Sorry - no time to post

 I've had a busy couple of days, and now battening down the hatches before this pair of named storms come through.  Eugenie looks particularly down on the South coast where I have friends and family, so keep safe all.

I shall check in tomorrow and tell you about my bargain Aldi fruit trees, 5 at £9.99 each including stake and plastic fastener. One - Howgate Wonder -  was contemplating paying £21.95 for from the nursery my birthday present trees came from.  I'm glad I didn't now.

The amazing Norman tympanum at Llanbadarn Fawr,near Llandod, which I'll write about tomorrow too.  This is one of only two Norman tympanums inWales.

Today it rained a bit!! Llanddew Bishop's Palace

 

This is a picture of the River Cothi in spate.  We lived about 1/4 mile away (up a very steep hill!) but it always fascinated me how quickly the river would rise after heavy rain - and then when it stopped, levels stopped quickly  too.  It's probably like this tonight as we had a fair bit of rain, all day, today.

    Of course, it was a day when we went out to do a small Fair in Brecon, so I got wet when I was ferrying the boxes into the fair, then wetter when I parked the car up at Morrisons and walked back.  Then wet later when I went out for the paper and a drink.  Wet again loading the car.  Wet once more getting bird seed and suet balls from B&M bargains, and going back to Morrisons to quickly buy something I'd forgotten (cider for tonight!)  Then finally one more time when I visited a 13th C church just outside of Brecon to take photos.  Keith, sensibly, sat in the car through much of this! Fitbit total for today, 16,166 very wet steps!

Part of the wall of the Bishop's Palace where Gerald of Wales (Geraldus Cambrensis) spent many years.  He had a house here which he loved and never wanted to leave, but life gets in the way.

Bishop Gower's Well, c. 1340. There will be another post about the church and its history, but I don't want to have the churches all stacked up in one week!

I'm glad we're back in the warm and dry now anyway. roll on spring.

Disserth Church

 

Look who came in for breakfast!  These two were spotted near our gateway a couple of days ago so I chased them down the track towards the farm, thinking they were escapees from there.  Apparently not . . .  So me and my "long arm" (a hastily grabbed Snooker cue) shooed them out and I shut the gate on them.

        Then after that, I had a stressful start to the day as Little Whale needs to be checked out at the vet's - his 3rd eyelid has been up in varying degrees for a couple of days now.  He's eating fine, but it needs checking - he's sleeping more than usual and his breathing looked a little fast last night.  We have four cat carriers - after half demolishing the contents of the stable block, I could only find one, and that had no grill door at the front.  I checked every outbuilding, checked the attic 3 times, opening any under-the-eaves storage I could get to, but no.  I couldn't even find the grill for the box I did have - yet I knew where that had BEEN and there was a big box there instead.  Finally Keith suggested looking in the built-in cupboard at the end of the attic.  After moving half a dozen BIG pictures leaning against it, there were the missing cat baskets AND the grill. I am tired before I start the day now!

Anyway, the first of two fabulous churches I have visited in the last week.  On Monday Keith and I went to Disserth (sometimes written Diserth) which is on the way to Llandod, on a side road which come out on the Newbridge road.  We came over a hill and there below us was the big whitewashed church with its stone tower, looking like it had always been there.  

The church is dedicated to St Cewydd, who was a 6th C pre-congregational saint of Wales, known as the Welsh Rain Saint (like England's St Swithin.  Interestingly, the church at Aberedw, just a few miles East, also shares the same dedication, as does Cusop, on the edge of Hay-on-Wye. He was supposedly the son of a Pictish king (Scotland) Caw of Prydin, in the Strathclyde area. At one time in history North Wales was part of an area ruled by the Strathclyde British.

It was like stepping back in time 300 years - the original box pews had survived, still with their original occupants' names on them.

Does the name sound familiar?  It should.  This is THE James Watt, who invented the steam engine, and more or less started the Industrial Revolution!!  He retired to this area, and being a land-owner in the parish, had pews allocated to him. His descendants still live in the area.

I can't make out the details on this as it has obviously been weathered, but I think it's an early tomb lid rather than being a ledger stone.

This is the top of the triple-decker pulpit - how I managed to take a photo of the top and the bottom and not the whole thing I will put down to lack of concentration (lots of that these days!!) Below - there were four of these carvings on the face of the pulpit. 

Keith much admired the amazing 14th C (or possibly earlier) roof of oak cross-beams.  He said he'd not seen the trefoil-like design of the struts between the beams before.

I am presuming this is the Lion and Unicorn crest of the United Kingdom, only the lion has been lost.

Plenty of money to pay for this eloquent memorial. It's almost like a pocket family history.

This reads "In the year of our Lord God 1666". This pew was being made in the year of the Great Fire of London.

EE 1706.

These box tombs certainly had a heyday in this area - too much lichen on the top to read any details, but the style dates to the 1st half of the 19th C.

