Red Poppy field in Cotswolds
This Weekly Photo Challenge. is the word Muse and it has given me a lot to think about. On reflection I believe my muse is the natural world. It provides memorable, magnificent moments when my spirit soars with the spectacle before me. This is usually when I am on my own, in silence, in the countryside. Wide open pastures, woodland filled with wildflowers and birdsong, snow-capped mountains, cool crashing waterfalls, tumbling streams and majestic rivers. These are what excite me. Acres of colourful, cultivated flowers, or a single poppy bursting into life uplifts me and carries me away from the mundane. These are the moments that matter. this is when heaven happens and I just have to capture it with my camera or with a blogpost.
These days I don’t do much travelling, but I am blessed to live in a beautiful part of the world. Whatever the season there is always something sublime to see within a short journey. And, if I can’t get out, I can always enjoy nature’s efforts in my garden.
In January there are snowdrops, crocuses and hellebores, and often snow on the Cotswold Hills. Then I take myself off to Painswick or Sherborne to enjoy them.
In February the first primroses and wild daffodils appear. There is frost on the ground and skeletal trees when the first lambs and goat kids are born. That’s when I go to the Golden Triangle.
In March the magnolias burst into flower and blackthorn gleams white in the hedgerow. Hyacinths smells fragrant and frogspawn appears in the pond.
In April there are cowslips on the Common and blossom on the fruit trees and in hedgerows. This is the prefect time to go on the Blossom Trail around Evesham. By the time Easter arrives the new lambs and baby rabbits are out in the fields and the lilac trees are in full flower.
In May fields of yellow rapeseed sweep far into the distance, and yellow and orange poppies brighten up the roadside. Self-seeded Lily of the Valley fill the border under my fruit trees.
In June it’s off to the woods to see the Bluebells and wild garlic which grows by the roadside. Bright red poppies appear in the fields and roses fill the gardens
In July I go to Wick near Pershore to see acres of delphiniums, which are grown to be dried and sold as natural confetti. On the way back I stop to admire the blue Linseed fields outside Elmley Castle. Now is the time to pick cherries from the trees and strawberries from the fields.
By August I am picking apples, pears and blackberries daily and storing or freezing them for winter. In Pershore the plum festival is held and there are sunflowers to see and lavender fields to visit!
But September is my favourite time. There are conkers and cob nuts to collect. The Cotswold countryside is a giant nature table with a cloth of autumnal colours.
October means pumpkins, root vegetables, toffee apples and fudge. It’s time to go to Westonbirt Arboretum for the best display of Maples turning red outside of Japan.
November means baked potatoes, nourishing soups and bonfires, foggy mornings and falling leaves. Time to head to the park to watch them dance in the wind!
Things quieten down in December but there are fir trees and holly bushes to admire. Christmas lights glisten in the houses, shops and streets. I head off to Stratford on Avon to see them at their best.
naturalised snowdrops
snowdrops and hellebores
Bluebells in Bradbury Clump
Yellow Rapeseed in Cotswolds
Red Poppy field in Cotswolds
Spring lambs enjoying the fresh green grass at hailes Abbey
Violet coloured Delphiniums growing near Pershore
Yellow rapeseed Kimbolton, Herefordshire
Rapeseed viewed from Warwick castle
Glass-Painted Summerhouse Doors My sacred space in winter
River Avon at Stratford on Avon
Apple blossom in my garden
Robin redbreast gathering food for his young in my garden
Me gathering apples at Willen
Daffodils
Light show projected onto the wall of William Shakespeare’s Birthplace in Stratford on Avon
Fields of Linseed growing between Elmley castle and Hinton
stone wall in a garden in Cornwall with plants
Peaceful sunset over Somerset with sailing boat and Hinckley point Nuclear power Station fading into the misty distance
Gorgeous orange poppies
Deer at Dyrrham park
Happy Valentine Day
Autumn leaves at Westonbirt
Autumn colours at the cemeteryOne of my favourite quotes is
Let thy soul walk softly in thee
As a saint in heaven unshod
For to be alone with silence
Is to be alone with God
Cotswolds
ROY-G-BIV ~ Rambles and rainbows
Jungle playmat
The differences between being a child in postwar Britain, a parent in the 1970’s, and a grandparent today are amazing to me. When I was a child there were still shortages of food which meant essential supplies were rationed while luxuries were just none existent for the ordinary family. This made for a simpler diet with few choices and little chance of overindulging. However, undernourishment was such a big issue for children at the time that the government provided orange juice, cod liver oil, malt extract and often a tonic like Minadex for every school age child. Babies and schoolchildren were given free milk.
Food was basic, grown, fished or farmed, and home cooked. There was very little processed food and no such thing as ready meals! Packaging was practical and simple too. Butter and cheese was cut off a large block and wrapped in greaseproof paper then put in a brown paper bag. Sugar, flour and dry goods were scooped out from large sacks, weighed and poured into paper bags. Fresh fish was bought straight from the quayside or from a man who brought it round the houses in a horse and cart. Bread and pastries were usually baked at home or bought from the local baker, while meat was from the local butcher and chickens were often still alive! Every town had a High Street which had a selection of specialist shops and there were ‘corner shops’ in most residential areas. In fact when my grandfather left the army in 1952, he bought a corner shop right next to the hospital off the West Road in Newcastle. Some shops, like Woolworth’s, were quite large, but nothing like the huge supermarkets of today.
Women, and it was almost always women, had large sensible shopping bags, which were used over and over again. Plastic bags had not been invented. Often the shopping was delivered to the housewife in a cardboard box by a lad on a bicycle or a man in a van. This was essential as working class women, or indeed men, would not have had a car. We have gone full circle here as so many supermarkets deliver shopping now, but not for the same reason!
But to get back to childhood, babies as far as I remember were dressed and treated as babies until they were about 3 years old. They would be put in a big pram and stuck outside in the garden or yard, or often, on the street outside the front door. Here the child would sleep or watch the world go by for hours between feeds with a few toys. My soft toys would have been knitted by my mum while my dad would occasionally make wooden toys. Toys, being few, were treasured. I still have the doll I had when I was 1 and the golly (sorry) my mum knitted when I was 4. Boys would often have tin cars or lead soldiers, both of which would be considered dangerous now.
Today things are so different. Babies are socialised and stimulated from the earliest age. My grandchildren are taken to ‘bounce and rhyme’, baby gym, play barns, swimming classes, baby massage etc. etc. It amazes me to see the speed of their development. And at home the range of toys is breathtaking. Everything seems to have movement, music, colour and lights built in. Even books have appropriate sounds alongside the story. And, before babies can even crawl they have play mats like the one in my photo. This 3D mat has all the colours of the rainbow in it. It is based on a jungle theme so there are animals adorning it. It is soft, safe, supportive and stimulating. It plays a variety of music, animal noises, and even waterfall sounds. It has given my grandchildren hours of pleasure. I chose this photo for a couple of reasons. It shows my two and a half year old grandson teaching his 8 month old sister how to roll over. It is so cute and the clothes just tickle me. Denim jeans on a baby I find hilarious and absolutely adorable.
So this week’s photo challenge was to illustrate the colours of the rainbow and I think this photo does that. The denim jeans qualify as Indigo while all the other colours of the rainbow are in the playmat. but just in case you want more I have added a little group of colourful shots below.
