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Brick Covered Entry. Tuscany, Italy. Color photography by Donna Corless.
Prints and notecards are available for purchase from my site at PhotosAndArt.com from the Italy in Color Gallery.
All Saints, Barrow, Suffolk
I recently revisited Barrow after half a dozen years. I wrote the following after two visits in quick succession in 2002 and 2003. I'm going to do a new entry for the Suffolk Churches site, and so this one will be necessarily retired. I offer it to you for the last time now.
Barrow: A Fantasy in Two Parts
Part I: The League of Gentlemen
It was late summer, 2002: I had never been to Barrow before. I had not expected it to be so big. It seemed a very pleasant place, a proper village, with a mix of old and new housing. It had a couple of shops, a decent pub, one of those funny little Baptist chapels, a village green, several ponds right beside the busy road - I have not seen so many squashed ducks before, which was mildly diverting.
But no church, apparently. I didn't have my OS map with me, so I asked a man who was tending his garden by the crossroads. "Well now", he said, standing upright slowly and scratching his head, "there's a church over Denham way, about a mile up the road over there. Or there's the chapel, if that's the one you want." I thanked him, and picked my way through the squashed ducks, thinking it curious that someone in a Suffolk village should not know where their village church was. Perhaps he was a Londoner, working on his holiday home. A sign outside the Baptist chapel said Strict Communion, which brought to mind a Minister in leather holding a whip. Just beyond it, a group of boys were fishing for tiddlers in the pond, so I asked them where All Saints was. Unfortunately, this resulted in an argument; one said that it was further up the high street, another claimed vigorously that there were no churches around here, and I left hurriedly, before one of them pushed the other in the water.
It took the nice Asian lady in the village shop to put me right, and she sold me a fine pie into the bargain. I followed her directions up the road towards Cavenham, passing the Hall, and, a great curiosity, half a Volkswagen sitting on the verge. It was the front half. I mused on it for a moment, wondering if this was St Edmundsbury Borough Council's idea of public installation art, or if someone was working on it, or if there had been a particularly nasty but very clean accident. I could now see the church tower in the distance, and hurried on, only to find about a hundred yards further down the road another half of a Volkswagen. And, get this, it was another front half. Not sure if this strengthened the case for installation art or accidents, it was with some relief that I reached All Saints, at a very tight bend in the road (ah, that explains the Volkswagens!).
The graveyard here is huge, and pretty well full of three centuries of gravestones. It must be a fascinating place to potter about. I did a quick circumnavigation of the church, which has obviously been given a thorough going over by the Victorians. It was hard to tell what was medieval and what was renewed, although it is all done well, and looking fine.
The door was locked. To be honest, I hadn't expected this; I had spent the day meandering around the area between Bury and Newmarket, and this was the first locked church I'd found all day. There was a sign giving keyholders' details, but it was pretty useless, being of the Thatched Cottage, Barrow, variety. It gave telephone numbers, but it didn't give the area code. I come across this again and again in porches - anyone phoning a keyholder from a church is, by definition, going to be using a mobile phone. You can't call a number from a mobile phone without an area code, but these notices rarely, if ever, give the code. I had no idea what the area code for Barrow was, and none of the other notices in the porch seemed prepared to reveal it.
Miserably, I wandered around to the north side, and found a modern building that might just have been the Rectory. There wasn't a sign saying so, but it had all the hallmarks of clerical occupancy - two small cars, an untidy front garden, jam jars in the porch, a view of bookshelves and a computer through the window. A television was playing, very loudly. I pressed on the doorbell, and waited. And waited. I pressed again, but nobody came. I wandered slowly back to the road, still expecting the door to open, and someone in a dog-collar to greet me.
But they didn't. I stood on the verge, wondering what to do next. An old lady cycled along the road towards me. She had two baskets, front and back. Small, noisy dogs sat in both. She smiled at me, a big beaming smile - 'Hello dear!', she called. As she passed me, and headed on up the road towards Cavenham, she waved, and I swear she took both hands off of the handlebars. She must have been about seventy.
I had a sudden panic that I had somehow stumbled on to the set of an episode of The League of Gentlemen. I got on my bike, and headed in the opposite direction as fast as I could, until Barrow was several miles behind me. Obviously, I'm never going back.
Part II: Very Graham Norton
I went back to Barrow in the early summer of 2003. I went to the aid of a distressed clergyman. His name was Father Peter MacLeod-Miller. He had been horrified to discover that I thought there was something rotten in the state of Barrow. I must come again, and I must come now. Well, trivialities conspired against me shooting straight over (a full-time job, a family, the lassitude that accompanies mid-life crisis, general fear of the unknown, etc) but within a few weeks I rolled up outside All Saints again. It was 9am on a Saturday morning, but already energetic parishioners were out and about giving the graveyard its first cut of the year after the late Spring flowers had seeded.
