Frou Frou Friday

Dancing Goddesses...what more could you want on a Friday😜

If this selection  just isn't enough for you the rest of them are boogying on down over here!
http://blog.ninapaley.com/2018/01/01/24-free-goddess-gifs/ You can blame my friend Arty L for this particular treasure!

Arilx

Resistance is Futile.

TYM has kindly shared his cold with his Aged Parents...I knew what the outcome of several hours cooped up in the car with him coughing and spluttering at the weekend was likely to be.......

N'er mind. Despite feeling a bit under the weather and it being bone chillingly cold these past few days, this has warmed the cockles of my heart....Freecycle....if two titles like this are going to come up with my name on who am I to refuse the universe....working on the old "what's for you won't get past you" principle I put in a polite request and now these lovelies are all mine, mine, mine!

Once again when it comes to books resistance is futile! 

One very happy bunny signing off.

Arilx

North of the Watford Gap

Yes it's been that time of year again when the Aged Parents shoehorn TYM and a selection of his personal  goods and chattels [most could be left in situ this time] into our modest sized metal box in order to deposit him back at the start of another new uni term.

Distance wise it's several hours of travelling so requires an overnight stay, so I've nipped and tucked the GBT budget where possible. The hotel is a no frills affair and part of the service station, but it's clean and comfortable. However, eating facilities are limited and I don't much fancy a fast food breakfast so we have tried out and been very pleased with the reasonably priced options at the new Wetherspoons just round the corner from his halls. Indeed none of the service stations have seen my custom...with the travelling we do to our business shows I've got the art of thrifty lunches down to a tee. With enough fruit for two days I now take something along the lines of prebuttered hot cross buns [they keep fine overnight in the car] for the return trip along with those sachets of latte to which you just add hot water. We fill the flask with hot water at the hotel and take a teaspoon to stir it all in...lumpy coffee is not my idea of manna from heaven! Not being one who eats out regularly I have sourced a slightly more expensive pub in a nearby village...it allows us to fill the car up on the way through [at 12p a litre cheaper than the hotel why wouldn't you] and enjoy a special freshly cooked meal together as a family. I am now officially in love with the Lancaster and white onion pie I had!

All's quiet here on the Western Front once again...it only takes a small adjustment now for me to get used to him being away. Knowing that he's happy and having a ball means I can relax. For once we were able to get a photo of all of us together at Christmas...I can't tell you how rare this phenomenon it is..... so with great pleasure please allow me to inflict said image of Himself with the Aged Parents upon you all!

Until next time.....

"Penny for the plough boys!"

The first Monday in January after Twelfth Night is Plough Monday. Starting out as a Medieval custom [there are written records from the 1400s], traditionally it was the day the ploughboys returned to work the land in preparation for sowing. Many communities would have shared a plough which was housed in the church and the blessing of it was carried out by the priest at a special Plough Service. This it was hoped would promote a good harvest for the coming year. Some of these services continue to be held today. To leave any plough out in the field was thought to bring bad luck in the form of wolves to your farm.

Having carried out the necessary religious observances, the plough was normally decorated and paraded around the local area by the plough boys for money. At this time any funds raised were given back to the church for the Plough Lights. These were the candles burnt to continue this cycle of good fortune throughout the whole agricultural season. As you might imagine with the coming of the Reformation these archaic practices, with their pagan overtones, were soon abolished.

Despite the banning of Plough Monday it saw a revival in later years albeit in a slightly different form. The Plough Boys or Jacks, Stots or Bullocks as they were also known, continued with the revels. Now though they disguised their faces with soot and collected money from their Plough Parade for their own pocket. Refusal to pay could land you with the threat of having your doorstep  pulled up anonymously at nightfall.  Money for menaces indeed😈 Thankfully these days the celebrations have taken a rather more benevolent turn and the celebrations often include Morris Dancing [particularly the Molly style] and music. One of the  most well known is the Whittlesey Straw Bear Festival http://www.strawbear.org.uk/  Although  originally marked all over the country Plough Monday traditions are now mainly confined to East Anglia.

Arilx

Frou Frou Friday

Hope you like this little gem of a news story from the Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/mans-car-breaks-down-after-squirrel-fills-it-with-hundreds-of-acorns-andrew-wilkins-surrey-a8138066.html

Wishing you a fabulous first weekend of 2018!

Arilx

Appealing Kneeling

When the weather is cold and drab at this time of year I guess I need to look harder to find things which make me feel cheery. Colour is always a winner with me and on our snout around St George's in Trotton on Monday I went back to look at the kneelers before we left. Normally I give them a quick appreciative glance, but no more than that. These ones though were particularly bright and breezy with an eclectic mixture of themes. How could I resist!

The first one is referencing the Camoys brass I spoke about yesterday and the second one is linked to the dedication of the church. The others are just gloriously random though. My personal favourite? The "toads crossing" one gets my vote!

Having never had kneelers on the radar before I was interested to learn that they are the most widely practised form of folk art in the country yet there's no record of them. This is now being addressed so if you know of any in your locality and want to investigate further here's the link http://www.parishkneelers.co.uk/

Arilx

First One Ticked Off The List

Something about this time of year makes me want to start rummaging and sorting out here at Gnat Bottom Towers. It's always the same, but it means I rediscover things or look at the familiar anew. This time I've turned up my list of places to visit which hasn't come to my attention in months and a quick scan revealed that we would be passing one en route to a clan gathering over in Hampshire.

Without any expectation [it being New Year's Day and all that] we pulled up and I tried the door at St George's church in Trotton, West Sussex. I've brightened the colours, but it was much duller and rainier than it's showing...no worries though because I'm pleased to say the church was open for me to kickstart my neverending quest for the unusual in 2018!

It's known for its marvellously preserved 14th century wall paintings which are around the whole interior and depict both religious and secular matter. The best ones though are the Last Judgement.

I've seen a few of this in my time, but here we have in the centre Christ sitting on a rainbow with Moses beneath him. I don't recall ever seeing quite such a realistic facial/hair depiction before.

Off to the left hand side is a badly faded carnal man with all the seven deadly sins and on the right the good man and the seven acts of mercy. The two examples I've shown images for are tending the sick and giving drink to the traveller.

Much of the church's history is tied up with the local Camoys family. Thomas commanded the left flank of the English Army at the battle of Agincourt in 1415 and his military splendour is reflected in the full suit of armour he's seen wearing in the huge brass dedicated to him. Next to him is his second wife Elizabeth Mortimer. She had previously been the widow of Henry Percy, made famous by his more common moniker of "Hotspur" in Shakespeare's Henry IV Part 1.

Since returning home I've learnt that the oldest brass depicting a woman also resides here. To be honest I'm not sure whether I missed it or if it was hiding under the mat to prevent damage. If you're interested then it might be worth keeping your eyes peeled should you ever decide to visit!

Arilx