Monday, August 4, 2014

Stokesay Castle Highlights.

Back in March or April, we visited Stokesay Castle, a National Trust property, It was beautiful and atmospheric.  There were daffodils and sunshine and birds singing etc. But there were two things that, for me, were highlights.



The first was this old trackway. I'm fascinated by old trackways.  This one was appears on old maps as Bayham Track. It's believed that it was a droveway for pigs from nearby Bayham Abbey to market. Britain is filled with the very old remnants of tracks and hollow ways. They are steep-sided either worn away from use or sometimes they are very ancient boundaries between fields. The two owners would dig in the middle and throw the soil up on their side producing a hollow center with steep sides. No one really know how old some of them are. But the countryside is filled with them, sometimes only fragments now. Sometimes still marking boundaries. 


Here is a closer view:

And the second highlight for me was this funny little house.



It's an ice house. Apparently one that worked extremely well. Here's the inside. the roof is heavily thatched, so that any warm air would escape through the thatch, but that the cold would be held inside.


The hole that contains the ice is very deep. Because this is built on a rise just above the lake, any melt water drains back into the lake. I love elegant and simple solutions like this one. 













Saturday, August 2, 2014

The Finished Closet

The closet is finished, apart from some tweaks that will take place over time. I just want to show you some photos.

Straight ahead as you enter - the window seat with boxed cushion.


To the Left, the COG's 'half,' which I realize is already a bit different.


To the Right, my 'half,'

This is the other side. You can see the mirror peeping out there in the middle. It's on wheels and fits into a narrow slot there. Also note the upper right, by the light fixture, there's a hollow where my suitcases fit perfectly.


One detail: The tin was the COG's mother's and the shoes are alligator, which she paid five guineas for in the 1930s. In those days 5 guineas was worth around $400 (according to the internet). I don't think she ever wore them. 




Puzzling British Road Signs



Turns out that 'Vogue Gyratory' is a place. It is where several roads came together near the Vogue Theatre, which is long gone. I did not know that a 'Gyratory' was a place where roads come together. Now I do.

Back Again

The COG has closed down his blog so I'm going to try to start writing again. I won't have the great photos, but at least you'll know (Hi, Mom) what's going on in our lives.

The problem is that I have so many things to post, and they are all out of order. But I've decided to just post them in whatever order.