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This Eastern Chipmunk stopped running across the forest floor just long enough to get a good look at me, and for me to grab a photo before it dashed off again. Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia.
Sometimes life beats you down, and you wonder what's it all for....it's moments like this. Nature heals once again. (Now i suck at phone pics. You don't know how many times I've come home to groaners, but this, i just had to share)
I was doing my usual 25 mile morning bike ride when i saw a flash of movement in the ditch. I immediately slammed on the breaks and this little one came up to greet me, one sniff of my hand... she knew i wasn't her mom and dashed off onto the road. If i was a predator, fate would of ended her life. I scooped her up before she got ran over and carried her into the field. I couldn't believe my eyes, her rapid heartbeat thumping through my chest to my heart will stay with me forever. What a gift! I wonder if we imprinted, (like a new born foal does with a human) and if I'll ever see her again in the wilderness....
Before going into work last night, I went back to Rim Road and used my telephoto lens to zoom in on the Wells Fargo Building. During the shot, I zoomed out and this was the effect. This one's for you CIndy....hope you like this one.
Kent, go get Cindy and click here...hurry
Wells Fargo Building
El Paso TX
I was having a relaxing time in the George Evans hide on Saturday when this anxious fox dashed in front of the hide in a hurry...lifting all the birds on the fore shore. It's the closest that I have come to a fox in daylight.Sorry not to comment recently...I have photo and Flickr fatigue!!! Thanks for helping this photo make Explore #182 on Sept 26th 2011. My 70th photo in Explore!!!
With sunset drawing near, my hopes of catching an eastbound somewhere seemed all but dashed... Fortunately for me, Q290 surprised me as they swing through E.E. Pemberville with a pair of AC GEVO's and 149 autoracks in tow. This is by far the longest autorack train I've ever seen.
After a somewhat chilly two and a half hour walk in a local park this morning, I came home and knew I just had to go food shopping before the bitter weather rolls in for the next few days. The first snowflakes began to fall by the end of the walk and shortly afterwards, the heavy, blowing snow started. I glanced through a front window to see how much snow I was going to have to clear off my car and was delighted to see two of these Jack Rabbits hopping around outside my place. I dashed to get my camera and managed to get three or four quick shots. Not sure what the forecast now says for the weekend, but it was something like -27C (and around -40C with wind chill!). No nature walks for me - and my camera wouldn't like it, either : )
A Met Police BMW X5 ARV seen responding across Tower Bridge, London. I heard the sirens so dashed to a traffic island, thankfully it was worth it!!
As she turns each page, there is a certain transformation that begins. The solid floor under her bare feet become warmed by the forest's underbelly. The calm air in the room swirls to a gentle breeze that carries birds into the night. The grasses dance and the trees listen. She is halfway in.
Backstory:
We went to a vintage store yesterday. While looking at some clothing, I stumbled across an adorable, black petticoat. This is big news for a girl like me intoxicated with unique photography props, smiling.
It was with much excitement today that I gathered it in my arms (it's sizable, in the most polite form) and dashed downstairs to my makeshift studio. Then nearly immediately dashed back up the stairs to gather the camera. In all the excitement of the petticoat, I had forgotten it.
Though I intended the focus of this image to be the petticoat, the photograph embarked on an alternate journey. A book joined the frame and from there a forest thickened.
This is a prime example of how the creative world of photography takes me to places I had no intention of going, but I never tire of the surprise. On this day, I coalesced into the woods.
I feel sure the petticoat will make an appearance, in the near future. Smiling, again.
Apps Used:
Timer Camera (to get the self-portrait shot)
Diana (this is a new one for me, and I'm loving it)
Pixlr
Image Blender (to add trees and grasses)
Have a wonderfully creative Sunday, my friends. xo
For Anders and Knut and Cowgirlrightup: Fried until crispy/translucent, then dashed with Sriracha hot sauce and something that tastes like pomegranate molasses...a secret sauce made by the Surfrider Cafe in Santa Cruz that they say has orange in it.
This is one of the most beautiful moments of my life. It was about 15 minutes past 7. It was our last evening at Mutiara Burau Bay. Since 6pm the cloud seemed ominous with no hope of a majestic sundown. At 7, my aunt asked me and my cousin why did we forgo the sunset and we conveniently stated it was raining and there's no sight to scream about.
And we looked out, and we screamed like little girls. Dashed out and it was drizzling and we took the risk. We might not be able to encounter such beautiful gift from God again so my little baby was wet , I was drenched but that 10 minutes we were out capturing this, I felt so blessed.
Then this couple, climbed the rockbed and smiled at us, perhaps, acknowledging it was okay to shoot them.Sweet couple, embracing in the midst of Nature's beauty.
If you guys ever come across this, I'll gladly give you a free print of this if you want to.
"My night has become a sunny dawn because of you"- Ibn Abbad
© Copyright Iskandar 2009 | All rights reserved.
Do not use, copy or edit any of my materials without my written permission.
Would appreciate not having large/animated multi invite codes
On my way to the mailbox, I heard a scream and discovered this Cooper's Hawk sitting in a tree in my front yard. Dashed inside to grab the camera and managed to get a few shots before a passing car scared the raptor off.
Was already fairly dark out, even shooting wide open and with 1/640s shutter speed still resulted in an ISO of 25600. Cleaned it up with DxO PureRAW 3.
After an utterly abortive attempt to capture the sunset at Selsey I quickly dashed back to the part of Pagham Harbour Nature Reserve accessed from the Selsey side and captured the last scraps of the sunset in the water. This location is right next to the main road and let me tell you, cars, vans, motorbikes come hammering down this road. Not pleasant when you're on a less than satisfactory pavement trying to keep your nerves and your camera still!
The only Grade I listed parkland and gardens in South Yorkshire, Wentworth Castle Gardens is home to no fewer than 26 listed buildings and monuments, each of them with a different tale to tell. Stories of power, wealth and politics, family infighting, misery and hope can be found in the history of Wentworth Castle Gardens, and its monuments, statues and buildings help us truly understand its past.
The Wentworths were one of the most important families in Yorkshire. Long before the time of the English Civil War (1642–51), members of the Wentworth family held seats of power and influence in the area, building the imposing estate at Wentworth Woodhouse in South Yorkshire as their home.
When William Wentworth, the 2nd Earl of Strafford (1626–95) died childless, his nephew Thomas Wentworth (1672–1739) expected to inherit the family fortune and their grand home at Wentworth Woodhouse. His hopes were dashed when the fortune and Wentworth Woodhouse instead passed to his cousin, Thomas Watson.
Infuriated, Thomas Wentworth used his skills as a soldier and diplomat to plot revenge. Within a few years he had bought, extended and renamed his own house and estate, just six miles away from Wentworth Woodhouse, at the estate we now know as Wentworth Castle. In 1711 he even acquired the old family title, the Earldom of Strafford – all to outshine his ‘obnoxious relative.’
In 1714, the crown of England controversially passed from the Stuart royal line to the Hanoverians. This 1734 monument is dedicated to Anne, the last Stuart monarch, and is unique in an English garden. It’s an almost treasonous statement by Thomas Wentworth, and hints at what he thought of the regime change.
The geometric design of this maze-like garden was very fashionable when it was first created for Thomas Wentworth in 1713. But there’s a patriotic message here too: Thomas created the design to combine the crosses of St George and St Andrew, celebrating the union of Scotland and England in 1707. This union was a proud moment in Queen Anne’s reign, and so even after her death this garden stands as proof of his loyalty to her.
Although recognised as one of the UK's greatest 18th century landscaped estates, the house and gardens Thomas Wentworth had built are closely tied to the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
In 1713, he was instrumental in securing for Britain the lucrative monopoly to transport and sell enslaved people from African countries to the Spanish empire. The design of his grand house and garden was in part a celebration of his pride in this ‘achievement'.
Thomas also made direct profit from the trade, partly from shares he owned and partly through his marriage to Anne Johnson (c.1684–1754) whose family were deeply involved in the slave trade by building ships for the East India Company and working for the Royal African Company.
In 1711, Wentworth was appointed joint negotiator of the Treaty of Utrecht, which ended the long War of the Spanish Succession. As part of these negotiations, Britain gained the monopoly to supply enslaved people from African countries to the Spanish colonies in the Americas – known as the ‘Asiento.’
Wentworth considered the treaty a crowning achievement in his diplomatic career and something to be proudly represented in his house and gardens. This included a sundial, now in the conservatory, in the form of a kneeling African man – a legacy of the enslavement of Africans and the objectification of Black bodies in British and European art.
‘To the memory / of the Rt. Hon. / Lady Mary Wortley Montagu / who in the Year 1720 / Introduced Inoculation / of the Small Pox into / England from Turkey’.
An example of an extremely early memorial dedication to a non-royal woman was probably added to an older monument by Thomas’ son, William (1722–91). It's also known as the Sun Memorial.
Lady Mary Wortley-Montagu (1689-1762) was a poet and letter-writer, well known for her travel writing, including descriptions of Muslim women and their lives in the 18th century Ottoman Empire. Her life and work continues to fascinate and she is seen by many today as a proto-feminist and historic LGBT+ figure.
After seeing inoculation against smallpox practised in Constantinople (now Istanbul), she made British medical history by helping to make it fashionable in British high society during the 1720s. William Wentworth and his three sisters were all treated to protect them from the terrible disease.
It is not certain when the monument, which is a copy of an ancient obelisk in Rome, was first erected. It originally had a bronze disc on top which was rumoured to be angled to reflect the sunlight across to the Wentworth Woodhouse estate. Could this be another example of family rivalry on show? It has also been suggested that the name is also an 18th century pun on ‘sun’ and ‘son.’
In 1744, William Wentworth dedicated this grand column to his late father in law, the 2nd Duke of Argyll. Shortly before his death, the Duke had been punished for opposing the government's harsh anti-Jacobite policies in Scotland. This column dedicated to his memory is topped with a statue of Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom and war, who faces south to London. Was William making a subtle political comment with this monument?
An image from back on September 25, 2007, when I dashed off to RMNP for a little relaxation while writing my thesis. :-)
On 25 October 2018, I dashed down to a place that I had been curious about for the last few years. Every time I drove the highway, I would pass a sign that said Kayben Farms. My daughter had posted photos from a visit there with friends a while ago and there were a few things that I wanted to see sometime. A spur-of-the-moment visit gave me the chance to do so. Actually, I suspect it may also have been a delaying tactic for all the endless things that I knew I should be seeing to.
There were a few sheds/barns scattered around the grounds. Most were a pretty basic, simple shape and not old. However, I loved one little barn and absolutely loved the wonderfully bright and colourful door of two other buildings. The one barn had an assortment of ducks, chickens, pigs - and a rabbit that I only noticed when I was editing the image. There were several different kinds of domestic duck and two in particular caught my eye. A female domestic Turkey had two babies, one black and the other was a tan colour, and what a good mother she was.
Wandering near the corn maze - now closed till next year - I came across a dead Sunflower hanging its head. One of my favourite things to photograph, at any stage of their life. As for a corn maze, nothing would make me enter .... nothing, unless the corn plants were no higher than my waist and if I was with someone who has an excellent sense of direction!
Various pieces of old farm equipment dotted the area. I always enjoy coming across such things on any of my travels.
In a nearby area, there was a variety of farm animals, including a very cute pig that was fast asleep and snoring loudly, and horses, sheep and goats were entertaining. All made for a very pleasant visit, just in time before the farm closed to the public for the winter season.
I hope some of you have an apocalyptic picture ready for tomorrow.
Pennington, NJ, USA
You can also view my photostream with Flickr Hive Mind
Cyrus Gold was born some time around the early 19th century. In the year 1895, he had carried on an affair with a local prostitute from Gotham City named Rachel Rykel. According to Rykel, she was pregnant with Gold's child, and sought to extort money from him for her silence. Cyrus met with her for a secret negotiation at Slaughter Swamp, several miles outside of Gotham. When Gold refused to yield to blackmail, Rachel's pimp, Jem, dashed Cyrus across the back of the head with a shovel. They buried Gold in the swamp, content that no one would ever come looking for him. Over the span of fifty years, Gold’s body interacted with the detritus and sour vegetation of the swamp. Through an as of yet unknown process, Cyrus Gold's corpse transformed into a rotting, vegetative undead monstrosity that the world would soon come to know as Solomon Grundy. Note: In Pre-Crisis Earth-Two continuity, Cyrus Gold was murdered in the year 1894. In Post-Crisis continuity, his death took place in 1895.
Earth-Two Version's History EditIn 1944, Cyrus Gold's corpse was reanimated as a huge shambling figure with almost no memory of its past life. Gold murdered two escaped criminals who were hiding out in the marsh and stole their clothes. He showed up in a hobo camp and, when asked about his name, one of the few things he could recall was that he was "born on a Monday". One of the men at the camp mentioned the nursery rhyme character Solomon Grundy, and Gold adopted the moniker.
Strong, vicious, and nearly mindless, Solomon Grundy fell into a life of crime — or, perhaps returned to one according to his scattered residual memories — attracting the attention of the Green Lantern, Alan Scott. Grundy proved to be a difficult opponent, unkillable (since he was already dead) and with an inherent resistance to Scott's powers (which could not affect wood, a substance of which Grundy's reassembled body was now largely composed). Their first fight ended when Grundy was hurled under a train. The second battle with Grundy involved Green Lantern and his fellow members of the Justice Society of America tracking him across the country, depositing Grundy on the moon once he was defeated. A subsequent battle between the two ended up with Lantern burying Grundy in 1947.
At this point, he was pulled back to 1941 by the time-travelling criminal Per Degaton, who had enlisted the aid of several super-villains to capture the Justice Society of America on December 7, 1941 (the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor). The All-Star Squadron came to their rescue, and Grundy was then thrust back to the moon where he remained for over two decades.
Grundy eventually mastered the use of stored up emerald energy he had absorbed over the years from his several battles with his arch-foe, and returned to Earth to battle Lantern, Hourman and Doctor Fate. At this point, he had temporary mastery over all wooden objects, however he subsequently lost this power over time. [2]
He was briefly a member of the Injustice Society of the World. In the interim, he had battled the combined might of both the Justice Society, and later their counterparts the Justice League, nearly to a standstill, when he developed an affection for a lost alien child. Soon after, Grundy crossed over from his Slaughter Swamp prison on Earth-Two to Earth-One where he encountered that Earth's Superman (see more details below).
Grundy went on to afflict Green Lantern and his teammates, including the Huntress who was the first female for whom he developed an affection. After Solomon Grundy was rescued from a glacier by Alan Scott's daughter, Jade, Grundy became loyal to her and, for a while, was an ally of Infinity, Inc. Eventually, this affectionate relationship turned to tragedy as the villainous Marcie Cooper a.k.a. Harlequin of the Dummy's Injustice Unlimited, used her illusion powers to disguise herself as Jade. Harlequin manipulated Grundy to attack the members of Infinity Inc., one by one. She convinced him to press the unconscious Mister Bones's bare hand against Skyman; since Bones's skin constantly exudes a cyanide-based compound, this quickly led to Skyman's death. This was the beginning of the end for Infinity Inc., and for Grundy's quasi-heroic career.
Earth-One Version's History EditThe Earth-One Grundy arose when the Parasite used an enhanced crystal to metabolically hasten the growth of residual cells left over in the sewers from when the original version had crossed over from Earth-2, which became a new, much more bestial version. During a clash with Superman, it was determined his might was too much a match for the Man of Steel, so Superman flew the monster to an alien world inhospitable to all save the hardiest life forms. There, under the planet's reduced gravity, the Earth-One Grundy was appeased when Superman gave him a cape to wear as the zombie propelled himself through the air mimicking his one-time adversary.
This version repeatedly plagued Superman for years until, during an encounter wherein multiple Grundys were spawned, Superman and the Swamp Thing both encountered the clones. Soon, Superman obtained a compound from S.T.A.R. Labs which caused the Grundys to become inert, in effect killing the seemingly unkillable man-thing. Swamp Thing attempted to cry out for Superman to stop, as he believed Grundy to meet the definition of life, but Swamp Thing was unable to express this, due to a lack of vocal cords. [3] Meanwhile, the original and second templates existed. This version of Grundy was retroactively erased from history after the revamping of Superman in Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Combined Earth's Continued History EditGreen Lantern and Solomon Grundy would clash many times over the years, though he would also square off against other DC heroes, including Batman. One storyline ("The Long Halloween", #12) involved Grundy and a newly-disfigured Harvey Dent striking up an odd friendship after Dent escaped to the sewers to plot his revenge on Sal Maroni, the man who pitched the acid into his face.
Grundy's next major appearance was in Starman, lurking in Opal City's sewers. Jack Knight befriended Grundy, who had taken on an innocent, child-like aspect. Grundy also became friends with previous Starman Mikaal Tomas, sacrificing himself to save Mikaal from being crushed by a collapsing building. When Grundy appeared again, he had returned to his malicious persona; the joint efforts of Jack Knight, Batman, Alan Scott and Floro were needed to stop him.
The origins of Grundy's resurrection come from the fact that the Parliament of Trees, a high council of Plant Elementals, tried to turn him into the newest Plant Elemental. However, the process was missing one vital piece: fire, as a Plant Elemental cannot be fully created unless it died in flames. Since Grundy's death did not involve fire at all, the process was not complete, and he became a sort of half-functional Plant Elemental. Grundy has been seemingly destroyed on several occasions, only to rise from the swamp again in a new incarnation. Each version of Grundy has been somewhat different from the last, depending on the medium used to dispatch him (and the drawing style of the current artist. The original Grundy, for example, had prominent front teeth). Some have been truly evil; some much less so. Some versions are more mindless than others; some are actually moderately intelligent, recalling the literate, well-spoken Frankenstein monster of Mary Shelley's novel.
Anti-Matter Earth Post Crisis Version Solomon Grundy had a counterpart in the Anti-Matter Universe's Earth called Sir Solomon Grundy and was a member of Cluemaster's Justice Underground. Sir Solomon Grundy is a distinguished, poised mountain of a man. During an aerial bombardment of Dover, he was blasted to life out of the white rock. Sir Grundy appears to be identical in physical appearance to our own Solomon Grundy with the exception of a trimmed mustache and a small goatee. In keeping with his educated personality, Sir Grundy dresses himself as a 19th century Englishman would, and speaks accordingly. His super strength and invulnerability made him a formidable hero, until Ultraman rendered him inert on a Saturday.
Recent history EditPrior to Infinite Crisis, he was mind controlled by Gorilla Grodd into attacking Batman and Superman by President Luthor for the bounty of 1 billion dollars in Superman/Batman. Batman was able to stop Grundy. While no specifics were given, Solomon Grundy was also coerced into joining the Secret Society of Super Villains. He participated in the final strike against the Secret Six. Ragdoll II encountered Grundy in a doorway. However, Ragdoll II asked Grundy to see his real face. Ragdoll's scarred face related to Grundy, and Grundy went on to turn against the Secret Society. The aftermath of that battle was inconclusive, but Grundy evidently survived, as he was last seen in a murky swamp in JSA Classified. In it, he was convinced by Icicle to help Wizard, who was in trouble.