Red Poppy field in Cotswolds
Orange Lifeboat on Porthtowan Beach
Yellow rapeseed Kimbolton, Herefordshire
Deep Green Leaves of Lily of the valley in my garden
Gorgeous green grass of Cotswolds
lavendar fields at Snowshill
Blue Stained Glass Window at Gloucester cathedral detail
Violet poppy in my garden
Violet Confetti Fields at Wick near Pershore
Blue skies over River fal in Cornwall
Green fields of Cornwall
Orange petrol pumps long disused in Cornwall
Rainbow playmat
Bright Yellow sunflower
Bluebells in Bradbury Clump
Yellow Rapeseed in Cotswolds
Cheltenham racecourse ~ off-season
One of several Statues of much loved horses
Driving past Cheltenham Racecourse the other day I noticed that the next Race Meeting is not until 23/24th October. And, the National Hunt Season proper gets under way on 13/14/15th November. This seems such a long way off I got to wondering what happens there during the ‘Off-season’, so I decided to pop up there this Sunday and find out. It was a revelation!
In the UK most horse racing is on turf although there are a few all weather tracks. I guess the ‘going gets tough’ during the summer months when the ground is hard and dry, making it dangerous for thoroughbred racehorses to jump the fences. Every racecourse is different whether it is for flat racing, National Hunt racing, or point to point. Few are a regular oval shape and different horses run better on different tracks ~‘horses for courses’, as the saying goes.
Flat racing is run over distances between 5 furlongs (5/8 miles) and 2 miles with no fences to be jumped, while National Hunt racing, as at Cheltenham, is between 2 miles and 4 1/2 miles with challenging obstacles to be jumped. At Cheltenham these include hurdles, fences and water jumps. These races are strictly governed and the jumps, although terrifying, are built with safety in mind. Point to Point races on the other hand are much more ‘informal’ and for amateur riders. I have only watched a couple of point to points and I found them terrifying. The jumps are horrendous and riders often fall and end up covered in blood!
Cheltenham Racecourse is very special and world famous. The Cheltenham Festival is unmissable for any serious racing fan. It is held annually in the third week of March around St Patrick’s Day. The atmosphere is electric and the whole town comes alive. Race fans come from all over the UK, Southern Ireland and beyond to enjoy the four day meeting. There is a Championship Race each day, the highlight being the Gold Cup race. This year the weather was perfect for spectators with early spring sunshine, although the horses may have found the ground a bit hard.
The Gold Cup is a Grade 1 race, run over a distance of 3 miles 2 1/2 furlongs. All the horses carry the same weight in the Gold Cup and the hill to the finish is a test of their stamina and courage. Famous winners of the Gold Cup include Dawn Run (a mare, ridden by Jonjo O’Neill), Arkle (considered the greatest horse of all time), Golden Miller, Best Mate, Desert Orchid & Kauto Star. Racegoers, and non-racegoers alike, grow attached to individual horses as they each have their own personality and style. In National Hunt racing the horses do not have to be thoroughbred, which adds an extra twist to the races. Of course there are lots of breeders, trainers and stables in the Cotswolds so it is possible to see these beautiful creatures out galloping occasionally which is wonderful.
So what is going on at the racecourse before then? Well lots of things as I discovered.
There is an amazing building at the racecourse, appropriately called the Centaur (half man/half horse)! This building seats over 2000 people (4000 standing) and has some beautiful spaces inside including the gorgeous Steeplechasing hall of Fame. During the ‘off-season’ it hosts music festivals, craft shows, business meetings, seminars, conferences, graduation ceremonies for the local university as well as being a fabulous wedding venue.
Outside the Centaur in the grounds around the racetrack there is lots of activity too as you will see from my photos. There is a permanent facility for Riding for the Disabled and the racecourse has its own railway station which still has steam trains running. This is operated by the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway GWR and is run mainly by volunteers. The station, signal box and platform take me right back to my childhood and day trips to the seaside. But now visitors can steam through the Cotswolds enjoying the scenery. It is marvellous.
There are some great statues around the racecourse of Gold Cup winners Golden Miller and Arkle, as well as dawn Run, and Best Mate and of course the Centaur. Some of these were removed while the £45million building work is going on but I did find one or two. The fabulous new stand and walkway is due to be ready for the 2016 Festival and I must say it was looking great today.
Another permanent feature near the entrance to the racecourse is a veterinary block complete with tackle shop, offices etc. And, in the car park of this building is a waiting area for emergency vehicles and responders.
Also in the grounds was a temporary ‘big top’. This beautiful blue and white tent was the circus with a purpose, Circus Starr, a wonderful charity bringing fun and excitement into the lives of disabled and disadvantaged children and their families. I was so jealous that I didn’t have a ticket as I stood outside and enjoyed the music from Frozen waft out from the big top. I could hear gasps of pleasure at what I assumed were trapeze artists doing aerial dances to ‘Let it Go’.
Apart from this there were dog walkers, joggers, cyclists, and a young lad riding a motorbike as well as builders creating the new walkway.
Cheltenham Spa Express
Circus Starr
Emergency vehicle Waiting Station at racecourse
Entrance to Centaur Building
GWR Train
On the footplate
Jockey Club Entrance
One of the statues
New building almost finished
Cheltenham Racecourse Station
Steam Engine coming into Cheltenham Racecourse Station
Steam Engine coupling to train
team Train waiting at Cheltenham Racecourse Station
waiting for the signalman
Advertised events coming up before the season takes off included;
Sportive’s Cycling Event 15th August
Leap for LINC Charity bungee jump 23rd August
‘Frozen’ Cinema Screening 29th August
Cotswold Gold
Oilseed Rape StoryAs soon as we arrived at Church Farm for Open Farm Sunday I was captivated. At the entrance there were Shetland ponies and goats to pet, as well as a great display of crops and posters giving information about oats, barley and oilseed rape. It was like the best nature table you could possibly arrange! As a primary school teacher many years ago, I would have loved to put on a display like this for my pupils. But even as an adult I found it fascinating. What appealed to me most was the opportunity to learn about the oilseed rape.
I love to see the fields of gold that stretch across the Cotswold in late Spring each year. I go out and take photographs and take the grandchildren to admire them. I usually say something simple like, “It’s used for cooking oil”, but I honestly hadn’t a clue what really happened to those gorgeous yellow plants.
Well, having chatted to the farmer and a seed merchant, I now know a great deal more. Rapeseed belongs to the Brassica family of plants like turnips, cabbages, Brussel sprouts and cauliflower among others. In fact the word Rape comes from the Latin, Rapum which means turnip! Who knew? Natural rapeseed has been grown, and used to produce fuel, for centuries. In fact Brassica are some of the oldest plants around. There are records of Brassica oilseed varieties being grown in India 4000 years ago, and China and Japan 2000 years ago. It is likely that the Romans introduced it to Britain. It was found to be a useful ‘break crop’, which means that it keeps down weeds and helps enrich the soil in between growing other crops. By the middle-ages rapeseed oil was being used as fuel for lamps. But it was not until the Industrial Revolution, when steam power came to the fore, that machinists discovered its suitability as a lubricant.
During the Second World War huge quantities of oil were needed to keep the engines of naval and merchant vessels seaworthy, but because of blockades it was difficult to source from Europe and the East. So Canada greatly increased its rapeseed cultivation.
