Seeing Stars

After last Friday's Birthday bomshell - our son testing positive for Covid, daily testing has delivered nothing but negative tests for Gareth and I, which is astonishing considering how transmissible Omicron is.  Conversely, friends of ours - a household of four - have all tested positive this week within a 48 hour period.  Go figure!

We haven't ventured far this week.  We delivered an order to a customer in Telford.  Occasionally we like to deliver to local customers.  We take pleasure in the inevitable resulting messages of surprise from bemused customers who had only placed their orders a matter of hours earlier.  However, after answering other queries and dealing with the other day's orders, a planned venture to Attingham for Gareth's birthday (we were born 5 days apart) was abandoned as we simply ran out of day!

Most mornings have offered up frost-lustred landscapes, followed by some watery late afternoon sunsets; none as rich in colour as last week's sunset on Kinver Edge. Winter Peach Photography: January Made Me Shiver 

Speaking of which, when we were there last week, we spotted another photographer in the distance, pointing his camera in our direction.  We nodded in greeting as we passed each other in that anorak way that people with shared interests do and continued on our way.  A few days later, I received a private message on Instagram "Hi, Is this you?" with an accompanying photo of me in my bobble hat and sheepskin coat, silhouetted against that Kinver Edge sunset.  It turns out we were already following each other on Instagram - the penny must have dropped for him.  Small world!  Luke's promised to share them with me when he's finished editing his other photos.

Our regular haunt, the Enville Estate, looks even more beautiful this week in mid winter.  Temple Pool, once a boating playground of the well heeled and well connected, was still partially frozen when we visited, much to the frustration of the resident grey heron (not in shot).  

The Sheepwalks, an idyllic area of steep hillsides...

...panoramic views and timeless-away-from-it-all loveliness, lived up to its name.  This woolly one was reflected in a natural pond on the hillside...

....and here's the aforementioned Kinver Edge, visible from the ridge of the Sheepwalks, floating in the mist in the distance.

On the return leg of our walk, we passed the old cold bath house (circa 1790 and part of Enville Estate's old pleasure gardens)...

...and spotted something sticking out of the boggy area surrounding the stream.  Considering it a danger to wildlife, we retrieved the offending item and discovered that it was an old enamel jug.  Now it may look to the untrained eye, that it's well past its use by date, but there was something about the patina and the arrangement of holes that appealed to us.  

I've cleaned it up as best I can and stuck a spider plant in it.  They're reproducing at a rate of knots and the holes will give the spiderlings plenty of room to branch out.

It may not be to everyone's taste, but it's certainly interesting from every angle.

Fashion-wise, recent weeks have been all about knits and patterns - not knitting patterns, but patterns of the botanical, spots and stars in your eyes kind.  It's curious that when spring's big fashion trend is colourblocking, I decide to embrace patterns, but then I don't tend to follow trends.  Instead, I keep a curious eye on them and only adopt them if I decide I like them.

First, the knit.  This cardigan reminded me of the cardigan worn by MM in her last ever photo shoot with photographer George Barris.  A couple of weeks ago, I did a little Marilyn inspired shoot, in an attempt to capture the lovely soft golden light of the original photos and showcase my thrifty find.  I do think this photograph would be greatly improved if it had been taken on the beach in Santa Monica, California, (not to mention if I looked anything like MM), but you can't have everything.

An Instagram follower and talented photographer, Diane Barlee, commented that it reminded her of the Cowichan sweaters from her Canadian roots.  For any interested parties, I'm sharing the link Diane sent me to an article devoted to the iconic garment.  Scroll down to the end for another pic of Marilyn in her Cowichan cardigan and "The Dude" from the excellent film The Big Lebowski rocking his.  Sadly mine is a High Street version, but being 50% wool, is very warm and toasty (and prone to pilling).  However, a real one has been added to my growing wish list.