After helping Icicle free Johnny Sorrow from Prometheus's cosmic key, Grundy stayed with the newly formed Injustice Society. What their new motives are and what role Grundy will play are unclear.
It is known that Grundy hid out for a time in the Arrowcave, the long abandoned former headquarters of the Emerald Archer, Green Arrow. While searching for artifacts of his former life, Oliver and his former ward, Roy "Arsenal" Harper, stumble onto Grundy's new hideout. The story, "Grundy No Like Arrows in the Face!", is found in Green Arrow (vol. 3) #18. Ollie notes that this version seems much more violent, and manages to kill him by choking him with the string to his broken bow. In Green Arrow (vol. 3) #53, "Solomon's Revenge", Ollie helps Dr. Chrissie Cavendish, a S.T.A.R. Labs employee, who claims she is the great, great grand-daughter of the man the monster spawned from, to find and cure him. Her cure, however, warps her into a monster much worse than Grundy. Ollie subdues the new monster, and leaves Grundy to be. It is not known if Grundy is still using this building.
In Infinite Crisis #7, Solomon Grundy was seen fighting against the Blood Pack in the Battle of Metropolis, until he was vaporized by Superboy-Prime's heat vision, which apparently killed the Blood Pack and destroyed Grundy's current incarnation.
Solomon Grundy returned in the Justice League of America series. He is depicted as intelligent and sophisticated seemingly serving as the brains behind a complex operation to willingly transfer Professor Ivo's immortality to Grundy. The story is on-going.
Seven Soldiers and the GrundymenEdit
In Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers series, the Witch-People of Limbo Town (who are descended from the immortal Melmoth) bury their dead, and later dig them up, at which point they become animate and are used as slave labour. These zombies are called "Grundies" or "Grundymen", and resemble Solomon Grundy. It has also been established that the Spawn of Frankenstein is partly animated by the immortal blood of Melmoth, making him a Grundyman.
Since Melmoth gained his immortality from the Cauldron of Rebirth, which he found in Slaughter Swamp, it is likely that this is also the explanation for the reanimation of Solomon Grundy.
Gallery EditThe Grundy of Earth-2 was not as imposing as the hulking beheamoth we know today.
Actuall story to this picture,
One night,in the old Gotham Graveyards,He has waken!Up from his grave,Grundy arose and said; "BORN ON A MONDAY!"and he shuffled a bit,"CHRISTENED ON A TUESDAY!"ran to a gravestone and knocked it right off."Batman,Im coming for you..."
NOTE:I got the info from Wiki and this particular Grundy is based off of The Batman Grundy.I made the little story up myself.
Croc, or alligator in this case.
My family and I went on an airboat ride through the everglades with the atmosphere and events paralleling a horror movie.
It was pouring down rain as we pulled up. We dashed through the rain, and seeking shelter of the general store. There were other tourists waiting the rain out, under the over hang. Most were wearing ridiculous ponchos. I started thinking it was a good idea as I started shivering.
The place was creepy. The general store clogged with annoying tourists and their misbehaving children. We bought sodas from people with as many teeth as fingers, which in one case was three. We followed the dirty arrow that had the word "deli" painted on it. It was no deli. It was a walk up window with "alligator bites and frog legs" painted crudely above the window, with the appropriate matching pictures.
Disgusted by the unsanitary conditions, and the gnarly looking food, I ordered a grilled cheese, hoping it would be safe. To my dismay, the greasy woman who took my order plopped my sandwich on the same grill as the alligator, frog legs, and raw hamburger. Her mute, zombie like daughter handed it to me silently.
I ate it, trying not to think about it, while my mom looked at her green hamburger.
Based on the the place, the food, and what I was about to do, I thought that I quite possibly ate my last meal. And one of the worst at that.
A skinny, tabby cat with an ear bitten off, and some balding, squawking peacocks ate the most of the food. None of us could stomach it.
We then made our way to the dock, posing for a group photo , all of us thinking we may've just taken our last photo. We climbed into a rickety boat with wet seats.
The driver went fast, turning this way and that. Stopping, brownish water sloshed over the side, soaking me being as I was on the edge. I kept thinking as he sped up again, that "he better not f****** tip us over. I'll be so f****** pissed," holding on to my camera for dear life.
We didn't turn over, but water sloshed us again a few more times as we stopped to see "the most beautiful bird in the everglades" or whatnot. Then, the alligators were there. First they were far away, but they came closer. Close enough to touch.
Heart racing, I leaned over snapping tons of pictures.
It was quite exciting. I was one of the closest.
In the end, the horror story didn't quite unfold as my overactive imagination had imagined, but if I ever write a horror story/movie, I know where my setting will be.
The only Grade I listed parkland and gardens in South Yorkshire, Wentworth Castle Gardens is home to no fewer than 26 listed buildings and monuments, each of them with a different tale to tell. Stories of power, wealth and politics, family infighting, misery and hope can be found in the history of Wentworth Castle Gardens, and its monuments, statues and buildings help us truly understand its past.
The Wentworths were one of the most important families in Yorkshire. Long before the time of the English Civil War (1642–51), members of the Wentworth family held seats of power and influence in the area, building the imposing estate at Wentworth Woodhouse in South Yorkshire as their home.
When William Wentworth, the 2nd Earl of Strafford (1626–95) died childless, his nephew Thomas Wentworth (1672–1739) expected to inherit the family fortune and their grand home at Wentworth Woodhouse. His hopes were dashed when the fortune and Wentworth Woodhouse instead passed to his cousin, Thomas Watson.
Infuriated, Thomas Wentworth used his skills as a soldier and diplomat to plot revenge. Within a few years he had bought, extended and renamed his own house and estate, just six miles away from Wentworth Woodhouse, at the estate we now know as Wentworth Castle. In 1711 he even acquired the old family title, the Earldom of Strafford – all to outshine his ‘obnoxious relative.’
In 1714, the crown of England controversially passed from the Stuart royal line to the Hanoverians. This 1734 monument is dedicated to Anne, the last Stuart monarch, and is unique in an English garden. It’s an almost treasonous statement by Thomas Wentworth, and hints at what he thought of the regime change.
The geometric design of this maze-like garden was very fashionable when it was first created for Thomas Wentworth in 1713. But there’s a patriotic message here too: Thomas created the design to combine the crosses of St George and St Andrew, celebrating the union of Scotland and England in 1707. This union was a proud moment in Queen Anne’s reign, and so even after her death this garden stands as proof of his loyalty to her.
Although recognised as one of the UK's greatest 18th century landscaped estates, the house and gardens Thomas Wentworth had built are closely tied to the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
In 1713, he was instrumental in securing for Britain the lucrative monopoly to transport and sell enslaved people from African countries to the Spanish empire. The design of his grand house and garden was in part a celebration of his pride in this ‘achievement'.
Thomas also made direct profit from the trade, partly from shares he owned and partly through his marriage to Anne Johnson (c.1684–1754) whose family were deeply involved in the slave trade by building ships for the East India Company and working for the Royal African Company.
In 1711, Wentworth was appointed joint negotiator of the Treaty of Utrecht, which ended the long War of the Spanish Succession. As part of these negotiations, Britain gained the monopoly to supply enslaved people from African countries to the Spanish colonies in the Americas – known as the ‘Asiento.’
Wentworth considered the treaty a crowning achievement in his diplomatic career and something to be proudly represented in his house and gardens. This included a sundial, now in the conservatory, in the form of a kneeling African man – a legacy of the enslavement of Africans and the objectification of Black bodies in British and European art.
‘To the memory / of the Rt. Hon. / Lady Mary Wortley Montagu / who in the Year 1720 / Introduced Inoculation / of the Small Pox into / England from Turkey’.
An example of an extremely early memorial dedication to a non-royal woman was probably added to an older monument by Thomas’ son, William (1722–91). It's also known as the Sun Memorial.
Lady Mary Wortley-Montagu (1689-1762) was a poet and letter-writer, well known for her travel writing, including descriptions of Muslim women and their lives in the 18th century Ottoman Empire. Her life and work continues to fascinate and she is seen by many today as a proto-feminist and historic LGBT+ figure.
After seeing inoculation against smallpox practised in Constantinople (now Istanbul), she made British medical history by helping to make it fashionable in British high society during the 1720s. William Wentworth and his three sisters were all treated to protect them from the terrible disease.
It is not certain when the monument, which is a copy of an ancient obelisk in Rome, was first erected. It originally had a bronze disc on top which was rumoured to be angled to reflect the sunlight across to the Wentworth Woodhouse estate. Could this be another example of family rivalry on show? It has also been suggested that the name is also an 18th century pun on ‘sun’ and ‘son.’
In 1744, William Wentworth dedicated this grand column to his late father in law, the 2nd Duke of Argyll. Shortly before his death, the Duke had been punished for opposing the government's harsh anti-Jacobite policies in Scotland. This column dedicated to his memory is topped with a statue of Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom and war, who faces south to London. Was William making a subtle political comment with this monument?
Introduction To Your 6 Pack
Six pack abs are the holy grail of physical fitness when you ask anyone about the male or female physic. The opposite sex will like us more and people of the same sex will be envious of our perfect torso. The truth is, and many won’t tell you this is that it’s actually not that hard to get those killer abs that you crave so much. Unfortunately for men it’s much easier if you’re female to get those perfect abs.
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Women also store fat in different places to men. Women tend to store their fat in Hips, Buttocks and thighs. In fact gluteofemoral fat which is stored in the butt and tops of the legs is often thought to be a sign of strong metabolic health. This is why women find it easier to get to the end goal of an amazing six pack.
Unfortunately for men. The main place they store fat is around the abdomen area which is a bit of a bummer if your goal is killer abs. The dreaded beer belly has dashed many a dream of the glorious six pack, but not to worry. It may not be as easy to get abs if you are a man but it’s certainly not that difficult if you follow the right plan of attack. Plan Your 6 Pack Here For FREE
Firstly for both men and women you need to get down to that healthy BMI we spoke about earlier. Men at 10% to 15% and women at 18% and 20%. You might be very surprised when you get here to see that your abs are already pronounced so you have already fought half the battle. The way to get to this point is to eat a healthy, well balanced diet. You need to be sure you keep your body well-nourished with the essential vitamins and minerals while lowering your BMI at the same time.
Phase 1
What Foods To Eat
Protein drinks for example are a great way to lower your BMI while still making sure you stay healthy and always feel full. This is because protein has a high thermic effect which basically means it’s difficult for your body to digest. As a result of this you spend more energy breaking it down when digesting it. To work out how many grams of protein you would need each day, you need to multiply your weight in lbs by 0.8, so for a 170lb person that’s 136 grams of protein a day.
You should also try and opt for lean meats such as turkey and chicken breast without the skin. Tuna and salmon help to keep Omega3 up and also try and keep snacks to just nuts seeds and beans. To bulk out your diet you need to stick to healthy whole grain foods which help provide carbohydrates that keep you energised, fruit and vegetables provide you with vitamins, minerals and fibre, and plenty of dairy foods which give you calcium and natural protein.
Accelerate your weight loss…
To help speed up the weight loss and get to your BMI goal you need to carry out some aerobic activities. These help to speed up the burning of unwanted calories and together with eating healthily will speed up your advance towards your killer abs goal. If you are new to cardio you must start off gradually with something easy such as a brisk walk once per day.
As we are trying to target our abdominal muscles it’s a good idea to try using what is called a sweat belt or Ab belt to help target the stomach area. The reason these are so successful is because of what they target. See how to get hold of a free sweat belt here…
Sweat Belt/Ab Belt
The simple answer to this is yes. Let me explain how. Firstly let me dispel the myth that only overweight unhealthy people sweat. The actual truth is that the healthier you are the more likely you are to sweat. So if you are determined to get to your ideal BMI you better be prepared to sweat…a lot! The reason you sweat more as you get fitter is your body needs to work harder to keep you cool.
Another more direct reason that sweating helps you lose weight is detoxification, which is directly related to weight loss. As our bodies are overloaded with toxins from pollution, poor diet, pesticides, food additives, caffeine and alcohol. Any number of health problems can occur including headaches, bloating and fatigue, but the main problems are often weight gain and cellulite. Your body holds these toxins in your fat store so it keeps them away from the body’s main organs. As sweating is the best way to release these toxins from the body then it stands to reason that excessively sweating in any given area will release massive amounts of unwanted toxins, therefore breaking down that targeted fat store while also ridding the area off access water which further helps to loose inches. As these sweat belts are designed to be inconspicuous they are really easy to wear when going about your normal daily chores. This has the added benefit that whether you are just starting on your road to fitness, or you are already an avid fitness nut you can still benefit from wearing a sweat belt as it just enhances the exercise you are already doing.
Tracking Your Progress
It’s often a great idea to keep a close track of your body measurements. Some people may go a bit too far while losing weight and this can be dangerous. To keep track of your vital statistics you can use something like a body tracking software, this allows you to measure any part of the body that you want to track and plot it in the program. As you regularly plot your measurements you see a graph developing, this allows you to easily see if you’re losing weight too fast or it gives you a massive boost as you can see in black and white how great you are progressing.
This is what we call stage one of operation killer abs. As we have already said, in order for you to see your abs developing you first need to be able to see your abs. Getting your free sweat belt/Ab belt is the ideal way to do this.
Phase 2
Now you are getting nearer to your ideal BMI you can move on to stage 2. In this section we need to start targeting our core fitness. There is no point just working on your abs without working the whole core as this can lead to a back injury. The way we make sure this does not happen is to use something designed specifically for this job.
The Ab Wheel/Ab Roller
At first glance this can look like a very simple piece of equipment. But don’t let that fool you. The Ab roller is actually an amazing piece of home gym equipment, which when used as directed can build muscle in not only your Abs but also your back which helps to build the solid core that we need.
Balancing Your Core
The Ab Roller actually works a number of muscle groups when used correctly. The major muscles worked with the Ab Roller are obviously the abdominal muscles, including the rectus abdominis (the so-called six-pack), the underlying transversus abdominis and the oblique’s which are situated down your sides. What many people don’t realise is that your lat’s, triceps, hip flexors, pectorals, trapezius muscles and glutes also will be worked with the exercise wheel, not to the extent that your core does but as your body tries to balance these muscles are used. It’s a great idea to use the sweat belt in conjuction with the ab roller to maximise results. Get them both for free here.
This is where the differences are between using the ab wheel and doing more regular exercises such as crunches and sit ups. Don’t be fooled into thinking that because the exercise wheel hits many more muscle groups, you get less of a work out on your abs. This isn’t the case. The ab wheel will target your abs and your back while also hitting other smaller muscle groups which get a work out trying to keep your weight distributed correctly.
Ab Wheel Exercises
The traditional way of using the ab wheel is to grasp it in both hands and while on your knees you roll out forward until you reach the plank position. You then reverse that and roll back to your start position without arching your spine. If you want to target a different muscle like your oblique’s then you can roll out at a slight angle. When you have been using it for a while you might want to up the intensity by starting from a standing position. You reach down and grab the ab roller and roll forward from there all the way out to the plank position. You then reverse this as before till you are back in your original pose. Again please regulate the amount of sets you do when you first get started. You will be amazed at how good this works and over doing it at the start may slow down your overall progress.
Phase 3
Ok so now you are at your ideal BMI and you have been ripping it up for a month or so with the ab wheel. You can now see some great definition in your abs and your body generally. Don’t forget the ab wheel hits lots of muscle groups so you WILL notice that lots of your body is getting much more defined. Hopefully you have remembered to keep a track of your progress using the body tracker software we spoke of earlier. Not only will this keep you going when you sometimes feel like you don’t want to work out. Also when people start noticing how good your new killer abs look they WILL be coming over asking how you got so ripped in such a short space of time. Having the data to show people how quickly you progressed might just give them the incentive they need to start and do the same. What better way to top of your new body than helping someone else also achieve theirs.
But were not quite done yet…
Electronic Muscle Toning Belts/Electronic Ab Belts (EAB)
Let’s start by explaining what the electronic ab belt does. Many people think that the electronic ab belt does the same job as the normal sweat belt/ab belt we spoke of in phase1. This is definitely not the case. While the normal ab belt is designed to help you lose the fat around the waist by causing a sauna effect that is concentrated around your tummy while working out, and has the effect off stripping back the unwanted fat so you can actually see the abdominal muscle.
There are certain people that will tell you that the electronic ab belt will get you killer abs in no time by sitting on your backside while eating cakes and sweets. Unfortunately this is not the truth. In fact it’s rubbish. I won’t insult your intelligence by telling you there is a miracle way to acquire your killer abs without any hard work what so ever. There is however a free way to aquire an Electronic Ab Belt, see here.
What I can tell you is this, electronic ab belts do work for the purpose in which they were made. They were designed to target the muscles which other ab exercises find difficult to reach. Firstly the EAB will stimulate the rectus abdominis (6 pack) and the oblique’s on the side of the body which are notoriously hard to work and help shape your waist, it also hits your transversus abdominis which are deep within the abdomen. The EAB is is used to polish all the hard work that you have already put in when using your normal ab belt and working through the phases using your ab wheel as well.
The EAB is an entirely different piece of equipment. Although it is used to get to the same end goal as the normal ab belt, the EAB has been designed to reach certain muscles which are ordinarily really difficult to work and it does this by using electronic impulses. Although we can use the ab wheel to target the muscle groups in general the EAB can laser target the muscles what want to be most pronounced.
Benefits of Using Muscle Toning Belts
So what are the benefits of using the EAB? Firstly let me emphasize that the EAB is not a substitute for healthy eating and plenty of exercise. However in today’s modern world finding the time to fit everything in is very hard and unfortunately looking after our bodies often comes bottom of our to do lists. The EAB allows you to still work those abs while doing other more mundane tasks such as cooking or shopping. You can even wear it at work so you can still put some overtime in or wear it at home while watching television. So as you can see the EAB is a fantastic way for busy people to still commit to their health and fitness while keeping up with whatever today can throw at them.
I hope the above article has been of help to you in your quest for the perfect abs. Please remember that although using the equipment we have recommended will get you your perfect killer abs, it does require some hard work on your part too. Remember to keep track of your progress using the free body tracker software so you can remind yourself how well you are doing if you ever feel like giving up.
Most important: Please read and adhere to all the instructions that you receive with your ab equipment. Saving 5 minutes at the beginning and not reading instructions could end up with you getting hurt and having to postpone showing off your killer abs…
Want A Shortcut To Killer Abs?
We appreciate that you’re dying to get those killer Abs to show off to everyone. Or maybe you just arn’t happy with your body and would love to do something about it.
I suppose it is easier to get talking to that fit guy/girl at the gym if you already have a toned body. You already have something in common to break the ice.