The original, natural strains of rapeseed had been used for centuries to feed animals, but not people. It had a bitter taste and was high in erucic acid, which is toxic to young children. However, following research and development in Canada, a strain was developed that had low levels of erucic acid and a pleasant nutty taste, making it suitable for human consumption. The Canadian climate was good for growing it, so in 1978 a company was set up to produce Canadian Oil, Low in Acid, hence the name Canola! Although this was a brand name it is now accepted as a generic term for oilseed rape.
I have used Rapeseed Oil for years at home for frying and roasting food, as well as baking carrot cakes and biscuits. It is also suitable for bread and pastries, and of course, it makes delicious dressings, marinades and mayonnaises. A knowledgeable doctor told me years ago that Rapeseed oil is high in Vitamin E and contains less than half the saturated fat of olive oil, which helps to keeps cholesterol down. Rapeseed oil is also rich in omega 3, 6 and 9 and contains no preservatives or additives, making it a healthy alternative to butter or other vegetable oils.. I buy the locally produced ‘Cotswold Gold’ rapeseed oil as it is made in small batches by methods which preserve the goodness of the oil and it is not genetically modified as some mass produced or foreign oils are.
In recent years, celebrity chefs have made rapeseed oil very popular, which is one reason why there is so much grown in this country now. Another reason is its use in the biodiesel industry. In fact over 60% of the rapeseed grown in Europe now is used for fuel. This would be a worry if it was taking up land which could be used for food production. But apparently it can be grown on ‘set-aside’ land, which would otherwise not be used.
I was very pleased to learn that not a single bit of the rapeseed plant is wasted. Once the oil has been pressed out of the ripe black seeds, the left over pulp provides a rich feed for the animals on the farm and the rest of the plant goes into the forage which provides food for the animals in winter.
If you would like more information or facts and figures, the website ukagriculture.com produces a wonderful poster called The Story of Oilseed Rape. And, you can watch a short video on the oil extraction process in Ireland here on youtube.
copyright ukagriculture
Seen from Warwick castle
Rapeseed viewed from Warwick castle
Seen from Warwick castle
Opposite Cherltenham racecourse
Kimbolton, Herefordshire
Yellow rapeseed Kimbolton, Herefordshire
Kimbolton, Herefordshire
Oats and beans and barley grow,
Not you, nor I, nor anyone know,
How oats and beans and barley grow.
First the farmer sows the seed,
Then he stands and takes his ease,
Stamps his feet and claps his hand,
And turns around to view the land.
Oats and beans and barley grow,
Oats and beans and barley grow,
Not you, nor I, nor anyone know,
How oats and beans and barley grow.
First the farmer sows the seed,
Then he stands and takes his ease,
Stamps his feet and claps his hand,
And turns around to view the land.
Vivid Blue
Images from Denny’s stained glass window in Gloucester cathedral
I am awed by stained glass windows, and have an enormous collection of photos from around the world. But very close to home there is a window that fascinates me. It is in Gloucester Cathedral. It is quite a modern window and from a distance with a cursory glance, it can appear to be simply random shapes of blue glass. On closer inspection though, this window draws the viewer in rather as an icon does. It is a meditative experience to sit and really look at this window. Soon the shape of a man appears then you are drawn to the face. It has a haunting expression of deep understanding and empathy. It represents the face of Jesus.
The window was created and installed in 1992 by Thomas Denny. It is mainly in vivid blue and white with splashes of red and yellow. It is greatly affected obviously by the light coming from outside but it does appear to be in shadow when the viewer is at a distance, then as you get closer it gets brighter and quite mesmerises me! Doubting Thomas and Jesus are the central characters of the middle window and the two side windows are a song of praise for creation based on psalm 148.
Thomas Denny, was born in London. He trained in drawing and painting at Edinburgh College of Art. One day a friend asked him to consider creating a stained glass window for a church in Scotland (Killearn 1983). So began a remarkable career that has produced over 30 stained glass windows in Cathedrals and Churches of this country. (Visit http://www.thomasdenny.co.uk for the full listing.) Tom’s love for painting and drawing, especially the things of nature, is evident in his windows. All of Tom’s windows depict biblical themes and encourage the viewer to sit in silent meditation. Look closely, feel the colours, take the time to let the details emerge, then reflect. It is a spiritual experience.
Even closer to home there is a simple parish church in Warden Hill called St Christopher’s, which has a set of 10 stained glass windows by Thomas Denny. Each of them is based on a parable from the Gospels. The windows are linked by colour too with the colours from one window flowing into the next. They are simply stunning and anyone can visit the church to see them. If you are too far away you can click on this link to enjoy photos of the windows http://www.tciwh.org.uk/index.php?page=windows
I had a go at making my own stained glass windows for my summerhouse/sanctuary in the garden at my previous home. It broke my heart to leave it. You can read all about it here.
Enveloped by a Rainbow
Doughnut building enveloped in rainbow lights
copyright GCHQ2015, used with permission
For this week’s photo challenge the prompt is the word “enveloped”. I understand it to mean totally surrounded or covered, and as such I could only choose one photo as illustration. I did not take the photo, the copyright belongs to the Government Communications Headquarters, GCHQ, but I was given permission to use it for this blog. The photo shows the entire doughnut-shaped building, which is near my home, surrounded and lit up in the colours of the rainbow. This occurred last weekend (17th May 2015) on Sunday evening from 9pm as the sun set. It was to mark the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. It was amazing in many respects. Firstly, that GCHQ would make such a public gesture of solidarity with these misunderstood minority communities; and secondly, that a large crowd of people, including myself, drove, walked, and waited there to see it late on a Sunday evening. I know parents who kept young children up specially to see it and then took the opportunity to discuss the reason for the event.
Not so long ago it was illegal in this country for men and women to be practising homosexuals. And it would have been unthinkable to get a job with the security and intelligence services while openly gay. But of course many people did work in these fields while keeping their sexuality hidden. One such man was the mathematician and cryptographer Alan Turing. He worked at Bletchley Park, which was the forerunner to GCHQ. There he and a brilliant young team helped crack Germany’s Enigma Code, which certainly shortened the second world war by a couple of years thereby saving millions of lives. But when his sexual orientation was discovered, Turing lost his security clearance and was convicted for gross indecency. His life was ruined by this conviction and his reputation was destroyed. He was subjected to ‘corrective’ hormonal treatment until, two years later it is believed, he committed suicide by cyanide poisoning. In 2013 he was granted a posthumous pardon by the Queen and honoured for his work.
In 2014 the film The Imitation Game was made about Turing and his work. The film is so good that it won an Oscar as well as 51 other awards. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley and Matthew Goode, the acting is outstanding. The truth may be stretched a little for dramatic effect, but the film is gripping from beginning to end.
My opposition to any form of discrimination and prejudice stems from my years in teaching when I observed the misery it caused to children. During my 30+ years working in the field of education, I taught over a thousand primary school pupils in state schools. It is reasonable to assume that they were a fairly representative sample of children raised during the second half of the 20th century. The majority were from stable, loving and supportive families with parents who worked hard and were able to provide good homes, experiences and opportunities for their children. But over the years I also worked with many children who were not so lucky. Lots of families suffered from the negative effects of poverty through no fault of their own. But in some cases families were dysfunctional due to addictions-to gambling, alcohol or illegal drugs. There was also a criminal element including a small minority of parents who were actually dangerously antisocial. Whatever the cause, the children suffered most.
