Monday 18 March 2024

All work and no plays makes for a very dull day.....

Grey Monday and I'm up for a spot of fun...after I'd finished work I carried on driving to the nearby village of Billingshurst. Former corn fields have now been built upon, but many of the trees and hedgerows have been retained as part of the new estate. At the centre of it all is a big green public space with ponds and public works of art by Helena Roden. The triangular one represents one of the types of stooks which would have been seen in the area and all of them are covered in wild plants which are to be found here. There were masses of birds to be seen and a funny little sign which I passed on my way in from the car🐾 










Arilx

Thursday 14 March 2024

Appreciating doors

 A recent foray over to Lewes with a friend produced a rather good if modest selection of doors and door related furniture. We were pressed for time, but not a bad haul all things considered.






Have a fabulous weekend folks.

Arilx

Wednesday 13 March 2024

Mother's Day



Many were celebrating Mother's Day in the UK last Sunday. I wasn't planning to write anything about it [hence the delay], but then I read this on Monday and I changed my mind.

Along with several other books a paperback by Peter James was given to our local Oxfam recently. It was bought last week and the new owner put out an appeal on our local FB to track down the donor. Inside the front cover was a very personal message from a lady to her family [quite rightly not shared]. Social media worked its magic and one of her daughters came forward. She and her sister lost their Mum three years ago and have been sorting out her stuff. They had no idea that the message was there when they dropped the books off and think that their Mum wrote it a couple of hours before she died. They have been reunited with the book and said it was like having a Mother's day message from her💗

Arilx

Sunday 10 March 2024

Yodelling

 Yodelling and prog rock....not a combination I ever expected to see in a single phrase, but there I was at a very local gig watching a friend play in the support act. The main band, Epsilon, is another group from the town who do prog rock covers. I didn't think I knew any prog rock songs [I've lived a sheltered life😆], but I actually recognised several tracks much to my surprise. However, I have certainly never encountered this one. Hocus Pocus by Focus. Kind of utterly bonkers, but weirdly compelling and enjoyable. Thought I'd share the joy....it will wake you up sufficiently to reach for the mute button if nothing else!


If this has inspired you to rush off and learn to yodel for yourself I've even unearthed a free course for you all https://www.yodelcourse.org/. I think that I lack the motivation to attempt it😆

Arilx

Thursday 7 March 2024

A Piece of Theatre

With Mother's Day fast approaching I like to do my normal thing and go rogue. It will come as no surprise that it's all very low key as I ignore all the commercialism, but am never adverse to having a legitimate excuse for a little treat. We decided to celebrate early and enjoy the theatrical delights of Painshill Park whilst it was quiet and peaceful. Being known as a bit of a weather witch it hurled it down with rain on the journey there and back yet for two glorious hours we had beautiful sunshine and with a gorgeous surprise awaiting us when we got back to the carpark as you'll see in the final photo.

The parkland was was the work of Charles Hamilton between 1738-73 and within it he has created a mystical landscape of water features and follies. Some are tucked away out of sight and it adds to the experience coming across them as you follow the twisted pathways around the estate. It must have been enchanting for those who visited when he first designed it. By 1945 the garden had become derelict, but its restoration has revived its original spirit and it's a joy. I'll just concentrate on photos to give you an idea of what it's like.

The Ruined Abbey


The Gothic Temple



The Gothic Tower plus pylon. You get some terrific views from the top of.....wait for it....the M25!!


The Hermitage. The 'hermit' was paid to live within its spartan confines, but got caught in the pub and was sacked after three weeks.


Temple of Bacchus


The Turkish Tent [made of metal]


And what drew me here in the first place...the restored crystal grotto.



One we did with our BBC gardens voucher which got one of us in for free and there's a further reduction if you prebook online. Have a fabulous weekend folks!

Arilx

Tuesday 5 March 2024

Rumbled.

Been gloriously busy these past few days enjoying myself. Now feeling it energy wise, so just a quick drop in with this one which made me and my friend E rather guffaw😸

Someone's been found out!

Arilx
 

Thursday 29 February 2024

Ghost Post

 [Photo by M Duffy]
This is one of the major things which has been taking up my time these past couple of weeks. All those white sheets and shirts a handful of us were sourcing from our local charity shops back in the Autumn have now been made into the Mythago wraiths. I most certainly did not make these all by myself....many members of the side have supported me and worked on different aspects of this project to make it a reality. I have actually done relatively little sewing this time round. Our final push was a very successful kit making day we held recently which broke the back of the masks. It all takes many hours to make these things and Mr GBT and I just finished off the last little bits off. It's been an interesting experience for me organising it all and making it happen....literally a project management, but what seemed almost insurmountable a few months ago I have now achieved. On Wednesday we were able to unite the tatter jackets and masks for the first time....I knew the masks were quite creepy because I've had those empty eye sockets following me around the room at home for several days [no I won't miss them!], but they seemed even more spooky when they were in a group. It might not look like it, but the photo was actually taken in our practice hall carpark😁 They will appear in some of our stories that we perform.

Have a great weekend. Mine will not involve any kind of sewing whatsoever!

Arilx

All work and no plays makes for a very dull day.....

Grey Monday and I'm up for a spot of fun...after I'd finished work I carried on driving to the nearby village of Billingshurst. Form...