It’s quite an expense for all this equipment maybe you just can’t afford it at the moment?
Maybe you just don’t have time to get those killer Abs you always wanted.
What if I told you there may be an answer!
What if I told you that you could get your hands on a Sweat Belt an Ab Roller and a Muscle Toning Belt and they were all FREE!
Do you think you could find the time to create perfect Abs if all this equipment was for nothing?
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Source/Repost=>
abtekk.com/3-easy-step-to-killer-abs/ ** Abtekk ** abtekk.com/
Sometimes, the world expects us to shrink to fit into neat little boxes, tone it down, and cry quietly in the dark when things get heavy. But not here. Not today. Big girls don’t cry; they get high. We rise higher than the noise, higher than the expectations, and higher than the doubt.
In this look, I wanted to channel unapologetic boldness and soft rebellion. The pastel puff sleeves, decorated with dreamy patterns, whisper sweet things, while the "Don’t Panic" crop top shouts loud and clear: stay calm, stay lifted. The fishnets and high-cut florals clash and harmonize simultaneously because duality is power. And let’s not overlook those fluffy lavender boots—because even when we stomp, we do it in style.
This photo captures a vibe, but it also tells a story: about owning your space, embracing your curves, and finding your peace, even if it’s at the end of a smoke trail. Big girls feel hurt and heal, but they glow and grow above all.
So the next time life tries to bring you down? Remember: big girls don’t cry. They get high, they get fierce, and they keep stepping up that golden staircase.
Outfit: Beautiful Dirty Rich Shay Outfit
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Yay!!! Woo Hoo! I loved opening this wonderful package from Flossieblossoms! I had had my hopes dashed when my twin Kimmie had posted pictures of this fabulous Pinnie she received. Sibling rivalry and all that... Instead, I received a wonderful suprise today!!! Just in time for my birthday on Wednesday! (29 in case you were wondering)
Sunset silhouette of the backdrop of the hill of Carn Hen, overlooking White Sands bay on the West Pembrokeshire coast, near St Davids.
The photo was taken from the campsite we were staying in during a quick tour round Wales. The tree and hill in the background gave a lovely silhouette against the illuminated sky from our position. The walkers caught my eye whilst having dinner so dashed out to capture.
I spotted these most awesome stamps in the glass case at the post office some time ago. I was all jazzed to get my very own as I awaited my turn at the counter. When I got up to the post office agent, she quickly dashed my hopes by saying, "We don't have those anymore." I would not be deterred, though. Thankfully, we always have USPS.com. I bought one sheet to frame and one to send to worthy peoples.
Cicindela denverensis -- female
On the trail, under bright sunshine, this dark green (with a hint of blue) beetle stood out as the quintessential representative of her species completely capable of thwarting the efforts of the most expensive cameras. I shot off a few useless rounds and pressed on the short distance to the trail head.
A few minutes later a huge dark cloud slid between us and the sun re-energizing the hunt. I quickly dashed back down the trail and emptied the magazine.
When I have time I'll post a side by side - sun vs shade so you can see the difference. This is deep shade.
After turning the train on the Chullora Triangle, 4201 and 4490 now lead the train through Rhodes, with 3801 relegated to bringing up the rear.
4201 and 4490 were already out of sight as we dashed onto the platform, but this, however, was my first proper glimpse of 3801, so resplendent in her shiny new livery. 12th May, 2020.
Madonna
The original Queen of Pop Madonna brought her Rebel Heart tour to London's O2 Arena for the first of two nights in support of her 13th studio album. Putting her dramatic on-stage tumble at the same venue earlier this year during a Brit Awards performance behind her, she ruled the East London venue with the sheer tour de force for the live show she is so renowned for.
Giving Rebel Heart a good airing, the 57-year-old opened the show with new album track Iconic, appearing in steel cage while dancers paraded around dressed as medieval executioners in gold and black outfits carrying large gold pikes, following a video introduction featuring guest vocalist Mike Tyson. This was quickly followed up with Bitch I’m Madonna before the crowd were treated to her second single, 1983 track Burning Up, with the star playing a black Flying-V guitar.
After an acoustic rendition of Devil Pray, the Michigan-native disappeared for the first of a few times during the show where the crowd were left with backing dancers performing and a video playing as she changed outfits for the next segment of the show.
The scene was then changed as Madonna appeared on the hood of a 1965 Ford Falcon for new album track Body Shop, the stage was set up as a 1950’s automotive workshop, adorned with tires, her dancers looking like they’d stepped out of a production of Grease. The crowd cheered ecstatically as she took up position centre-stage playing a ukulele for an acoustic rendition of 1986 hit True Blue.
The audience towards the rear of the arena were treated next as a spiral staircase descended onto the stage with Madonna duelling with a dancer for HeartBreakCity which featured snippets of Miles Gregory’s Love Don't Live Here Anymore.
A Spanish theme followed as the Vogue hit-maker donned a bullfighter’s outfit for 1987 hit La Isla Bonita. The crowd were then treated to a medley of some of her earlier hits in a matching flamenco style including Dress You Up, Into the Groove and Lucky Star, hopes of extensive cuts from her “Immaculate Collection” dashed.
Taking a seat at her “Heart” stage at the end of a long catwalk running up the centre of the arena floor, she said “It’s nice to sit down for a while. Sometimes I outdo myself, even I admit that.”
“I wish someone would give me a spanking, but I never do anything wrong” she said, enticing a roar from the crowd.
Referring to the unusual shape of the stage, she continued her risqué banter: “Usually when I get down to the head of the penis, things get pretty heated up. That’s what I call this area. It’s funny how a heart and a penis have a similar shape, God’s infinite plan for my happiness.”
She made the London crowd feel extra special, recounting a story of how she would steal money from an early bar job to fund a trip to the British capital, a city she called home for some years in later life when she married English film director Guy Ritchie. “London, I love you. I’ve played so many amazing places from Wembley to Hyde Park, Brixton Academy, The O2 Centre, wherever you’ll have me. And thank you for having me.”
The star then made an emotional speech recognising World Aids Day she mentioned the family of her adopted son David who had all succumbed to the disease before stating "It is not a disease that had gone away. We need to remember that. Let's acknowledge all the people who have passed, and those who have fought to raise awareness. We shall overcome one day." In a break from the standard Rebel Heart tour setlist, she then broke into solo rendition of 1989 hit single Like A Prayer.
A 1920s theme closed out the main set with the best-selling female recording artist of all time treating her longer-standing fans with Music and Material Girl from her extensive back catalogue before taking up position on a raised mini-stage in the centre of her cross-shaped stage for a rendition of Édith Piaf’s La Vie en Rose, the star once again taking up the ukulele.
TV host Graham Norton was pulled on onto the stage from somewhere or other to join her with some rather erratic dancing during Unapologetic Bitch, some slightly tired innuendo surrounding a banana adding more humour to the night before both Norton and Madonna disappeared and the vast arena was thrown into darkness.
Madonna returned in a American flag-inspired star top and draped in a British Union flag for an upbeat close to the show with her third single Holiday.
While the crowd in attendance seemed to react differently to the mixed set played, the boys upfront going nuts to the dancier new material from Rebel Heart while those towards the back of the arena cheering more for Madonna’s older material, what was unquestionable was the star’s staying power, agility and passion. Even though she’s been hitting up arenas and stadiums around the world for three decades, tonight didn’t feel like a chore for her.
Her Blonde Ambition tour in 1990 set a precedent for the modern pop spectacle we have all come to expect of arena pop tours. 25 years on, Madonna proves she can still innovate, gyrate and contend with even the newest of today’s pop superstars, with big screens, huge set pieces, unique stage setups and incredible dancers juxtaposed with filling a capacity arena with just her voice accompanied by a ukulele.
Madonna plays a second show at the O2 Arena on December 2nd and heads out to Amsterdam, Paris and Zurich before returning to British shores for shows in Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow to close out the year.
Woo-hoo! It's Britain's very own teen-idol heartthrob, Sean Harrison! Multi-talented singer, song writer and actor, Sean is a mega star across the pond, and has also enjoyed crossover success here in the United States. Prosperous with much adoration from legions of fans, and an abundance of success on two different continents, the United Kingdom hasn't seen such success since the Culture Club lol. Sean is debonair, robust, and stands tall and gallant in a dignified manner. His characteristics paint him as caring and compassionate in a “We Are the World” sort of way as proof from his involvement with “The World Hunger Shindig”, which also happens to be his debut appearance in the series. The Shindig also marked his first encounter with the love of his life, and revealed a twisted relationship that occurred between himself and the only human being vulgar enough to singe his lapel, the scandalous, Pizzazz Gabor! Fireflies lit up the night, and stars filled the sky, when Sean met Holograms keyboardist, Kimber Benton, at the ranch of Ms. Sally Brand who interrupted the festivities long enough to introduce Sean to the crowd as the liner act for her charity concert, the World Hunger Shindig. And after a quite moving performance from Jem and the Holograms, there wasn't a dry eye in the house! The very second she released her fingers from the black and white bars on her keyboard, Kimber stepped down from the stage and hustled on over to meet Sean, and the two quickly became smitten of each other. The tall Englishman sparked up a conversation about her lyrics and the possibility of writing a song together, and Kimber couldn't help but blush while elaborating ideas for a hit song. During their intimate discussion, a ball of dust barreled ahead as Eric Raymond and the Misfits came swerving up the dirt road at 80 miles per hour in a fancy Cadillac with the intent of stirring up drama as thick as molasses! Determined to rustle up as much attention as possible, the wild-haired rockers jumped out the car and, believe it or not, greeted Ms. Sally with a mild display of respect! Other than Pizzazz's casual demand to be in the charity concert at the Houston Astrodome, Eric didn't have too much apologizing to do on their part, but he was the promoter of the Shindig, so it was only fair for him to go to bat for his band and convince Ms. Sally to allow them the right to perform. The enterprising ranch owner agreed, but she specified that the Misfits would not be allowed to record for her live album unless another artist or band backed out. She then explained to Eric that they would have to shack up with him in her guesthouse, so Roxy and Stormer took off in that direction to get first dibs on the biggest bedroom available. Fighting back total control from the full moon above, Pizzazz casually crept over to Sean and reminded him of the year they met at a crummy club, in London, but he didn't care to address such negativity, so he dismissed her and politely moved along. The following morning, as Kimber sat alone feeding a bird, Sean slowly approached her and complimented her skill for taming wildlife. He also mentioned—because he didn't know much about horses—that he would love for her to join him on a trail ride. At that point, Pizzazz had formed eyes in the back of her head and the hearing ability of a gnat, and all four organs were in play while she eavesdropped on the two lovebirds from behind a tree. Later that day, Sean, Kimber, Jerrica and the remaining Holograms decided to pull themselves away from music for awhile to enjoy the scenic view and all it had to offer. Seconds later, while basking in the sun, a phone call came in on Sean's cordless phone for him to tie up a few loose strings with business, in Houston, forcing him to cut his time short with his gal and report to said destination. Later that evening, Kimber climbed aboard the hayride with her sisters and pondered her dear sweet man's whereabouts. She would have never guessed in a million years that Ms. Alligator Woman had him clamped in her grip a half hour away at Jim's Western Tavern, and was dead set on impressing him with her performance of “Gimme!, Gimme!, Gimme!” As Pizzazz's cabaret act reached its finale, Sean voiced his desire to return to the ranch and meet up with Kimber, so they departed for home. During the grueling car ride back, the outspoken dominator began lashing her tongue about his new, mellow personality, and mentioned how he used to have guts! As usual, Sean didn't give a hoot as he was more concerned about her reckless driving, and advised her to grow up and slow down. Now bubbling past her breaking point, Pizzazz glared over at the passenger side and called him a wimp! The more passive he was, the more angrier she became, and with one foot on the gas and the other on the break (damn two-footer lol), Pizzazz darted directly into the path of the hayride carrying Jem and the Holograms! Tickled pink by her own risky maneuver, she swerved around the accident and laughed uncontrollably while the hay barrel spun out of control and landed on the side of the road, in the field. With no f**ks to give, she slammed on the gas once more and drove away, leaving the scene of the accident in her rearview mirror. As the Holograms inspected the damage to their carriage, Jerrica turned and asked Kimber if she noticed who was sitting in the passenger side of the car at which moment she admitted that she had, and vowed never to speak to him again! The following night, backstage at the concert, Sean spotted Kimber with her girls and whisked himself over to explain his side of the story, admitting flat out that he should have been with her, but Pizzazz kept him from doing so. All she needed to do was look into his eyes and Kimber forgave her guy. As for Pizzi, she's always had a hard time comprehending that nice girls, such as Kimber, start AND win the race! Their time spent together during the Shindig was kismet, and the connection was undeniably strong from the start.
The two lovebirds experienced another rare encounter together, in “Scandal”, while on Venice Beach, in California, where Jem and the Holograms arrived for their scheduled interview with California Beat to promote their appearance at the Roller Rock-Out Bash. It had been a long time since she communicated with her man, so Kimber was shocked when she walked into her tent to freshen up and recognized Sean who was preparing for his own interview. The British Pop-rocker asked to have a word with her and they started in on an important conversation until he was called to film his segment. After reporting that he was in town to perform at the Roller Rock-Out Bash with his all-male Pop band, Sean walked over to the beach and noticed Kimber sitting alone writing in her diary and decided to join her. Then, in the most respectful way possible, he asked her to write a song for him, catching her off guard and leaving her stunned! The keyboardist happily agreed to create a popular tune for the Brit, and then he asked her to meet him for dinner at Los Pelomas to which she said she would be there no sooner or later than 8:00. Upon leaving for her interview, Kimber forgot to grab her purse, but a staff member for California Beat noticed and ran over to pick it up from off the bench while inadvertently knocking her diary onto the sand. Then, as bad luck would have it, Misfits saxophonist, Jetta, noticed the brightly-colored book laying next to the base of a palm tree unopened and picked it up, then jumped on back of Stormer's ATV and raced out of sight! Hours passed and Sean arrived at the restaurant on time to find that Kimber hadn't arrived yet, so he sat and waited. While chillin' at his table in VIP, he was bum-rushed by the Misfits who fixed the entire situation so that Kimber wouldn't show up at all, and arrived instead with a publisher from Cool Trash Magazine to conduct a rigged interview for their advantage! Pizzazz secured proof of her rendezvous by getting Roxy to snap a picture of herself and Jetta cozying up to the British stud in the booth, which pissed him off, so he shoved the rockstar off her seat and onto the porcelain floor where she banged her elbow super hard, then sat there for a minute in shock lol! Bored out of his gourd, Sean assumed his sweetheart wouldn't show, so he hopped over the table and dashed out of there. At the bash, Sean was just finishing up his performance with his band, when Kimber rolled in with Raya and skated out to the middle of the floor where she noticed him standing on stage. The second he spotted her, he hollered her name over the crowd, and she scooted closer to see her honey...until Pizzazz strolled in on her skates with a microphone and announced that she was “good friends” with Sean, and that she was about to add some spice to the event with her drum-banging hit, “Scandal!” When the music stopped, she slid forward and directly in front of Kimber to present her with a copy of Cool Trash Magazine that featured a picture of her face on the front cover and the title: “Kimber loves Sean, he could care less!” The reality of the scandal left her reeling in tears, and her sadness from the humiliation was more than she could ever handle, so she flew out the building and was followed by a crowd of fans who chased her into the street where she was almost hit by a bus! Out of concern for her, Sean ran outside to call her back, but she was already several feet away, weaving through traffic, and skated all the way back home and up to her bedroom where she swore she would never write again. The following night, on the Harriet Horn show, Kimber prepared for her performance with support from Jem, Shana, Aja and Raya who were ready to sock it to the Misfits with their song of redemption, “Dear Diary!” After the lights came up and Jem's wind machine whirled its last gust of wind, Harriet surprised Kimber with a special guest appearance from her British babe! The minute he appeared, Sean took full advantage of the opportunity to explain to the world that the Cool Trash interview at the restaurant was nothing but hogwash, and that Pizzazz was to blame for the entire situation. And while keeping in tune with the mood of the moment, he placed her hand in his and confirmed that he had the utmost respect for her, and then asked her again to write a song for him. The attention given to Kimber was bad medicine for Pizzazz who stood up bitterly from her seat and said SHE was supposed to write the song because she's BETTER than her. While laughing his head off, Sean raised one eyebrow and told her to quit dreaming and grow the hell up! In that moment, the atmosphere felt more like the gymnasium scene from “Carrie”, and the crowd hungered for more as Pizzazz lunged forward with a rebel yell that was heard from outside Studio A! Roxy, Stormer and Jetta were worried about getting kicked off Harriet's show, like they did on VTV, so they jumped up at once to calm her down. With only 10 seconds left on air, Kimber had gained control of the melodrama, and then answered “yes” to writing a song for her gentleman. Her response generated a chorus of cheers from the audience, and an even bigger round of applause. Just before the credits rolled on camera, Sean stood up from his seat and declared the segment as the show of all shows.
