St. George's Day

Today, April 23, is St George's Day.

Saint George is the brave soldier in the Roman army who slayed (slew?) the Dragon, and here he is in a Miniature from a Passio Sancti Georgii manuscript (Verona, second half of 13th century).

Did he really slay a Dragon? Maybe. It's a good story related to the conflict between light and darkness, good and evil.

The fearsome Dragon demanded human sacrifices and brave Saint George came along just in time to save the princess who had been chosen as the next offering. The King offered George treasures as a reward for saving his daughter, but George gave the wealth to the poor, who were so grateful that they all became Christians. But George was tortured and lost his head during the persecution of Christians in 303AD, thus becoming a Saint.

The warrior Saint George has been the subject of legend since the 7th Century, and became a Patron Saint of the Order of the Garter in 1348. He was promoted to the Patron Saint of England in the middle 1500s. The Cross of St. George (red cross on a white background) is the basis of the Union Jack flag. 

Remembrance

November 11 2018.
The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.
One hundred years since the end of the hostilities known as the First World War.
Back then it was known as the Great War, as nobody imagined that there would soon be another war, even more terrible.
The village of Woolpit in Suffolk, England, is marking the date and honouring the fallen in a unique manner.
Volunteers in the village have been knitting and crocheting more than 5000 red poppies all year with the intention of creating a tribute to the servicemen and women who gave their lives for their country, and also marking one hundred years since the signing of the Armistice in 1918.
The poppies have been attached to a large net and draped on the front of The Institute, the building that houses the small Museum, and also bears a plaque honouring those who paid the ultimate price.

The local paper, the East Anglian Daily Times, can tell you more about the project here. I'm very proud of my cousin Elizabeth who did so much work towards this worthy project, including knitting like mad when I was in Woolpit in the summer. She's wearing the pale blue coat in the first picture in the East Anglian newspaper article.

King Raedwald

Sutton Hoo, in Suffolk, is the site of two 6th and early 7th century cemeteries. I spent a day there in the company of my cousins, and the ghosts of ancient Anglo-Saxons.
There are around 20 earthen burial mounds in the Sutton Hoo area. Under one of those mounds excavated in 1938 was a ship burial.... yes, a whole wooden ship 89 feet (27m) long was hauled up the hill from the river estuary below and buried with a very important passenger, the body of an Anglo-Saxon warrior.
You can read details about the Sutton Hoo ship burial here and here.

The warrior was buried in an oak burial chamber inside the ship along with many of his valued possessions. The collection of 263 high status objects included weapons, silver cutlery, gold buckles, coins, and a distinctive full-face war helmet, many things that were needed in the afterlife.

The identity of the warrior is unknown, but it is believed to be King Raedwald, the most powerful of the English tribal kings. He was the son of Tytila of East Anglia, in the present day British counties of Suffolk and Norfolk. He reigned from about 599 until his death around 624. He was the first king of the East Angles to become a Christian, although he still maintained a pagan temple.... hedging his bets just to be sure!

A reconstruction of the king's burial chamber. Coins found at the burial are dated approximately at the time of Raedwald's death. Other items found are: An iron standard, a sceptre, spears, an iron-bound wooden bucket, a bronze bowl, a hanging bowl containing the remains of a musical instrument, drinking horns, a shield, a helmet, a sword, the iron head of an axe, the remains of a coat of mail, ten silver bowls, two silver spoons (engraved respectively with ‘Saul’ and ‘Paul’ in Greek), thirty-seven gold coins, three unstruck circular blanks, two small gold ingots, and various pieces of jewellery.

The iron warrior helmet found in the burial chamber, now on display at the British Museum.

A reconstruction of the warrior's shield.

A replica of the helmet was produced for the British Museum by the Royal Armouries.

Other burial mounds in the area have been excavated, with surprising results. A young man was buried with his horse, and a man and woman were buried with a horse and a dog. Another mound contained iron ship rivets from a small wooden ship. The cemetery also contained bodies of people who had died violently. Not all the mounds have been investigated. A fascinating place.