In all those years I only encountered one child with what I would call a ‘wicked’ nature. He took pleasure in inflicting pain and suffering on other children, animals and even his own family. Every available agency tried to help him, his parents, and the school, manage and change his behaviour, to no avail. In those years too I met many confused and unhappy children who had a poor self-image and little confidence. There were as many reasons as children for this; inadequate parenting, poverty, social, emotional or physical issues, learning difficulties, and sometimes gender issues.
Someone once explained to me that the gap between how we see ourselves and how others see us is crucial to our self-esteem. School age children are social creatures. They need to be accepted and respected by their peer group. They are not born with low self-esteem. It is an acquired condition. If, for whatever reason, they do not ‘fit in’ to their group, their self-esteem suffers. And they may become victims of bullying. This is enormously important because research has shown that low self-esteem leads to unhappiness, ill health, and a less rewarding and successful life. In extreme cases it can lead to suicide.
This brings me to the tragic case of a 15 year old boy who took his own life because he was being taunted at school for behaviour which ignorant bullies called ‘gay’. The effect of this on his family and true friends was so traumatic that some months later his father took his own life and then one of his friends did the same.
This is why I am so proud of GCHQ for lighting up the ‘doughnut’ building in rainbow colours at the weekend. In this country, and in many others I am sure, the past has been marred by intolerance bred of ignorance and fear. People have been judged because of the colour of their skin; their accent, age, gender, beliefs, finances, job, clothes, or sexuality rather than their humanity. There is no place in a civilised society for such prejudices. Critics have denounced the gesture online as a political gimmick, but if it draws crowds of ordinary families who then discuss these issues with their children then it was a very worthwhile one in my opinion.
Read about a previous creative gesture by GCHQ in my blogpost Living Poppy in a Doughnut
The Boy
Fragile and different
Defeated by the bullies
He jumped to his death
The girl
Remnants of ribbons
And fading flowers weep, where she
Fell to her death
The Father
The death of his son
Drove him to despair. Destroyed,
His life he ended.
The Cemetery
Lawned garden of grief
Compassion carved into stone
Too late to show love
Intricate and Artistic
Horse Sculpture at Ellenborough park
Intricate Blog
Today I went to a May Bank Holiday Fete in a beautiful Cotswold village. On the way back I had to pop in to Ellenborough Park, which is a beautiful hotel at the foot of Cleeve Hill near the Cotswold Way. It is a gorgeous hotel, traditionally built in Cotswold stone. It dates back to the 16th century and it shows! It just oozes history. I have a soft spot for the hotel because my youngest daughter was married there in a most romantic ceremony.
In front of the hotel, facing Cheltenham racecourse, there is a magnificent life-size sculpture ~ of a horse. It is created from what looks like bronze wire and is very intricate!
I just love wire sculpture, especially natural subjects like horses and hares. I have added a link to an amazing artist in case you would like to see more. http://www.ruperttill.com/retrospective.html
Cheltenham is famous for horse racing and of course the Cotswold countryside lends itself to lots of equine establishments and pastimes. In 2011 the centenary of the Racecourse was celebrated with a Horse Parade with a difference. 10 Life size sculptures of horses were created and decorated to reflect their sponsors. The horses were displayed in prominent places around the town before being auctioned at the racecourse for various charities.
Thousands of pounds were raised for a variety of charities. Indeed Ellenborough Park raised £4,800 for a local cancer charity. If you would like to see pictures of all the horses, they are here http://www.cheltenhamartgallery.org.uk/Docs/horse%20parade%20auction%20leaflet_toprint.pdf
Nature in Motion
My friendly long tailed tit landing
This photo is a fluke but I love it. I had been hoping to get a photo of my cheeky, but very friendly, fledgling long tailed tit as he pays his daily visit to my door. I snapped quickly with my phone and this is the result. It is literally as he is landing and it looks as though his feathers are screeching to a halt. He is still learning how to fly after all ~ And I’m still learning about photography!
One of the things I love about blogging is communicating with fascinating people who enjoy the same things as I do. Recently, through various posts, I have discovered that Sarah Longes who blogs “One Day at a Time” at Mirador Design, loves garden birds as much as I do. Recently we were conversing in the comments section about all the fledging birds we have in our gardens. In mine there are robins, blue tits, blackcaps, blackbirds, pigeons, sparrows, chaffinches and a very cheeky long tailed tit. This little bird is a bit of a rebel. While all the others are happy to hop about under the apple trees or sit on the fence, this sociable little bird gets very close and personal on a daily basis. His mother must despair of him. He shows no fear, but great curiosity, as he flies right up to my french windows and perches on the door handle. He seems to enjoy watching me as I potter about the house and when I sit down by the window he stares straight into my eyes. It truly is amazing and I have got so used to it that I look forward to seeing him now. I will be really sad when he grows up a bit and flies off to pastures new. I promised Sarah I would take some photos of him so here they are. They qualify in a post on ‘Motion’ as they show my little bird landing and getting ready for take off. I love the blurred one as it literally caught him as he landed and it looks like he had to do an emergency stop!
My friendly long tailed tit landing
My last group of photos are from a day out by the lake yesterday. While my husband was enjoying his fishing I was amused by a family of ducks. There was a mother and father and 9 ducklings which were obviously very young. 8 of them were very adventurous and wandered off all over the lake but one seemed quite nervous and often stayed very close to mum. It was charming to watch so i took lots of photos of the ducklings in motion.
Early Bird
This early bird got more than one worm!
Goodness this weeks photo challenge was a nightmare for me. I’m often awake early but the thought of getting out before dawn with a camera or anything else for that matter is anathema to me.
There have been times of course when travelling, that early starts have been enforced. You can read about my trips to Lourdes or America by clicking the links. But I am really an evening person. I would happily do housework at midnight or write poetry and my journal at 2am. But I don’t really come back to life before 8.30 in the morning.
However, I did make a special effort just for the challenge and was rewarded, not by a visual revelation as it was quite dull, but by the dawn chorus of birds. There was an owl hooting plaintively in the woods over the road and countless little birds singing their hearts out in the bushes in my garden. I know their song is just a warning to competitors to stay away but it does sound delightful. I wish you could hear it!
5.20am from my front window
I did however want to make my day worthwhile by taking more photographs so I am posting photographs of the early apple and cherry blossom in my garden. A bit of a cheat I know but I hope you enjoy them. We are having a wonderful spring, warm, sunny and dry so the blossom is perfect.
Apple blossom in my garden
Bailey in motion
Travel; Dymock Woods, Gloucestershire and the wild Daffodils
I finally managed to get to the ‘Golden Triangle’ I mentioned in a previous post to see the wild daffodils, also known as Lent Lilies. I got some lovely photos and had a wonderful time but because of heavy mud I couldn’t get deep into the woods and fields. However I can recommend Eddie Oliffe’s blog for his beautiful photos. My much less dramatic ones from the weekend are above!
Dymock Woodsare made up of 17 separate woodlands on the UK’s Gloucestershire and Herefordshire county border, close to the Forest of Dean. Probably the best known of these woodlands is Shaw Common, registered also as a special ‘seed-stand’ (where acorns are collected in the autumn for use as seedlings) for the Sessile Oak, one of two species of oak tree native to Britain.