Throughout the remainder of 1987, Sean and Kimber paired up whenever the opportunity presented itself, but the distance factor proved to be one serious obstacle to conquer. His love for her was what kept him going, and she was all he could think about during his flight to California to film his latest project for Howard E. Sands' Rock musical production, in “Hollywood Jem, Part One!” Besides the fact that he was chief lyricist for the soundtrack, he also had a co-starring role as a talking robotic computer, which Kimber found pretty amusing when she discovered that it was him behind the studio screen. They were so pleased to catch up with each other on all their accomplishments, and Kimber asked for Sean to advise her if he needed help with his lyrics for the soundtrack to which Sean agreed that he would. Days later, with Rio and Jem, Sean escorted Kimber to a party, in Beverly Hills, hosted by French director, François Trésor. Casual and cool was the mood of the night as François offered Jem a role in his film. The diamond-draped singer accepted, but kindly asked if she could finish her latest project, first. And, after only 15 minutes into the gala, François blew his top at Jem’s answer, forcing herself and Rio to turn back around and exit his gathering. Kimber was affected by her sister's misfortune as François began to slander the lead vocalist's name to a few reporters who were present. So, being the thoughtful man that he is, Sean felt her discomfort and quickly whizzed her away to the Hollywood Hills to take her mind off the incident at the party. The sweet gesture captured her heart and opened her mind to the possibility of a relationship. Sean then mentioned that he wanted to make a stronger commitment to her. And with the city lights shining below, and the stars covering the sky, he pulled her close and they locked lips in a tight embrace. At that moment, Kimber grew very close to him, so close, in fact, that she mistook his affection as a proposal of marriage, and she couldn't wait to gush to Jem about it. However, before she reached cloud nine, Sean pulled her back down to earth gently and admitted that his comment was not meant to suggest they get married. He agreed to be more committed and to see her exclusively, but he wasn't exactly ready for the infinite lock and key. Emotionally crushed by the truth, Kimber apologized and said she didn't mean to rush into love, while Sean assured her that it was just fine and apologized also for not making himself more clear. The ride home was heart-wrenching for Kimber who began to get a little ahead of herself while listening to Gloria Estefan's “Anything for You” on the car stereo system, and assumed their friendship had come to a complete end. Then Eric Carmen's “Hungry Eyes” came on, commanding for Sean to look over and wink at his girl. The heart-broken Hologram secretly wished for the car ride to last forever, but they had already arrived at the front door of Starlight Mansion where her suitor dropped her off and wished her a good night. The following day, Sean stood outdoors with Rio, Jem and the crew to watch his stunt double, Jeff Wright, perform a high speed chase under a truck. Far off in the distance, on the opposite side of the set, stood Kimber who appeared wearing a pair of expensive sunglasses to hide her pain from the previous night. During his stunt, Jeff recognized the keyboardist standing alone and almost crashed while staring. When he jumped out the vehicle, the second his boots hit the ground, Kimber ran into his arms and they expressed outright happiness in seeing each other! Caught by surprise, Sean approached with caution and said he would meet her back at the studio to begin their song. Quickly consumed with jealousy, Jeff asked her about her relationship with Sean and became upset when he didn't receive the answer he was looking for, even going so far as to accuse her of leading on half the male population of California! He then sped off angrily on his motorcycle. Back at Sean's in-house studio, Kimber walked in and apologized for not mentioning the situation early on. She also drove it home that she liked him and enjoyed working with him, and Sean replied with just the same. Something clicked inside of him that day during their rehearsal session. His feelings started running deep and he couldn't shake the vibes, which was why he decided to purchase an engagement ring for his special girl at the jewelry store with a plan to propose. The next day, on set, Sean noticed Kimber a few feet away and ran over to complete the deed, but Jeff cut him off by swinging in on a rope and lifting her to a higher platform to ask her one last time for her hand in marriage! With Sean looking on, Kimber agreed to marry him, causing the agile daredevil to laugh vociferously at the news, then lift her up in his arms, like Indiana Jones, and leap onto the lower level where Kimber insisted on climbing down to the ground. Looking out below, she watched Sean slowly walk away and felt absolutely terrible, so she quickly chased him down as he marched forward feeling broken and bruised. Unaware of his feelings for her, Kimber revealed that she accepted Jeff's proposal, but the towering prince of Pop played it cool and reminded her that he wasn't ready to settle down. Seconds after, in a smart tone, he congratulated her while continuing his march to his dressing room where he junked the ring and held his head low in anguish. The gallant Brit was heated during the events leading up to Kimber's wedding day, in “Hollywood Jem, Part Two!” The clock was ticking and he needed to show her how much he really wanted her in his life...and boy did he ever! It all came to a head, when he risked his life by performing Jeff's stunt himself and raced his car directly at the speeding truck instead of UNDER as was planned! Once he lost control of the wheel there was no way of gaining it back, and soon his race car spun out of control, flipping across the road and smashing violently into a large stack of hay! The crew couldn't believe what they had seen and ran over to pull him out. The fellas then laid him down on a stretcher where Rio and Kimber stood by his side with as much help as they could possibly provide. At first, Kimber thought it was Jeff, but when the helmet came off, she discovered it was Sean and wept at the sight of her beau in pain! Rio insisted on driving her to the hospital where the two sat in the waiting room wondering what happened to their good friend. Right away, Kimber blamed herself and regretted not knowing just how upset he really was about her up-and-coming wedding. Eventually, the nurse entered the waiting room with an update on his condition and stated that he was stable, but hadn't regained consciousness. She then suggested that they both get some rest, so Rio told Kimber to go on home and that he would call her if necessary. A full day passed and Sean eventually regained consciousness with minimal discomfort from his accident, and he was DETERMINED to win his ladylove back! He was still confined to his bed due to a broken leg. So, with little time to waste, the musician sent Rio to interrupt her wedding with his ring of proposal. The plan almost failed as Jerrica gasped at the sight of her man kneeling down in front of her on bended knee for Kimber—and he did it with Sean's personalized diamond rock. Kimber was flattered, but said she couldn't possibly marry him at which point Rio announced to her and everyone there that he was doing it all for his good buddy, Sean. Turns out, Kimber and Jeff decided not to get hitched after all, and she wasted no time getting over to the hospital where Sean explained how much he cared with an official proposal of marriage from his bed. Kimber agreed, but quickly decided that it was crucial to get better acquainted before fully committing to each other. Gradually, he became mobile and was discharged from the hospital just in time for the 60th Annual Academy Awards, honoring his friend, Jem, who was nominated for “Best Actress!” Kimber was dressed in her best and was shocked, when her loverboy popped out the limousine with crutches and a leg cast to escorted her to the ceremony. The two had a blast together on that night, and Sean moved into Starlight Mansion where he and Kimber locked themselves away for a whole week before his departure from California. Despite their infrequent encounters, Sean has always been extremely fond of his lady fair, and also fully aware of a love lost due to assumptions and miscommunication—two mistakes he vowed to never make again. New Years ‘87 passed, and 1988 hurried in with “Riot's Hope”, and a memorable gathering at Stingers Sound Studios in celebration of the Stingers' debut album. The party allowed Sean and Kimber the chance to spend the evening together mingling among close friends and colleagues, and ripping up the dance floor to Riot's authoritative warning, “Take it or Leave It”, and his heart-puncturing tune, “It's a Hard, Hard Life!” Time has past since their verbal engagement at the hospital, and the connection between both musicians has grown stronger than ever before!
This set is one that I consider to be another golden treasure—something of a personal reward from Integrity Toys—and I'm very grateful and undoubtedly delighted to add him to my collection! Sean is extremely essential to the world of Jem and I am blown away by his appearance as a fashion doll. He was another pick from my top ten list of must-haves, and it sure seems as though Integrity is giving me exactly what I want because Sean (along with a majority of the dolls on my wish list) has come to fruition! This British crooner definitely stands out in the collection with just his signature jet black swoop alone! The short cut accommodates his face sculpt so well, and the dark hue immediately directs your attention to his piercing blue eyes. Speaking of which, there's something very interesting about the way Integrity constructed his pupils. To start with, their decision to add a yellow ring to both irises seems a bit unconventional, but it works for Sean! Another unavoidable feature worth point out is the outer area around his eyes. The off-brown appearance exposes a mysterious allure that almost appears a bit distressed—looks real good, though! I am astonished at the work on his blue, custom-made Burberry blazer! He wears his swanky, chain-linked lapel brooch pinned to the chest area of his jacket, and it's brilliant! There's equal appreciation for his sheer, pale green, pink-striped Oxford dress shirt, his dark purple, pin-striped Oxford trousers and his pink GQ belt! Sean also proves to have a mean shoe game choosing, from his imported collection, a pair of upscale, Bass Weejun penny loafers, and a classy pair of slick, dark blue Gianni Versace socks to dress up his feet. Only one man has the qualifications to don such a dapper getup and press forth with the utmost pride! I'm actually quite angry at the absence of his original wristwatch as depicted in Integrity's prototype pictures. From my standpoint, the dark blue/white-striped band matches perfectly with the gold bezel, both adding a ton of flare to his entire outfit! I also feel that the original wristwatch looks more fashionable and realistic. Damn! What a loss! Inside this set contains an incriminating photo and note from Pizzazz, both of which I'm sure he'd give anything to forget! The last piece of memorabilia is a final script for Howard Sands' box office smash, Starbright!
Sean Harrison was one of the defining figures of mid-‘80s Pop. His music merged the technology-intensive sound of new wave and filtered right into Synth and Rock genres effortlessly! Harrison racked up a string of hits before he retreated into being a cult symbol by the conclusion of the decade. With a whopping 87 weeks on the charts, “Romance in Modern Times” holds the record for most weeks spent on the Hot 100! And his acclaimed 1987 classic, “Benton My Belle”, has spent an amazing 30 weeks riding the Billboard 200 albums chart! Writer, composer, collaborator, producer, paired with three live albums and sold out tours...Sean Harrison-Benton-Harrison is one Brit who's proud to raise his flag high in the sky with pride! 🇬🇧
As soon as we set up camp, hubby dashed off to this spot on the Umpqua River just below our site. I made these two rock cairns hoping the fishing gods would smile upon us. Well, hey you do whatever it takes...LOL.
(having some issues with my network provider, Not providing!! hope to stay connected long enough to get to your streams. Hey maybe I should build some keyboard cairns...lol)
I wish I had empirical evidence to the contrary, but, yeah, no, I got nuffin'. The optimists got it wrong. If you don't have dreams, they can't be dashed. The skeptic speaks. lol
I disturbed this female Black and Yellow Argiope (Argiope aurantia) when I was watering my garden, and she dashed out from behind the milkweed seedpods to the center of the stabilimentum. She let me get some still photos (see comment below), then, when I got just a bit too close, she started "dancing," as if on a trampoline.
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copyright © Mim Eisenberg/mimbrava studio. All rights reserved.
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I invite you to stroll through My Galleries.
And so to the weekend again. And what might be the last orchid-free weekend until well into June or even August.
So, enjoy the churches while you can.
Saturday, and not much really planned. We get up at half six with it fully light outside. The cloud and drizzle had not arrived, instead it was pretty clear and sunny.
No time for thinking about going out to take shots, as we had hunter-gathering to do.
In fact, we didn't need much, just the usual stuff to keep us going. That and the car was running on fumes. So we will that up first, and then into Tesco and round and round we go, fully the trolley up. It being Mother's Day on Saturday, we were having Jen round on Sunday, we were to have steak, so I get mushrooms.
And once back, we have breakfast then go to Preston for the actual steak, three ribeyes, all cut from the same stip. Jools had gone to look at the garden centre for ideas as we're going to dig up the raspberries, so just wondering what to put in their place.
By then the rain had come, and so we dashed back to the car, and on the way home called in at two churches.
First off was Goodnestone, just the other side of Wingham.
Its a fine estate church, covered in wonderfully knapped bricks, giving it an East Anglian feel. Before we went in, we sheltered under a tree to much on a sausage roll I had bought at the butcher, that done, we go to the church, which is open.
I have been here quite recently, five years back, and in truth no much glass to record, but I do my best, leave a fiver of the weekly collection and we drove over the fields to Eastry.
St Mary is an impressive church, with carved and decorated west face of the Norman tower, at its base an odd lean-to porch has been created, leading into the church, which does have interest other than the 35 painted medallions high in the Chancel Arch, once the backdrop to the Rood.
I snap them with the big lens, and the windows too. A warden points out what looks like a very much older painted window high among the roof timbers in the east wall of the Chancel.
I get a shot, which is good enough, but even with a 400mm lens, is some crop.
I finish up and we go home, taking it carefully along nearly flooded roads.
Being a Saturday, there is football, though nothing much of interest until three when Norwich kick off against Stoke: could they kick it on a wet Saturday afternoon in the Potteries?
No. No, they couldn't.
Ended 0-0, City second best, barely laid a glove on the Stoke goal.
And then spots galore: Ireland v England in the egg-chasing, Citeh v Burnley in the Cup and Chelsea v Everton in the league, all live on various TV channels.
I watch the first half of the rugby, then switch over when England were reduced to 14, so did enjoy the lad Haarland score another hat-trick in a 6-0 demolition.
And that was that, another day over with.....
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Set away from the main street but on one of the earliest sites in the village, flint-built Eastry church has an over restored appearance externally but this gives way to a noteworthy interior. Built in the early thirteenth century by its patrons, Christ Church Canterbury, it was always designed to be a statement of both faith and power. The nave has a clerestory above round piers whilst the east nave wall has a pair of quatrefoils pierced through into the chancel. However this feature pales into insignificance when one sees what stands between them - a square panel containing 35 round paintings in medallions. There are four deigns including the Lily for Our Lady; a dove; Lion; Griffin. They would have formed a backdrop to the Rood which would have been supported on a beam the corbels of which survive below the paintings. On the centre pier of the south aisle is a very rare feature - a beautifully inscribed perpetual calendar or `Dominical Circle` to help find the Dominical letter of the year. Dating from the fourteenth century it divides the calendar into a sequence of 28 years. The reredos is an alabaster structure dating from the Edwardian period - a rather out of place object in a church of this form, but a good piece of work in its own right. On the west wall is a good early 19th century Royal Arms with hatchments on either side and there are many good monuments both ledger slabs and hanging tablets. Of the latter the finest commemorates John Harvey who died in 1794. It shows his ship the Brunswick fighting with all guns blazing with the French ship the Vengeur. John Bacon carved the Elder this detailed piece of work.
www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Eastry
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Above the Chancel Arch, enclosed within a rectangular frame, are rows of seven "medallion" wall paintings; the lower group was discovered in 1857 and the rest in 1903. They remained in a rather dilapidated state until the Canterbury Cathedral Wall Paintings Department brought them back to life.
The medallions are evidently of the 13th Century, having been painted while the mortar was still wet. Each medallion contains one of four motifs:
The trefoil flower, pictured left, is perhaps a symbol of the Blessed Virgin Mary to whom the church is dedicated; or symbolic of Christ.
The lion; symbolic of the Resurrection
Doves, either singly, or in pairs, represent the Holy Spirit
The Griffin represents evil, over which victory is won by the power of the Resurrection and the courage of the Christian.
www.ewbchurches.org.uk/eastrychurchhistory.htm
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EASTRY,
THE next parish north-eastward from Knolton is Eastry. At the time of taking the survey of Domesday, it was of such considerable account, that it not only gave name, as it does at present, to the hundred, but to the greatest part of the lath in which it stands, now called the lath of St. Augustine. There are two boroughs in this parish, viz. the borough of Hardenden, which is within the upper half hundred of Downhamford, and comprehends the districts of Hardenden, Selson and Skrinkling, and the borough of Eastry, the borsholder of which is chosen at Eastry-court, and comprehends all the rest of the parish, excepting so much of it as lies within that part of the borough of Felderland, which is within this parish.
THE PARISH OF EASTRY, a healthy and not unpleasant situation, is about two miles and an half from north to south, but it is much narrower the other way, at the broadest extent of which it is not more than a mile and an half. The village of Eastry is situated on a pleasing eminence, almost in the centre of the parish, exhiblting a picturesque appearance from many points of view. The principal street in it is called Eastrystreet; from it branch off Mill street, Church-street and Brook-street. In Mill street is a spacious handsome edisice lately erected there, as a house of industry, for the poor of the several united parishes of Eastry, Norborne, Betshanger, Tilmanstone, Waldershare, Coldred, Lydden, Shebbertswell, Swynfield, Wootton, Denton, Chillenden and Knolton. In Churchstreet, on the east side, stands the church, with the court-lodge and parsonage adjoining the church-yard; in this street is likewise the vicarage. In Brook-street, is a neat modern house, the residence of Wm. Boteler, esq. and another belonging to Mr. Thomas Rammell, who resides in it. Mention will be found hereafter, under the description of the borough of Hernden, in this parish, of the descent and arms of the Botelers resident there for many generations. Thomas Boteler, who died possessed of that estate in 1651, left three sons, the youngest of whom, Richard, was of Brook-street, and died in 1682; whose great-grandson, W. Boteler, esq. is now of Brook-street; a gentleman to whom the editor is much indebted for his communications and assistance, towards the description of this hundred, and its adjoining neighbourhood. He has been twice married; first to Sarah, daughter and coheir of Thomas Fuller, esq. of Statenborough, by whom he has one son, William Fuller, now a fellow of St. Peter's college, Cambridge: secondly, to Mary, eldest daughter of John Harvey, esq. of Sandwich and Hernden, late captain of the royal navy, by whom he has five sons and three daughters. He bears for his arms, Argent, on three escutcheons, sable, three covered cups, or; which coat was granted to his ancestor, Richard Boteler, esq. of Hernden, by Cooke, clar. in 1589. Mr. Boteler, of Eastry, is the last surviving male of the family, both of Hernden and Brook-street. Eastry-street, comprizing the neighbourhood of the above mentioned branches, may be said to contain about sixty-four houses.
At the south-east boundary of this parish lies the hamlet of Updown, adjoining to Ham and Betshanger, in the former of which parishes some account of it has been already given. At the southern bounds, adjoining to Tilmanstone, lies the hamlet of Westone, formerly called Wendestone. On the western side lies the borough of Hernden, which although in this parish, is yet within the hundred of Downhamford and manor of Adisham; in the southern part of it is Shrinkling, or Shingleton, as it is now called, and the hamlet of Hernden. At the northern part of this borough lie the hamlets and estates of Selson, Wells, and Gore. Towards the northern boundary of the parish, in the road to Sandwich, is the hamlet of Statenborough, and at a small distance from it is that part of the borough of Felderland, or Fenderland, as it is usually called, within this parish, in which, adjoining the road which branches off to Word, is a small seat, now the property and residence of Mrs. Dare, widow of Wm. Dare, esq. who resides in it. (fn. 1)
Round the village the lands are for a little distance, and on towards Statenborough, inclosed with hedges and trees, but the rest of the parish is in general an open uninclosed country of arable land, like the neighbouring ones before described; the soil of it towards the north is most fertile, in the other parts it is rather thin, being much inclined to chalk, except in the bottoms, where it is much of a stiff clay, for this parish is a continued inequality of hill and dale; notwithstanding the above, there is a great deal of good fertile land in the parish, which meets on an average rent at fifteen shillings an acre. There is no wood in it. The parish contains about two thousand six hundred and fifty acres; the yearly rents of it are assessed to the poor at 2679l.
At the south end of the village is a large pond, called Butsole; and adjoining to it on the east side, a field, belonging to Brook-street estate, called the Butts; from whence it is conjectured that Butts were formerly erected in it, for the practice of archery among the inhabitants.
A fair is held here for cattle, pedlary, and toys, on October the 2d, (formerly on St. Matthew's day, September the 21st) yearly.
IN 1792, MR. BOTELER, of Brook-street, discovered, on digging a cellar in the garden of a cottage, situated eastward of the highway leading from Eastrycross to Butsole, an antient burying ground, used as such in the latter time of the Roman empire in Britain, most probably by the inhabitants of this parish, and the places contiguous to it. He caused several graves to be opened, and found with the skeletons, fibulæ, beads, knives,umbones of shields, &c. and in one a glass vessel. From other skeletons, which have been dug up in the gardens nearer the cross, it is imagined, that they extended on the same side the road up to the cross, the ground of which is now pretty much covered with houses; the heaps of earth, or barrows, which formerly remained over them, have long since been levelled, by the great length of time and the labour of the husbandman; the graves were very thick, in rows parallel to each other, in a direction from east to west.
St. Ivo's well, mentioned by Nierembergius, in Historia de Miraculis Natureæ, lib. ii. cap. 33; which I noticed in my folio edition as not being able to find any tradition of in this parish, I have since found was at a place that formerly went by the name of Estre, and afterwards by that of Plassiz, near St. Ives, in Huntingdonshire. See Gales Scriptores, xv. vol. i. p.p. 271, 512.