My eyes were on the glory of the church door - it was open. As we walked up to it, we were approached quickly in turn by Father Peter MacLeod-Miller himself. I flinched, but he didn't punch me. Instead, he shook our hands energetically, and turned out to be really, really pleasant. This was a plus point for Barrow - a jolly minister. Some are, and some aren't; you tend to remember the ones who aren't. But Father Peter MacLeod-Miller is something else you don't find every day in a Church of England minister - he is energetic. And even rarer than that, he's Australian. This struck me as a very affable combination.
He led us into the church, and proudly showed us around. I can tell you that Barrow church is very nice inside. It is obviously much loved, and well-cared for. I expect you think I'm going to say that it is completely normal, not odd at all, not the least bit Royston Veasyish. Well, you are wrong. There are several ways in which it is most unusual.
Firstly, there's the smell. Not damp, not wood polish, not even flowers, but the smell of incense. Incense is simply not something you find in rural Anglican churches in Suffolk. Outside of the four big towns, there is probably only Mendlesham where you encounter it. Mind you, they use enough at Mendlesham to make up for the rest.
No; in my experience, rural Suffolk protestants are allergic to incense. If you want to empty your church pretty swiftly, use it. Father Peter MacLeod-Miller has started burning it here, and at Risby and Great Saxham. And here's the thing - the congregations are actually growing. There is obviously something unusual and special going on here. And I think I know what it is. I'll tell you in a moment.
Another thing odd about Barrow is that there are still people in the parish important enough to have seats reserved for them. I loved that. There's Lady this, and Sir that, but there's also a health food millionaire who hands out samples of Emu oil after services.
Anything else odd? There's a most unusual tryptich on the altar in the south aisle. It shows St Michael contending with a dragon. The style is - how can I put this? - a prog-rock album from the mid-1970s. I was surprised to learn that it is rather more recent than this.
I suppose you want to know what else is in the church. Well, there's the font with its painted shields ; you can see something similar a few miles away at Horringer. Here, the shields show both ecclesiastical and secular powers, ranging from the Diocese of Ely to the State of France. It was repainted in the 1960s, according to Mortlock. The odd one out is to the local Despencer family.
In a lancet in the north wall are two curious shapes of medieval painted figures. Obviously, they were exposed by the Victorians, and the white plaster had been regularly renewed up to their outline. Unfortunately, the exposed figures have now faded completely; only their ghosts in the plaster show us where they once were.
Up in the chancel, there is a lively painted memorial to Clement Heigham, a rather more sober one to his wife who predeceased him, and one from a century earlier in the sanctuary to one of his forebears. There are some brasses, some of which are replicas of ones now in the British Museum.
The benches are mostly modern, except for a couple of very rustic ones in the south aisle and some bench ends up in the chancel. Father Peter MacLeod-Miller wants to clear the modern ones and replace them with chairs, so that he can have processions. I am sure they will prove very popular.
Barrow was the parish where the last wolf in England was killed. How do I know this? Father Peter MacLeod-Miller told me so.
So, what is the magic ingredient that is causing this parish to thrive against all apparent odds? I think it is Father Peter MacLeod-Miller himself. He strides energetically about his church, waving his arms. His long flowing hair is tied back with a large black ribbon. His flamboyance reminds me very much of the actor Graham Norton. I don't dare tell him so, of course.
Let's finish with something else unusual. Father Peter MacLeod-Miller is lucky enough to have a sibling at the Royal Opera House. Because of this, he has a number of stars on tap for fund-raising events. A recent musical evening at the Rectory, Opera to Broadway, included the percussionist Evelyn Glennie. But, because the Rectory isn't very big, they hold the events out of doors, and he keeps his piano on the lawn.
I doubt very much that anyone at Diocesan House reads my site (other than the lawyers, of course) but a memo to them just in case they do; I think you've found a winning formula. Let's have a Father Peter MacLeod-Miller in every moribund rural Anglican parish!
2011 postscript: Since I originally wrote this in 2003, Father Peter MacLeod-Miller has moved on to pastures new. Barrow church still seems to be very well-kept and much-loved, and this time I found it open.
This is my entry to the MOCOlympics contest at Mocpages. More pics here: www.mocpages.com/moc.php/286545
EDIT: This year was, just like last year, a fiasco! I lost in the first round for the second time.
Branch: Seven Trees Library and Community Center
Event: 2013 Graphic Novel Making Contest Award Ceremony
Date: 2013 August 24
Description: Award ceremony for San Jose Public Library's 2013 Graphic Novel Making Contest
I liked the colours on this, although it's not great I admit.
This image has been used in 6 articles...
