Christmas cake … not!

 

My road is being dug up to put in new gas pipes … they had a practise run with the block opposite – ok I thought – that's it …

... but oh no! … hell and begone continues – even on Sundays … I think they're behind … but men at work with toys for boys are mighty noisy!

Do you remember this song sung by Bernard Cribbins in 1962 … The Hole in the Ground …

Don't dig there, dig it elsewhere.
You're digging it round and it ought to be square.
The shape of it's wrong, it's much too long,
And you can't put a hole where a hole don't belong.

I've mislaid the will to get things done … but a quick update … I had my hospital consultant 'meet up' … it looks like no op … just various other alternatives … ongoing into 2026.

Record Cover 1972

I just feel exhausted, disinclined to get up and go … so I move forward in my own time frame.  Also just to add to the fun and games ... my right knee is causing me problems, to compound it my left achilles has come out in sympathy ... 

I'm sure my mojo will return – the brain tells me it will … it just needs the body to be more willing or feel able to ...!

I came back today after a couple of meetings to find that said men were digging 'an 'ole' under the block of flats next to me … not the lot opposite: 'twas a big deep 'ole … !!!'

Oh – life is fun!!

Sorry – no cake going here … I can offer you lots of noise, lots of men in very dirty work-gear, lots of road mess, lots and lots of badly maintained road … lots of pretty squiggles on the road …

Oh that looks delicious! c/o BBC

... anyway Christmas is coming – the goose is getting fat … if bird flu doesn't get them first …

Oh dear – I can easily become a misery guts!!

I will get back in the mode …

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Wine and Cheese brought about by my Cathedral talk research ...

 

Honestly … let's have a change … my health is still with challenges, the leak still not resolved … and my mental thoughts aren't very polite!!

Winchester Cathedral - longest medieval
church in the world

So now let's go towards Cathedrals … I did my talk on Cathedrals in the Medieval era (I based it around the 1100s AD) … not on the actual style of building etc … but from the workers point of view – how were they built etc etc …

Different – but I don't do what's expected of me – exactly … however it seems to have rung bells for many. I'd come across the Ken Follett book 'Pillars of the Earth' – the story of building a cathedral, and of those closely connected with its construction …

It is what it is - !

Ken Follett in his introduction explains how he wanted to write about Cathedrals, but 'knew nothing' about how to build, or the way of life back in the 1100s – he looked to Nikolaus Pevsner's An Outline of European Architecture, and then two by a French man Jean Gimpel – The Cathedral Builders, and The Medieval Machine.

Pevsner's Guide showing
interior of Chichester
Cathedral

Follett is an author of thrillers, of which actually I'm not sure I've read any?! … but I bought Pillars of the Earth (over 1000 pages!) … and drafted my talk mainly from it – I had to fill in odds and ends from elsewhere.

Jean Gimpel's book
on The Cathedral Builders

Medieval England in the 12^th century was a turbulent place – civil war, famine, religious strife and battles over royal succession … all of which tore lives and families apart …

Jean Gimpel's book
on The Medieval Machine

Building a cathedral back then would have taken over 30 years, and in some instances over 500 years (Winchester Cathedral) … the stones revealing the construction history – the stops and starts, the damage and reconstruction, extensions in times of prosperity, repairs when disaster struck … and ultimately the incremental improvements – as an example when stained glass started to be added … to tell the stories of the time …

Henry II and Thomas a Becket
(early 14th C representation of them)

But when I'm 'researching' and putting ideas to paper … I often come across titbits that amuse me and I think – ah ha for you all reading this blog … so here's a couple for you …

Henry's claims over lands in France
(at their peak in red) 1150s

I was looking at the year 1141 AD – when The Anarchy, a civil war in England and Normandy between 1138 and 1153 was ongoing … at that stage 'we' owned a fair amount of western France – well that's another story …

Ricasoli vineyard today - in the
mountainous region of Chianti - 
Tuscany

... but I spotted that the Italian winemaking company Ricasoli was founded … I had to look didn't I? They've even got a Chianti – Viticultori in Chianti Classico: Ricasoli 1141, named after that year.

Cheddar - so delicious

Oh – we need cheese don't we …? Another date I 'interrogated' was 1170 AD – when it is recorded in a pipe roll (financial records) Henry II apparently purchased 10,240 lbs (over 4.5 kgs) of Somerset cheddar … only available at court!

What's not to like after giving a talk on Cathedrals … but some wine and cheese – which in fact I didn't have … had some lunch though.