This place gave birth to Henry de Eastry, who was first a monk, and then prior of Christ-church, in Canterbury; who, for his learning as well as his worthy acts, became an ornament, not only to the society he presided over, but to his country in general. He continued prior thirty-seven years, and died, far advanced in life, in 1222.
THIS PLACE, in the time of the Saxons, appears to have been part of the royal domains, accordingly Simon of Durham, monk and precentor of that church, in his history, stiles it villa regalis, quæ vulgari dicitur Easterige pronuncione, (the royal ville, or manor, which in the vulgar pronunciation was called Easterige), which shews the antient pre-eminence and rank of this place, for these villæ regales, or regiæ, as Bede calls them, of the Saxons, were usually placed upon or near the spot, where in former ages the Roman stations had been before; and its giving name both to the lath and hundred in which it is situated corroborates the superior consequence it was then held in. Egbert, king of Kent, was in possession of it about the year 670, at which time his two cousins, Ethelred and Ethelbright, sons of his father's elder brother Ermenfrid, who had been entrusted to his care by their uncle, the father of Egbert, were, as writers say, murdered in his palace here by his order, at the persuasion of one Thunnor, a slattering courtier, lest they should disturb him in the possession of the crown. After which Thunnor buried them in the king's hall here, under the cloth of estate, from whence, as antient tradition reports, their bodies were afterwards removed to a small chapel belonging to the palace, and buried there under the altar at the east end of it, and afterwards again with much pomp to the church of Ramsey abbey. To expiate the king's guilt, according to the custom of those times, he gave to Domneva, called also Ermenburga, their sister, a sufficient quantity of land in the isle of Thanet, on which she might found a monastery.
How long it continued among the royal domains, I have not found; but before the termination of the Saxon heptarchy, THE MANOR OF EASTRY was become part of the possessions of the see of Canterbury, and it remained so till the year 811, when archbishop Wilfred exchanged it with his convent of Christchurch for their manor of Bourne, since from the archbishop's possession of it called Bishopsbourne. After which, in the year 979 king Ægelred, usually called Ethelred, increased the church's estates here, by giving to it the lands of his inheritance in Estrea, (fn. 2) free from all secular service and siscal tribute, except the repelling of invasions and the repairing of bridges and castles, usually stiled the trinoda necessitas; (fn. 3) and in the possession of the prior and convent bove-mentioned, this manor continued at the taking of the survey of Domesday, being entered in it under the general title of Terra Monachorum Archiepi; that is, the land of the monks of the archbishop, as follows:
In the lath of Estrei in Estrei hundred, the archbishop himself holds Estrei. It was taxed at Seven sulings. The arable land is . . . . In demesne there are three carucates and seventy two villeins, with twenty-two borderers, having twenty-four carucates. There is one mill and a half of thirty shillings, and three salt pits of four shillings, and eighteen acres of meadow. Wood for the pannage of ten hogs.
After which, this manor continued in the possession of the priory, and in the 10th year of king Edward II. the prior obtained a grant of free-warren in all his demesne lands in it, among others; about which time it was valued at 65l. 3s. after which king Henry VI. in his 28th year, confirmed the above liberty, and granted to it a market, to be held at Eastry weekly on a Tuesday, and a fair yearly, on the day of St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist; in which state it continued till the dissolution of the priory in the 31st year of king Henry VIII. when it came in to the king's hands, where it did not remain long, for he settled it, among other premises, in the 33d year of his reign, on his new created dean and chapter of Canterbury, part of whose possessions it continues at this time. A court leet and court baron is held for this manor.
The manerial rights, profits of courts, royalties, &c. the dean and chapter retain in their own hands; but the demesne lands of the manor, with the courtlodge, which is a large antient mansion, situated adjoining to the church-yard, have been from time to time demised on a benesicial lease. The house is large, partly antient and partly modern, having at different times undergone great alterations. In the south wall are the letters T. A. N. in flint, in large capitals, being the initials of Thomas and Anne Nevinson. Mr. Isaac Bargrave, father of the present lessee, new fronted the house, and the latter in 1786 put the whole in complete repair, in doing which, he pulled down a considerable part of the antient building, consisting of stone walls of great strength and thickness, bringing to view some gothic arched door ways of stone, which proved the house to have been of such construction formerly, and to have been a very antient building. The chapel, mentioned before, is at the east end of the house. The east window, consisting of three compartments, is still visible, though the spaces are filled up, it having for many years been converted into a kitchen, and before the last alteration by Mr. Bargrave the whole of it was entire.
At this mansion, then in the hands of the prior and convent of Christ-church, archbishop Thomas Becket, after his stight from Northampton in the year 1164, concealed himself for eight days, and then, on Nov. 10, embarked at Sandwich for France. (fn. 4)
The present lessee is Isaac Bargrave, esq. who resides at the court-lodge, whose ancestors have been lessees of this estate for many years past.
THE NEVINSONS, as lessees, resided at the courtlodge of Eastry for many years. They were originally of Brigend, in Wetherell, in Cumberland. They bore for their arms, Argent, a chevron, between three eagles displayed, azure. Many of them lie buried in Eastry church. (fn. 5)
THE FAMILY of Bargrave, alias Bargar, was originally of Bridge, and afterwards of the adjoining parish of Patrixbourne; where John Bargrave, eldest son of Robert, built the seat of Bifrons, and resided at it, of whom notice has already been taken in vol. ix. of this history, p. 280. Isaac Bargrave, the sixth son of Robert above-mentioned, and younger brother of John, who built Bifrons, was ancestor of the Bargraves, of Eastry; he was S. T. P. and dean of Canterbury, a man of strict honour and high principles of loyalty, for which he suffered the most cruel treatment. He died in 1642, having married in 1618 Elizabeth, daughter of John Dering, esq. of Egerton, by Elizabeth, sister of Edward lord Wotton, the son of John Dering, esq. of Surrenden, by Margaret Brent. Their descendant, Isaac Bargrave, esq. now living, was an eminent solicitor in London, from which he has retired for some years, and now resides at Eastry-court, of which he is the present lessee. He married Sarah, eldest daughter of George Lynch, M. D. of Canterbury, who died at Herne in 1787, S.P. They bear for their arms, Or, on a pale gules, a sword, the blade argent, pomelled, or, on a chief vert three bezants.
SHRINKLING, alias SHINGLETON, the former of which is its original name, though now quite lost, is a small manor at the south-west boundary of this pa Kent, anno 1619. rish, adjoining to Nonington. It is within the borough of Heronden, or Hardonden, as it is now called, and as such, is within the upper half hundred of Downhamford. This manor had antiently owners of the same name; one of whom, Sir William de Scrinkling, held it in king Edward I.'s reign, and was succeeded by Sir Walter de Scrinkling his son, who held it by knight's service of Hamo de Crevequer, (fn. 6) and in this name it continued in the 20th year of king Edward III.
Soon after which it appears to have been alienated to William Langley, of Knolton, from which name it passed in like manner as Knolton to the Peytons and the Narboroughs, and thence by marriage to Sir Thomas D'Aeth, whose grandson Sir Narborough D'Aeth, bart. now of Knolton, is at present entitled to it.
There was a chapel belonging to this manor, the ruins of which are still visible in the wood near it, which was esteemed as a chapel of ease to the mother church of Eastry, and was appropriated with it by archbishop Richard, Becket's immediate successor, to the almory of the priory of Christ-church; but the chapel itself seems to have become desolate many years before the dissolution of the priory, most probably soon after the family of Shrinkling became extinct; the Langleys, who resided at the adjoining manor of Knolton, having no occasion for the use of it. The chapel stood in Shingleton wood, near the south east corner; the foundations of it have been traced, though level with the surface, and not easily discovered. There is now on this estate only one house, built within memory, before which there was only a solitary barn, and no remains of the antient mansion of it.
HERONDEN, alias HARDENDEN, now usually called HERONDEN, is a district in this parish, situated about a mile northward from Shingleton, within the borough of its own name, the whole of which is within the upper half hundred of Downhamford. It was once esteemed as a manor, though it has not had even the name of one for many years past, the manor of Adisham claiming over it. The mansion of it was antiently the residence of a family of the same name, who bore for their arms, Argent, a heron with one talon erect, gaping for breath, sable. These arms are on a shield, which is far from modern, in Maidstone church, being quarterly, Heronden as above, with sable, three escallop shells, two and one, argent; and in a window of Lincoln's Inn chapel is a coat of arms of a modern date, being that of Anthony Heronden, esq. Argent, a heron, azure, between three escallops, sable. One of this family of Heronden lies buried in this church, and in the time of Robert Glover, Somerset herald, his portrait and coat of arms, in brass, were remaining on his tombstone. The coat of arms is still extant in very old rolls and registers in the Heralds office, where the family is stiled Heronden, of Heronden, in Eastry; nor is the name less antient, as appears by deeds which commence from the reign of Henry III. which relate to this estate and name; but after this family had remained possessed of this estate for so many years it at last descended down in king Richard II.'s reign, to Sir William Heronden, from whom it passed most probably either by gift or sale, to one of the family of Boteler, or Butler, then resident in this neighbourhood, descended from those of this name, formerly seated at Butler's sleet, in Ash, whose ancestor Thomas Pincerna, or le Boteler, held that manor in king John's reign, whence his successors assumed the name of Butler, alias Boteler, or as they were frequently written Botiller, and bore for their arms, One or more covered cups, differently placed and blazoned. In this family the estate descended to John Boteler, who lived in the time of king Henry VI. and resided at Sandwich, of which town he was several times mayor, and one of the burgesses in two parliaments of that reign; he lies buried in St. Peter's church there. His son Richard, who was also of Sandwich, had a grant of arms in 1470, anno 11th Edward IV. by Thomas Holme, norroy, viz. Gyronny of six, argent and sable, a covered cup, or, between three talbots heads, erased and counterchanged of the field, collared, gules, garnished of the third. His great-grandson Henry Boteler rebuilt the mansion of Heronden, to which he removed in 1572, being the last of his family who resided at Sandwich. He had the above grant of arms confirmed to him, and died in 1580, being buried in Eastry church. Richard Boteler, of Heronden, his eldest son by his first wife, resided at this seat, and in 1589 obtained a grant from Robert Cook, clarencieux, of a new coat of arms, viz. Argent, on three escutcheons, sable, three convered cups, or. Ten years after which, intending as it should seem, to shew himself a descendant of the family of this name, seated at Graveney, but then extinct, he obtained in 1599 a grant of their arms from William Dethic, garter, and William Camden, clarencieux, to him and his brother William, viz. Quarterly, first and fourth, sable, three covered cups, or, within a bordure, argent; second and third, Argent, a fess, chequy, argent and gules, in chief three cross-croslets of the last, as appears (continues the grant) on a gravestone in Graveney church. He died in 1600, and was buried in Eastry church, leaving issue among other children Jonathan and Thomas. (fn. 7) Jonathan Boteler, the eldest son, of Hernden, died unmarried possessed of it in 1626, upon which it came to his next surviving brother Thomas Boteler, of Rowling, who upon that removed to Hernden, and soon afterwards alienated that part of it, since called THE MIDDLE FARM, to Mr. Henry Pannell, from whom soon afterwards, but how I know not, it came into the family of Reynolds; from which name it was about fifty years since alienated to John Dekewer, esq. of Hackney, who dying in 1762, devised it to his nephew John Dekewer, esq. of Hackney, the present possessor of it.
THIS PARISH is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Sandwich.
The church, which is exempted from the archdeacon, is dedicated to St. Mary; it is a large handsome building, consisting of a nave and two side isles, a chancel at the east end, remarkably long, and a square tower, which is very large, at the west end, in which are five very unmusical bells. The church is well kept and neatly paved, and exhibits a noble appearance, to which the many handsome monuments in it contribute much. The arch over the west door is circular, but no other parts of the church has any shew of great antiquity. In the chancel are monuments for the Paramors and the Fullers, of Statenborough, arms of the latter, Argent, three bars, and a canton, gules. A monument for several of the Bargrave family. An elegant pyramidial one, on which is a bust and emblematical sculpture for John Broadley, gent. many years surgeon at Dover, obt. 1784. Several gravestones, with brasses, for the Nevinsons. A gravestone for Joshua Paramour, gent. buried 1650. Underneath this chancel are two vaults, for the families of Paramour and Bargrave. In the nave, a monument for Anne, daughter of Solomon Harvey, gent. of this parish, ob. 1751; arms, Argent, on a chevron, between three lions gambs, sable, armed gules, three crescents, or; another for William Dare, esq. late of Fenderland, in this parish, obt. 1770; arms, Gules, a chevron vaire, between three crescents, argent, impaling argent, on a cross, sable, four lions passant, quardant of the field, for Read.—Against the wall an inscription in Latin, for the Drue Astley Cressemer, A. M. forty-eight years vicar of this parish, obt. 1746; he presented the communion plate to this church and Worth, and left a sum of money to be laid out in ornamenting this church, at which time the antient stalls, which were in the chancel, were taken away, and the chancel was ceiled, and the church otherwise beautified; arms, Argent, on a bend engrailed, sable, three cross-croslets, fitchee, or. A monument for several of the Botelers, of this parish; arms, Boteler, argent, on three escutcheons, sable, three covered cups, or, impaling Morrice. Against a pillar, a tablet and inscription, shewing that in a vault lieth Catherine, wife of John Springett, citizen and apothecary of London. He died in 1770; arms, Springett, per fess, argent and gules, a fess wavy, between three crescents, counterchanged, impaling Harvey. On the opposite pillar another, for the Rev. Richard Harvey, fourteen years vicar of this parish, obt. 1772. A monument for Richard Kelly, of Eastry, obt. 1768; arms, Two lions rampant, supporting a castle. Against the wall, an elegant sculptured monument, in alto relievo, for Sarah, wise of William Boteler, a daughter of Thomas Fuller, esq. late of Statenborough, obt. 1777, æt. 29; she died in childbed, leaving one son, William Fuller Boteler; arms at bottom, Boteler, as above, an escutcheon of pretence, Fuller, quartering Paramor. An elegant pyramidal marble and tablet for Robert Bargrave, of this parish, obt. 1779, for Elizabeth his wife, daughter of Sir Francis Leigh, of Hawley; and for Robert Bargrave, their only son, proctor in Doctors Commons, obt. 1774, whose sole surviving daughter Rebecca married James Wyborne, of Sholdon; arms, Bargrave, with a mullet, impaling Leigh. In the cross isle, near the chancel called the Boteler's isle, are several memorials for the Botelers. Adjoining to these, are three other gravestones, all of which have been inlaid, but the brasses are gone; they were for the same family, and on one of them was lately remaining the antient arms of Boteler, Girony of six pieces, &c. impaling ermine of three spots. Under the church are vaults, for the families of Springett, Harvey, Dare, and Bargrave. In the church-yard, on the north side of the church, are several altar tombs for the Paramors; and on the south side are several others for the Harveys, of this parish, and for Fawlkner, Rammell, and Fuller. There are also vaults for the families of Fuller, Rammell, and Petman.
There were formerly painted in the windows of this church, these arms, Girony of six, sable and argent, a covered cup, or, between three talbots heads, erased and counter changed of the field, collared, gules; for Boteler, of Heronden, impaling Boteler, of Graveny, Sable, three covered cups, or, within a bordure, argent; Boteler, of Heronden, as above, quartering three spots, ermine; the coat of Theobald, with quarterings. Several of the Frynnes, or as they were afterwards called, Friends, who lived at Waltham in this parish in king Henry VII.'s reign, lie buried in this church.
In the will of William Andrewe, of this parish, anno 1507, mention is made of our Ladie chapel, in the church-yard of the church of Estrie.
The eighteen stalls which were till lately in the chancel of the church, were for the use of the monks of the priory of Christ church, owners both of the manor and appropriation, when they came to pass any time at this place, as they frequently did, as well for a country retirement as to manage their concerns here; and for any other ecclesiastics, who might be present at divine service here, all such, in those times, sitting in the chancels of churches distinct from the laity.
The church of Eastry, with the chapels of Skrinkling and Worth annexed, was antiently appendant to the manor of Eastry, and was appropriated by archbishop Richard (successor to archbishop Becket) in the reign of king Henry II. to the almonry of the priory of Christ-church, but it did not continue long so, for archbishop Baldwin, (archbishop Richard's immediate successor), having quarrelled with the monks, on account of his intended college at Hackington, took this appropriation from them, and thus it remained as a rectory, at the archbishop's disposal, till the 39th year of king Edward III.'s reign, (fn. 10) when archbishop Simon Islip, with the king's licence, restored, united and annexed it again to the priory; but it appears, that in return for this grant, the archbishop had made over to him, by way of exchange, the advowsons of the churches of St. Dunstan, St. Pancrase, and All Saints in Bread-street, in London, all three belonging to the priory. After which, that is anno 8 Richard II. 1384, this church was valued among the revenues of the almonry of Christ-church, at the yearly value of 53l. 6s. 8d. and it continued afterwards in the same state in the possession of the monks, who managed it for the use of the almonry, during which time prior William Sellyng, who came to that office in Edward IV.'s reign, among other improvements on several estates belonging to his church, built a new dormitory at this parsonage for the monks resorting hither.
On the dissolution of the priory of Christ-church, in the 31st year of king Henry VIII.'s reign, this appropriation, with the advowson of the vicarage of the church of Eastry, was surrendered into the king's hands, where it staid but a small time, for he granted it in his 33d year, by his dotation charter, to his new founded dean and chapter of Canterbury, who are the present owners of this appropriation; but the advowson of the vicarage, notwithstanding it was granted with the appropriation, to the dean and chapter as above-mentioned, appears not long afterwards to have become parcel of the possessions of the see of Canterbury, where it continues at this time, his grace the archbishop being the present patron of it.
This parsonage is entitled to the great tithes of this parish and of Worth; there belong to it of glebe land in Eastry, Tilmanstone, and Worth, in all sixtynine acres.
THERE IS A SMALL MANOR belonging to it, called THE MANOR OF THE AMBRY, OR ALMONRY OF CHRIST-CHURCH, the quit-rents of which are very inconsiderable.
The parsonage-house is large and antient; in the old parlour window is a shield of arms, being those of Partheriche, impaling quarterly Line and Hamerton. The parsonage is of the annual rent of about 700l. The countess dowager of Guildford became entitled to the lease of this parsonage, by the will of her husband the earl of Guildford, and since her death the interest of it is become vested in her younger children.
As to the origin of a vicarage in this church, though there was one endowed in it by archbishop Peckham, in the 20th year of king Edward I. anno 1291, whilst this church continued in the archbishop's hands, yet I do not find that there was a vicar instituted in it, but that it remained as a rectory, till near three years after it had been restored to the priory of Christchurch, when, in the 42d year of king Edward III. a vicar was instituted in it, between whom and the prior and chapter of Canterbury, there was a composition concerning his portion, which he should have as an endowment of this vicarage; which composition was confirmed by archbishop Simon Langham that year; and next year there was an agreement entered into between the eleemosinary of Christ-church and the vicar, concerning the manse of this vicarage.
