I picked up three trellis panels yesterday, free. I spotted them outside someone’s home. Bold as brass, I inquired if they were surplus to requirements. They were destined for the dump. Yay! Score.
Not fixed in posish’ as yet.
I’ve slightly cut down one panel, so it matches, height wise, its’ opposite number. These trellis differ from the others we’ve used, thus far, in having doubled up the cross members, for a denser, tighter grid. Do I take out the extra timber? Or leave as they are… hmmm!?
A larger panel, at left.
A second larger panel is destined for the east (or house) side, at left as you look westwards, down the garden. This also needs a slight trim, height wise. Once again, do I leave as is, or remove the ‘extra’ cross-members? I’m inclined to leave as is!
Viewed from inside.Both new panels in view.
Neither of these two new panels are fixed in place, as yet. They’ll require extra vertical posts adding to the main frame, for starters. But leaning up against the structure gives an idea of how they’ll look.
Smaller spare panel.
Teresa wants to use the third smaller left-over panel, pictured above, on the fence outside the kitchen window. To cultivate something green and pleasant up, thereby improving the view. A very good idea!
This church, a Grade II listed building, is now a chapel of ease, as opposed to a fully-fledged parish church.
I didn’t know what that meant. So I looked into it. Apparently a chapel of ease is for occasional usage, by those struggling to reach a more fully operational local parish church.
The porch.
Or, in simple terms, a less used church. Given the decline in church attendance generally, across England, that’s saying it’s almost no longer in use.
I guess that also explains why the interior furnishings look more like a café or restaurant than a church?
First up, a gallery of the stained glass windows.
A miniature rose window!
Given my recent acquisition of a couple of editions of Painton Cowen’s Rose Window book, finding one – even if only a dinky little ‘un- in the flesh, so to speak, is timely, fun and gratifying.
And to finish, a rather handsome bit of pavement, from up near the altar.
I purchased the above today, at St Mary’s Books & Prints, Stamford. It’s a terrific book. And I’ve already enjoyed poring over it a great deal. My edition is a 1990 reprint. The text and photos, however, date back to 1979!
I’ve subsequently discovered that a newer version came out, in 2005, with more/better colour photographs. Are they all still by Cowen, the author/photographer? As they are in the above older edition.
The 2005 updated edition.
I’ll find out soon enough, I suppose, as I’ve ordered the (above) newer version! I’ve also ordered this:
Another Cowen stained glass book, 2008.
I adore medieval stained glass. And I look forward to studying these books in detail. Indeed, I hope they might inspire me to get artistically creative again.
I have no idea if the following website is also Cowen’s work, or not. It may be!? Anyway, therosewindow.com claims to have a growing library of, at the time of posting, ‘over 1200 examples from all over the world.’
Here are a few (all the photos I’ve used here are, I believe, taken by Painton Cowen):
These kaleidoscopic mandala like creations really are sublime. And from what little I’ve already read of Cowen’s writing on the subject, he boldly delves into multifarious avenues of inquiry, regarding their origins, meanings, and how they were made.
I’ve been meaning to check out St Martin’s for some time. It’s a bit further out of Stamford town centre than a number of this towns’ other magnificent ecclesiastical edifices. Today I finally did so.
Like practically all old Anglican churches, there’s always something to engage and fascinate. And more often than not, more than just one thing.
Around the altar end of the church the pavement is terrific. I adore this style of tiling. I must find out what it’s called. I want to have a crack at making a floor inspired by this style in our home.
Initially, when I walked in, I was a little underwhelmed. But as I explored, and looked harder, that all changed. For one thing, there are several super ostentatious memorials.
After examining these monuments to the pride of the ‘great and good’ (harrumph!), I went and looked at the pulpit. And from the pulpit. It was from this elevated position that another aspect of the riches of this building struck home.
Above, mostly views from the pulpit, and a few other sundry snaps.
Next up a gallery of carved wood. First the rood screen, and sundry other bits, and then a whole load of stuff from the pulpit. The pulpit is ornamented with some terrific carving.
But, for me, the real highlight here is the old medieval stained-glass. I only twigged to it when I was up in the pulpit; I realised that certain segments – it’s the figurative stuff that gives it away – had a gorgeous primitive charm.
I’ll start with a general gallery, of the various windows (they’re actually in a kind of sequential order, photographed as I walked further into the church), before looking at some of them – the ones with the older stuff in them – in more detail.
Once I’d realised how exquisite some of the glass is, I went back photographing windows in more detail. Some of that stuff now follows…
I’ve attempted to group them by window.
Truth be told I’m not sure if I’ve managed to do so?
But, well… whatever, as folk say these days. They are what they is.
After the sacred sojourn of St Martin’s, I went to St Mary’s Books & Prints, a favourite haunt of mine, when in ol’ Stamford Town. I wanted to see if they had this title in stock (they are an official Taschen reseller):
Mindblowing stuff!
But they didn’t. Instead, I picked up this:
Lovely stuff!
… which seemed very apt, given the reveries the stained glass at St Martin’s caused.
A record-collector local to me, a guy called Geoff, just alerted me to the existence of this interesting looking jazz record blog.
Geoff appears to believe it’s run by John Thompson, of Fast Show fame. The guy behind the blog appears to be called Andrew, however, and only be using images of Thompson as a funny avatar:
The blog looks great, in terms of LJC’s content. It’s sadly marred quite seriously by very intrusive adverts. But thanks, Geoff, got the ‘heads up’. No doubt I shall explore, in time…
The most recent post when I checked the blog out, today, was this (screenshot, not link!):
Today there was the Wimbledon Men’s Final, in which Alcaraz butchered Djokovic. Now we’re watching the Spain vs England Euro ‘24 Final, and Spain are 1-0 up.
Cosy lounge.Pretty.
Over the course of the day Dad shared some old pics, via WhatsApp.
The former POTUS, nicked by a bullet.A shocking image.
Moron, bully boy, defalcator, racist, narcissist… oh, and Former President, Donald Trump, has narrowly avoided assassination, it would appear.
Shortly after 6 pm, July 13th, during a rally of his deluded bovine supporters, near Butler, Pennsylvania, shots rang out. The former POTUS was seen grabbing his right ear. Secret service security guards immediately crowded him.
Uh-oh… future right wing propaganda gravy.
Security forces and onlookers quickly spotted the shooter, on a nearby industrial unit rooftop, who was swiftly dispatched.
One bystander was killed instantly (a shot to the head), two others are seriously injured. This is by the shooter, by the way. All adult males, according to the news sources I’ve been reading. No names have yet been released.
The would-be assassin has been named, as 20 year old Thomas Matthew Crooks:
High School Yearbook photo.
If I’m totally honest with myself, I have to admit I wouldn’t have been too upset to hear Trump had been killed. I’m sure that many people have died as a result of his immoral ways of doing business and politics.
Crooks more recently.
I also think he’s a certifiable lunatic, and a threat to peace in both US and internationally. That said, I’d rather politics was carried out in a civilised manner. And assassination is not civilised.
And worse still, this might well further polarise and destabilise America’s already febrile politics. Trump should be in jail. If he were to become a martyr to the loony American right, things might just get even worse.
Corey Comperatore.
Some time later, checking back in on the news, I learn that the man killed by the shooter is Corey Comperatore.