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This is my entry to Round 5 of MELO over on the MOCpages! This is the part of the Lay of Beren and Luthien where Haun the hound of Valinor and Luthien of Doriath come to Tol-in-Gaurhoth (Isle of Werewolves) to save Beren from Sauron. This MOC depicts the battle of Haun and Sauron. Enjoy!
(Comments and critique appreciated!)
Ask anyone who knows me a bit, and they'll agree that I can be obstinate. I can be stubborn. Sometimes I even tell them myself, never take no for an answer.
I don't mean to be a bad egg, it's just that sometimes you should try in spite of conventional wisdom or what appears to be common sense.
I'm pretty sure the most important creations — art, design, technology, etc. — are the fruits of people who refuse to stop where most people do. They see a challenge, not an impossibility.
There are of course times to comply, and we have our best judgment for that. But go ahead and try out an idea before you call it bad.
And always been a big fan of this operator and the livery is one of my all time favourites. Driver of the year Darryl with BIB4844 a daf powered Vanhool TX15Alicron C53FT. Well done Darryl. Photo taken 01/04/23
State Gardens of Lenfald, LC 16 Entry
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The State Gardens of Lenfald, at Stonewald, were first founded by High Lord Wensesclaus the 1st. Throughout the years each successive leader has improved the gardens, ’til they reached the way they look today, brimming with vibrant flowers, exotic animals and stunning architecture.
When he took office, High Lord Triphian I decided that the gardens should be for everyone to enjoy, not just the nobility. He opened the gardens to the public, so that all who want to can visit them, and marvel in their magnificence. Now, peasants and nobles rub shoulders daily, all equal inside the twisting paths, maze-like hedges, and beautiful grottos and buildings.
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Haymar and Mirranda walk through the gardens, enjoying the fresh air, (and each other's company), after pledging Haymar's army to High Lord Triphian I, for the coming siege of Maldrake's Fortress.
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Built for Lenfald's LC 16: Stonewald, in Lands of Roawia. Come on over and join Lenfald us!
A. eya, mun dc gan a.Du trog suy ngj~ a nhu the nao` coi e la 1 con ngoc (ok) ko sao a a`. E van vui vi moi ngay dc thay a cuoi.Ai hoi e la wen a ha~? E tl ko ngi seo zay chi koi a la a thoi.Noi thy de lam con trog log e thy lai ngi khac. A a` du e zoi a chua bek nhau dc lau nhg lan di choi dau tien e rat vui.Ngoai mieng thy e keu a kim ghe de lo cho mih di nhg... cam jac noi cau do kho chiu lam.Du sao neu a wen ng` khac, ng`lam cho a hp, cham soc cho a nhiu hon.E cg ko pun` dau. Vi` ''niem vui of a la niem vui of e, hp of a la hp of e''. E bek e zoi a ko hop nhau, a chi~ coi e nhu la ban 1 dua e. Dung 1 ng nhu a se ko wen 1 dua nhu e dau. E ko bek mih rong luong hay la e so gi nua. Nhg a a` e so neu noi ra thy tih ban of e zoi a cg mat ko con thoai mai nhu trc nua.Nen nhg~ dieu nay chy mih` e bek thoi nha a.Do la nhg suy ngj~ of e.Ngu 1 giac sag mai thuc dzay thy nhg~ dieu nay ko con nua~ nu cuoi of a, hp of e zoi a chy~ la trog mo* no se tan bien khi e thuc dzay. E ko mun thuc dzay de lam giac mo* tan bien nhg do la su that a ko faj la of e. Hp nay du chi mih e ma` thoi. Nhg e rat vui vi` da dc gap a..!!
- A mai~ la ng hp nha'...!!
-----Og Troi Con----
(of e)
EYA
Entry for photo Mis-T. I thought black an white would be appropriate since it is an audition. Consider this a head shot ;)
Pullip Aya: Ayumi
Modifications: Obitsu, Rewigged, Rechipped
Style: Dress to Impress
Was from the Goodwins stable and it was wearing Maynes livery RE23CUV an Iveco Daily / Islebus I - City DP29F. Photo taken 01/04/23
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST
Mandatory Usage Requirements -- a maximum of ten (10) images may be used online / a maximum of two (2) images may be used in print:
1. Include a prominent mention of "the 2013 National Geographic Photography Contest" at the top of the post OR for scrolling galleries, mention must be included in the first slide
2. Include the photo credit and caption for each photo, as listed below
3. Provide prominent links to the contest URL at the top of the post:
www.ngphotocontest.com and the entries page: on.natgeo.com/1ggSg6i
*If the photos are displayed in a scrolling gallery, each individual photo/slide must include at least one link to the contest URL: www.ngphotocontest.com
4. Include a mention that the winning photographs in each of the three categories will be published in National Geographic magazine and that the entry period ends on Nov. 30, at 11:59 p.m. ET (U.S.)
A large red deer stag calling to the hinds in the bracken one misty autumn morning.