The vicarage of Eastry, with the chapel of Worth annexed, is valued in the king's books at 19l. 12s. 1d. and the yearly tenths at 1l. 19s. 2½d. In 1588 it was valued at sixty pounds. Communicants three hundred and thirty-five. In 1640 here were the like number of communicants, and it was valued at one hundred pounds.
The antient pension of 5l. 6s. 8d. formerly paid by the priory, is still paid to the vicar by the dean and chapter, and also an augmentation of 14l. 13s. 4d. yearly, by the lessee of the parsonage, by a convenant in his lease.
The vicarage-house is built close to the farm-yard of the parsonage; the land allotted to it is very trifling, not even sufficient for a tolerable garden; the foundations of the house are antient, and probably part of the original building when the vicarage was endowed in 1367.
¶There were two awards made in 1549 and 1550, on a controversy between the vicar of Eastry and the mayor, &c. of Sandwich, whether the scite of St. Bartholomew's hospital, near Sandwich, within that port and liberty, was subject to the payment of tithes to the vicar, as being within his parish. Both awards adjudged the legality of a payment, as due to the vicar; but the former award adjudged that the scite of the hospital was not, and the latter, that it was within the bounds of this parish. (fn. 12)
St Mary, Hinderclay, Suffolk
This lovely little church is a regular port of call of mine. It is difficult to resist it when I'm passing near by.
It is about twenty years since I first visited Hinderclay church. My saintly and long-suffering family had dropped me off near Centreparcs in the Thetford forest early that morning, in order that they might spend their day toiling and weeping beside the vast swimming pool there, with its bars, restaurants and modern leisure facilities. I'd have been quite interested to see the inter-denominational Emmanuel Chapel on the site, but I'm not a great one for lying around. Instead, I headed off on my bike, cutting a swathe across the north of the county, along the hideous A11 through Elveden, and then the Grafton estate, through Barnham, Euston and Fakenham.
Let us be frank: the Elveden area is not great cycling country. The roads are busy, flat and dull, the villages undistinguished. At Euston, there is a brief vision of horsey poshness. But then, beyond Barningham, the countryside opens up, rolling gently, and bubbling with woods and meadows. This is the Suffolk I know best, and love to cycle through; villages hidden as surprises, church towers peeping over distant hedgerows. It was good to be back. I passed through tiny villages, miles off the main drag; Coney Weston and Market Weston, Knettishall and Thelnetham. Who outside of Suffolk has visited these places, or even heard of them? Indeed, who inside? I tried their names out on friends in Ipswich, none of whom could place any of them. One person knew that Knettishall had been a World War II airfield, that's all.
A glorious sight near Thelnetham is the grand sail-mill, working this day, her great sails at a crazy angle, turning impossibly across the field. An 18th century Suffolker dropped back into the modern landscape would probably find this the biggest change, that nearly all these graceful giants have disappeared. And here, the road rolls down into Hinderclay. It was early afternoon by the time I got to this village, which holds a special interest for me. It is one of a handful of Suffolk parishes I know of that has a recorded Knott family, living here in the 17th and 18th centuries. They are not my Knotts - mine all came from east Kent, but it feels like a connection. There are Knott graves in the churchyard, a quiet little place almost entirely surrounded by mature trees, making the church difficult to photograph.
The tower is pretty and perpendicular, with little chequerboard patterns set into the bell windows. The letters SSRM in the battlements probably stand for Salve Sancta Regina Maria, which the Catholics amongst us will instantly recognise as the opening words of the Hail Holy Queen. This suggests that the medieval dedication of this church was to The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin. This was the most common medieval Suffolk church dedication, and has been restored correctly in several places, Ufford for instance. The tower appears off-centre, because the south aisle hides the unclerestoried nave.
Stepping into this building is a delightful surprise. As it opens beyond the south aisle, the interior, with its uncarved font, pammented floors and simple furnishings is almost entirely rustic, except that it is flooded with coloured light. This comes from the glass in the south aisle. The windows, mainly from the 1980s, are by Rosemary Rutherford. She was the sister of the John Rutherford, rector here from 1975, and after she died in 1972 he adapted her designs to be installed in this church. These are therefore her last works, and they are perfectly poised in their simplicity and abstraction. There is a Baptism of Christ, a nativity scene and the Annunciation, while a Crucifixion is flanked by Mary at the empty tomb and the Resurrection. Perhaps the best depicts Mary Magdalene, tiny at the bottom, anointing Christ's feet. The last window to be installed, at the west end, came in 1994 thanks to the participation of Rowland and Surinder Warboys, two well-known Suffolk stained glass artists.
These windows are the best of Rutherford's work, I think. You can see more of it in a number of churches in north Essex, as well as at Boxford and Walsham in Suffolk, and at Gaywood in Norfolk.
In a bigger, noisier church, the 1711 memorial to George Thompson would not stand out, but here the rather alarming cherubs are about as discreet as a stag party in a public library. Thompson was from Trumpington in Cambridgeshire, and the inscription tells us in elegant Latin that he died at the age of 28.
The benches towards the west date from the early 17th century, when Anglican divines were trying to fill their churches with beauty again. Their hopes, of course, would be dashed by the rise to power of the Puritans. These bear the date 1617, sets of initials, probably those of churchwardens. I was interested to see that one set was SK, my own initials. It wasn't until after my visit that a researcher, seeing my name in the visitors' book, wrote to me and told me that they were probably the initials of a member of the Knott family.
There is a comprehensive record of the Guild here, dedicated to St Peter. The alcove in the north aisle probably marks the site of their chantry altar, although there is a large opening from the south aisle chapel, like the ones at Gedding only oriented north-south, which suggests that there was an altar here, too.
Hinderclay is perhaps most famous for its gotch, a large, leather beer pitcher used by the bellringers. It has a dedicatory inscription, and the date 25 March 1724, which was New Year's Day that year (and the the feast of the Annunciation, although this wouldn't have been celebrated in those protestant times). It also says From London I was sent, As plainly does appear, It was with this intent, To be fild with strong beer, Pray remember the pitcher when empty. It used to be on display at the Moyse Hall museum in Bury St Edmunds. In fact, I knew it well, having been a regular visitor there, and it was good to place it in its proper context at last. I wondered if any of the Knotts had drunk from it.
One of my babies has dashed into the hole while the other was watching me. Apparently causing more than a little discomfort.
May. Spring is one of my four favourite seasons, the time of flowers, foraging and hayfever. Spring offers the promise of much, often to be dashed on the sharp rocks of reality, but there ya go. Part of a larger project, as ever. Eventually to be released through the website below:
SEX, PHYSICS
and
the EVOLUTION of MAN
by Michael Toke
@ MILK GLASS Co.
1247 Dundas Street West
June 21 - July 15
opening June 21, 7pm
SEX, PHYSICS and the EVOLUTION of MAN
I remember when I was a kid I went around "the townhouses" asking all the housewives if I could have the cardboard their new pantyhose were wrapped around; hot pressed and glossy on one side, dead flat on the other, rounded corners and perfect for drawing in this skipping dashed way with the new black marker I had discovered. These new EVOLUTION of MAN drawings remind me of the joy I had drawing when I was young and the hopeful wide eyed vision I had for the world and Canada. Canada a beacon of light and progress guiding the world into the future was written on my face. I don't see that look anymore or better to say I see people trying to keep an idea of that face, but glimpsed underneath I see contortions and ticks at the way the world is; an exasperated wince quickly covered up as if to reel in an escaping beast of disillusionment and disbelief.
These new drawings are on a painted fresco like surface, dead flat, skipped and dashed with archival ink they are meant to be studies for an envisioned visage of what we hide underneath our beautiful ones.
The EVOLUTION OF MAN series is accompanied by works from the 2001 "Visions of Photonic Love" exhibition and other related works about the emergence of light at the beginning of the universe and its connection with the orgasm. These works arose from interviewed discussions with physicist Dr. Howard K. C. Yee at the University of Toronto and the subsequent video "notes on a nameless film".
"an attempt to describe the indescribable boundary between the known and unknown universe through interview and visual obliteration; at certain levels of complexity all visualization degrades into mathematics" was written on the DVD sleeve.
This video was awarded "One of the Best Filmmakers Under 25 in Canada Award" which came with a $2500 prize and a trip to Ottawa to meet with the Governor General and Minister of Arts and Culture with 10 other so awarded filmmakers. It was to theirs and my great disappointment to inform them that I was 37 at the time. The exhibition that was derived from this video was originally showed at Edward Day Gallery and then expanded for the Scope Art Fair in New York. Only 4 of these black works remain from the original exhibitions with some studies, other related works and the instigating videos they form a lovely stage backdrop of lust wandering for meaning, reason and purpose in the universe. They were originally accompanied with the phrase:
"Out of the blackness emerged joyous information to wet our lips; but in cruelty its beauty only left us wanting for more as its image slowly faded away."
I believe to approach hard strange and elusive ideas you must use peripheral vision and Newtonian half measures; random cultivation is the path to expression and enlightenment.
www.facebook.com/events/442034675821289
“Sir! She’s sprung a leak!” The first mate dashed into the pirate Captain’s cabin, flushed and out of breath.
The Captain raised a scowling face. “Man the pumps then! You know what to do!”
“This is no ordinary leak, sir. She’s going fast!”
“Whad’ya mean, she’s goin’?” The Captain followed the words with a string of curses and then nearly bowled his mate over as he rushed topside. “All hands on deck! Man the pumps! Full force!” The next instant he was down in the hull with the mate beside him, pointing out the leak. The Captain’s face twisted in rage. “Who did that? That’s no leak. We’ve been scuttled! Who had the last watch?”
The mate shifted uneasily. Water poured in, soaking both men’s boots, but neither seemed to notice. At last he muttered, “Billy was at the tiller.”
“Billy?! That good for nothin’… Lazy – I’ll make him pay! Probably did it a purpose – wants us all ta drown!”
The mate was about to reply, but instead he ejaculated, “Good heavens! We’re sinking!” The words ended in a kind of scream. For the water was now rushing furiously in, threatening to sweep both off their feet.
“Shut your mouth!” the Captain spat, climbing topside again and ignoring his dripping garments.
At that moment the ship tilted violently, sending both men along with several other pirates into the scuttles. Billy fell too, slamming into the Captain.
“You! – You did this!” The Captain grabbed the unfortunate cabin boy by the neck.
Billy shuddered, turning terrified eyes to the Captain’s ferocious look.
“Well?! Answer me!”
With sudden boldness the boy spoke up. “I did do it.”
“Treason! Mutiny! You’ll pay for this!”
“Of course he will,” the mate grumbled. “We’re all goin’ to the bottom!”
“I’ll make sure Billy gets there first!” the Captain exclaimed, uttering a fearful oath.
Another lurch of the ship freed Billy from the Captain’s grasp for a second and he scrambled to his feet, desperately climbing toward the prow which was now pointing to the sky.
Cries and shouts resounded through the ship, which had now begun to sink in earnest. And yet for all their desperate plight, the pirates only quarreled and fought with each other, all eager to prolong their miserable lives by as many minutes as they could, even if it meant sending another to his death. The more reckless dove into the rum supply, determined to drown in drink for the last few minutes before they really drowned. Slowly the ship sank lower and lower, and now many of the pirates, forced to realize their plight, screamed in terror. Those who had sent so many to their deaths were unwilling to go themselves.
Above deck the Captain pulled himself aft by main force, practically tearing the boards, almost foaming at the mouth in his impotent rage. Billy clung to the bowsprit, unsure whether to face the Captain’s fury or spring overboard at once. He shuddered as he looked down into the water, and, opening his clasp knife, resolved to defend himself.
Ropes and bits of iron slid down the decks along with other miscellany. The Captain lost his hold – caught it again – and in desperation, pulled out his pistol.
Billy shuddered and tried to shrink into as small a target as possible.
The next instant a heavy sack smashed into the Captain’s legs and with a terrible cry he crashed headlong into the churning water.
And now the ship had almost completely sunk, and Billy was left alone. A sudden silence – an eerie silence – succeeded the fearful shouts. Billy climbed farther up the bowsprit until he was perched as high atop it as possible.
He had done it, and he thought his own life was a small price to pay for the blessing of ridding the sea of such a scourge. But other thoughts came to him in those moments that seemed like a life time as he straddled the rough timber, knife still in hand. After all, the quick, almost painless death to which he had sent his comrades seemed a poor repayment for their actions. They would have died, eventually, anyways – he had only hastened it by a year or two – and was that all? For all their villainy, for all their injustice, for having taken him, still a little child, and made him virtually their slave, dragging him through unspeakable horror? …hate surged through him, and he half cursed himself for taking such a poor and flavorless vengeance.
Then he thought of the deeds he himself had taken pleasure in doing, and loathed himself as heartily as any of his companions.
Was this all life had? Was there no real justice? The thought was intolerable to him. Far better to stand condemned, as he knew he would be, then to think that in the end, wrong would win.
But perhaps… perhaps… could mercy be found? Even for him?
The still, silent waters closed over the pirate ship, leaving no trace.
And so to the weekend again. And what might be the last orchid-free weekend until well into June or even August.
So, enjoy the churches while you can.
Saturday, and not much really planned. We get up at half six with it fully light outside. The cloud and drizzle had not arrived, instead it was pretty clear and sunny.
No time for thinking about going out to take shots, as we had hunter-gathering to do.
In fact, we didn't need much, just the usual stuff to keep us going. That and the car was running on fumes. So we will that up first, and then into Tesco and round and round we go, fully the trolley up. It being Mother's Day on Saturday, we were having Jen round on Sunday, we were to have steak, so I get mushrooms.
And once back, we have breakfast then go to Preston for the actual steak, three ribeyes, all cut from the same stip. Jools had gone to look at the garden centre for ideas as we're going to dig up the raspberries, so just wondering what to put in their place.
By then the rain had come, and so we dashed back to the car, and on the way home called in at two churches.
First off was Goodnestone, just the other side of Wingham.
Its a fine estate church, covered in wonderfully knapped bricks, giving it an East Anglian feel. Before we went in, we sheltered under a tree to much on a sausage roll I had bought at the butcher, that done, we go to the church, which is open.
I have been here quite recently, five years back, and in truth no much glass to record, but I do my best, leave a fiver of the weekly collection and we drove over the fields to Eastry.
St Mary is an impressive church, with carved and decorated west face of the Norman tower, at its base an odd lean-to porch has been created, leading into the church, which does have interest other than the 35 painted medallions high in the Chancel Arch, once the backdrop to the Rood.
I snap them with the big lens, and the windows too. A warden points out what looks like a very much older painted window high among the roof timbers in the east wall of the Chancel.
I get a shot, which is good enough, but even with a 400mm lens, is some crop.
I finish up and we go home, taking it carefully along nearly flooded roads.
Being a Saturday, there is football, though nothing much of interest until three when Norwich kick off against Stoke: could they kick it on a wet Saturday afternoon in the Potteries?
No. No, they couldn't.
Ended 0-0, City second best, barely laid a glove on the Stoke goal.
And then spots galore: Ireland v England in the egg-chasing, Citeh v Burnley in the Cup and Chelsea v Everton in the league, all live on various TV channels.
I watch the first half of the rugby, then switch over when England were reduced to 14, so did enjoy the lad Haarland score another hat-trick in a 6-0 demolition.
And that was that, another day over with.....
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Set away from the main street but on one of the earliest sites in the village, flint-built Eastry church has an over restored appearance externally but this gives way to a noteworthy interior. Built in the early thirteenth century by its patrons, Christ Church Canterbury, it was always designed to be a statement of both faith and power. The nave has a clerestory above round piers whilst the east nave wall has a pair of quatrefoils pierced through into the chancel. However this feature pales into insignificance when one sees what stands between them - a square panel containing 35 round paintings in medallions. There are four deigns including the Lily for Our Lady; a dove; Lion; Griffin. They would have formed a backdrop to the Rood which would have been supported on a beam the corbels of which survive below the paintings. On the centre pier of the south aisle is a very rare feature - a beautifully inscribed perpetual calendar or `Dominical Circle` to help find the Dominical letter of the year. Dating from the fourteenth century it divides the calendar into a sequence of 28 years. The reredos is an alabaster structure dating from the Edwardian period - a rather out of place object in a church of this form, but a good piece of work in its own right. On the west wall is a good early 19th century Royal Arms with hatchments on either side and there are many good monuments both ledger slabs and hanging tablets. Of the latter the finest commemorates John Harvey who died in 1794. It shows his ship the Brunswick fighting with all guns blazing with the French ship the Vengeur. John Bacon carved the Elder this detailed piece of work.
www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Eastry
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Above the Chancel Arch, enclosed within a rectangular frame, are rows of seven "medallion" wall paintings; the lower group was discovered in 1857 and the rest in 1903. They remained in a rather dilapidated state until the Canterbury Cathedral Wall Paintings Department brought them back to life.
The medallions are evidently of the 13th Century, having been painted while the mortar was still wet. Each medallion contains one of four motifs:
The trefoil flower, pictured left, is perhaps a symbol of the Blessed Virgin Mary to whom the church is dedicated; or symbolic of Christ.
The lion; symbolic of the Resurrection
Doves, either singly, or in pairs, represent the Holy Spirit
The Griffin represents evil, over which victory is won by the power of the Resurrection and the courage of the Christian.
www.ewbchurches.org.uk/eastrychurchhistory.htm
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EASTRY,
THE next parish north-eastward from Knolton is Eastry. At the time of taking the survey of Domesday, it was of such considerable account, that it not only gave name, as it does at present, to the hundred, but to the greatest part of the lath in which it stands, now called the lath of St. Augustine. There are two boroughs in this parish, viz. the borough of Hardenden, which is within the upper half hundred of Downhamford, and comprehends the districts of Hardenden, Selson and Skrinkling, and the borough of Eastry, the borsholder of which is chosen at Eastry-court, and comprehends all the rest of the parish, excepting so much of it as lies within that part of the borough of Felderland, which is within this parish.