Return of the Traveller

I'm back from my travels. A week with family in England. Two weeks touring Scotland in the company of the Men of Note male voice choir. Then a week wandering in my favourite city.... St Johns, Newfoundland.
And now I'm back home in Ontario, Canada, the suitcase is stored away, the laundry is done and folded, the fridge is restocked, and I'm waiting for the next adventure to start. Not quite sure what that adventure is going to be though, as I have nothing planned other than enjoying the remains of the summer with my grandies.
Meanwhile I'll post some pics of my travels and hope I won't bore you too much.
Here's my cousin's house in Suffolk. This gnarled cherry tree was grown from a cherry stone planted more than 30 years ago.

It was a small farmhouse back in the 1600s, then was expanded in the 1700s, 1800s and 1900s. When my cousins bought the property, it was derelict with weeds growing through the broken windows and holes in the roof. They moved in, along with workmen of all trades, and subsequently brought up four daughters here.
We had a week long mini family reunion here. Five cousins, sisters E, J, J (all from England), M (from Australia), and me (from Canada), and including cousin's children with their spouses, and cousin's grandchildren, and a couple of foreign exchange students from Spain and Germany. It was HOT and sunny and we made good use of the swimming pool.
Such a joy to be able to keep in touch with extended family, even though we are scattered around the globe.

Woolpit, Suffolk

The January blahs. I haven't been inspired to post anything blogwise for a few days. The weather is cold, the sky is grey, and there is a sprinkling of snow on the ground. Only a sprinkling, thank heavens, we missed the big snow that hit Washington, and New York, and the East coast.

So my winter mind is going back to last summer's European trip. Instead of heading back to Canada with the choral group at the end of the concert tour, my friend and I flew to England to stay with my cousin for a week. And the sun was shining. Some of that summer sunshine is preserved in these photos.

Valerian valeriana officinalis has been known as a medicinal herb since the time of ancient Greece and Rome. It has been used as a remedy for insomnia, cough, convulsions, plague, and those that are "bruised with falls".

Rosa canina, commonly known as the dog-rose. The fruit, known as rose hips, are full of Vitamin C and are used to make rose hip syrup,

 

 Red corn poppies. Papaver rhoeas. They are everywhere in the fields in June. Usually referred to by the farmers as a weed, but I love them. They mean England to me.

My cousin's house... part of it dating from the 1700s, then an addition in the 1800s, and another addition in the 1900s.

Purple Clematis and red climbing roses decorating the old wash house wall.... love the green mossy look to the gate.

A well cared for shrubbery in the village. Monty Python would be proud!
(If you don't get the reference, Google Monty Python + Shrubbery)

The village square viewed from  the window of the teashop where we stopped for morning coffee and "elevenses".

Richard III

Richard Plantagenet was born at Fotheringhay in Northamptonshire, England, on 2 October 1452. He was the youngest son of Cecily Neville, daughter of Ralph, Earl of Westmorland, and Richard, Duke of York, who was at that time heir presumptive to the throne.

Richard became King of England in 1483, and ruled until his death in August 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth Field, the last decisive battle of the Wars of the Roses. He was the last King of England to be killed in battle on home soil, and the first since King Harold was killed at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

Picture from www.telegraph,co.uk

After the battle, Richard's naked body was given to monks and hastily and unceremoniously buried. Richard's remains were found in 2012 buried under a car park in Leicester where the former Greyfriars Church and Monastery had stood before it was destroyed by Henry VIII in the 1530s. The position of 11 wounds on the bones indicate that he had lost both his horse and his helmet when he was set upon by opposing troops. And the curved spine is consistent with descriptions of Richard as a hunchback.

Richard III 's remains are being buried today (March 26 2015) in Leicester Cathedral, 530 years after his violent death in battle. His plain English oak and yew coffin was crafted by a many times great nephew, a Canadian born cabinet maker who now lives in London.

Richard III's family tree can be seen here and the full story of the excavation and the discovery of Richard's resting place here.

North Challacombe Farm

I've been taking a couple of acrylic painting courses, and sadly they have now finished for the summer. I've really enjoyed meeting up twice a week with all the other participants and exchanging ideas with them. Everyone had a different style of painting, and our teacher was so encouraging. I'm sure even if you produced the worst painting he had ever seen, he would always find something good to say about it!

This is a farm scene near where I grew up in England. I found an old photo of the farm that had been posted on the internet. I should think this farm has stood at the base of the moors for close to 200 years.

