Connections

Little things that connect, that send your mind drifting back into the past. Memories weaving here and there some of them as clear as if it were yesterday.

On Wednesday morning we went up to Leek to look around the shops there.  The museum, for some reason was closed but we ventured into the Foxlowe Arts Centre to look at a local art exhibition.  On the same floor was a book case of second hand books for sale, the title of the one below caught my eye and the memories flooded in.

 

It was 1980 and we were staying in Lyme Regis, a place we both love.  Paul had an appointment with the curator of the Philpot Museum to look at and photograph Pterosaur specimens and I was just fascinated with the story of Mary Anning who spent days on the Undercliffe searching for fossils.  We stayed at a small hotel called the Old Monmouth where creaking floor boards and suddenly opening doors led the other people at breakfast to delcare that they were sure that they had heard 'Old Monmouth' during the night.  The owners had a cat called Cleopatra who more often than not visited the bedrooms, luckily we liked cats, as once or twice we found her curled up in the sink in the corner of our room.  I remember the hotel was across the road from the church and the church clock could be heard ringing each hour.

A very fuzzy and discoloured old photo of me outside the Old Monmouth. Below the Philpott museum both taken in 1980.

 

The day of the appointment arrived and we went in to meet the curator who at that time was the eminent writer John Fowles.  He was interested in why we were visiting and what we were interested in and happy for Paul to identify a fossil for him. He referred us to Dorchester Museum to find another fossil there.  A few weeks after we returned home we had a thank you letter from him.  We still have it somewhere, most probably in a file, in a plastic box in the back of the garage.  Perhaps one day we will come across it again.

The book is full of illustrations by an artist called Elaine Franks with a foreward by John Fowles.

John Fowles of course is no longer with us but - here - is an article about Elaine Franks.

Walking with The Snowman at Clumber Park

 At Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire there is a festive Snowman trail.  Each of the twelve snowmen are decorated to  represent the song twelve days of Christmas and are based on the favourite character of artist Raymond Briggs. 

A Partridge in a Pear Tree

 

Seven Swans a Swimming

Eight maids a milking

 

Six geese a laying

Four calling birds

Five Gold Rings

Two turtle doves

 

As you can see we only found seven of them!  We didn't have the time to walk and find all twelve.  Also, of the photos above only one, Five Gold Rings, is mine as something happened to my camera and half my photos were lost.  Paul took the others.  We think it may have been the card rather than the camera. 

 

The other five snowmen were around the lake, it was getting cold and light was fading fast.  Time to move on to our hotel for the evening.  We were staying over as we had to visit a relative in hospital.  She is now being looked after in a special room for end of life care. Her children and sister with her.  The evening before our visit they were allowed to take her favourite cat to spend time with her.  All very sad.  The drive home was horrendous, wind, rain, squall, mist, heavy traffic with bright, distorted lights almost all the way and then less than five minutes from home the road was blocked by blue flashing lights and we had to find another way back to our house in rush hour traffic and pouring rain.  We were so happy to be home.

 

We had a quick walk out this morning and then it was time to batten down the hatches ready for the promised weekend storm.  

 

My camera seems to be working again with a different card.  A view of the big wheel taken this morning across the lake at Trentham.

 

Locally lots of events are cancelled including Trentham's Winter Light Trail and Biddulph Grange's Festive Lights.  I think tomorrow is a day to stay inside and start to write Christmas cards ready for posting next week.  We have a butternut squash that will hopefully make warming, nourishing soup.

Here is a - link - to the National Trust's Clumber Park website.  I see that they too are closed to visitors due to tomorrow's expected storm.

Stay safe and warm everyone.

The Longest Yarn

The Longest Yarn - A Thread through History - is a travelling exhibition which depicts, in 80 panels, the lead up to the D Day landings of 6th June 1944, the Longest Day.  It was completed in time for this year's 80th anniversary.

Above Stoke Minster. The iron railings guard the resting place of potter Josiah Wedgwood.

The Longest Yarn is on display at Stoke Minster until 5th December and on Friday morning we went along to see it.

The inspiration for the 3D project came about as an idea from a lady called Tansy Foster who initially wanted to create a topper for her garden wall but the idea grew.  The 80 panels, each a metre long, represent the 80 years since the events and the 80 days of The Battle of Normandy.

