Support your local Museum - part I, the Early Christian Monuments

On the way back from town yesterday, we called in at our local Museum, which is housed in what used to be the Bishop's Palace at Abergwili on the outskirts of Carmarthen.  I used to volunteer there, when my mum was still alive.  That seems such an age ago now.  Anyway, I wanted to see if there were any new exhibitions there.  It was much the same, although some displays had been moved around a bit, but my favourite things were still there.

One of the Early Christian Monuments in the grounds of the Museum.  You can just see the mark of half a wheel cross just under the middle of this stone.  Though it does bear a passing resemblance to a crossbow too!

I shall turn to Nancy Edwards ("A Corpus of Early Medieval Inscribed stones and Stone Sculpture in Wales," Vol. II) to help me with the histories of these stones.

This stone (probably originally a standing stone, but then re-used in the early Christian period) was found at Cefn Cethin Farm, not far from the old Llandeilo - Llandybie road.  It was known locally as Maen Hir or more commonly, as Maen Llwyd (translates to menhir, and 2ndly, grey stone).  It may have functioned as a boundary marker or acted as a focus within a cemetery located near the routeway.  Dates from the 7th - 9th C.

The Voteporix stone is a famous local stone, originally incorporated into a stile at Castell Dwyran (St Teilo's) church - this around 1880 although it was subsequently removed to a field in fromt of Gwarmacwydd House, Llanfallteg, before being donated to Carmarthenshire Antiquarian Society.

It was quite possibly originally associated with a Bronze Age barrow, and also positioned with reference to the Roman road west of Carmarthen.  A simple ring cross tops the inscription. 'The use of "memoria" and the layout of the cross and inscription suggest Christian contacts with the Continent or possibly North Africa'.  'Voteporix was "Demetarum tyranne Vortipori" - which translates to "Vortipor, tyrant of the Demetae" - the king of Dyfed castigated by Gildas.' (Carmarthenshire was part of the kingdom of Dyfed.)  However, the use of the Latin term "protictoris" suggests a title originally referring to a member of the Roman imperial bodyguard, and may be an hereditary title.  It dates to the late 5th or early 6th century.  Note remains of Ogham inscription along top left edge.

The Severini stone was near the highway in Llan Newydd parish, but by 1829 was used as a gateost and then moved again to Trawsmawr Farm.  The inscription translates to "Of Severinus, son of Severus".  Late 5th to early 6th C.

Much more impressive is this replica stone (the original being in the National Museum at Cardiff).  Originally standingon a cairn,  in a "field of stones" on the east bank of the River Sannan at Llanfynydd (our nearest village, about 3 miles away).  The sandstone it was made from would have been quarried some 6 km away.  Inscription is "Eiudon"  and was known locally as "Eidon's stone".  It was not in association with any ecclesiastical site, but may well have been a marker on the parish boundary between Llanfynydd and Llanegwad (our parish).  The design is similar to the crosses at Carew, Nevern and Llantwit Major (esp. the latter)  with plaitwork and interelace and fret patterns, including a ring-knot, T-frets and pelletes, normally considered to be Viking-age motifs.  Date: 2ne half of the 10th or early 11th C.

Still stone, but this time (above and below) wonderfully carved gargoyles which once adorned a large Carmarthen mansion.

More photos to follow.

I bet I have stunned you all into silence now!

Keeping Fit - or trying to!

Use it or lose it, they say, and how true.  I managed to get out between belts of first snow, then rain for a walk up the hill behind the house yesterday.  I like to try and keep active, and am more motivated now as I am going up to Sheffield to stay with my eldest daughter and we are having a day out in Lincoln - and the Cathedral (which we plan to visit) is at the top of a very steep hill!

We had a short flurry of very wet snow at breakfast time - big blobs of snow the size of 2 bob bits.  It didn't lay really, as it was so wet on the ground, but it was noticably colder outside and the birds were very grateful for their breakfasts.

