping itself over the notice.

Our second visit was to St Mary's in Capel-le-Ferne. It's a little squat church now isolated from the main part of the village and situated next to a farm.

We both loved the busyness of this window.

However, the church is noteworthy because of its unique opening above the 14th century stone screen displaying the rood cross.

It would seem that the CCT has a little more than just the ongoing upkeep of the church to concern themselves with if this notice is anything to go by.

On a foul day weather wise this seemed a mighty fine way to while away an hour or so!

Arilx

Salute.

Sometimes when you take a step back I, for one, am often left wondering why we do the things we do...how did certain actions start. One rather lovely gentleman gave me this delicious titbit yesterday and I thought it rude not to share.

Gentlemen attired as thus upon meeting a fellow knight would raise their visor with their hand to show their face and thus confirm that they meant no harm.

More historical trivia with which to impress the troops...can you tell I still haven't finished sorting the Kent photos into any semblance of order and am stalling for time!

Arilx

Mass Dials

You may just have noticed that I enjoy visiting churches. Although not a Christian [I respect the chosen ways of others so long as it doesn't harm them] there is a familiarity of being in a church. For me they are the most amazing time capsules and the sheer length of time some of them have stood is quite mind blowing. Nearly every visit adds to my historical knowledge of how the ordinary folks lived their lives and my latest mini vacances to Kent didn't disappoint.

To the best of my knowledge I have never seen these innocuous stone carvings before or if I have, I've certainly never paid them any attention yet as with buses you don't see any and then they all come along at once. These are mass dials and I saw them at two different churches.

Seen on the door jamb they were a rudimentary form of sundial but designed not to tell the time but to show when it was time for mass. The earliest forms are Saxon but these examples are Medieval. At this time faith played a huge part in the lives of everyday people. It informed the choices they made and how they interpreted the experiences in their everyday life. Attending church and as part of this the prayers spaced throughout the day formed a major part of this daily ritual. Most were illiterate so were reliant upon the visual records of the mass dial to show them when to come. Prayers were set at the fixed times of Matins [pre dawn], Prime [3am], Terce [9am], Sext [12pm], None [3pm], Vespers [sun set] and Nocturnes [after sunset]. The simplest ones had three lines. Set into exterior walls at eye level the scratch dials had wooden pegs [called gnomon] would cast the sunlight against the appropriate line. Perhaps if it rained you just missed the prayers! The ones I saw no longer make sense in their current positions as later alterations have seen porches added which have covered them up.

Arilx

Letters From The Front

A new project launched by Leicester museum which will see a letter a day written by Captain J D Hills during the Great War published 100 years to the day that it was written. You will be able to subscribe to the blog so that you don't miss any entries.

https://ww1lettersfromthefront.wordpress.com/2015/02/12/welcome-to-our-blog-letters-of-john-david-hills/

The lady who has spent the past six months typing them up is my parents's friend.

Arilx

Cheesy!

Hello there....Mr GBT and I broke the shackles and have been away for a few unfettered days of jollification in Kent. I am rather partial to this post scheduling business....it all went very swimmingly until I got home and realised that Monday's post got published on Sunday so didn't make a whole heap of sense as it referred to the Monday blues...doh! No problem though as I've now ripped it down and stuck it back up with sellotape so that now it's showing for the right date!

Budge up...I apologise for the saggy settee but there's room for a few more derrieres to perch...welcome to the kind folks that have joined my blog as followers over the last few weeks. It's kind of you to be brave enough to raise your head above the parapet and publically admit that you read all my dotty ramblings. I've filled the biscuit barrel [lemon puffs...yes I know dreadful artificial things but I love 'em....those of us who survived a 1970s childhood have the constitution of an ox!] and the kettle is whistling ready to fill the pot with a brew.

Anyhow time is marching on...there are photos to be sorted and tales to be told over the next few days so must press on if I am to get it all into some semblance of order and write up a few postlets. Please forgive me for this complete cheat whilst I get my act together.

Firstly the original lyrics to Sweet Dreams by the Eurhythmics

And this fromage version spotted recently in Brighton which amused me greatly.

Arilx

Monday Blues......

...nope not on my watch!

Instead you're getting an explosion in a paint factory to kickstart your week. The North Laines in Brighton no less.

"When it rains look for rainbows

When it's dark look for stars"

Arilx