THE PARISH OF EASTRY, a healthy and not unpleasant situation, is about two miles and an half from north to south, but it is much narrower the other way, at the broadest extent of which it is not more than a mile and an half. The village of Eastry is situated on a pleasing eminence, almost in the centre of the parish, exhiblting a picturesque appearance from many points of view. The principal street in it is called Eastrystreet; from it branch off Mill street, Church-street and Brook-street. In Mill street is a spacious handsome edisice lately erected there, as a house of industry, for the poor of the several united parishes of Eastry, Norborne, Betshanger, Tilmanstone, Waldershare, Coldred, Lydden, Shebbertswell, Swynfield, Wootton, Denton, Chillenden and Knolton. In Churchstreet, on the east side, stands the church, with the court-lodge and parsonage adjoining the church-yard; in this street is likewise the vicarage. In Brook-street, is a neat modern house, the residence of Wm. Boteler, esq. and another belonging to Mr. Thomas Rammell, who resides in it. Mention will be found hereafter, under the description of the borough of Hernden, in this parish, of the descent and arms of the Botelers resident there for many generations. Thomas Boteler, who died possessed of that estate in 1651, left three sons, the youngest of whom, Richard, was of Brook-street, and died in 1682; whose great-grandson, W. Boteler, esq. is now of Brook-street; a gentleman to whom the editor is much indebted for his communications and assistance, towards the description of this hundred, and its adjoining neighbourhood. He has been twice married; first to Sarah, daughter and coheir of Thomas Fuller, esq. of Statenborough, by whom he has one son, William Fuller, now a fellow of St. Peter's college, Cambridge: secondly, to Mary, eldest daughter of John Harvey, esq. of Sandwich and Hernden, late captain of the royal navy, by whom he has five sons and three daughters. He bears for his arms, Argent, on three escutcheons, sable, three covered cups, or; which coat was granted to his ancestor, Richard Boteler, esq. of Hernden, by Cooke, clar. in 1589. Mr. Boteler, of Eastry, is the last surviving male of the family, both of Hernden and Brook-street. Eastry-street, comprizing the neighbourhood of the above mentioned branches, may be said to contain about sixty-four houses.
At the south-east boundary of this parish lies the hamlet of Updown, adjoining to Ham and Betshanger, in the former of which parishes some account of it has been already given. At the southern bounds, adjoining to Tilmanstone, lies the hamlet of Westone, formerly called Wendestone. On the western side lies the borough of Hernden, which although in this parish, is yet within the hundred of Downhamford and manor of Adisham; in the southern part of it is Shrinkling, or Shingleton, as it is now called, and the hamlet of Hernden. At the northern part of this borough lie the hamlets and estates of Selson, Wells, and Gore. Towards the northern boundary of the parish, in the road to Sandwich, is the hamlet of Statenborough, and at a small distance from it is that part of the borough of Felderland, or Fenderland, as it is usually called, within this parish, in which, adjoining the road which branches off to Word, is a small seat, now the property and residence of Mrs. Dare, widow of Wm. Dare, esq. who resides in it. (fn. 1)
Round the village the lands are for a little distance, and on towards Statenborough, inclosed with hedges and trees, but the rest of the parish is in general an open uninclosed country of arable land, like the neighbouring ones before described; the soil of it towards the north is most fertile, in the other parts it is rather thin, being much inclined to chalk, except in the bottoms, where it is much of a stiff clay, for this parish is a continued inequality of hill and dale; notwithstanding the above, there is a great deal of good fertile land in the parish, which meets on an average rent at fifteen shillings an acre. There is no wood in it. The parish contains about two thousand six hundred and fifty acres; the yearly rents of it are assessed to the poor at 2679l.
At the south end of the village is a large pond, called Butsole; and adjoining to it on the east side, a field, belonging to Brook-street estate, called the Butts; from whence it is conjectured that Butts were formerly erected in it, for the practice of archery among the inhabitants.
A fair is held here for cattle, pedlary, and toys, on October the 2d, (formerly on St. Matthew's day, September the 21st) yearly.
IN 1792, MR. BOTELER, of Brook-street, discovered, on digging a cellar in the garden of a cottage, situated eastward of the highway leading from Eastrycross to Butsole, an antient burying ground, used as such in the latter time of the Roman empire in Britain, most probably by the inhabitants of this parish, and the places contiguous to it. He caused several graves to be opened, and found with the skeletons, fibulæ, beads, knives,umbones of shields, &c. and in one a glass vessel. From other skeletons, which have been dug up in the gardens nearer the cross, it is imagined, that they extended on the same side the road up to the cross, the ground of which is now pretty much covered with houses; the heaps of earth, or barrows, which formerly remained over them, have long since been levelled, by the great length of time and the labour of the husbandman; the graves were very thick, in rows parallel to each other, in a direction from east to west.
St. Ivo's well, mentioned by Nierembergius, in Historia de Miraculis Natureæ, lib. ii. cap. 33; which I noticed in my folio edition as not being able to find any tradition of in this parish, I have since found was at a place that formerly went by the name of Estre, and afterwards by that of Plassiz, near St. Ives, in Huntingdonshire. See Gales Scriptores, xv. vol. i. p.p. 271, 512.
This place gave birth to Henry de Eastry, who was first a monk, and then prior of Christ-church, in Canterbury; who, for his learning as well as his worthy acts, became an ornament, not only to the society he presided over, but to his country in general. He continued prior thirty-seven years, and died, far advanced in life, in 1222.
THIS PLACE, in the time of the Saxons, appears to have been part of the royal domains, accordingly Simon of Durham, monk and precentor of that church, in his history, stiles it villa regalis, quæ vulgari dicitur Easterige pronuncione, (the royal ville, or manor, which in the vulgar pronunciation was called Easterige), which shews the antient pre-eminence and rank of this place, for these villæ regales, or regiæ, as Bede calls them, of the Saxons, were usually placed upon or near the spot, where in former ages the Roman stations had been before; and its giving name both to the lath and hundred in which it is situated corroborates the superior consequence it was then held in. Egbert, king of Kent, was in possession of it about the year 670, at which time his two cousins, Ethelred and Ethelbright, sons of his father's elder brother Ermenfrid, who had been entrusted to his care by their uncle, the father of Egbert, were, as writers say, murdered in his palace here by his order, at the persuasion of one Thunnor, a slattering courtier, lest they should disturb him in the possession of the crown. After which Thunnor buried them in the king's hall here, under the cloth of estate, from whence, as antient tradition reports, their bodies were afterwards removed to a small chapel belonging to the palace, and buried there under the altar at the east end of it, and afterwards again with much pomp to the church of Ramsey abbey. To expiate the king's guilt, according to the custom of those times, he gave to Domneva, called also Ermenburga, their sister, a sufficient quantity of land in the isle of Thanet, on which she might found a monastery.
How long it continued among the royal domains, I have not found; but before the termination of the Saxon heptarchy, THE MANOR OF EASTRY was become part of the possessions of the see of Canterbury, and it remained so till the year 811, when archbishop Wilfred exchanged it with his convent of Christchurch for their manor of Bourne, since from the archbishop's possession of it called Bishopsbourne. After which, in the year 979 king Ægelred, usually called Ethelred, increased the church's estates here, by giving to it the lands of his inheritance in Estrea, (fn. 2) free from all secular service and siscal tribute, except the repelling of invasions and the repairing of bridges and castles, usually stiled the trinoda necessitas; (fn. 3) and in the possession of the prior and convent bove-mentioned, this manor continued at the taking of the survey of Domesday, being entered in it under the general title of Terra Monachorum Archiepi; that is, the land of the monks of the archbishop, as follows:
In the lath of Estrei in Estrei hundred, the archbishop himself holds Estrei. It was taxed at Seven sulings. The arable land is . . . . In demesne there are three carucates and seventy two villeins, with twenty-two borderers, having twenty-four carucates. There is one mill and a half of thirty shillings, and three salt pits of four shillings, and eighteen acres of meadow. Wood for the pannage of ten hogs.
After which, this manor continued in the possession of the priory, and in the 10th year of king Edward II. the prior obtained a grant of free-warren in all his demesne lands in it, among others; about which time it was valued at 65l. 3s. after which king Henry VI. in his 28th year, confirmed the above liberty, and granted to it a market, to be held at Eastry weekly on a Tuesday, and a fair yearly, on the day of St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist; in which state it continued till the dissolution of the priory in the 31st year of king Henry VIII. when it came in to the king's hands, where it did not remain long, for he settled it, among other premises, in the 33d year of his reign, on his new created dean and chapter of Canterbury, part of whose possessions it continues at this time. A court leet and court baron is held for this manor.
The manerial rights, profits of courts, royalties, &c. the dean and chapter retain in their own hands; but the demesne lands of the manor, with the courtlodge, which is a large antient mansion, situated adjoining to the church-yard, have been from time to time demised on a benesicial lease. The house is large, partly antient and partly modern, having at different times undergone great alterations. In the south wall are the letters T. A. N. in flint, in large capitals, being the initials of Thomas and Anne Nevinson. Mr. Isaac Bargrave, father of the present lessee, new fronted the house, and the latter in 1786 put the whole in complete repair, in doing which, he pulled down a considerable part of the antient building, consisting of stone walls of great strength and thickness, bringing to view some gothic arched door ways of stone, which proved the house to have been of such construction formerly, and to have been a very antient building. The chapel, mentioned before, is at the east end of the house. The east window, consisting of three compartments, is still visible, though the spaces are filled up, it having for many years been converted into a kitchen, and before the last alteration by Mr. Bargrave the whole of it was entire.
At this mansion, then in the hands of the prior and convent of Christ-church, archbishop Thomas Becket, after his stight from Northampton in the year 1164, concealed himself for eight days, and then, on Nov. 10, embarked at Sandwich for France. (fn. 4)
The present lessee is Isaac Bargrave, esq. who resides at the court-lodge, whose ancestors have been lessees of this estate for many years past.
THE NEVINSONS, as lessees, resided at the courtlodge of Eastry for many years. They were originally of Brigend, in Wetherell, in Cumberland. They bore for their arms, Argent, a chevron, between three eagles displayed, azure. Many of them lie buried in Eastry church. (fn. 5)
THE FAMILY of Bargrave, alias Bargar, was originally of Bridge, and afterwards of the adjoining parish of Patrixbourne; where John Bargrave, eldest son of Robert, built the seat of Bifrons, and resided at it, of whom notice has already been taken in vol. ix. of this history, p. 280. Isaac Bargrave, the sixth son of Robert above-mentioned, and younger brother of John, who built Bifrons, was ancestor of the Bargraves, of Eastry; he was S. T. P. and dean of Canterbury, a man of strict honour and high principles of loyalty, for which he suffered the most cruel treatment. He died in 1642, having married in 1618 Elizabeth, daughter of John Dering, esq. of Egerton, by Elizabeth, sister of Edward lord Wotton, the son of John Dering, esq. of Surrenden, by Margaret Brent. Their descendant, Isaac Bargrave, esq. now living, was an eminent solicitor in London, from which he has retired for some years, and now resides at Eastry-court, of which he is the present lessee. He married Sarah, eldest daughter of George Lynch, M. D. of Canterbury, who died at Herne in 1787, S.P. They bear for their arms, Or, on a pale gules, a sword, the blade argent, pomelled, or, on a chief vert three bezants.
SHRINKLING, alias SHINGLETON, the former of which is its original name, though now quite lost, is a small manor at the south-west boundary of this pa Kent, anno 1619. rish, adjoining to Nonington. It is within the borough of Heronden, or Hardonden, as it is now called, and as such, is within the upper half hundred of Downhamford. This manor had antiently owners of the same name; one of whom, Sir William de Scrinkling, held it in king Edward I.'s reign, and was succeeded by Sir Walter de Scrinkling his son, who held it by knight's service of Hamo de Crevequer, (fn. 6) and in this name it continued in the 20th year of king Edward III.
Soon after which it appears to have been alienated to William Langley, of Knolton, from which name it passed in like manner as Knolton to the Peytons and the Narboroughs, and thence by marriage to Sir Thomas D'Aeth, whose grandson Sir Narborough D'Aeth, bart. now of Knolton, is at present entitled to it.
There was a chapel belonging to this manor, the ruins of which are still visible in the wood near it, which was esteemed as a chapel of ease to the mother church of Eastry, and was appropriated with it by archbishop Richard, Becket's immediate successor, to the almory of the priory of Christ-church; but the chapel itself seems to have become desolate many years before the dissolution of the priory, most probably soon after the family of Shrinkling became extinct; the Langleys, who resided at the adjoining manor of Knolton, having no occasion for the use of it. The chapel stood in Shingleton wood, near the south east corner; the foundations of it have been traced, though level with the surface, and not easily discovered. There is now on this estate only one house, built within memory, before which there was only a solitary barn, and no remains of the antient mansion of it.
HERONDEN, alias HARDENDEN, now usually called HERONDEN, is a district in this parish, situated about a mile northward from Shingleton, within the borough of its own name, the whole of which is within the upper half hundred of Downhamford. It was once esteemed as a manor, though it has not had even the name of one for many years past, the manor of Adisham claiming over it. The mansion of it was antiently the residence of a family of the same name, who bore for their arms, Argent, a heron with one talon erect, gaping for breath, sable. These arms are on a shield, which is far from modern, in Maidstone church, being quarterly, Heronden as above, with sable, three escallop shells, two and one, argent; and in a window of Lincoln's Inn chapel is a coat of arms of a modern date, being that of Anthony Heronden, esq. Argent, a heron, azure, between three escallops, sable. One of this family of Heronden lies buried in this church, and in the time of Robert Glover, Somerset herald, his portrait and coat of arms, in brass, were remaining on his tombstone. The coat of arms is still extant in very old rolls and registers in the Heralds office, where the family is stiled Heronden, of Heronden, in Eastry; nor is the name less antient, as appears by deeds which commence from the reign of Henry III. which relate to this estate and name; but after this family had remained possessed of this estate for so many years it at last descended down in king Richard II.'s reign, to Sir William Heronden, from whom it passed most probably either by gift or sale, to one of the family of Boteler, or Butler, then resident in this neighbourhood, descended from those of this name, formerly seated at Butler's sleet, in Ash, whose ancestor Thomas Pincerna, or le Boteler, held that manor in king John's reign, whence his successors assumed the name of Butler, alias Boteler, or as they were frequently written Botiller, and bore for their arms, One or more covered cups, differently placed and blazoned. In this family the estate descended to John Boteler, who lived in the time of king Henry VI. and resided at Sandwich, of which town he was several times mayor, and one of the burgesses in two parliaments of that reign; he lies buried in St. Peter's church there. His son Richard, who was also of Sandwich, had a grant of arms in 1470, anno 11th Edward IV. by Thomas Holme, norroy, viz. Gyronny of six, argent and sable, a covered cup, or, between three talbots heads, erased and counterchanged of the field, collared, gules, garnished of the third. His great-grandson Henry Boteler rebuilt the mansion of Heronden, to which he removed in 1572, being the last of his family who resided at Sandwich. He had the above grant of arms confirmed to him, and died in 1580, being buried in Eastry church. Richard Boteler, of Heronden, his eldest son by his first wife, resided at this seat, and in 1589 obtained a grant from Robert Cook, clarencieux, of a new coat of arms, viz. Argent, on three escutcheons, sable, three convered cups, or. Ten years after which, intending as it should seem, to shew himself a descendant of the family of this name, seated at Graveney, but then extinct, he obtained in 1599 a grant of their arms from William Dethic, garter, and William Camden, clarencieux, to him and his brother William, viz. Quarterly, first and fourth, sable, three covered cups, or, within a bordure, argent; second and third, Argent, a fess, chequy, argent and gules, in chief three cross-croslets of the last, as appears (continues the grant) on a gravestone in Graveney church. He died in 1600, and was buried in Eastry church, leaving issue among other children Jonathan and Thomas. (fn. 7) Jonathan Boteler, the eldest son, of Hernden, died unmarried possessed of it in 1626, upon which it came to his next surviving brother Thomas Boteler, of Rowling, who upon that removed to Hernden, and soon afterwards alienated that part of it, since called THE MIDDLE FARM, to Mr. Henry Pannell, from whom soon afterwards, but how I know not, it came into the family of Reynolds; from which name it was about fifty years since alienated to John Dekewer, esq. of Hackney, who dying in 1762, devised it to his nephew John Dekewer, esq. of Hackney, the present possessor of it.
THIS PARISH is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Sandwich.
The church, which is exempted from the archdeacon, is dedicated to St. Mary; it is a large handsome building, consisting of a nave and two side isles, a chancel at the east end, remarkably long, and a square tower, which is very large, at the west end, in which are five very unmusical bells. The church is well kept and neatly paved, and exhibits a noble appearance, to which the many handsome monuments in it contribute much. The arch over the west door is circular, but no other parts of the church has any shew of great antiquity. In the chancel are monuments for the Paramors and the Fullers, of Statenborough, arms of the latter, Argent, three bars, and a canton, gules. A monument for several of the Bargrave family. An elegant pyramidial one, on which is a bust and emblematical sculpture for John Broadley, gent. many years surgeon at Dover, obt. 1784. Several gravestones, with brasses, for the Nevinsons. A gravestone for Joshua Paramour, gent. buried 1650. Underneath this chancel are two vaults, for the families of Paramour and Bargrave. In the nave, a monument for Anne, daughter of Solomon Harvey, gent. of this parish, ob. 1751; arms, Argent, on a chevron, between three lions gambs, sable, armed gules, three crescents, or; another for William Dare, esq. late of Fenderland, in this parish, obt. 1770; arms, Gules, a chevron vaire, between three crescents, argent, impaling argent, on a cross, sable, four lions passant, quardant of the field, for Read.—Against the wall an inscription in Latin, for the Drue Astley Cressemer, A. M. forty-eight years vicar of this parish, obt. 1746; he presented the communion plate to this church and Worth, and left a sum of money to be laid out in ornamenting this church, at which time the antient stalls, which were in the chancel, were taken away, and the chancel was ceiled, and the church otherwise beautified; arms, Argent, on a bend engrailed, sable, three cross-croslets, fitchee, or. A monument for several of the Botelers, of this parish; arms, Boteler, argent, on three escutcheons, sable, three covered cups, or, impaling Morrice. Against a pillar, a tablet and inscription, shewing that in a vault lieth Catherine, wife of John Springett, citizen and apothecary of London. He died in 1770; arms, Springett, per fess, argent and gules, a fess wavy, between three crescents, counterchanged, impaling Harvey. On the opposite pillar another, for the Rev. Richard Harvey, fourteen years vicar of this parish, obt. 1772. A monument for Richard Kelly, of Eastry, obt. 1768; arms, Two lions rampant, supporting a castle. Against the wall, an elegant sculptured monument, in alto relievo, for Sarah, wise of William Boteler, a daughter of Thomas Fuller, esq. late of Statenborough, obt. 1777, æt. 29; she died in childbed, leaving one son, William Fuller Boteler; arms at bottom, Boteler, as above, an escutcheon of pretence, Fuller, quartering Paramor. An elegant pyramidal marble and tablet for Robert Bargrave, of this parish, obt. 1779, for Elizabeth his wife, daughter of Sir Francis Leigh, of Hawley; and for Robert Bargrave, their only son, proctor in Doctors Commons, obt. 1774, whose sole surviving daughter Rebecca married James Wyborne, of Sholdon; arms, Bargrave, with a mullet, impaling Leigh. In the cross isle, near the chancel called the Boteler's isle, are several memorials for the Botelers. Adjoining to these, are three other gravestones, all of which have been inlaid, but the brasses are gone; they were for the same family, and on one of them was lately remaining the antient arms of Boteler, Girony of six pieces, &c. impaling ermine of three spots. Under the church are vaults, for the families of Springett, Harvey, Dare, and Bargrave. In the church-yard, on the north side of the church, are several altar tombs for the Paramors; and on the south side are several others for the Harveys, of this parish, and for Fawlkner, Rammell, and Fuller. There are also vaults for the families of Fuller, Rammell, and Petman.