The nut feeder and two seed feeders front of house feed the Sparrows who live behind our barge-boards, and sundry other small birds - Blue and Great Tits, Chaffinches, and a Robin.  Not to mention no end of blardy Jackdaws, one of whom lands on the biggest seed feeder and rocks it whilst pecking frantically so lots of seed falls for the birds beneath it.  I have had to take down the feeders for the fat balls because they were just demolishing the fat.  I now hang those from graceful branches in the hedgerow which won't support a Jackdaw.  In the Damson tree in the yard, I have more fat balls and a larger nut feeder, and I have umpteen Blue, Great, and Coal Tits visiting it, more Chaffinches, Nuthatches and a Greater Spotted Woodpecker.  Another GSW also visits the one in the front.  I have a third feeding station (just seed) in the Buddleia by the front gate.  They are all very busy this time of year.

A not very good photo of the Woodpecker on the Damson tree feeder.

This is the little stream which crosses our paddock, as it pours out of the culvert near the lane edge.

Although I stopped by our field gate to look back at the house, I then made it right up the hill without stopping, even though I did walk a little slower and not push myself too hard.  I was hoping for some distant snowy pictures, but there was low cloud.  Here is the pond in the top field and some vaguely whitened fields the other side of the valley.

A big old oak gatepost sports a crew cut of emerald moss.

A pathetic smattering of snow remained. . .

A bit of dead bracken across the valley, and the lane leading up to Llanfynydd village.

Slight snowy highleights the other side of the Towy valley.  You can just make out Dryslwyn Castle centre picture.

A little bit of colour in the landscape.

A last wintery glimpse . . .

Then I came home and practiced Prayanamic breathing (good for asthmatics), Meditation, and then Chair Yoga.  I was horrified at how stiff I have become since not having the horses, so that has got to change!  No wonder I was so stiff after a bit of gardening recently.

Anyway, another poem (Robert Frost this time) over on Dust on the Nettles.  Enjoy.

In praise of Snowdrops

Whilst I have been out and about recently, I've noticed the first stalwart Snowdrops peeping through the soil, braving the winter weather.  They bring such joy, and hope too, on the darkest of January days.  With them, golden showers of Catkins in the hedgerows - some just starting to grow, others in full tassel.

On our way back from Malvern recently, the large leaves of Butterbur were breaking through the soil and ahead of them are their flowers, which resemble - I have to say - a pink loo brush!  Medicinally it has been used down the centuries to treat lung complaints, fevers and spasms (it is an anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic), and there is some indication that it may be useful in the control of migraines and allergic rhinitis.  The name of the plant derives from the fact that farmer's wives used its leaves to wrap butter in to take to market.



Many thanks to The Orkney Book of Wild Flowers blogspot, where I have found (and copied) this image.

There are many different types of Snowdrops, and when I'm walking along the lanes, I try and check out whether they are recent plantings or the older type, which are nearly always doubles, in cottage hedgerows in this area.  There are so many variants with different green markings on the flowers.  I am happy for them merely to be a touch of spring in winter.

I will have to walk up the valley in the next couple of weeks and see how the Snowdrops in these photos are faring.  It's a little early for them yet - I think these photos were taken in February.

There is another new post over on Dust on the Nettles (sidebar).

A little organization is needed

Here is a rather poor photo of my other Gillian McDonald print I've just framed.  This is Moorland Skyline I.  With a big a flash blob in the middle of it and the end cut off . . .  You get the general idea though.

The New Year is always such a good time to take your life and give it a little shake.  To ditch those bad habits you have fallen into and to start afresh.  I have promised myself NO procrastination this year, no putting off of jobs, and a general "don't put it down, put it away" mindset (quoting the late mother of a good Yorkshire friend of mine).

No being idle and thinking, oh I'll just buy a loaf this time as I'm busy (even though it is always the best unsliced wholemeal or spelt loaf we get).  I need to get myself organized and make one before we need it.  I did so yesterday afternoon and made a cracking granary loaf with extra Sunflower seeds sprinkled on the top.  I just had a piece as part of my breakfast, and it is very satisfying and tasty, and with just 4 ingredients - flour, yeast, salt and a little fat, plus spring water.  Think how many must go into the creation of the Frankenbread in supermarkets, those hidden extras to stop it going mouldy or stale for sometimes a week or even 10 days!

No more scratch meals because I have left things until the last minute.  No more unfinished jobs.  No more jobs put off until tomorrow (oh dear, Scarlett O'Hara and I could have been sisters, she was an Aries, that much I am certain!)