Around Eastertide each year, these woodlands are the scene of intense visitor activity as people come to view surely one of the most beautiful – and increasingly rare – sights in Britain; the diminutive and lovely wild daffodil. These were once relatively common in damp woodlands and undisturbed grassland. The countryside around Newent, Ledbury and Dymock constitutes such an area, known locally as the ‘Golden Triangle’ containing as it does large numbers of these exquisite little daffodils. Nowadays loss of habitat and cross…
View original post 146 more words
Glorious Gloucestershire
I have written about the Gloucestershire poet, FW Harvey before but today I was reminded of him strongly when I visited Hartpury, which is the village where he was born on 26th March 1888. Harvey was a contemporary of the great War Poets, Siegfried Sassoon, Wilfred Owen, Ivor Gurney and Rupert Brooke; indeed he became a close friend of Ivor Gurney and his fellow composer Herbert Howells while he was at King’s School in Gloucester before the First World War.
As I have written in a previous post, Will Harvey fought in the trenches of Flanders in that horrific war and was a prisoner for some time. As I wandered through the churchyard of St Mary the Virgin in Hartpury on this idyllic afternoon in beautiful Spring sunshine, I couldn’t help but think of him. How dreadful it must have been for Will and all the other young men to leave their homes and be transported to a living hell in the trenches. No wonder Will Harvey wrote so fondly of Gloucestershire and the beautiful English countryside, as in this moving poem.
After Long Wandering:
I will go back to Gloucestershire,
To the spot where I was born
To talk at eve with men and women
And song on the roads at morn.
And I’ll sing as I tramp by dusty hedges
Or drink my ale in the shade
How Gloucestershire is the finest home
That the Lord God ever made.I’ll drink my perry and sing my song
Of home and home again,
Pierced with the old miraculous pleasure
Keen as sharpest pain;
And if I rise to sing on the morrow
Or if I die in my bed,
‘Tis all the same: I’ll be home again,
And happy alive or dead.
Newent Church
other side of farming in UpleadonI went to Hartpury to see the Bee Wall or shelter that was moved some years ago from Hartpury College to the graveyard at the village church. It was in a dreadful state the last time I saw it, but now it has been beautifully restored to its original state. It is a truly unique structure built by a bee-keeping stonemason named Paul Tuffley in the mid19th century, using locally quarried Cotswold stone. The bee shelter was meant to house wicker hives or skeps in which the bees would lay down their honey. It is incredibly decorative with carvings on both sides. 7.3 metres long, 2.5 metres tall and 75centimetres deep, it has 28 sections or ‘boles’ for the hives or ‘skeps’ to go in.
Today there were just 2 skeps in the boles but there were plenty of bees buzzing around the beautiful churchyard. According to the Domesday Book, Gloucester paid 12 sesters, or 24lbs, of honey every year to King Edward. And in 1260 it is recorded that tenants from Hartpury Manor held land in return for payments in honey. So bee-keeping has been a feature of Gloucestershire life for a very long time, and still is.
I hope you enjoy my photos of the Bee Shelter which I took today and find it as fascinating as I do.
Fresh Lead
As always I found this week’s photo challenge fascinating in where it leads me. If you manage to read to the end I think you will be as amazed as I was!
The word ‘Fresh’ immediately led me to photographs I had taken of my adorable granddaughter picking fresh fruit and vegetable from my garden. I love to do this in season and then cook with the children, soups, pies and crumbles.
Rosie struggling with her produce
Rosie with her harvest of fresh fruit and veg
But then yesterday was rather special in many ways, not least for a solar eclipse!
solar eclipse from my house
Robin sang his heart out during the darkest part of the solar eclipse
It was also officially the first day of Spring yesterday here in the UK; a fresh season with fresh delights. This is when I switch from sauntering through the Gloucestershire countryside seeking out snowdrops, to heading for the Herefordshire borders hunting out wild daffodils. The best place to see these beautiful fresh flowers is in what is known locally as the ‘Golden Triangle’, namely the villages of Dymock, Kempley and Oxenhall.
I have mentioned before that snowdrops were picked commercially by the local women and children of Sherborne to be whisked off by train to London and sold for 6d a bunch in flower markets like Covent Garden. Similarly, daffodils were picked commercially in the golden triangle. You can read about the daffodils and see some beautiful photographs on the Glos Oracle website if you would like to know more.
And enjoy this poem by A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne (1882-1956), famous for his stories about Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin, Tigger, Piglet and the rest, who wrote that, ‘winter is dead’ in his poem Daffodowndilly
She wore her yellow sun-bonnet,
She wore her greenest gown;
She turned to the south wind
And curtsied up and down.She turned to the sunlight
And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbour:
“Winter is dead.”
As is often the way on my days out I got totally sidetracked and ended up in a fascinating little place called Upleadon. Named after the river Leadon, this is a small village with a fascinating history and some superb buildings. But what struck me as I drove over the hill in glorious sunshine was what looked like snow covered fields in the distance. As I got closer I realised it was actually a vast expanse of farmland covered in polytunnels.
polytunnels in the distance at Upleadon
other side of farming in Upleadon
Having explored, investigated then googled I discovered that Upleadon has been a fruit growing area for hundreds of years.
Cider orchards were cultivated next to many of the farmsteads including Middletown before 1700. In 1627 a garden was known as the cherry hay and in 1678 an arable close was called perry grove field.In 1739 it was reported that Thomas Hammond’s estate included several thousand fruit trees from which one tenant had made 100 hogshead of cider in a year and in the late 1770s it was said that the fruit from orchards in Upleadon made excellent cider. Among orchards planted in the corn fields by the early 19th century were several of squash pears and in leasing Lower House farm in 1817 the landowner James de Visme reserved pear but not apple windfalls. Both apple and pear trees were also cultivated at Middletown which was one of the farmsteads with its own cider mill.
(Victoria History of Gloucestershire XIII, draft text by John Juřica: © University of London 2011)
I was really struck by the juxtaposition of the ancient church of St Mary the Virgin which has a thousand years of history, and the really modern cultivation methods. It appears that polytunnels have caused some controversy as they can be rather unsightly when they cover large areas of farmland. However, as a consumer I have to say I am delighted that I can buy (or pick) fresh local strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, Victoria plums and blackcurrants from mid-June to August and different varieties of apples and pears from September to Christmas. An added bonus is that growers use much less herbicides and insecticides on fruit grown in polytunnels as they are not as prone to rot or disease.
Now here is the bit that just took my breath away literally and gave me a fresh lead in my family history search.
As I was searching online for the history of Upleadon I came across a fascinating document held by the Gloucestershire Archives. It was the file of documents re: Thackwell Roche estate. The former Roche estate at Aghada (in county Cork, Ireland) came into the possessionof the Thackwell family in the second half of the 19th century. The Thackwells were related to the Roche family of Trabolgan. Another document describes how the Thackwell Roche estate comprised Norman’s Land estate near Old Rock, Dymock, (here on the Gloucestershire/Herefordshire border in the Golden Triangle) as well as lands in Ireland. Believe it or not my great grandfather William Roche was the son of James Roche and he comes from that very area. I have searched for years for information on his family. I know his mother died when he was young so his father remarried and took his new wife and the other children to America in the second half of the 19th century. William, being 15 was old enough to join the Royal Navy as a boy sailor so he was left behind. he joined a training ship, HMS Conwy in 1855 and spent the next few years rising through the ranks. By 1861 he was sailing on the Victor Emmanuel, and thereafter he sailed the China seas on tea clippers as First Mate. He never saw any of his family again and I have searched for clues as to their home and their destination.