First I blocked in all the basic shapes, and then started to add more colours and more details. It had numerous changes over a few weeks. The farmhouse changed colour about five times. It's called artistic licence!  In fact the greenish house you see in the framed version is now a lighter grey, giving more of a focal point.

The green detail in the foreground is pages torn from the 2013 Niagara Falls Tourist Guide.... the colours were just right!

Bookworm

I've always loved books.
My mum told me I could read a book from cover to cover at 3 years old. I'm not sure that's completely true. Just the feel and look of a book and the act of turning the pages as I read makes me happy. One of those electronic book readers doesn't have the same qualities.
When I moved house recently, I donated loads of books to the annual Library Book Sale, but I kept all the precious ones.

Above: The top two shelves of my bookcase. A collection of books, mostly obtained from used book stores, junk shops or Ebay purchases. The main topic? The history, geography and legends of my home county in England, Devon, and the West Country in general. And photos of course. My mother and her three sisters, Callum when he was a baby, and YoungerSon's wedding. And a tiny half timbered house from Alsace, a gift from The Equestrienne's sister who lives in France. Click to enlarge.

Above: the next two shelves of my bookcase. Books about Newfoundland, Egypt, Australia, New Zealand... some of my favourite places to travel. Top shelf on the far right.... two school projects I wrote about Canada when I was about thirteen. Books about quilts, stained glass, Shakespeare, photography. Bottom shelf on the right.... my collection of Rupert books.

Many years ago, my dad told me that he was the model for one of the characters in the boys adventure story book Devon Boys.
Victorian author George Manville Fenn (1831 - 1909) wrote this Tale of the North Shore in 1886 when my father was four years old, so it's unlikely that Dad was actually a model for the boys in the book, however, he had three older brothers who would have been close to the right ages. The story is definitely set in the area both my dad and I grew up, and my dad used to tell a story of boys playing with gunpowder with an unfortunate outcome, and a similar incident occurs in the book.
I wanted to find a copy of Devon Boys for each of my sons and I haunted used book shops and junk shops for years with no luck. Then one day I noticed a battered copy squeezed between old books on a shelf at an antique market. How much? Only $5.00. SOLD! Oooh! Such excitement! Finding the prize after searching for so long.... woohoo!
If the seller had known how long I had been searching for that book, he would have charged me more than double.
Now there are three copies of the book on my bookshelf. And if I come across another one, I'll probably buy it. I can't stop myself now.

Bird's Eye View

If I get the opportunity, I always choose a window seat.

I know it's a real pain having to disturb two strangers each time I answer the call of nature, and it happens more than once during the seven hour flight from Britain to Canada, but it's worth it. Just look at the view! I don't watch the movie, I just look out of the window.

Enlarge the photos to see the details.

Fields of rapeseed shining in the sun somewhere just west of London.

A few more clouds, but still a lovely day down there on the ground.

The other side of the Atlantic, crossing the coast of northern Labrador.

Two mighty frozen rivers.... true wilderness. Minus 60F outside

Back to Canada.... vacation over. Until the next time.

England Part IX - Springtime

Spring is a lovely season, especially the way it appears in the English countryside.
When I was little, I went every Easter with my parents and cousins to the the primrose woods at the end of the village to pick primroses. Each bunch of primroses was circled with primrose leaves before being secured with an elastic band and carefully placed in my mother's basket.

English Primrose - primula vulgaris

Some of the primroses would go to the local church for Easter decorations, and can you believe my mother would pack some of the primrose posies carefully into a sturdy box and send them by train to uncles and aunts in other parts of the country so they could experience the fragrance of our Devon primroses? And they would arrive at their destination the same day, just as fresh as when they left the woods. I don't think that could happen nowadays.

Baaaaa - where's the mint sauce?

The steep slopes of the Devon cliffs are covered with golden gorse flowers, or furze, as my dad called it. Gorse is in flower most of the year, giving rise to the old country saying "When gorse is out of blossom, kissing's out of fashion". Apparently, gorse flowers are edible, but I've never tasted them. If you want to try them, be careful....gorse has spiky thorns and can do you a lot of damage.

Common Gorse - ulex europaeus

The lovely blackthorn paints the hedgerows white in April. The flowers bloom before the leaves appear in the early spring. But this shrub has spines too, very sharp ones.

Blackthorn - prunus spinosa

The blackthorn is a relation of the plum tree and produces small bitter sloes in the fall. Edible, but you wouldn't want to! Better to brew up sloe gin instead.

