My post of the day.

With a few minutes to kill before I could start my monthly voluntary slot [I'm part of a team who read the local paper and then the recordings are sent out to visually impaired people in the district] I spotted this. This wonderful handmade postbox is on the wall of the building where the local branch of our Men in Sheds is held. It's a fantastic initiative to allow men with a practical bent to connect with other like minded souls and socialise. Our chaps have made some great wooden planters and they repair wooden items for the Repair Cafe. Further info is here https://menssheds.org.uk/

Arilx

Feelin' Groovy

You would think that it would be near impossible to not be able to find your car in the car park. However, I have achieved this feat on more than one occasion. It's not a common occurrence, but from time to time I have borrowed my parents car and then forgotten and gone looking for ours instead. However, even I would struggle to lose this one I think.

I saw this parked up on Saturday when I was making my way down to volunteer at the Repair Cafe [I've been away so much with the dancing over the summer that I haven't been since April] and simply couldn't resist the temptation to cross the road and take a photo even if I did only have my rubbish camera phone on me. This is my idea of a perfect paint job and I'd have it in a heartbeat. Instinct tells me though that TYM and Mr GBT may not be quite so starry eyed about this little psychedelic beauty!

Arilx

Eco Humour

Hope you all enjoy your weekends.

Arilx

The Breeches Bible

According to Wikipedia, the so called Geneva Bible [many of the Protestant scholars fled to Geneva during the reign of Bloody Mary] is one of the most important versions of the English Bible translations. It was mass produced and available to Joe Public. Shakespeare would have been familiar with it and a copy was carried on board the Mayflower. Sometimes things did rather get lost in translation though.

There aren't many of these Breeches Bibles surviving,but this treasured example is in St Peter's, Chester. It gets its name from the mistranslation of "loincloth" into "breeches" in Genesis, Chapter III,  verse vii. People found it rather humorous, but this attitude was not to be tolerated and later versions were changed to the more sober "apron".

Arilx

Giraffes

This is one of the gifts TYM brought back from his recent working trip to Uganda. He managed to fit in a day long safari and had an incredible experience seeing hippos, elephants, warthogs and lions. Sadly his two month stint came to a rather abrupt end when there was an outbreak of Ebola in the area he was based, so he was transferred to Kenya for the final three weeks just to literally be on the safe side. Sadly the family involved lost several members to this horrible disease.

It was a hairy moment for us as his parents [we were away on holiday], but if you've got a kinderling that is intending to do International Development as a career then I guess this sort of thing goes with the territory. His experience has only strengthened his resolve and shown him that he is far more resilient than he realised. Since he's been home he's been back working at his old job in Horsham full time and then he'll be back to start his final uni year up north later this month. It will quiet here once again at GBT as his Father and I readjust to it just being the two of us again.

Speaking of giraffes I read in a back copy of Sussex Life last week about one Mr Nick Harvey from Crowborough. His presence on Twitter is well known apparently for his marvellous photos which quite unusually feature the "Sussex Giraffes". Some more gullible souls have believed that we do indeed have our own county herd.https://www.thepoke.co.uk/2019/01/22/theres-something-a-little-different-about-this-super-blood-wolf-moon-photo-can-you-spot-it/
Try as I might I've never spotted them myself!

Arilx

The Butterfly Collector's Lament

Oh woe is me! Would you believe that I have been moaning for weeks that everybody else has had a slice of the action....the wonderful year of Painted Ladies I mean. Blogs have had joyous posts and stunning photos of these beauties....me not a murmur. Wasps galore [that's fine. They are very important pollinators], but I am a butterfly collector....a collector of butterfly photos not the real thing you understand. Obviously this whinging has remained as an inner dialogue only as it's rather indulging my toddler tantrumimg self otherwise.

The little star aka Mr GBT has come up trumps once again. His steam powered phone has died [unlike my one which is still soldiering on], so his replacement has come with a decent camera. This was the first photo he took with it. I love that little patch of green fur behind its neck. Apparently the little devils have been frequenting our raspberry bushes while I have been out earning a crust.

Thankfully I saw two with my very own eyes in the garden the next day, so I can stop stropping now!!

Arilx

Three things I didn't know last week.

Exhibit 1

I like to photograph these old painted advertisements on the sides of buildings whenever I get the opportunity. They are part of our heritage, but frequently overlooked and neglected. Personally I would like to see them preserved. Many are in danger of disappearing completely if we're not careful I fear. This one reemerged in Horsham after building work was done and has been left exposed for people to enjoy. Now I know that these are called ghost signs.

Exhibit 2

My friend E tells me these are called eyebrow windows [seen in Sullington]. In my ignorance I would have just called it a window...now I shall be able to stick the word eyebrow in front of it and pretend I know about such things!

Exhibit 3

I took this photo of this decorative effect in Compton, Surrey just because it added textural interest to the brickwork [I can imagine my 20 year old self rolling her eyes at what a dullard I have become in my senior years!] The mortar is inset with little chips of stone. The correct term is galleting apparently.

Wonder how long before this all falls out of my noggin once again!

Arilx