I seem set to be doing much more travelling too.  I have just bought a Senior Citizen's railcard, which will save me 1/3 on rail travel for the next year.  For £30 it seemed like a good investment.  I will be travelling down to Hampshire regularly to see my best friend, who is so very ill.  I have also arranged to go and stay with our eldest daughter in Sheffield in a couple of weeks' time.  I need a bit of culture, so we are doing Sheffield Museums and Galleries (and doubtless the Antiques quarter) on the Saturday, and on Sunday I have suggested going to Lincoln on the train.  I am quite excited about that as I've always wanted to go there.  I'm going up in the summer as we plan to explore Chatsworth gardens (and house).

Meanwhile, the weather seems to have scotched today's planned eradication of Overgrown Brambles in the Paddock, so I guess it will have to be the ironing first, and then Tidy the Junk Room.

I have starated as I mean to go on and there is a new post on my Edward Thomas blog.

A January day in Hay-on-Wye

The weather pundits were predicting strong gales and heavy rain today and we did wonder if we would be able to get out to celebrate our Wedding Anniversary (27 years).  Fortunately the weather wasn't too bad - much milder, and whilst a bit wet and windy just as we were leaving Hay this afternoon, it could have been a lot worse.  We will have to see what the night brings, but it is meant to be very mild at all events.

I love the architecture of this wee cottage become a butcher's shop, and note the painting on the doorway by the bicycle!  I think the butcher must be in the Bahama's as he's clearly forgotten to take Santa and his Christmas trees down . . .

An interesting window display of large glass jars (coloured ones inside) in one of the antique shop windows.

Inside the main antiques place, with lots of different traders.  Someone has clearly cornered the market in china Shire horses in harness . . . not good sellers normally, I have to say!

This cupboard/dresser must have taken some shifting as it was a fair way into the warren of rooms.

This little table-top mangle was more my style.  Mainly because I can recall using something similar - mum's was screwed on to the end of her kitchen table.

An interesting little corner.

View through the window.

Inthe next shop - forget pigs-in-blankets, here are pigs in boots . . .

One window further on had all sorts of retro-look modern kitchen accoutrements.

Hay Castle ruins looking very grey against a grey sky.

Last photo - the view from the car park, showing the first LAMBS of the year!!!  Sorry I couldn't get any closer . . .

All in all, we had a lovely day out.  The catkins are in flower now, some more along than others, and it lifts my heart to see them like golden rain in the hedgerows.  On the way home, we stopped at the small garage in Sennybridge to buy a drink, and I looked across the road at the trees in a garden opposite.  One tall graceful Silver Birch had long slender fingers of twigs, and they were streaming just like burgundy hair, being combed by the wind.  Nearby was a smaller Weeping Willow, with yellow branches that were being whipped by the wind and it reminded me of a Whippet straining at the leash to be let off to run.  Just little things, but they stay in the memory.

I bought a book of R S Thomas's poetry (this is going to be poetry year), and Exceptional Breads by Dan Lepard and Richard Whittington.  So watch this space for some of my efforts . . .

I will probably use my Edward Thomas blog this year to add some poetry I enjoy, and hope you will too.

Malvern Fleamarket

I had been hoping to transfer some photos from my new-to-me mobile phone, ones which I took at Malvern Fleamarket at the weekend (so I didn't have to walk around with my camera round my neck).  However, the computer doesn't seem to recognize the mobile, so I will have to speak to Eldest Daughter (who gave it to me) and see where I am going wrong.

Anyway, I definitely took a photo of this quilt back in September, and it is still for sale - or was last Sunday anyway.  I still like it lots, but we had other fish to fry.

We were up at 4 a.m. on a very cold and as it turned out, foggy morning.  When we ran into fog along the Towy Valley we were hopeful we might drive out of it, but no.  In fact, it got far worse the other side of Brecon and we averaged 35 mph for the journey, which took us over half an hour longer than usual. When we got out of the car, the sun began to cut through over the Malverns, and we were hopeful (for all of 5 minutes) that it would be a nice day.  As it turned out it was bitterly, deeply cold, foggy, damp and miserable.  Oh, and did I mention bone-numbingly cold?