For more about my trip to England, please scroll down to previous posts.

England Part VIII - Geddington

I visited the village of Geddington in Northamptonshire with my cousin. We were on a mission.
In the 1890s when our grandmother was a teenager, long before she was our grandmother, she left home and went to live with her Uncle William Barham and Aunt Julia who lived at Geddington.
So we decided to have a look round the village to see if we could find any trace of the Barhams.

First we went to the ancient church and walked round the churchyard reading the gravestones.

The Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Geddington

But didn't find Uncle William.

Apparently Uncle William and Aunt Julia ran the Geddington village store and the Post Office from the 1890s to the 1920s, so we went there to enquire, but no.... the people who run the Post Office now are new and not familiar with the village. The Post Office building  is 17th Century and was once the Royal Oak public house.

Geddington Post Office

We wandered over the medieval stone bridge and found a cafe where we had tea and scones to fortify us, but no.... the people in the cafe were new too and they knew very little about the village history. We even asked in the pub, but no luck.

We went home disappointed but we had a great day exploring Geddington.

But since then I have been in touch via the internet with a couple of people who have been able to supply me with information about the Barhams and a photo of Uncle William's grave in the churchyard.... we probably walked right by it looking the wrong way!

For more posts about my trip to England, please scroll down.

England Part VII - A Really Big Boat

The Independence of the Seas was in port in Southampton.
She's HUGE!

4375 passengers.
1360 crew members.
3580 cabins and suites.

5 bars, 4 elevators, 3 swimming pools, 9 hole miniature golf course, ice skating rink, and a full size boxing ring..

You can even get married on board.

For more about my trip to England please scroll down to previous posts.

England Part VI - Downton Abbey

Did you watch Downton Abbey? This isn't really called Downton Abbey, that's simply this amazing building's identity in the successful TV drama.
The real name is Highclere Castle.

Highclere Castle is the home of the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon.

The Carnarvon family has lived at Highclere since 1679, and the current Castle stands on the site of an earlier house, which in turn was built on the foundations of the medieval palace owned by the Bishops of Winchester for some 800 years.

The current (8th) Earl and Countess live partly in the Castle and partly nearby but remain closely involved in the Castle's day to day life.

It was 90 years ago in 1922 that the 5th Earl of Carnarvon and Howard Carter discovered the Tomb of the Egyptian Boy Pharaoh, Tutankhamun .

People have lived here for over 1300 years. The house was transformed into a grand mansion starting in 1838 and completed in 1878. There are 11 bedrooms on the first floor, and 40-50 on the next floors which are no longer used.

We toured the ground floor walking through many of the rooms that were used in the TV drama. No pictures allowed, sorry. Then we had a cuppa tea in the servants quarters in the cellar. How the other half lived, indeed!

For more about my trip to England, please scroll down to previous posts.

England Part V - Dining Out

Ah yes.... British cuisine. Believe me, there's nothing quite like it.
Some people say that British food is bland and tasteless. They know nothing! Nothing, I say!
YoungerSon's best friend used to say the favourite British dinner was fried lard pie with lard sauce. Well.... OK, maybe.

Just take a look at these delicacies. A feast for the eyes, and for the tummy too.

A full English at the Bed and Breakfast.

A full English breakfast will set you up with energy to last the whole day. Or maybe two days. Just look at the variety of taste treats on that plate.... British bacon, fried eggs, sausage, tomato, potato slice, toast, and is that a mushroom I see hiding behind the baked beans? And plenty of marmalade on the toast, or do you prefer Marmite?

Pub food.... just the thing after an energetic hike

Coronation Chicken toasted sandwich. Add some crisps (translated to potato chips if you live in N America) and some salad and you have a lunch fit for a Queen.

Warm scones and jam and cream, and a cuppa

Need an afternoon snack? May I suggest stopping at the fancy tea rooms for an English Cream Tea, which includes home made strawberry jam and fresh cream, and don't forget lots of butter for the scones. And plenty of tea to wash it down.

My mouth is watering just looking in the bakery window

Feeling a bit peckish when you're out shopping? No problem. Sausage rolls, Chicken curry pasties, Chicken Ham and Leek pasties, Wiltshire pasties.... what a variety. I believe they can't be called Cornish pasties unless they are actually made in Cornwall.