It's cold outside | Wall Street International Magazine (wsimag.com)

With all of this fashion talk, you may be feeling dazed and confused.  But if you're not seeing spots yet, you soon will be.  At this time of year, naked branches, dead foliage and seed heads are particularly architectural and throw wonderful shapes in winter's monochrome landscape.  

Nature's spots came in the form of this macro shot of these metallic looking seed heads (no camera trickery, just natural sunlight on paper thin foliage).  

A short time later, I had the brilliant idea to combine spots with florals!  Now I'm not claiming ownership of the concept of combining patterns, but I'm starting to wonder if, rather than slavishly following the ideas of some anonymous senior fashion editor, I'm sometimes subliminally influenced by nature.  The resulting outfit (a Kharibu dress (thanks for the link Vix) and a spotted thermal jumper  ebay purchase) work quite well I think and have reminded me how much I love monochrome.  Thank you Mother Nature!

For extra warmth, I found a tank top - ahem, apologies, that's way too 1980s - a sleeveless knitted vest, which works OK.

I haven't attempted any astrophotography recently, but I did capture the recent waxing crescent moon, photographed here from the street outside (you'll have to trust me on this one) using a cheap and cheerful (and clunky) 70-200 mm Tamron lens.  I really should do more of this. 

I love the night sky and when I spotted this starry Linea sweater in a charity shop, I had in mind a partner in crime for it, namely this vintage Alexon black and red check skirt with iridescent spots (which I thought was part punk/part skater girl).  

So, here we are again Friday.  We've finally got around to setting up our turntable (one speaker just visible in the photo above), after a campaign launched by the teen in the house.  We came along a little after the vinyl generation and in my childhood, I was mostly wired for sound courtesy of my Sony Walkman.  Later, my cassette collection gave way to cds and pretty soon, the idea of replacing my collection with vinyl was way too daunting, not to mention expensive.  However, we've done it and I have to say, the sound is incredible.  Our vinyl collection however, is virtually non-existent.  I have an old copy of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours and Gareth has a few stashed away somewhere.  But where to start?  Yet another excuse to trawl thrift stores and charity shops.  

Have a great weekend and please feel free to leave a comment, or a recommended album for my shopping list!

 

January Made Me Shiver

How bin ya? (As they say in these parts). Well I wish I could say that I've partied as much as the UK government or experienced as much adrenalin as Prince Andrew in the week since my last blog, but I can't.  The past seven days have bled into each other; a blur of work, eating, screen time, sleep and repeat.  

My sleep has been troubled this week and I've certainly had no need for an alarm call - a woodpecker has ensured that I've been wide awake by 6.30 every morning.  We sleep with the window open most evenings (Lotte's escape route, plus I like fresh air), so this has eased the sonic flow of woodpecker drilling into my ears.  Did you know that woodpeckers drill not just for insects, but to make their nests - essentially hollows in tree trunks?  Even more impressive, when you consider the impact of drilling wood on a Woodpecker's tiny bird skull, is the fact that many of their nests could easily accommodate a duck!

On the subject of birds, Robin's were always referred to as "red breasts" because the first recorded use of the word orange as a colour name in English was not until 1502 in a description of clothing purchased for Margaret Tudor.

I discover all of these little gems during nocturnal reading sessions.  

Winter has really delivered this week and courtesy of sleep deprivation, icy roads and a pressing deadline, I haven't gone far.  These photos were taken around 10 paces from our front door earlier in the week. 

I have also grappled with a rather weighty issue - my hair.  It probably needs a trim, but the length is giving me more versatility to try out new styles, like this twenties hairstyle (inspired by the forthcoming Peaky Blinders series and my love of the era's fashion), involving Dutch braids, a small plaited bun and multiple hair partings.

There!  Apart from my scruffs and the unglamorous bathroom selfies, I'm all ready for the new roaring twenties.

This week's additional screen time has largely been devoted to completing the script I've been working on.  