Who would have thought that a trip to take photographs of daffodils in Gloucestershire would throw up a fresh lead for me to follow in the archives. It is just amazing and I am thrilled. You can see Normanstown just near Kempley on the map of the Poets’ Walks by clicking on this link Poets Paths
Wall ~ Weekly Photo Challenge
The cheek of this little Blue Tit! I thought he was building a nest in my house wall but actually he was just helping himself to my cavity wall insulation to feather his nest in a nearby tree!
This week’s Photo Challenge is a great one for me living in the Cotswolds as one of the defining features of our area is the ancient dry stone walling that lines the sides of roads and divides fields. In the 18th and 19th centuries there was a law passed called ‘The Enclosures Act’, which literally required areas of land to be separated or ‘enclosed’. In the Cotswolds plentiful supplies of stone meant it was cheaper to enclose the Cotswold fields by walls than to plant hedgerows. Although there have been stone walls here since Neolithic times most of the walls we see today are from the last 300 years. But there are some magnificent buildings around which have stood for much longer, including churches, pubs and grand houses.
The ‘Oolitic’ limestone found in the Cotswolds is from the Jurassic period about 150 million years ago, This was a time when dinosaurs roamed over the earth. There have been periods when most of the Cotswolds was under water and some fascinating fossils have been found during quarrying for stone. There is evidence that people have lived and worked in the Cotswolds since prehistoric times, with Iron Age Forts and Neolithic Barrows having been excavated by archeologists.
The Cotswolds is a huge area that stretches over the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. It is defined by gentle hills, rolling pastures where sheep graze, and deep wooded river valleys. The stone is of different shades from warm gold to deep grey depending on where it is quarried. It also has different qualities, the best being used to build some exquisite houses that will stand for hundreds of years. I have often written about the beautiful unspoilt town of Painswick, which has some of the best preserved Cotswold stone buildings around. Parts of the church date back to the 1300s and there are holes in one wall reputedly made by cannon balls fired during the English Civil War.
I could go on and on about the beauty and history of the Cotswolds but as this is a photo challenge, I will just add some photos!
Some very old Cotswold stone buildings
Next the beauty to be found in dry styone walls and beyond them.
Fields of Linseed growing between Elmley castle and Hinton
The next two photos show the walls of the Tower of London during the recent installation called Blood Swept lands and Seas of Red. which I wrote a blog about previously.
And lastly some pictures of walls which appeal to me. You can read captions by hovering over the photo or read about the wall painting on the ivy covered church here
Wall painting in the Ivy Church
Derelict mine workings in Cornwall
Old wreckers pub in Cornwall with secret smugglers’ passage behind the fire
castle in Cornwall
banksy mural/graffiti on a wall in Cheltenham
sunlight through stained glass window reflected on wall of Gloucester cathedral
Flying buttress hgolding up a chapel wall in Gloucester cathedral
An Ice Wall in Vermont caused when snow starts to melt as the temperature rises, then freezes overnight
stone wall in a garden in Cornwall with plants
Light show projected onto the wall of William Shakespeare’s Birthplace in Stratford on Avon
Light show projected onto the wall of William Shakespeare’s Birthplace in Stratford on Avon
Light show projected onto the wall of William Shakespeare’s Birthplace in Stratford on Avon
Light show projected onto the wall of William Shakespeare’s Birthplace in Stratford on Avon
Wet and Windy in Wiltshire
Weekly Photo Challenge ~ Rule of Thirds
Ben and Rosie set out on a treetop adventure
This week was half term for the local schoolchildren. As often happens, the weather, which had been mild for February, decided to turn nasty, wet, windy, and very cold. Now I know from my daughter who is snowed up in Vermont that we have nothing to moan about in the Cotswolds, but I did feel sorry for the families who had planned to have days out during the holiday. As I take my grandmother duties very ‘seriously’, I had planned all sorts of exciting things to do with my own adorable grandchildren. There are lambs being born at the farm park, there is a baby rhino at the wildlife park, and the woods are full of snowdrops. Oh what fun we could have ~ if it would only stop raining! Undeterred we opted to go to Lydiard Park early to see if we could have some fun.
Having never been there before I decided to let the SatNav direct me. This caused great hilarity as I had set it to stay off the motorways and we ended up on some of the tiniest country lanes with the weirdest names. We made up a game of seeing who could find the funniest or strangest name. I kid you not we found a house called Tadpole cottage, at the end of Tadpole Mews, in Tadpole Lane in a place called Tadpole Garden Village! It is a new village built on the site of… you guessed it…. Tadpole Farm!
At last, and in a very cheerful mood, we reached our destination. Lydiard Park is a beautiful historic estate in Wiltshire. Back in medieval times, there was a deer park and manor house on the land as well as St Mary’s Church. The estate as we see it today dates back to Elizabethan times and was owned by the same family for over 500 years until 1943. There is a beautiful Palladian House, the medieval church and a restored walled garden, set in 260 acres of parkland. In the grounds there is a lake, woods, sweeping avenues which are great for walkers and cyclists, and a superb ice house.
Despite the rain we had a great time. The children braved the treetop adventure course which has over 50 hair-raising activities including zip wires, cargo nets, Tarzan swings, see-saws, rocket slides, wobbly logs, and tree trekking. We warmed up and drip-dried in the café drinking hot chocolate before setting off to take photos of the snowdrops and the ice house.
I wanted to use my photos for the Weekly Photo Challenge but I really am not sure that I have the skills. I could blame the weather, or my iphone camera but really I just haven’t understood the Rule of Thirds. I took some photos of my garden hellebores and tried to crop them to the rule of thirds. Did it work? Do let me know how I could improve.
Scale
Fascinated by the photos on the Weekly Photo Challenge, I thought I would join in this week. The prompt is ‘scale’ and I just had to post a photo of scale model of a hare.
Tess covered in Mosaics at the Corinium Museum
Tess covered in Mosaics at the Corinium Museum
Tess before and after she was decorated
In recent years there has been a spate of large scale ceramic or stone objects appearing in towns and cities of the UK. Having mentioned it to my daughter last night I know that they have been seen in the USA too. The first time I came across it was when my grandchildren, Ben and Rosie went to London and were photographed alongside large colourful elephants. Wallace and Gromit were in Bristol recently too.
Next I heard of a Gorilla festival in Torbay and Exeter. There was also a festival of decorated horses in Cheltenham in honour of the races. Then it was 5 foot tall hares in Cirencester.
Why hares you might wonder?
Well Cirencester was a very important place in Roman times. It was called Corinium and had very good road links to the rest of the UK, such as Ermin Way and the Fosse Way. In 1971 during an archeological dig in Beeches Road near to the River Churn, a Roman mosaic was discovered depicting a hare. The original is now on show in the Corinium Museum. Hence the theme of hares for the festival. There were about 50 hares around the town. Most of them were 5 foot tall and decorated by local people including schoolchildren, members of the public, celebrities and artists. All of the large hares were named to reflect their sponsors. One of the most beautiful hares, named Tess, was on display in the Corinium.