99? Oh yes!

And when you've munched on your pasty, whatever kind it was, how about indulging in a 99? Soft ice cream in a cornet (that's a cone to N Americans) and a Cadbury's Flaky stuffed down the middle. Nothing could be better!

Lunch time at the market square

Suffolk ham, British eggs, chips and peas.... and the little container on the side is Brown Sauce. mmmmmm...

Just like my mum used to make.

And to finish it all off.... a slice of Victoria Sponge and another cup of tea.

I think I definitely have to go on a diet.

For more about my trip to England, scroll down to the previous posts.

England Part IV - Pack O' Cards, Combe Martin

In 1690, George Ley, teacher and "overseer to the poor" in Combe Martin, had gambling success at the card table, and decided to commemorate his good luck by building a house representing a pack of cards. It must have been a big win to be able to build this place.

Want to join me for a pint at the Pack?

It was built on a plot of land measuring 52ft x 52ft (52 cards in a pack), has 4 floors (4 suits in a pack), 13 doors on every floor and 13 fireplaces (13 cards in a suit), and prior to window tax the panes of glass in all the windows added up to the total of the numbered cards in a pack.

It's now listed as a Grade II Ancient Monument.

For more about my trip to England, scroll down to the previous posts.

England Part III - Lynmouth to Combe Martin - 12 miles, maybe more

I have to admit it. We cheated. But only a little bit.
We got a ride from the kind man at the B&B in Lynmouth to take us part way to Combe Martin. He dropped us off on the Coast Path a little past Hunter's Inn.

It was a misty morning as we struck out over the high ground on Holdstone Down. This is the best place to view the highest sea cliffs in England, but this time the mist obscured our view of the sea.
It is also the place where Jesus landed in a spaceship, which makes Holdstone Down a holy mountain charged with cosmic energy, according to The Aetherius Society. Want to know more? Go to their web site.

Into the mist but didn't feel any cosmic energy

The weather was dry and not too cold, just right for walking. My boots got a good workout.

T coming down the steps leading to Sherrycombe Water

After coming down a very steep slope to Sherrycombe Water, we were faced with an even steeper climb up the other side to Great Hangman. This little stream leads to a spectacular waterfall, which it is said was used by the crew of a German U-boat to replenish their fresh water supply during WWII.

Looking back on the path down to Sherrycombe from
halfway up the other side. Click to enlarge.... see the hikers?

Here we attained our highest elevation, and the highest sea cliff in England..... 1043 feet (318m) on Great Hangman as it is named on the maps, but we always called it Big Hangman when I lived here. Yes, this area is where I was born and brought up. This was a homecoming for me.

The stone cairn on Big Hangman.

Local tradition says that if you climb Big Hangman, you should carry a stone all the way up, and put it on the cairn, and make a wish. I knew it as "the fairies letterbox". Did I carry a stone all the way up? Of course I did. And will I tell you my wish? Definitely not! It's a secret between me and the fairies.

OK, it's not very big, but even little stones can work magic with the fairies.

As we walked towards Little Hangman, the mist began to clear, and the sun broke through the low clouds.

Looking towards Watermouth Harbour through the mist.
(Is it only me, or does this look like a giant green alligator?)

The first time I climbed Little Hangman with my dad I was three years old. A few years have passed since then.

Legend says that the hills of Little Hangman and Big Hangman get their names from a thief who stole a sheep and tied it around his neck while he rested. The sheep fell over the cliff, with predictable disastrous results for the thief. Be warned. Crime doesn't pay.

Little Hangman - the previous picture was taken at the very top.

Looking over Combe Martin harbour from Hangman Path

It was an easy downhill trek into the village of Combe Martin. This is where I was born and spent my younger years. The grey roof in the foreground is the house I grew up in, although so much changed to be unrecognisable now.
We peeked through the hedge to spy on the property where I lived and my cousins spent their summers. My dad's immaculate strawberry fields and tidy vegetable gardens are weedy and overgrown. The gateposts are crumbling.  The apple trees and the currant bushes are gone. I think I prefer to remember it as it was when I was little.

The Adventure continues.....

For more about my trip to England and the South West Coast Path, scroll down to see the next two posts.
If you have done this section of the Coast Walk, please leave me a comment and tell me about it!