Live and learn – and that I certainly do … more tennis this week, when we have the counties down here competing in their Championships – excellent tennis to spend some time watching with a cousin who comes down to help with the admin of the tournament.

See you all soon – and thanks for visiting …

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Update 3rd - and again slow life a la E/b …

 

Tennis – an elderly friend who would like to watch the tennis … says she can't see the ball on the tv … first it's far too fast, second … why can't they have black balls?, then she could (perhaps) see and enjoy it more … sometimes we have to laugh, and swallow our ripostes …

Handful of tennis balls -
sorry obvious caption!

...then I'd never realised you need to be able to read to play first class tennis … I'd always wondered what the players were doing looking at or weighing the various balls in their hand – now I know – they look at the writing to see how 'wrecked' the ball is … and select the ones with the clearest lettering …

I have to say – I've enjoyed the tennis, and from this end of the world think electronic line calls work well … fewer disputes …

What I call 'village' salad ...
using local ingredients

I was over with friends not far from here, but inland a little, where we all concurred the weather has brought Autumn forward … dry, dry, dry … we had very little rain recently …

As you know it's been rather warm here, so I've been making lots of cold soups and salads … a melon salad over the years I've always made … one can vary it appropriately …

Melon salad ... mine would be
rougher looking than this ... 

... and then (red) Gazpacho … love that cold tomato and veggie whizz up … both of these I'd serve with herby bread … and/or whatever else was appropriate for the family/friends on the day …

Gazpacho soup

I'm no further forward with anything … plumbing-wise here, or health-wise – I had a hospital appointment last week, where I was discharged from that setting, but can go back within a year, when I'm ready … 

Architectural Elements
in a Cathedral - courtesy Cultural Travel Guide
and Abir Pothi - an Indian site 

... but I'm managing on with life … as that meeting gave me some guidance … next is a letter to my doctor (General Practitioner) to see if I can get the ball rolling sooner …

My main priority now is to get a talk for Monday mostly finished, particularly the slides … it's on the building of Medieval Cathedrals … which I'm finding fascinating – a whole newish area of knowledge … and takes me away from fretting …

A brief update – in the next few days I'll be round to everyone's blogs … life says take your time – which I'm doing … and it is cooler - a relief … see you all soon ….

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Brief Update ... Diaghilev and WEP Phantom of the Opera

 

Life's been a bit more obtuse than it need have been recently … so I'm way behind and have been happily procrastinating … not helped with the Middle East developments.

Diaghilev with his nanny in
1905 by Leon Bakst

I've been reading about Sergei Diaghilev (1872 - 1929) (Russian art critic, patron, ballet impressario and more) – which I found far more fascinating than I thought I would – and again those rabbit holes appeared! So an interesting, I hope, post will appear after WEP … WEP will be 'odd' too …

Life's always interesting … the Turner Prize Exhibition is up and running at our amazing local Towner Art Gallery …

This is part of the adjunct exhibitions
happening in conjunction with the
Turner Prize at the Towner Art Gallery

… while within the town is Eastbourne ALIVE – an ambitious project (an adjunct to the Turner Prize) working with cultural partners in and around the resort's landscape orbit … I need to explore.

This was meant to be very short … but I obviously don't do that … rabbit holes abound …

Palais Garnier Opera House - by
Louis Beroud (1877)

So next (this week) comes Write Edit Publish – Phantom of the Opera … another quirky tale from me …

I will catch up … boiler withstanding – that's been bad again – it'd be nice if things would behave!!

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Postive Letters Inspirational Stories

Write ... Edit ... Publish ... Bloghop: Horrible Harvest ...

I had all kinds of ideas for Hilary’s Horrribile Harrrvesting Horrorrr … but haplessness held her in hostile hubris of being pickled …

… life intervened – too much going on, needed to make time for meetings … and then the dreaded happened – my network went down … there’s now’t to be done … but be patient: I was.

Potato Blight

Horrible Harvest went west … I gave up worrying and here I am with a brief update … I’ll be around to read all the WEP entries – this one is out of bounds!

The Emigrants Farewell  - from an
engraving by Henry Doyle (1827 - 1893)

I have a good #WATWB post for Friday … and then a fun one for Halloween … I’ll be taking November off – I have to sort life out here … but will make appearances, no posts though … and then #WATWB for November will kick-start my postings.

Harvest is usually the most wonderful time of year … especially with the generosity our marvellous plants offer us … which we too need to share ... 

Come, ye thankful people, come,

Raise the song of harvest home!

All is safely gathered in,

‘Ere the winter storms begin;

Link for the above English Harvest Festival Hymn ... 

See you all soon …

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories