Making hay boxes while the sun shines.

As we continue to review our life and budget choices we have been looking at many different options and ideas. Some things we instantly disregard, some we price up and again reject because there are no savings to be made or are more expensive than what we're already doing and others just prove to be impractical. However, I'm a person who deals with things by coming up with workable solutions...it's part of who I am and setbacks don't set me back they just set me off in another direction. Ways of saving fuel is very topical right now and I have often wondered about the viability of a wonderbag or having a haybox. The first option would take a relatively long time to pay off for the savings you would make so I soon discarded that, but I mentioned the latter to Mr GBT. He did the maths and said that it would be worth experimenting with a haybox if we could make one for free.

Whilst I might not a great keeper of everything that might come in useful one day, I do recognise the value of having a modest stash of bits and bobs. Two big cardboard boxes, one old cushion pad, a bag of unused hay we originally bought for the hedgehog house, leftover styrofoam and a stand made from wood we had anyway and legs from our son's old cot bars....ta-dah!

We filled our casserole dish with boiling water and left it for 7 hours. When we came back he measured the temperature and said it would be safe to use for cooking. I wouldn't use it for things like chicken or pork though as don't want to risk food poisoning It's got to be worth a punt!

Arilx

Friday smile

 It's hot so it's just a quick offering from me today🌞

Have a great weekend.

Arilx

Ten Minutes

 Last month we travelled over to Hampshire to have lunch with Mr GBT's sister. On our last visit I'd discovered that we passed a church with some items of note that I quite fancied having a quick look at. Whilst I wouldn't make a special trip across it seems daft not to just drop in as we were over that way anyway...I promised I'd be no more than ten minutes.

Corhampton church is one without dedication, but what is definitely known is that it's Saxon in origin. It also has some rather fine medieval paintings, but I'm sparing you those.

One Saxon sundial set into the outside wall. It's made of sandstone which differs from the main fabric of the current building so it's known to predate it. Those leaf shaped motifs on the end of the spokes denote eight "tides" rather than the the twelve hours we're more accustomed to in the modern versions and the hole in the middle would have taken a gnomon.

This is a Saxon [or possibly medieval] Sanctuary chair or fridstol [meaning chair of peace] as the Saxons would have called it. Once seated in it you could claim sanctuary and not be arrested within the church. Other churches round the country have sanctuary knockers mounted on their front door which served the same purpose. I wonder how often people used them in this way?

I stuck to my agreed time limit and have to say it was most definitely worth breaking the journey for.

Arilx

Festival season

 We have many friends who love music festivals, so through them I have become familiar with the names of some despite never having been to one. This year though Mythago, along with other dance sides, was invited to perform during the day at the Wickham Festival. Many of the side have attended in previous years so were keen to attend [some have stayed the whole weekend], but for us it was perfect because it's within easy reach of home for a day. Time to enjoy the sights and sounds of something new....

In terms of festival scale this one is a little 'un but it's won its fair share of awards in the under 15k festival categories. Being one that really not keen on big peopley events this was perfectly manageable for me. Loved the vibe, watching everyone in their finery and the friendliness of all we met. The final photo is the Marching Skaletons,,,the trombonist even has bones down his trousers. Always had a soft spot for Ska since I was a young teen and this lot were sensational. We were well received too I'm pleased to report!

Arilx

Meanwhile here at home....

 Mid June through to late July hurtled past in a flurry of activities...time away, trips out, socialising...all great fun, but I've really appreciated being able to slow down a bit and catch up on the backlog which had built up. We've pulled our horns right in and cut our outgoings right back. I don't mind....I'm a simple soul and this type of situation always makes me come up with more creative solutions and more inclined to try new things. There will still be treats just all accounted for. Our latest was to join friends for a pizza at a local independently run restaurant which operates out of a farm barn. I can vouch that a peach, basil, caramelised red onion and blue cheese topping is now my favourite ever topping combination!

On the home front I've made a start on redecorating the bathroom and undertaking more kit making for Mythago. After the last bout I thought I wouldn't do anymore, but there's an idea in my noggin that just won't buzz off so I am hurling myself right out of my comfort zone and seeing if I can make this thing I've dreamt up. If it's naff you'll never hear of it again, but I want to try. What with that, Mythago secretarial duties, several huge bags of bottle top sorting for charity recycling every month in addition to all the day to day stuff and keeping up with family and friends it certainly keeps me busy and out of the shops😁 Mind you nothing will ever keep me out of the library!

This space will always be a place I can record the small gems which I so treasure.  This week's include seeing a beautiful slow worm on the path when I was out walking with my friend H on Monday after work, trying and enjoying this new to me recipe [we had it as a main meal in tortilla wraps. I added more mayo, some salt and a bit more curry powder] https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/coronation-chickpea-sandwich-filler, picking the raspberries every morning [we freeze them and then will make jam]. In a few more weeks we'll be able to harvest our own apples too. Our little tree has exceeded all  expectations this year and produces a bumper crop. We removed several small apples a few weeks ago which normally I'd have put on the compost, but if I now need to be true to my gnat bottomed moniker I spent a tedious hour or so peeling and cooking the little blighters up. However, I didn't grumble when they gave me the makings of two crumbles last weekend and gave me the opportunity to really make the best use of the oven when I did a big batch cook. 

Sadly I have never had any luck with growing sweetpeas here, but thankfully others are able to do so. My friend C gave us a bunch from her garden..I have always adored their colours and scent. Hope everyone has a good weekend. 

Arilx

The Stoneywell Bull

Before we went away I prebooked tickets for a tour of the National Trust property of Stoneywell. It's most known for its Arts and Crafts interior, but it was the stories the guides told us that captivated me. It was completed by Ernest Gimson [in partnership with Detmar Blow] in 1899 for his brother Sydney to have as his summer residence. I think it must have a fabulous place to spend your summer holidays if you were a child with its scaled down play fort in the garden which was thatched every year with bracken. However, it was the tale of the lintel above the fireplace which made me chuckle. The children were told that an enormous bull had once charged through the wall and as proof its horns remain embedded there for all to see to this very day.

I had planned to do a full writeup of our visit, but as is oft the way the post has morphed into something quite different. As you can see I've just decided to go with it and offer up this alternative version which will hopefully amuse!

Arilx

 

Lammas 2022

 Experiences have always meant far more to me than things...experiences don't have to be things that we've paid for either. Just as well really with our teeny budget😁 Seeing new places or old places through new eyes have long lifted my serotonin levels and it really takes very little to give me a boost. For me it's all about living a life that might not be rich in monetary terms, but enriched in many other ways. Recently I felt honoured and privileged when a former Mythago friend [he moved away] took us out for a lovely walk in his part of East Sussex. Bar the Winnie the Pooh associations which make the area famous I know very little about the Ashdown Forest.

After our walk around the Lodge Nature Reserve I understand now why it's so special for him. It was a warmish afternoon so there wasn't much in the way of larger wildlife to be seen, but round the pond it was busy with different coloured dragonflies and chasers. We parked in the Four Counties carpark because on a clear day you can see across to Kent, Surrey, West Sussex and of course further afield in East Sussex. According to B it's absolutely spectacular at sun rise or sun down. As a fellow Druid I completely see where he's coming from. Sometimes he parks his motorhome up and spends the night up there. 

This final photo is of a bronze age burial mound called Peat Lump Hill. The tree marks the top. With it being so overgrown it's difficult to tell what it is, but you can sense that change in energy as you cross the threshold. I know from previous conversations with B that this is is one of those places that really resonates with him. I didn't know that he was going to take us there so it was a lovely surprise. 

The perfect way to while away a few hours. A very happy Lammas to anyone who celebrates the old ways. 

Arilx