        There was a little booklet you could buy, only I had a choice of a £10 note (needed!) or about £1.25 in small change, so I just photocopied a couple of pages, but can share with you a spooky story.  This probably took place in the 18th C and was heard by the late D Edmondes Owen, one time Vicar of Llanelwedd (here in Builth).

Exorcism of an Evil Spirit

"There was a certain Charles Lewis, a tanner and crofter, who lived at the Henllys in the township of Trecoed.  He had an evil name for dishonesty, having two scales, one to give double weight when he was buying, and the other short weight when he was selling.  He was feared by all, and it was "a good riddance" when he died.  But Charles came back, and his evil spirit took especial pleasure in molesting wayfarers after dark. At length the people could stand it no longer, and they asked Parson Jones of Llwyn Bongam, their rector, to lay the troublesome spirit.  Parson Jones summoned the spirit to meet him in Dissert church, and there with three other parsons he faced the spirit, his awed congregation crowding into the churchyard to await events.

        They saw the four parsons enter the church, armed with books and candles.  Presently, three of the parsons, paralysed with fear, joined the crowd outside: the devil had blown out their candles.  Parson Jones saved his light by hiding it in his top-boot and remained alone with the evil spirit he had invited into the church.  At last he emerged triumphant from the conflict, carrying in his hand a silver snuff-box, in which he said was the evil spirit, which by prayer and invocation he had reduced to the size of a bluebottle fly.  Headed by their deliverer the congregation in jubilant procession made their way to Llyncoededdig, where the snuff box with the evil spirit within was solemnly "tied to the top of an iron bar and forced into the depths of the quaking mire"."

WOW! Result!!

Some of my reference books referred to in the past week:

Temptation at the Garden Centre

 I decided to check out a small garden centre which had been recommended to me, about 15 miles away near Crossgates (other side of Llandod).  They didn't have much stock yet as had only just opened up after the winter, but they DID have a lovely selection of Hellebores which is what I went for.  Now aren't these gorgeous?

I'd gone looking for a dark one, but the double just HAD to come home with me too.

I spent an hour out in the garden this afternoon, enjoying the sunshine, and these two have gone in towards the top right of the bank.  Needless to say, the first thrust of the garden fork into the soil jarred my teeth and excavation revealed a large block of stone 6" x 8+" x a foot long from the building which had been demolished there - either an earlier Georgian stable block of part of the house.   

I also dug a hole and planted the first of my birthday Heirloom apple trees, Cornish Aromatic.  Gave it some FYM around the topsoil to give it a good start and hopefully it will soon be established.  Will try to get the other two planted tomorrow. (Pitmaston Pineapple and a cooker, Peasgood Nonsuch).

I like the deep reddy purple Aubretia - I suppose you would call it Puce.

Another bargain - can't have too many planters and this goes well with the other deep blue ones I have.

Finally this half-dessicated Primula was crying out to be rescued at Tesco's, so it came home with me, had a good drink and is now looking a lot perkier - brought it and the Aubretia in overnight to escape possible frost.

Tomorrow the post on Disserth church, and there will be one for the weekend too, as I  visited Llanbadarn Fawr church today (Crossgates, not far from the small garden centre).

The birds think it's spring

 Something I was reading online the other day, had a line saying something like the birds start singing on the 15th February (or it may have been the 12th, my brain fails me) - anyway, I couldn't help noticing the last two mornings - when I was actually UP EARLY ENOUGH! - to hear them, they are early this year!  I had a spell of sleeping badly and finally nodding off (after 4 hours awake) and then not waking till past 9 a.m.  I'm now gradually getting back to my normal 7 - 7.30 waking.  I get more done that way and believe me the list of fings to do is a very long one.

I'm off to the PO shortly, as  my Dorset friend D has bought the Jacobean curtains and the fabulous William Morris fabric.  I really need the Medieval curtains to go as they take up a lot of room in the cupboard, but as I only listed them last night it's early days yet.  I am not one of those people who goes in with a 99p start to try and get lots of people drawn in to a bidding frenzy - when I have paid good money for things I have to start the listing at what is the least I can take for an item - generally about £10 or £15 under what I paid.  It's the same selling at Fairs - when something has come "at the right price" you can give a better deal than if - like an old (now retired) dealer friend Liz, you paid a dealer top-dollar and THEN put your profit on top!  So many things at Fairs are Shop Price and MORE!  Always ask what the best price is.

I had hoped that these would fit the French windows in our living room - the pelmet would but the curtains are far too narrow.  A shame, as I really love these - we had the curtains in our bedroom at Ynyswen, and the pelmet was down in the Dairy Flat kitchen - across the top of a half-timbered wall, where it looked very Medieval.  They were made as an advertising window dressing for a fabric store which used to be in the town, and  I bought them for £200 when they were finished with them.  They are priced to sell now because of a little bit of paint on one curtain lining and a pull in the lining from the metal banding on Uncle George's trunk! 

