Perspective

Sometimes experiences change you forever. Without going into details I witnessed a tragedy near my home last week. Nothing ever prepares you for that type of shock or gives you the blueprint for how you should react. I'm dealing with the fallout this week, but perhaps the induced staying at home due to  TYM's Covid is actually a blessing because it's giving me a chance to rest and get my anxiety back into the wings where it belongs. If I was working this week I would be spinning faster and faster in an attempt to outrun my emotions. The other thing it's given me is perspective about what really matters which I am reminding myself everytime a wave of panic is threatening. So for now I am focussing on the small bright spots of each day here at GBT....a surprise bunch of daffs from my parents and two fabulous rainbow mugs from Witchy Woo who was clearing out her cupboards yesterday. That day a family lost a much loved parent and a grandparent.....😢

Arilx

In the days before planning permission...

....this sort of thing happened. What you're looking at are post Medieval houses built into the western wall of the former abbey church which fell victim to Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries. I've never seen anything quite like it before and they'd certainly never be able to get it past the planning department these days!

This was in Bury St Edmunds last summer. This week will be a bit of a mish-mash as won't be going anywhere for the next few days.

Arilx

Staff

 

TYM was required to go back to work in the office in London last week. On Saturday we were enroute to our friends for lunch when the phone rang. "Turn round" said TYM "I've just tested positive." In all honesty we've been expecting this for months and although his Dad and I are still testing negative ,I have cancelled all work for this coming week [bit of a bummer when you're self employed, but there we go] as I would prefer to not pass it on to some of my very vulnerable clients. However, every cloud has a silver lining and Humphrey thinks that this is splendid news. From his perspective there will be more laps available to avail himself of and more staff to pointlessly open and close doors for him. Presently TYM only has mild symptoms and so today he will be back to working from home again....I, meanwhile, shall take the opportunity to indulge my Olympics habit and take advantage of his Prime Membership to check out some of their content.

Arilx

Bring me sunshine

 I can't remember a time that I have ever worn yellow on its own. When seen like this on display though it is rather cheery....mind you I'm not sure about that bra and my first impression of the hat did put me in mind of fried eggs rather than daisies! How dreadfully uncouth of me! I wonder what Vintage Vixen's verdict will be on it all.🌞🌻😀

Have a great weekend everyone. 

Arilx

Luna and Albert

 This is Luna...my very good friend Witchy Woo's little cat who's just had her first birthday. She's a busy little bee and the last couple of times I've been over she's been chasing or has been being chased by a chocolate brown, long haired cat called Albert. Now this might not sound a very good situation, but Albert is the same age and lives next door. They are thick as thieves and call round for each other on a daily basis for extended bouts of rough and tumble in the garden...no claws or teeth just lots of fun [both have had their little ops!]. It's quite an unusual scenario as Luna doesn't tolerate any other cats coming in the garden, but WW thinks it may be something to do with the nature of the breeds of the two of them. She's half tabby/Siamese and he's half ragdoll/ British blue. Anyway it's the cutest thing to see and when they've tired each out they both return to their respective homes to rest up and ready themselves for another day of mischief!🐈🐱😸😺😻

Arilx

Radically Different Landscapes

 I'm not a fan of weekend days stuffed full of chores so, with this in mind, I took myself down into Horsham to see the museum's latest exhibition and give myself a breather. Currently on show they have the work of Robin Alexander Elliott. I am very taken by this artist's use of colour and highly original depiction of nature. To my mind there's an Clarice Cliff echo in his use of shape. Just a couple of my favourites.

It injected a good shot of colour into a wet and miserable day.

Arilx

PS I changed my mind about the blog post content despite my comments yesterday.

Cross x x

 I find it strange sometimes how random things I haven't necessarily been expecting to see appear to group themselves into a theme which then runs through our walk. This one was from a few days ago when we did a loop round between the Surrey villages of Puttenham and Compton.

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This first shot I took merely because I liked the way the moss had filled in the crosses in the carpark...it looked like a visual pun for the Green Cross Code. That then got me thinking about how old I might have been when I learnt it as a child which in turn sent me down a rabbit hole of nostalgia. You know what a time suck google can be.1970 was when the campaign first launched which would make sense as I started school in the early part of the decade. What foxed me though was the mention of the Green Cross Code man...I have no memory of him, but I did have a vague recollection of a red squirrel called Tufty and having a button badge with him on. Perhaps I was in the Tufty Club?! Anyway I gather this little character was another tool in the Road Safety's armoury to teach us all to get from one side of the road to the other in one piece. Tufty is still very much with us, but has undergone a few updates to appeal to the new generations coming through. I really am showing my age talking about all this aren't I!!

Now it could be said of me that on occasion I might suffer from an overactive imagination. My initial reaction to this looming up ahead was that it was a cross on the bridge, but then the sensible side of my brain kicked in and decided it must be some sort of light for the busy road running over it.

However, as it turns out, my eyes weren't deceiving me. It is a cross and is there to indicate that you are walking on the Pilgrims Way which traditionally ran from Winchester and ended at the shrine of Thomas a Becket in Canterbury. The original route has been tweaked a bit to allow for modern roads.

Finally we came across this terracotta Celtic Cross. It was made by the artist Mary Watts in memory of her husband, the Pre- Raphaelite artist G F Watts [I visited his memorial chapel in the village here http://gnatbottomedtowers.blogspot.com/2014/11/hidden-surrey-gem.html. Curiously nobody is entirely sure when she actually created it, but it was intended as another marker for the Pilgrim's Way. It's thought that the sword on the front is a reference to the knight's sword which killed Becket and on the reverse is Christ and images of the pilgrims travelling. The boss shields and the Celtic plaits running down the sides [not shown] were to protect against evil spirits. Naturally that's the part which got my attention!

That said it wasn't all crosses...I'll share some other things tomorrow.

Arilx