Willow Seating Area

This weekend the willow needed to be harvested,

before it gets too late and you can't bend it into shape.

I had left it a little too long but knew the seating

area opposite the Japanese garden needed doing.

Stewart started the pruning the larger willow branches,

making the holes and planting the up rights and

I stripped off most off the foliage.

Pilling up the different sized poles, I

then began to weave.

It took all day and I think you can see the difference?

The Willow man sat on and watched!

See more of our garden at

Quilters Cottage

HERE

Poppies

Coming home from a holiday you always seem to look around your own surroundings.

Down in the Vegetable Garden the Poppies have flowered.

They are the most vivid of red I have ever seen them.

The bees are having a field day!

See more of our garden at Quilters Cottage

HERE

Bracket Mushrooms

There are always wonderful things to photograph and

notice when you are away on holiday and I couldn't

resist this Oak Tree with this collection of Bracket Mushrooms.

It was standing in the pasture field next to Berwick Church.

After checking there were no bulls in the field

I went to investigate and took some photographs.

To see a time lapse video visit my tech site

HERE

Berwick Church

After visiting Charleston Farmhouse you really need

to visit St Michael & All Angels Church at Berwick,

just a few miles away from Charleston.

All the Murals were painted by Vanessa, Duncan,

Quentin and Angelica.

The murals were painted on boards and transported

down the lanes to Berwick from Charleston,

on horse and cart!

All the figures are modelled on themselves,

family and friends.

The view from the Church Yard is spectacular.

To see more of the church and the paintings

visit

www.berwickchurch.org.uk

Charleston Farmhouse

We started at the shop and went through the gates to the

front door. Everything in the house is priceless so we were

given a few rules!

We entered the front door into the hall and straight into

The Study, once a school room for Quentin and Julian.

Then room by room exploring the art and atmosphere.

The Studio was left to last and it was just as you would

expect after the tour we had just had memorable,

as if they had just left the room.

Nearly every room of the house

has a view of the amazing garden.

It looked very picture like from many of them.

You are not allowed to take photographs of the inside of the

Farmhouse so I brought the interiors book and it is

wonderful. The book illustrates the tour you have been on and fills in

historical context and information.

See images and information of the Charleston Farmhouse

HERE

Charleston Farmhouse,The Bloomsbury Group

Visiting Charleston the home of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant,

members of The Bloomsbury group, has been on my wish list

of places to visit for a long time and as we were in Sussex,

we took the opportunity.

The farmhouse is situated in the middle of The Sussex Downs

not far from Firle Beacon in between

Brighton and Eastbourne.

We arrived at 1pm and the house is open by tour only.

Tours are limited to about nine and ours was at 2pm.

We went round the Exhibition in the small Gallery of

the shop. The Exhibition 'Naked', drawings, paintings and sketchbooks

of Vanessa and Duncan's based on the human form.

Then around the garden,oh! what a garden

a real painters garden a smaller scale to Monet's Garden,

(another place on my wish list)

Beautiful! and so inspirational.

We then needed another cup of tea and had this sat in

Quentin Bell's Ceramics Studio!

and watched a DVD on how the house was restored

when the trust took over in 1978.

We then waited eagerly for the tour to begin!

See more by visiting

www.charleston.org.uk

Camping Exhibition

Well, we are definitely diverse in our choice of buildings to visit

from monumental castles,abbey's and ancient buildings

to TENTS!

Stewart and I have camped nearly every year of our married life

and we were both camping before that.

On the way to Charleston farmhouse we looked in

on a Camping Exhibition.

We are always looking for items to make camping interesting.

We were looking for a front awning to our 4 man tent and

a luxury item, a camping wood burner.

( The type Ray Mears uses in his Winter Expeditions).

As you can see by the photograph it was beginning to rain!

Battle of Hastings

After walking the battlefield we decided we needed refreshment

and went into The Pilgrims Rest.

A restaurant and cafe opposite The Battle Abbey Gatehouse.

It was atmospheric and definitely Tudor.

The original Pilgrims rest was a 'Hospital' to the Abbey.

The monks who were from Marimouter in Alsace served

Pilgrims,travellers and any strangers that needed help.

The 12th Century, 'Chronicles of The Battle' mentions the 'House of Pilgrims'

and in 1340, The Pilgrims Rest is written in

The Abbey's Almoners Accounts.

Well , Stewart and myself needing a cup of tea

rested in the very Tudor Meeting Room.

The rooms we were sitting in were part of the 1420's

alterations and were very well done indeed.

Very atmospheric!

The staff were very hospitable.

See more information about The Pilgrims Rest

HERE

Battle of Hastings

On Wednesday morning Stewart and I went to 'Battle'!

Well! The Battlefield of 1066 at the town of Battle!

If you look at the map above Hastings is on the coast and

Battle, the actual Battleground of 1066 is inland.

The original castle was wooden and it was William,

that had the Abbey built on the grounds after the Battle.

It took 25 years to build and by the end of

William's reign it was one of the wealthiest Abbey's

in Britain.

Stewart and I did the walk around the Battlefield and as you can see

by the steepness of the hill the Norman soldiers had

a real struggle, to overcome and reach the top.

We live in Norfolk, which is known for it's flatness!

So this was a good walk/climb for us too!

It is always fun to get into the steps of History!

See more by visiting

www.english-heritage.org/battleabbey

This video is an animation of The Bayeux Tapestry

Brighton Festival

After walking around The Brighton Lanes we

needed a cup of tea and went into The Corn Exchange

for a cuppa and to see what else was going on around Brighton.

Inside the Foyer Bar was this Origami Booth.

It was funny as I had been playing with origami last week.

We watched the video and following the

instructions we made a lotus flower.

Coco Sato is a conceptional artist and you can see

more of his work and The Brighton Festival

by visiting

www.brightonfestival.org.uk

There was also a tribute table to Aung San Suu Kyi,

The Brighton Festival is celebrating her perseverance and freedom.

Brighton

Walking around Brighton window shopping

and soaking up the atmosphere,

was so interesting and I especially liked this shop window

with all the old sewing machines. I have never seen

so many in one place!

Brighton has so many individual shops and boutiques

there was so much to explore.

There are galleries and art work everywhere.

The murals are something else!

Brighton Pier

After the Royal Pavilion we just had to do the stroll

down Brighton Pier and take in the 'Sea Air'.

As you can see by the photograph directly above

the tide was on the way out and the 'Sea Air' was very fresh!

We had an ice creams, walked right to the end and watched

people putting up the deck chairs!!!

Brighton Pavilion

On Monday we went South to The Sussex Downs about

three and a half hours by car from us to stay at

Leonard on Sea in a cabin.

Neither Stewart or myself have been to this side

of the country to stay so we wanted to visit

Brighton and of course The Pavilion.

We entered by The Coach Door,

the original entrance visitors to King George would enter.

We were breathless in how the Pavilion is decorated,

most of which is so over the top it is amazing!

Everywhere is painted, gilt and showmanship.

Each and every room has it's own atmosphere and

must have looked even more spectacular

or imposing by oil lamps.

One of the crystal chandeliers in the Banqueting Room

over the dining table weighs a ton

and has a large silver dragon sitting on the top.

The Music Room Dome is covered in hundreds of guilded

scallop shells and has had to be restored several times.

We have never seen anything like this before

and would recommend Brighton Pavilion

as a must see for extraordinary interiors.

This is one of the few videos that shows the interior

and gives some of the history of

The Royal Pavilion.