Last year I made a promise to myself to submit it to the annual BBC Writer's Room Open Call.  It's really been more of a challenge to myself; a case of "I've started, so I'll finish", rather than being borne out of any expectation of being identified as the next Jed Mercurio.  However, when I realised on the morning of yesterday's midday deadline that our internet was down, I confess to almost having a little cry.  A screenwriter on Twitter attempted to come to my aid, but fortunately, my prayers to the cyber gods were answered and at precisely 11.58 am I hit the SUBMIT button, spotted the acknowledgment drop into our inbox and promptly headed out into the mist of the National Trust managed Kinver Edge.  Talk about flying by the seat of your pants!

Thursday was quite simply magical.  The beguiling partnership of a hoar frost and rolling mist set the scene first thing, but unusually the mist didn't dissipate as the day worn on.  Instead, the sun broke through in spectacular style, sending sun beams from the heavens and shards of light in amongst the trees....

picking out pathways, foliage and spider's webs...

 ...and making it very difficult at times to distinguish tree trunks from shadows.  

We were so in awe of the ever changing landscape, 

that we spent around two hours soaking it all in and chatting with other walkers and photographers, marvelling at the vista,

until sunset.

And so, to this morning, 14th January, the day of my birthday and yet another wintry wonderland awaits...and a Covid positive test result for our son (but let's not dwell on the C word).  Here are a couple of shots from our glistening garden.  

It's also Dave Grohl's Birthday (Happy Birthday Dave!  I know you'll be reading) and  National Dress Up Your Pet Day.  I don't fancy my chances of separating Lotte from her pizza box, do you?

On this day in 1514, Pope Leo X issued a papal bull against slavery  and in 1978, the Sex Pistols performed their final show at Winterland, San Francisco.

And there ends the history lesson.

Hand on heart, I am really loving this season, but that's not to say I'm not looking forward.  Finally and tentatively, I feel like making plans in 2022 and the first date on the calendar so far this year is in May, the day I plan to run away with the circus - Giffords Circus to be precise.  It's an enchanting, nostalgia-steeped village green summer circus with a supermodel and rock star fan base.  We went a number of years ago and I've been desperate to return ever since.  This year, Vix and Jon will be joining us.  

Tickets aren't cheap, but they are worth every penny.  So if you find yourselves in the Cotswolds area from April to September, grab a ticket while you still can.  Here's the link   Giffords Circus | Experience the magic of Giffords Circus and brilliant artwork courtesy of Joseph Avery.

Hope you've had a good week.  See you soon!

Local Heroes

This morning, after dropping the boy at college in Stourbridge (the same college incidentally, attended by Robert Plant, much to our son's delight - he's recently discovered Led Zeppelin), I decided to take an hour to explore, photograph and record the local park's notable features for this blog, specifically the bandstand (inspired by Vicky's recent bandstand photo).  

Like many, I grew up visiting Mary Stevens Park.  It was a cut above the parks in my immediate vicinity, having a beautiful bandstand, a bowling green and a large pond.  But as I hurtled off down the promenade on my roller skates as a child, I doubt I gave much thought to who Mary might have been.

Mary was the wife of Ernest Stevens (1867-1957), a wealthy industrialist, considered to be Stourbridge's great benefactor.  He rose from humble beginnings and made his name and money in "hollowware" (pots, pans and kitchenware). 

He pioneered enamelling of cookware and founded the Judge brand of kitchenware, made at his factory in nearby Cradley Heath. 

Ernest and his wife Mary were Christian Methodists and tea total.  They were involved in the creation of 4 local parks, a maternity home, hospitals, charitable trusts and children's welfare projects.  They tried to improve working conditions for their employees and were amongst the first industrialists to bring women into their factories.

After losing Mary in 1925, Ernest purchased White Hall in Pedmore and set about demolishing all of the buildings set within the hall's 10 acres, building a maternity home named after his beloved Mary.  In 1931, the building was given by Deed of Gift to the Borough of Stourbridge.  