Surprisingly there were quite a few outdoor stalls but it took a real act of willpower to be a stallholder that day, indoors or out.  We had a good ramble round, and found a few things of interest.  When we went inside we found a fabulous Georgian hoop back Windsor chair with a patina you could shave in. We love Windsor chairs and have collected them ever since we have been together.  We know a good one when we see it.  This was made entirely of yew, with an elm seat with its typically wild grain. This chair spoke to us.  This chair said, "take me home . . . "  So we did.  We will enjoy it as long as we can. In fact it was a chair day, for some reason, and four chairs came back with us, two full size and two childrens' chairs.  What selling is like in January in the Unit, we will see, but we have some nice stock there, so fingers crossed.

The good folk who sell home made bread, buns, sausage rolls etc had their stall there and I bought a sausage roll and one of their scrummy Hereford buns, which are like Chelsea buns, only with cinnamon and apple and cider in the swirls.  After an hour or so we picnicked in the car, and I was mighty glad I had taken along a flask of steamingly hot Oxtail soup to accompany the sausage roll.  Mind you, it was hard to decide whether to drink it or put my frozen toes over the steam to thaw out!  Fortunately I had had the presence of mind to pack my walking boots and some hand-knitted pure wool socks and they made quite a bit of difference to my feet, which hadn't enjoyed close contact with the ground in sensible walking shoes.  Just as well, as all those feet trampling round soon made the outside aisles muddy.

I lost my dearly beloved for an hour after he took a chair back to the car.  I said I would meet him inside the Avon hall - the one with the heating in - in 20 mins' time.  He thought I meant to look round the other inside stands first and so took his time, and then went in there whilst I was back at the car leaving him a written "where the hell are you?" message.

The scene back in September when we were in t-shirts . . .

We finally met up by the sweetie stall, just as I was complaining to a dealer friend that you couldn't rely on men to listen to instructions!

All in all, it was a good day out, but I haven't been that cold in many, many years.  The next Fleamarket there is in February and I hope it will be a tad warmer.  We will at least have a bit more daylight - it's not much fun driving all that way in the dark.

Photo of the chair to be added later.

LATER:

A beautiful chair.  At some point in its distant past - and by a truly expert carpenter, as you can barely see the join - the left hand front corner was restored, but the wear pattern and patina show just how long ago this was, and tbh, it is part of its history.  The flash has made the top half look lighter than it is (it is as dark as the seat and legs). That half moon stretcher is known as a Crinoline or cow Horn stretcher, and dates it to 1810 - 1820 (George III).  The colour on this is superb and we got it at auction price.  One for the kids to fight over when we're gone!

For Christmas I finally decided I would have frames for two limited edition Gillian Mcdonald prints I had bought several years ago.   We were hoping we might come upon frames that fitted, but no chance especially with this one which is about 41" in length.  Eldest daughter recommended a company and I got frames for both prints very reasonably.  They arrived this week, and I soon got them in the frame and on the wall the next day.  The yellow wall is not as fierce a yellow as it appears in the flash, and the lovely lilacs and purples of the painting of Rhum and Eigg look well on it.

Photo of other pic tomorrow (Moorland Skyline I, which is in my office).

A Thomas Hardy poem for you

Not a particularly stormy picture, to go with this poem, but I don't think I have any stormy ones.  It is probably somewhere near Brecon, on the way to Malvern, as it's with the rest of that set of photos.

The poem probably should go on my Edward Thomas blog, as it's poetry, but what the heck.  Enjoy it anyway:

SHE HEARS THE STORM

There was a time in former years -
While my roof-tree was his -
When I should have been distressed by fears
At such a night as this!

I should have murmured anxiously,
"The pricking rain strikes cold;
His road is bare of hedge or tree,
And he is getting old."

But now the fitful chimney-roar,
The drone of Thorncombe trees,
The Froom in flood upon the moor,
The mud of Mellstock Leaze,

The candles slanting sooty-wick'd,
The thuds upon the thatch,
The eaves-drops on the window flicked,
The clacking garden-latch,

And what they mean to wayfarers,
I scarcely heed or mind;
He has won that storm-tight roof of hers
Which Earth grants all her kind.