Here are some of the others for you to enjoy ~
General Lievre
Gerry adding his contribution
Hareoh the Phareoh
Ceramic hares
A Living Poppy in a Doughnut
A Living Poppy
Before Christmas I wrote a post, “Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red”, about the spectacular poppy installation at the Tower of London to commemorate the centenary of the start of World War 1. I meant to follow it up with a post about a huge ‘living’ poppy that was created locally at GCHQ. But 2014 ended as it had progressed, with accidents, emergencies and disasters of a medical, rather than domestic kind! Now that my own personal Annus Horribilis has ended, and a new year has begun, I am determined to continue with my blog. So here is my belated post on poppies and peace.
I have mentioned before that I live near ‘The Doughnut’, which is the local nickname for the building which houses the Government Communication Headquarters, GCHQ. Being an important part of our country’s security service, we rarely find out what is happening inside the building. They are brilliant at keeping things quiet! So it was a great surprise to find that many of the workforce, past and present had taken part in what can only be described as a ‘happening’!
The Gloucestershire branch of the Royal British Legion wanted to do something special, unusual and spectacular, to mark the centenary of World War 1 and GCHQ personnel volunteered to help. What they created was certainly spectacular and got quite a lot of press coverage although, unlike the Tower of London installation, no member of the public actually saw it for real!
A single giant poppy, representing ‘Remembrance of the past and hope for the future’, was created with military precision and great planning. 27 service people from the Royal Navy wore black uniforms to form the centre of the poppy. They were surrounded by 1308 GCHQ staff in red rain ponchos to form the petals. 73 other military personnel wearing green combat dress formed the stalk. Altogether 100 military and 1308 civilian staff were involved and the completed poppy measured 38 metres in diameter with a 28 metre long stalk. It took just over an hour to get everyone in position. I read that the GCHQ’s brass band, ‘Top Secret Brass’, provided rousing music to keep everyone’s spirits up. Aerial photographs were taken from a helicopter, and I am delighted to say that I have been given permission to use them in my blog. You can also watch the creation of the poppy here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc5ijfpXwK0
Participants were invited to make a donation to take part and £1730 was raised. The used ponchos were donated to local charities namely a number of scout groups in the local area and Bloodbikes, a charity providing out of hours emergency medical courier service to Gloucestershire and the surrounding counties.
In view of the amount of blood transfusions my husband has had recently, I have to say that is a cause very close to my heart.
A Living Poppy
Blenheim Palace
It wasn’t an auspicious start when we met the coach to travel to Woodstock on 27th November 2014. It was a misty morning, dismal and damp with drizzle. However as always the mood on the coach was sunny and light hearted; WI ladies are such good company. We were heading off to Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire to see the house decorated in “Glitter and Gold” for Christmas. On the way we travelled through the lovely village of Bladon where most of the Spencer Churchill’s are buried at St Martin’s Church.
Blenheim palace is a Baroque masterpiece designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor and Sir John Vanbrugh, which took 17 years to complete. On our tour we were told that the house was so perfect that it has never been extended or redesigned. It was begun in 1704 thanks to Queen Anne who had just come to the throne. John Churchill had been given the title, Duke of Marlborough by the previous monarch, William of Orange. It was a particularly turbulent time in Europe and the Duke was recognised by most as a man of courage, stamina and will-power, as well as a brilliant military man. He was leading the allied forces in Europe when there was a bloody and decisive battle at Blindheim, in Bavaria. On August 13 1704, Marlborough and his men held back King Louis XIV’s troops and saved Vienna from a French attack. This changed the course of history in Europe, protecting British interests. The Queen was so pleased that she granted Marlborough the Manor and Honour of Woodstock and acres of gorgeous countryside as well as the promise of money to build a house as a fitting monument to his great victory. The name Blindheim was then anglicised and became Blenheim.
This is an extract from the famous poem called The Battle of Blenheim by Robert Southey;
“It was the English,” Kaspar cried,
“Who put the French to rout;
But what they killed each other for
I could not well make out.
But everybody said,” quoth he,
“That ’twas a famous victory!
By the time we reached Blenheim via the long sweeping drive, the sun was shining and it was a perfect day to take in the impressive views of the grounds, the lakes, the bridge, and the breathtaking beauty and symmetry of the house itself.
We were doubly fortunate because, not only was the house decked out for Christmas, but there was a spectacular art exhibition by the Chinese conceptual artist, Ai Weihei. Being an outspoken social activist, Ai Weihei brings politics into his work and some of it was quite controversial. However there were some really beautiful and thought provoking pieces. I particularly liked the ‘Chandelier 2002’, which was made of glass crystals, lights, metal and scaffolding. Being over 5 metres tall it hung glittering from the ceiling in the grand entrance. I was not so keen on the piece called ‘He Xie, 2012’, in the red drawing room, which consisted of masses of porcelain crabs on the exquisite carpet.
We managed to see almost every room in the public parts of the house learning snippets as we dipped in and out of fascinating guided tours. Every room was different and had objects of beauty to see, sculptures, furniture, china, silverware, paintings and spectacular tapestries. We were amazed to see huge cases filled with small model soldiers complete with arms and vehicles displayed in battle formation from many wars. It seems that Blenheim holds the National Collection of the British Model Soldier Society.
On the first floor of the house we took a fascinating, if rather unnerving tour, called “Blenheim~the Untold Story”. This was narrated by the ‘ghost’ of Grace Ridley who was the favoured servant of the first duchess, Sarah. The voice of Grace led us from room to room mysteriously as she rattled through over 300 years of history and 11 Dukes of Marlborough. It was certainly entertaining and informative.
On a very sad note, we learned that the 11th Duke had died just a few weeks ago on the 16th October this year at the age of 88. He was a cousin of the wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who was also his godfather, and he was also distantly related to the late Princess Diana. He inherited Blenheim in 1972 and devoted his life to preserving the Palace for the benefit of future generations. His titles will now pass to his eldest son James, Marquess of Blandford, who was born in 1955. It is an enormous responsibility which I certainly would not relish. However there is a strong board of trustees to help him.
The late 11th Duke of MarlboroughAfter exhausting the beauty of the house and enjoying a lovely lunch in the Water Terrace Café, one of several eating places at Blenheim, we ventured out into the open air to enjoy just some of the many formal gardens. We saw the water terraces, the Italian garden and the secret garden which were beautiful. We didn’t manage to visit the park with its cascades and the Temple of Diana, where Winston Churchill proposed to Clemmie. Nor did we walk to the huge Column of Victory or Vanbrugh’s Grand Bridge. However we saw them in the distance and were thrilled by all we did see. We all agreed we would be going back in the Spring. And, we were amazed to learn that we could convert our day tickets into an annual pass which gives free entry for the next 12 months!
2015 marks many important anniversaries linked to Sir Winston Churchill, including the 50th Anniversary of his death, and the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain ~ ‘his finest hour’. There will be a special exhibition focussing on his life, from his birth at Blenheim Palace on 30th November 1874 to his days as our Prime Minister. The room where he was born has been preserved just as it was and there is a case with his baby vest in it. There are also 2 of his paintings and a lock of his hair. Winston Churchill was the son of a younger brother of the 8thDuke.
There are many reasons I would like to revisit Blenheim Palace. I would love to explore the gardens, lakes and the park. I would also like to see the Column of Victory up close. But I think we were very lucky to see the house decorated for Christmas with glitter and gold. It was a very special day out.
