Starlings

In a bid to increase the number of avian visitors to my feeders I've been tweaking what's on offer. A switch to a daily top up of dried meal worms has brought a flock of anything up to twenty starlings in one go.

The official collective noun for these beautiful birds is a murmuration, but frankly they rock up like a load of noisy teens squabbling and pushing each other out of the way and I think a "quarrel", as for sparrows, would be hugely more appropriate. I can hear them shouting at me to get a wriggle on above my head as they line up on the aerial and the moment I'm back indoors down they swoop. Most of the time they're so busy arguing and chucking the stuff on the floor I can't think the ones on the table get much....the ones lower down the pecking order who have to wait their turn on the ground meanwhile quietly tidy away the mess the others have made.

I might be completely wrong here, but starlings strike me as anything but bird brained [in relative terms]. One has got the measure of the situation....it suddenly flaps its wings which causes disarray amongst its feathered companions and sensing imminent danger, they scatter to the four winds in a panic. Meanwhile the perpetrator sits tight....mission accomplished and it gets to feast on the goodies without interruption! Humphrey watches this daily spectacle through the safety of his cat flap....I think he reckons those long, pointy beaks could do him some serious damage if he took one of them on!

Arilx

Before the fire.

An amazingly detailed animation of what 17th century London might have looked like just before The Great Fire took hold. This is one of the titles from Pudding Lane Productions.

Arilx

In deepest darkest Sussex.....

....is a corner off the beaten track where it feels as if time has stood still. Another age when the mysteries of the natural world were still closely intertwined with the teachings of the Church. The Old Religion and New Religion walking side by side.  It's a place where I can imagine villagers leaving "thanks offerings" at the feet of the now unknown painted female saint in the local church. Perhaps she is indeed St Margaret of Scotland or St Margaret of Antioch, patron saint of childbirth. If I was with child I know where I'd be leaving my money.

Still today votive offerings are left at the Shrine of Our Lady in memory of loved ones. Flowers and even potatoes on occasion! It may be a later addition to the landscape [it is in memory of a local lady's Mother] it has gathered a mystique all of its own within the setting of the dark woodland grove and the "bottomless" Madonna Pond.

Down a mud filled track you can only approach on foot . The sudden atmospheric change in light levels makes the tales of the coach and horses disappearing into the pond, never to be seen again and glimpses of the Beast of Binsted in your peripheral vision suddenly seem very possible. Within the last twenty years a tin containing broken china and surrounded by paper wound round nails was unearthed by a metal detectorist. Later investigation found there to be a curse written on the scraps...one the originator never intended to be found. It's a sacred site for many seen and unseen.

Danger lurks at the nearby knucker hole too for this is the watery lair of the serpent-like nicor. These reptilian dragons will bide their time silently before launching a deadly attack on any unsuspecting victims who venture too close to the water's edge. Beware!

We're in the small parish of Binsted here...an area unfamiliar to me, but with the promise of a rich folkloric seam to be mined it was my destination of choice on Mothering Sunday. Sadly this beautiful place is under serious threat from a redevelopment of the A27. The final decision is awaited.

Arilx

A Combination To Play With.

Paul Weller [simply the coolest man on the planet] and Adele singing live. "You Do Something To Me"

Arilx

Beakheads

Beakheads...of these I speak....

A Romanesque style of decoration upon the chancel arch in St Mary Magdalene's in the tiny hamlet of Tortington in West Sussex. These strange fantastical beasts biting down upon the stonework are not very common and tend to be concentrated in certain areas only. It's thought that they were probably painted when they were first carved. Over time I've been lucky enough to see a few examples around the country, but they've all been a repeating pattern. It was the first of my little Mother's Day treats to discover that not only has West Sussex got some of its own, but each one is different. This only came to light when we were taking a closer look at the photos last night. It is thought that they may have been intended to terrify the congregation or perhaps they were there to amuse the kiddies when the sermon went on too long. We shall never know, but I've popped up a couple of close up shots with a little more detail.

A bit of Norman madness!

Arilx

Kindness Wall

Seen last week. Part of this Chester charity https://shareaid.co.uk/ It certainly made me stop and think.

To end on a more positive note a short film about people getting their lives back on track post homelessness http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/stories-43349804/i-was-homeless-on-these-streets-i-m-the-perfect-tour-guide


Arilx

Upon Being a Muvva....

Well what can I say....TYM is definitely a chip off the old block when it comes to his taste in cards...

Had the most splendid day....needless to say a very Arilesque type day!

Arilx