        Anyway, I found a pile more embroidery-related things to list - mainly charts I am never going to use - so I will gradually list a few a day - it's very time-consuming as you have to take photos, check other listings for approximate sale value as some things are surprisingly desirable or "on trend", and with the odder things, where they are listed to get proper attention.  I have to be in the mood for Ebay listings and have a whole day to put aside when I have more than a couple of things to list.  I daren't even think about book listings yet . . .

        I have also been checking out what was our favourite auction pre-Covid, as prices seem to have gone up for the Windsor chairs which we have too many of and need to sell.  Sadly, it's too far for Keith to cope with the journey at present (hopefully that will change but he is struggling) as I know a day out there would REALLY cheer him up, now it's safer to go to busy places (we'll still have masks on though, with our health issues.)

        Yesterday we went church-crawling again, on our way to get the grocery shopping done in Llandod, stopping at Disserth church on the way.  I'll do a post about that in a couple of days or everyone will be fed up with church photos!

Update: birthday present apple trees have just arrived!  Must give them a drink and start digging holes . . .

More about Llanafan Fawr church

 

There was a double rainbow with its end in Newbridge-on-Wye as we were driving towards it - the arc of it was in really strong colours, but of course I was driving so couldn't take a photo.  I had to make do with this fading image at Llanafan Fawr.

The church was probably an episcopal see at one time - an idea arising from an inscription on a stone known as St Afan's tomb - I looked, but couldn't find it, but many of the chest tombs there had inscriptions absolutely smothered in litchen, and unreadable, so I dare say even if I'd found it, illegibility would have ruled.  Apparently this tomb marked the spot where St Afan was murdered by Irish pirates (a long way from the sea!) or more likely, Danes.  At any rate, his Festival day is 16 or 17th November.  Sabine Baring-Gould up from Devon on a church-crawling holiday, noted that a smallholding known as Derwen Afan (Afan's Oak) was nearby, and the rectory went by the unusual name of Perth y Sant (the Saint's Bush).

        Unfortunately as it was locked, we were unable to go inside and see the equal-armed cross on an Early Christian Monument near the altar, although the fragments of even earlier crosses in the porch wall more than sufficed.

        The church forms part of a much larger ritual/Christian landscape, as on the far side of the road is a ring motte 200 yards west of the church, some 45 yards in diameter - imagine a castle motte without the castle on it, which was a defensive structure.  There are also other relics from the past nearby - a standing stone perhaps half a mile from the church and looking at the map, a stretch marked Roman Road from Beaulah, continues marked Sarn Helen (same thing really) passes nearby.  Originally the church would have stood on a cross-roads as the lane beside it carries on as a trackway opposite and up into the hills - imagine transhumance grazing in the Iron Age into Medieval times.

        Anyway, time to carry on with my Ebay listings.  Here are the curtains and fabrics I hoped to use here, but we have the Wrong Size Windows!

Laura Ashley hydrangea curtains.

Vintage Laura Ashley curtains again.

1985 Laura Ashley Oak Leaves fabric.

William Morris (by Sanderson) linen fabric which I wish I could use here, it's so beautiful.

More vintage Laura Ashley fabric (1975).  You're noticing a theme, I'm sure!

We may seek out another local church today . . . watch this space.

FIRE! Plus churchcrawling.

 But panic not, it was only the grill pan, and I didn't panic and despite foot-high flames, soon had a wet teatowel on it, poured more water on the teatowel and took it outside.  Well, that's tested the new smoke alarm anyway!

First of all, an Edwardian GR postbox in the wall by the church we went to see today. There you go RR, one for your attention.

HERE is a link to an excellent set of photos on The Church Explorer blog.

A tractor on a grave seems to be quite a common addition these days, to show the farmer's links to the land will never be forgotten.

Arrow-slit window, sun-dial and plaque.

This plaque reads:  "This steeple was erected at ye expense of ye parishioners by Thos. Thomas, Undertaker, Mr Morgan Gwillim, John Jones, Church Wardens 1765."

THIS is what really interested me and interesting to report that only 6 or so miles away is another very similar one at the church at Llangammarch Wells (we visited it soon after arriving here last year).  Perhaps made by the same hand?  There is a probable Irish influence (Dublin slabs have "groups of multiple concentric circles" . . .  A date of 7th - 9th C has been suggested.

And  this, which is another fragment of a cross-slab (they were all found during restoration of the church in 1887.)

As was this fragment of a ringed cross with herringbone style infill between the arms.  

An unusual table tomb - I should have photographed it from the side but if you look at the link you'll see it on there.  I think this is the first I have ever seen.

Poor little souls.  Two at just a fortnight old.

This is the old inn opposite, The Red Lion and it is the oldest in Wales, and indeed it dates back to 1186! Unfortunately it appears to be shut for good or we'd have gone in for a half and a nosey.

I am tired now as I've been listing curtains and Laura Ashley fabric over on Ebay (I'll copy them here tomorrow).  There's lots of history to the vicinity this church is in but you'll have to wait until tomorrow to read it.