Over time, the need for a hospice was identified in the area.  First a day unit and then later a residential unit were built in the grounds.  Both my Dad and Gareth's Mom spent their final days in the care of this wonderful charity in the residential unit opposite the old maternity hospital.

Amongst the donations made by Ernest to the local area in 1931, were the grounds now known as Mary Stevens Park.  

Many of the park's features have recently undergone restoration works, including the impressive gates made of Portland stone and decorative ironwork framing the main approach (Queen's Drive).  

Queen's Drive is so called because the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited on 23rd April 1957 and took a tour of the newly opened driveway around the bandstand in an open topped Land Rover before checking out the local glass inside the council building.

Readers of Vicky's blog will recall her recent bandstand photo.  I love an old bandstand and this one is now Grade II listed, having been manufactured by Hill & Smith Ltd of Brierley Hill and funded by Ernest.  Historians believe it was selected from a catalogue because its design is so similar to others made in that era.

Hill & Smith Ltd is famous for supplying many miles of fencing for Queen Victoria, ornamental gates and parapet railing for the Royal House of Siam, work on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Royal Dockyard at Simonstown, South Africa and gates at Hong Kong market and the European Club, Shanghai.

The company has also been responsible for structural steel work, entire factories, warehouses, market roofs, railway station roofs, footbridges, walkways and the dome steelwork at Birmingham University.

This eagle eyed blogger also spotted their handiwork in deepest Doone Valley territory on Exmoor.  Photo courtesy of Google, because I can't find my own!

The war memorial was designed by Ernest Pickford.  

The statue, christened Victorious Peace, was modelled by John Cassidy, Fellow of the Royal Society of British Sculptures.  He was also responsible for the impressive bronze decorative panels. 

As I branched off towards Heath Pool; a mill pond before the park was created, the icy air gave way to snow and soon my hair was stuck to my forehead and I was starting to lose sensation in my fingers.  But I was having way too much fun and was way too numb to really care.

 

I decided to cut through the Council buildings next to the bowling green.

It may have been snowing intermittently, but look!  Blossom!  

No time for a coffee unfortunately, although my frozen fingers would have welcomed the heat of a coffee cup.

But through the gates, who did I spy?

Well, something I had never seen before.

Photo credit:  Express & Star newspaper

Unveiled in 2018 by Prince William (has it really been that long since my last visit?), this beautiful bronze statue is of a gentleman called Major Francis ("Frank") Edward Foley, affectionately known as The Stourbridge Schindler.  He was a spy who saved an estimated 10,000 jews during the second world war.  

Frank was a British Secret Intelligence Service Officer who worked as a passport officer for the British Embassy in Berlin, issuing fake documents to thousands of jews.  Here he is feeding the birds a crust of bread in the snow.

In 1941, he was given the task of questioning Hitler's Deputy Rudolf Hess after Hess's flight to Scotland. After Hess was hospitalized in 1942, Foley helped coordinate MI5 and MI6 in running a network of double agents, the Double Cross System.

Foley returned to Berlin very soon after the war under the cover of Assistant Inspector General of the Public Safety Branch of the Control Commission in Germany, where he was involved in hunting for ex-SS war criminals.

He received little recognition for his bravery during his lifetime and no diplomatic immunity.  Although hailing from Devon, he lived out his days quietly and largely unknown in the Norton area of Stourbridge, passing in 1958.  He is buried at Stourbridge Crematorium.  I have been to at least three family funerals within the last decade at Stourbridge Crematorium (my Dad's included), without realising that this heroic man was resting nearby.

Whilst I was marvelling at the bronze, a lady called Christine, accompanied by a friend approached and we chatted a while.  Christine, a former teacher and mother to two history graduates, had just visited Frank's grave.  She gave me detailed instructions as to its whereabouts and commented that it was "small and unassuming."

After picking up the boy from college, I relayed Frank's story.  "Oh" he piped up, "I've just had a lesson in the Frank Foley building."