Each panel depicts events happening across Britain and France on that one day and has been constructed by volunteer knitters from across Europe, USA, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

Photographs from the time inspired the creators of the panels.  Above President Eisenhower makes the final decision to go.

The detail in each display is amazing.

Parachutes landing and getting caught on buildings and trees.

Above the bombing of Carentan station.

After a while it became impossible to take photos as the Minster became quite crowded but the whole exhibition is quite spectacular and very detailed.

This morning when we passed by the Minster on our way to walk at Westport Lake there were queues waiting to get inside.  I'm so glad we visited yesterday.

There is so much more to see than the items I have photographed, apologies for the fuzziness of some of them. 

Above Stoke Minster in sunshine as we left the exhibition.

The exhibition is moving on to Tewkesbury Abbey from here, then to Enniskillen, Norwich and Peterborough before it leaves these shores to travel to Cape May, New Jersey in the USA in April next year.

A smaller exhibition of Britain at War is being made at the moment comprising of just 6 panels ready to go on tour next September.

This Week

 Monday

We walked at Trentham as we usually do at least once a week.

We walked around the lake and then up through the gardens.  Festive displays had arrived but I'll show those in a later post.

There were three female pheasants down by the lake.  I managed to photograph one of them, they were well camouflaged.

The beavers have been busy.   Not seen them yet.

 Tuesday

The snow came quietly and softly overnight

Above and below - photos taken around 8a.m. from our bedroom window of the back garden.

 The now leafless Tulip Tree covered in snow

 Wednesday

Was a stay at home snow day.  I'm so glad there were no medical appointments this week. I had a hospital appointment last week and have another appointment next week. There was no pressure to be out and about as the roads up here on our little hill seem worse than further down towards town. The snow takes twice as long to melt. The main roads were gritted.  Ironing done. 

Thursday

A walk on the Brampton in Newcastle-under-Lyme and a visit to a local art exhibition in the Museum.

To me this seemed like the coldest day of the week.  Both leaves and snow crunched underfoot.

The Open Art and Craft exhibition featuring local artists is on show until 22nd December.

Friday

Another walk this time at Westport Lake followed by lunch at Middleport Pottery.

The frozen ponds near the large lake.

One of the shops on the first floor.  Tables were set with different designs.

Hot and delicious Cauliflower and Broccoli soup.

Middleport Pottery and Museum is a short walk from Westport Lake down the canal.
 

Today, Saturday another stay at home day keeping out of the way of the storm which seems to have arrived here.  I can hear the rain on the conservatory roof and the wind rattling the door knocker on the front door. Reading A Refiner's Fire by Donna Leon, her latest Commissario Brunetti mystery set in Venice and listening to Max Richter's recomposition of Vivaldi's Four Seasons.  Spring is so very beautiful.

Take care, stay safe and warm. Have a good weekend.

Misty Morning

 Sunlight was struggling hard to break through the heavy mist which had enveloped the garden this morning.  More fog than mist as the bottom of our side of the Crescent wasn't visible.  Now the houses are bathed in bright sunshine.

Cobwebs hung from trees like velvet trip wires or skipping ropes.

Spiders had devised intricate lacy patterns between the leaves and flower heads of the verbenas.

Earlier in the week we had a stroll around Biddulph Grange Gardens as I wanted to do a spot of gift shopping there.  First things first on a cold morning was a warming hot chocolate in the cafe.

The garden was looking tidy and winter ready.  Lots of work was being done.

Mrs Bateman's Dahlia Walk had been cleared, the corms stored away ready for next year.  Below is a photo I took last month.

 

Mrs Bateman's Garden, October 5th 2024

Festive Christmas lights were being fitted along the walkways and amongst the trees.

I liked these lights on the path to the Geological Gallery.

They were switched on,  I expect everything will look spectacular on dark, winter evenings.

The gallery was open so we had a wander inside, it seems to be complete now after all the work of the last few years to recreate the orginal.  

Plenty of leaf gathering and pruning was still happening across the garden.

I remember a few years ago we visited and these berry bushes were full of Redwings, a little early this year for them although I have seen reports of them being about.  We only spotted Robins and Blackbirds around the garden and coots on the lake.

All for now.