There were formerly painted in the windows of this church, these arms, Girony of six, sable and argent, a covered cup, or, between three talbots heads, erased and counter changed of the field, collared, gules; for Boteler, of Heronden, impaling Boteler, of Graveny, Sable, three covered cups, or, within a bordure, argent; Boteler, of Heronden, as above, quartering three spots, ermine; the coat of Theobald, with quarterings. Several of the Frynnes, or as they were afterwards called, Friends, who lived at Waltham in this parish in king Henry VII.'s reign, lie buried in this church.
In the will of William Andrewe, of this parish, anno 1507, mention is made of our Ladie chapel, in the church-yard of the church of Estrie.
The eighteen stalls which were till lately in the chancel of the church, were for the use of the monks of the priory of Christ church, owners both of the manor and appropriation, when they came to pass any time at this place, as they frequently did, as well for a country retirement as to manage their concerns here; and for any other ecclesiastics, who might be present at divine service here, all such, in those times, sitting in the chancels of churches distinct from the laity.
The church of Eastry, with the chapels of Skrinkling and Worth annexed, was antiently appendant to the manor of Eastry, and was appropriated by archbishop Richard (successor to archbishop Becket) in the reign of king Henry II. to the almonry of the priory of Christ-church, but it did not continue long so, for archbishop Baldwin, (archbishop Richard's immediate successor), having quarrelled with the monks, on account of his intended college at Hackington, took this appropriation from them, and thus it remained as a rectory, at the archbishop's disposal, till the 39th year of king Edward III.'s reign, (fn. 10) when archbishop Simon Islip, with the king's licence, restored, united and annexed it again to the priory; but it appears, that in return for this grant, the archbishop had made over to him, by way of exchange, the advowsons of the churches of St. Dunstan, St. Pancrase, and All Saints in Bread-street, in London, all three belonging to the priory. After which, that is anno 8 Richard II. 1384, this church was valued among the revenues of the almonry of Christ-church, at the yearly value of 53l. 6s. 8d. and it continued afterwards in the same state in the possession of the monks, who managed it for the use of the almonry, during which time prior William Sellyng, who came to that office in Edward IV.'s reign, among other improvements on several estates belonging to his church, built a new dormitory at this parsonage for the monks resorting hither.
On the dissolution of the priory of Christ-church, in the 31st year of king Henry VIII.'s reign, this appropriation, with the advowson of the vicarage of the church of Eastry, was surrendered into the king's hands, where it staid but a small time, for he granted it in his 33d year, by his dotation charter, to his new founded dean and chapter of Canterbury, who are the present owners of this appropriation; but the advowson of the vicarage, notwithstanding it was granted with the appropriation, to the dean and chapter as above-mentioned, appears not long afterwards to have become parcel of the possessions of the see of Canterbury, where it continues at this time, his grace the archbishop being the present patron of it.
This parsonage is entitled to the great tithes of this parish and of Worth; there belong to it of glebe land in Eastry, Tilmanstone, and Worth, in all sixtynine acres.
THERE IS A SMALL MANOR belonging to it, called THE MANOR OF THE AMBRY, OR ALMONRY OF CHRIST-CHURCH, the quit-rents of which are very inconsiderable.
The parsonage-house is large and antient; in the old parlour window is a shield of arms, being those of Partheriche, impaling quarterly Line and Hamerton. The parsonage is of the annual rent of about 700l. The countess dowager of Guildford became entitled to the lease of this parsonage, by the will of her husband the earl of Guildford, and since her death the interest of it is become vested in her younger children.
As to the origin of a vicarage in this church, though there was one endowed in it by archbishop Peckham, in the 20th year of king Edward I. anno 1291, whilst this church continued in the archbishop's hands, yet I do not find that there was a vicar instituted in it, but that it remained as a rectory, till near three years after it had been restored to the priory of Christchurch, when, in the 42d year of king Edward III. a vicar was instituted in it, between whom and the prior and chapter of Canterbury, there was a composition concerning his portion, which he should have as an endowment of this vicarage; which composition was confirmed by archbishop Simon Langham that year; and next year there was an agreement entered into between the eleemosinary of Christ-church and the vicar, concerning the manse of this vicarage.
The vicarage of Eastry, with the chapel of Worth annexed, is valued in the king's books at 19l. 12s. 1d. and the yearly tenths at 1l. 19s. 2½d. In 1588 it was valued at sixty pounds. Communicants three hundred and thirty-five. In 1640 here were the like number of communicants, and it was valued at one hundred pounds.
The antient pension of 5l. 6s. 8d. formerly paid by the priory, is still paid to the vicar by the dean and chapter, and also an augmentation of 14l. 13s. 4d. yearly, by the lessee of the parsonage, by a convenant in his lease.
The vicarage-house is built close to the farm-yard of the parsonage; the land allotted to it is very trifling, not even sufficient for a tolerable garden; the foundations of the house are antient, and probably part of the original building when the vicarage was endowed in 1367.
¶There were two awards made in 1549 and 1550, on a controversy between the vicar of Eastry and the mayor, &c. of Sandwich, whether the scite of St. Bartholomew's hospital, near Sandwich, within that port and liberty, was subject to the payment of tithes to the vicar, as being within his parish. Both awards adjudged the legality of a payment, as due to the vicar; but the former award adjudged that the scite of the hospital was not, and the latter, that it was within the bounds of this parish. (fn. 12)
Dashed outside into the garden to get a shot of sunset on Wednesday. would have been better down on the beach
Bald Eagle Pair - Assateague Island National Seashore, Chincoteague, Virginia
I was contentedly watching a flock of 20 or 30 American Coot when a shadow came over and the flock dashed (literally ran across the water) as a Bald Eagle swooped down amongst them as they scrambled into the nearby reeds. Coot would normally dive under such circumstances, but they were too close to the shore, and diving was not a serviceable strategy in this case. Lucky for them the Eagle came up empty in spite of its seeming advantage.
The eagle then abandoned its attack and flew out a hundred yards where it landed to admire the coot from afar. The coot then warily came out from their cover and began feeding again while keeping a close eye on the eagle. Suddenly the coot scattered a second time as another eagle swooped down on them, but it too came up empty, flew over toward the first eagle, and landed a few feet from it. At that point, both eagles began screeching at each other and I began capturing images of them since I thought there was going to be a fight or possibly even an airborne battle, but to my surprise they simply stood their ground and screeched at each other. After about 5 or 10 minutes of this I eventually came to the conclusion that these two were no rivals, and this was most likely a domestic dispute with each eagle delivering a critique on the other's coot catching inadequacies. After a few more minutes of squawking they quieted down and stood on their little island watching the coot watch them. It was then that I realized they had derived a strategy during the course of their little discussion, and that strategy was to wait and attack the coot at dusk under cover of the approaching darkness. And sure enough, at dusk one of the eagles took flight in a direction leading away from the coot, flew a half mile out and then circled around the coot and landed in a Loblolly pine about 200 yards on the other side of them. Then after the eagle in the pine had been there about 10 minutes, the other eagle launched itself from its island resting place and made a direct attack on the coot causing them to scramble away from it, at which time the second eagle came directly at the fleeing coot making a kill dive at one of the last coot yet to reach cover. Luckily for the coot both eagles came up empty and the game was played out. Then after their "Hale Mary" plan proved to be a failure both eagles flew off to their roost, where I’m sure there was another “discussion” about whose fault is was that there was no diner that night!
This image is (or was at one time) one of my most popular images
click on the following link to see a slideshow of Dah Professor's Top 100 Images
FYI - Be sure to click on the following link to view two more pics in this series!
I received an unexpected gift last week. Not from anyone. Nor was it anything I can hold in my hand. I'm still on a high because of it.
Last Wednesday I played field hockey. For background I haven't played in 10+ years, having mostly only played as a junior. I haven't been able to run pain free for 5 years. Basically stopped running all together, sports or otherwise. My left knee aches to go up stairs everyday. My right has recently joined it. I ignore it for hiking, but it has negatively influenced how much I get out. Despite that, with an impulse email to the club I used to play for, Wednesday's scrimmage was set up.
Dug up an old stick. Purchased a new pair of cross-trainers for the turf field. I dragged Sam along and showed up on time. He and I played pass beforehand and I could move. Side to side movement and run. Well this is weird. Even sprinted a couple of times to test my legs out. Interesting.
The game started. I touched the ball and passed it. And I moved. And ran. There was no pain or restriction. I dashed up to be with the forwards. I sprinted back to help the defenders. I used and supported the wingers. I couldn't believe it. A kid in the candy store wouldn't be more excited. Anticipating the opposition's ball movement I was now able to sometimes dart in front and create a turnover. Turn upfield and start our own attack. My grin might of scared them!
The fullback asked my name and suggested I play centre-half. I thought he didn't appreciate my running around willy nilly. Turns out however that centre-half gets to play with forwards, help out on defence and support the wingers. Perfect! (note - I'd always played forward in every sport)
Not once did my knee twinge, pop and hurt. I don't understand it. I didn't dwell on it. I just reacted and played. The gift was a time capsule of my life 20 years ago. Pure joy.
Of course, I'm not 20 years younger. Similar to downing 3 quick helpings at Thanksgiving Dinner and suddenly realizing you've way past full, my hamstrings said, 'hold on crazy man, we haven't done this in a long long time'. Halftime came. I thanked them for the opportunity and left the game. It's been so long and I didn't want to come off with an injury.
They encouraged me to come back again next week and soon join a team. Perhaps I will. Certainly I am curious to try once more. To see if the gift returns.
This photo is taken from the western end of Panorama Ridge. Looking down over Garibaldi Lake. I'm heading there later today. All of these flowers will be covered in snow.
St Mary, Shotley, Suffolk
The Shotley Peninsula runs like a flame, or a tongue, between the Rivers Stour and Orwell as they sprawl lazily towards the sea. At Shotley Point, the two rivers meet before emptying into the grey North Sea, the great industrial expanse of Felixstowe Docks on the north bank dominating the scene, while prettier Harwich to the south busies itself looking purposeful. In summer, you can stand all day at Shotley Point watching. There is always something to see: the vast container ships bringing Chinese televisions and Vietnamese shoes, the ferries with their cargoes of sleepy Dutch and German motorists, small Arthur Ransomesque yachts speeding out of the Orwell with its marinas, a wherry of London bankers sipping Pimms in the sunshine, wondering where their next bonus is coming from...
In winter this is a wild place, the gales from the great German Ocean flattening the hedgerows, the windows of the Bristol Arms rattling in the gusts along the empty streets, the ghosts of HMS Ganges, the Royal Navy Training College, silent now above the mudflats when the tide is out. But this was once a busy place, full of the chatter of young sailors, and during the First World War it was a famous place. Today it has lost its way: it is still one of Suffolk's biggest villages, but its remoteness ill-serves the housing estates which sprawl back towards Erwarton and Chelmondiston. Shotley is a strange place.
The setting of this church is also most curious. It is further from the village it serves than any other Suffolk church. Erwarton parish church is closer to Shotley village than Shotley church is. St Mary stands in a tiny, tightly-packed hamlet in the low hills towards Chelmondiston. In fact, this was the original village. The place we now call Shotley was once an outlying fishing hamlet, Shotley Gate. You reach St Mary along one of two narrow lanes.
The stubby tower of the church hugs a later raised clerestory, quite out of keeping with each other. If I come here on a hot Summer's day, and climb the steep hill leading up to it, I am always reminded more of the Dordogne than of East Anglia. The graveyard is set on a steep hillside, the huge cranes of Trimley Dock towering precipitously beyond the river below. This graveyard is one of the most haunting in East Anglia, filled with the graves of mostly teenage lads sent out by HMS Ganges to die in accidents and wars. Some of their bodies were brought back for burial, but most often these are mere memorials to young boys lost deep beneath fathoms of filthy, icy water. You think of their happy laughter: climbing onto the bus to go to the pictures in Ipswich, or courting a local girl along one of the narrow, poppy-lined lanes. It is heartbreaking, particularly if you are a parent.
Unusually for Suffolk, the south door opens almost onto the street. You step into the light of a wide-aisled nave. The pleasantly cool whitewashed interior seems much larger than is possible from the outside. But the eye is irresistably drawn to one of the most extraordinary chancel arches in Suffolk, a great dark wood casement surmounted by a set of arms, offset slightly in the east wall. Beyond, the effect is startling, and rather wonderful. In 1745, the year of the Jacobite Rising, the chancel here was rebuilt in the style of a Classical City of London church, a striking counterpoint to the ancient Gothic space to the west. The black and white marbled floor leads to curved, three-sided rails surrounding a sweet little holy table, the decalogue boards flanked by Moses and Aaron behind. White light pours through high windows. Such rational elegance! There could be no greater statement of the power of Protestant triumphalism at that troubled time.
Stepping back westwards, the nave suddenly lifts high above the space you have just left, and is crowned above the clerestories by a gorgeous late 15th Century hammerbeam roof. The arcades stride away westwards, a simple classical casement in the tower arch reflecting back the mood of the chancel. High above are the arms of George II, contemporary with the rebuilding, and so they probably once hung above the chancel arch. And what a statement they would have made. Charles Stuart's attempted coup d'état of 1745 was a romantic fancy, and had no real chance of succeeding, any more than his grandfather James II was ever likely to have held onto his throne more than half a century earlier.
And perhaps things would not have turned out well if it had succeeded. The power of the protestant London merchant classes, which had formerly backed Cromwell, had also guaranteed the success of the Dutch William of Orange's takeover of the English throne in 1688. That power was now deeply invested in the Hanovers. The Church of England, the regular Army and the Royal Navy, those three constant and essential arms of government, reacted to the uprising by forging a consensus which would be the key to the imagination of the people, a notion of identity which would at last reinvent and create the British as a Nation. Nothing would bend it from its path now, and it would reach its apotheosis on the fields of Flanders and the Somme. But that was all in the future.
Meanwhile, in the rural backwaters, the Catholic aristocracy was little shaken by the events of '45. Perhaps they stirred, and perhaps they read their newspapers with a frisson. But after all, they were only just awakening from the long years of penal silence. Although the Old Religion was still technically outlawed, they were no longer persecuted, and many had begun to retake their place in the national hierarchy. It was a compromise, but an ordered and easy one.
But what of ordinary Catholics in England, Scotland and, most of all, Ireland? What of their hopes? They had been dashed along with the throne of James II at the Battle of the Boyne, and were now trampled with the troops of Charles Stuart into the blood-soaked fields of Culloden. No one had expected the Jacobites to succeed, but the fury with which the rebellion was put down had been startling. Those hopes would turn to a hurt, and it would echo uncomfortably for the emerging British State down the next two and a half centuries.
After a day at my towns fabulous Pride event on Saturday, I dashed home for a quick change and then headed out to a local pub to meet a fab friend and watch another friends band absolutely rock the joint..!!
I snapped this pic just before heading out, my choice for the evening was this lovely lightweight floral wrap dress, it was just perfect for a warm, sultry night of fab music, chatter and drinkies..😘💋💃🍷🍹
I was in the garden looking at something else when I spotted this guy. I dashed back inside to get my camera hoping that he would still be there when I got back. Luckily he was, but he soon jumped off and nearly gave me a heart attack!
It's time to introduce a new series of vector assets: the crystal diagrams, volume one.
These two hundred assets (200) have been carefully drawn with the pen tool in Illustrator, sourced from old mineralogy/gemology books. They come in three versions:
- Stroked version (outline/dashed hidden lines if applicable)
- A compound shape version (outline/dashed hidden lines if applicable)
- A compound shape version (outline only)
These are perfect for many uses. Do you need a mystical piece of key art? We got you. Do you need a smaller ornament to complete a piece? We got you. Do you need to adjust the thickness of the line work to fit your current project's aesthetic? We got you. Do you need to add color to all/part of the crystal? We got you. Do you need sharp corners, bigger or smaller dashes? WE. GOT. YOU.
The line quality is clean and crisp. Each asset is available in various vector formats to fully take advantage of scalability. Applying your own library of aging/texturing/brush techniques to the assets is easy, and straight forward, thanks to their vector nature.
Have fun with them, and don't hesitate to share your work.
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- Two hundred (200) assets
- Available in a variety of vector formats for greater flexibility (Illustrator CC, CS6, CS3, EPS, PDF)
- 185 MB archive
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If you like the grit you see in the preview images, I'm happy to tell you that you can have it for your own projects! It comes from my vector noise textures, volume four, also available on Creative Market: crmrkt.com/dDmErV
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You should add your name to the Shop's mailing list at mailchi.mp/de8bed089b59/theshop. On the menu: new release sneak peeks, deals information, and other general updates from the factory floor. No spam, guaranteed.
I've just been in a funk ever since that spider bite dashed my hopes of being America's top 'hand model.'
I've had a lot of time to think and a whole bunch of freetime to try and get my agent to give me a call back or even answer my emails.
He told me that when I save up enough for that cheek reduction surgery that I might have a really good shot at getting a job with that Croatian Men's Fishing Wear line of clothes.
He said the company's on fire...
all the stylin' europeans apparently wanna look like Croatian fishermen.
It's a fashion thing.
'It's gonna be really big in 2013' Armando promised.
Of course I didn't tell him how much I needed the work since my debut line of casual and business clothing called 'The Chicago Man' flopped last month.
This could be the big break I've been waiting for.
I might even get to keep cable!
'You just gotta do something about those chubby cheeks of yours' Armando said.
'They're just too chubby.'
He reminded me that 'they're trying to sell fisherman's style clothing to men who wanna look rough and rugged... not to old ladies who'll go crazy tryin' to pinch your cheeks.'
'But these cheeks are my trademark man' I pointed out to Armando 'they got me that job with the denture adhesive people!'
'This isn't last years Fixodent campaign' he screamed 'think croatian fisherman gahdammit!'
'Isn't that the guy who sells fish sticks on tv' I asked... desperately trying to say anything that would impress him.
I've always tried to prove to people that I'm about more than just good looks.
'No... that's the fucking Gorton's Fisherman you idiot' he snarled.
I guess I didn't really impress him.
The fashion world can be so brutal and Armando wasn't done with me yet.
'And for gahd's sake trim those eyebrows' he yelled 'they're almost big enough to have their own freakin' zipcode!'
I looked at the phone in stunned silence... my feelings kinda hurt.
'Get rid of the cheeks and I can get you some work with the Croatians and don't call me anymore or I'll block you I swear to gahd' he joked as he slammed the phone down.
Now all I gotta do is find a plastic surgeon that can give me the cheeks of Sean Connery and I'll be set.
I've been practicing my 'air casting' all day and I'm gettin' pretty good.