Blenheim palace detail
Blenheim palace
The bed Winston Churchill was born in
Impressive gates
Nativity scene in the chapel
Glitter and Gold
A Place of Great Beauty
Today is the anniversary of my mum’s death. I have written before about her last week and my memory of it is still fresh. It was three years ago on the stroke of midnight that she peacefully stopped living and went to her rest after a brief but very distressing illness.
I went to the local cemetery where she is buried. I was inspired to write this blog post about my visit because, far from being a sad event, it was a place of such beauty that it brought me great comfort.
The cemetery is very old, actually 150 years old! And it is huge, about 65 acres I read, and it includes a garden of remembrance for ashes. There is also a crematorium and a beautiful old building which houses two small chapels and waiting rooms. The building has Grade 11 Listed status because of its architectural and historical interest. The garden is so beautifully kept by the dedicated gardeners that at any time of year there is something colourful to see. It has ponds and a variety of shrubs and flower beds. There are also magnificent mature trees dotted around the cemetery which are home to squirrels and all sorts of birds including woodpeckers. The setting for the cemetery is exquisite with a magnificent view of the Cleeve Hills as a backdrop. A stream flows down from the hills and runs through the grounds, with Cotswold stone footbridges over it. Today the cemetery is especially beautiful as autumn is in full swing and the trees are a delight to behold.
So it is a great worry to hear on the news and read in the papers that there are financial problems at the cemetery and crematorium caused by ‘unforeseen issues’ with the reasonably new machinery at the crematorium. These issues have left the council who run the facility about a quarter of a million pounds short of their target.
As I tidied my mum’s grave I was struck by the sheer beauty of the setting and the peace and tranquillity of her final resting place. I would hope that these financial issues do not mean standards will be lowered or the workforce will be cut. They do such a magnificent job in what must be a very difficult environment. For me they manage to provide a little piece of heaven here on earth and I want to thank them and let them to know that it is a great comfort. Thank you.
I have attached some photos I took to this post but even better I found a video of the site here on YouTube.
Autumn colours at the cemetery
Autumn leaves at Westonbirt
Autumn’s Here!
For some photos of the natural beauty at Westonbirt arboretum take a look at another of my autumn posts at: http://wp.me/p2gGsd-rc
Stained Glass Window in memory of Ivor Gurney, WW1 Composer and Poet of Gloucestershire
In Gloucester Cathedral there is a new stained glass window created by Tom Denny, which is a memorial to the Gloucestershire poet, Ivor Gurney. Like Will Harvey, whom I have written about before, he was a pupil and chorister at the Cathedral school before joining the Gloucestershire Regiment to serve in the First World War. Indeed, they were great friends. Gurney was a talented musician firstly, but in the thick of war, poetry became his creative outlet. Like Will Harvey he survived the war but was drastically changed by it. So much so that his fragile mental health was totally destroyed, and he spent many years in a mental asylum where he eventually died before he was 50. Gurney is buried at Twigworth, where his gravestone commemorates him as ‘poet composer of the Severn and Somme’.
Gurney’s poetry is beautiful and reflects his love for the Cotswolds, the countryside and the beauty of nature. I’d like to share 2 of them with you that touch me deeply for different reasons.
Firstly, To His Love which is a poem thought to be written by Ivor Gurney when he thought his friend Will Harvey had been killed.
To His Love’
He’s gone, and all our plans
Are useless indeed.
We’ll walk no more on Cotswolds
Where the sheep feed
Quietly and take no heed.His body that was so quick
Is not as you
Knew it, on Severn River
Under the blue
Driving our small boat through.You would not know him now…
But still he died
Nobly, so cover him over
With violets of pride
Purple from Severn side.Cover him, cover him soon!
And with thick-set
Masses of memoried flowers-
Hide that red wet
Thing I must somehow forget.
The second is The Bugle, written after Gurney returned from the war, a sadder and wiser man. I include it as my grandfather was a bugler in WW1, and also because it speaks to me loudly of how ordinary life and commerce still goes on while soldiers suffer and die ‘out of sight, and out of mind.’
The Bugle
High over London
Victory floats
And high, high, high,
Harsh bugle notes
Rend and embronze the air.
Triumph is there
With sombre sunbeams mixed of Autumn rare.
Over and over the loud brass makes its cry,
Summons to exultancy
Of past in Victory.
Yet in the grey street women void of grace
Chatter of trifles,
Hurry to barter, wander aimlessly
The heedless town,
Men lose their souls in care of business,
As men had not been mown
Like corn swathes East of Ypres or the Somme
Never again home
Or beauty most beloved to see, for that
London Town might still be busy at
Its sordid cares
Traffic of wares.
O Town, O Town
In soldiers’ faces one might see the fear
That once again they should be called to bear
Arms, and to save England from her own.
There are many learned websites with information about Ivor Gurney, but my wish today is simply to share the beauty and poignancy of the new window and explain a little of its background.
There are 8 lights or panes overall and each reflects something from the life and writing of Ivor Gurney. The notes are a precis of those that appear in the Cathedral by the window.
Light 1 ~ Glimmering Dusk ~ a figure walks at dusk in a Vale landscape. there are dark pools of rain on the white road and May Hill can be seen in the distance.
Light 2 ~ The Stone Breaker ~ In Flanders a chance encounter with some road menders reminds Gurney of a much earlier meeting (“Oh years ago and near forgot”), in the fresh beauty of a summer’s early morning, in a landscape of Vale orchards.
Light 3 ~ Brimscombe ~ Gurney remembers a night-time walk through the fir trees of the steep-sided Brimscombe valley near Stroud. The “pure clemency” of the moment enables him to forget the “blackness and pain” of France.
Light 4 ~ Severn Meadows ~This was written in March 1917 at Caulaincourt. As the sun sets over Severn meadows, a figure, in the shadow of a willow, looks back at the river and the willows.
Light 5 ~ Pain ~ Gurney recalls the grey-white Somme battlefield.
“Pain, pain continual; pain unending;….
Grey monotony lending
Weight to the grey skies, grey mud where goes
An army of grey bedraggled scarecrows in rows
Careless at last of cruellest Fate-sending.
Seeing pitiful eyes of men foredone,
Or horses shot, too tired to merely stir,
Dying in shell-holes both, slain by the mud.
…………………………………….
The amazed heart cries out to God.
Light 6 ~ To His Love ~ Probably drafted on the Somme battlefield, Gurney reacts to the news (false as it turns out) that his great friend, the poet Will Harvey, is presumed killed. A couple walk on the Cotswold hills as their dead friend lies among the violets.
Light 7 ~ To God ~ In the intense suffering from mental illness, surely aggravated by his experiences on the battlefields, Gurney cries out for death, “I am praying for death, death, death”.
Light 8 ~ Song and Pain ~ A more optimistic end to the window as a figure emerges from an understanding of pain to enter “The House of Joy”.
As I stood and gazed at these incredibly beautiful but harrowing windows, there were people around me moved to tears by what Gurney had seen and suffered. Tom Denny is a wonderful artist. He has captured and honoured Gurney’s genius, his love of Gloucestershire, and his suffering in that dreadful war and in his mental distress.
https://wordpress.com/post/heavenhappens.me/4977
http://www.ivorgurney.org.uk/biography.htm
http://movehimintothesun.wordpress.com/2011/04/22/to-his-love-ivor-gurney/
Heavenhappens 