On the Estuary

A few weeks ago I found a reference to 'Bottle Beach' on the Thames Estuary at Coalhouse Fort in Essex. It is on the site of an old dump which is now eroding onto the foreshore, revealing all of its treasure. 

Not only was the thought of that exciting, it turned out to be a lovely place to visit. It is peaceful, has free parking, a cafe, and toilet, and only takes about forty minutes to get to. The artillery fort was built in the 1860s, to defend the lower Thames from attacks from the sea. There have been fortifications at this point since the 15th century. The time it took to complete, and the rapid development of artillery at the time, meant that it was almost obsolete by the time it was finished. A charity took the management of it over and some restoration was done, but they have recently ended their custodianship, and another charity taken over. Currently you cannot go inside, apart from on guided tours by arrangement I think.

There are tons on blackebrries, also sloes and rosehips. 

This is a radar tower from the second world war, cleverly disguised to look like a water tower. 

It was named as a water tower on maps to maintain secrecy. 

The girlettes came along too, and enjoyed the peaceful views of the water. 

There were five snowy egrets just along the foreshore from the radar tower. What a beautiful bird, and what silly big yellow feet!

I have only put this photo in because it was quite a feat tracking it across the sky and getting it in the frame!

I didn't really take photos of what the beach looks like. We are going back again on Saturday so I might then. A lot of it is just littered with bottles. There are also a lot of ceramic pieces. All along the bank are holes left by bottle diggers, and a lot of what is lying around is stuff they didn't want to take. There is also a lot in the mud by the water. I had a lot of trouble not bringing too much home, and in fact brought too much home. I am as yet a bit of an undiscerning bottle hunter!

We have been twice, and on the second visit started at the other end of the beach. Andy was putting little piles of bottles aside that he thought I might be interested in. Behind one of these, I noticed a little bit of white sticking out of the mud. I pulled it out and it turned out to be this little man! It is one of the best things I have ever found, and its all thanks to Andy helping with the bottles. He is bisque I think, and not damaged. Amazingly, as his little violin is quite delicate. I think he is a gnome, and possibly a cake topper for Christmas. This is a guess though as I can't find an example. 

 

A Day Out

Today we went to see Andy's Aunt Maggie's exhibition, called 'Draw Your Own'. 

Below is part of Maggie's exhibition statement. As well as a trip out and a lovely exhibition, I also got some gardening advice from Maggie-about how to help my green tomatoes, to ripen. Tomato doctoring starts tomorrow!

"It began as a light-hearted daily drawing exercise of whatever vegetable had been picked that day and evolved into a reflection on the intersection of art and life. The close and intense observation uncovers the essence of the object. As the body of work developed the parallels between drawing or painting and cultivation of a vegetable plot became more and more apparent. The paintings are made on previously painted surfaces which had been rejected. On allotments gardeners rarely use new materials but rather re-use whatever the can lay their hand on. The paintings are executed quickly in a manner that allows no revision or correction. Each line must justify itself. The reverence which gardeners feel for the produce grown is hinted at in the six small, icon-like paintings. The large drawing ‘Rotation’ is made on four canvases reflecting the four sections of the allotment which are rotated each year. ‘The answer lies in the soil (plot 12)’ draws on planning layouts made over twenty years . Each layer contributes to the depth and richness of any one moment in a continuous cycle."

The exhibition was at 'Cave' in Pimlico. We didn't want to go on the underground, so got two trains, then walked from Vauxhall station over the bridge. The bridge is having work done, so there is a combination of bus, cycle and walking lanes. Andy, as always, is ahead, as I am taking pictures and being slow.

Curvy buildings.

Angular building. 

Man muttering about corona virus as he sped past us. I was actually taking a picture of the sign, but Andy told me later about his muttering, which I hadn't noticed. 

Sign to Pimlico. 

Rusty angel and dead trees-somehow a combination that works! We had a half in one pub, then met James, Andy's brother, and had a very delicious lunch in another. It is a lovely area and so quiet. Unlike the southbank, which we walked along on the way home. It was heaving with people. 

Maggie, and below, a selection of her work. 

These are tiny paintings, and so beautiful. 

Walking back down a different street, James noticed this incredible man from the sea.

Just like a day at the seaside outside the Southbank Centre.

I like the colours on this painted wall, and, looking at it again now, I think I can see vegetables!

Visiting Loose Village

A couple of weekends ago, Andy and I met my Dad and his wife Joan in Loose village near Maidstone where he grew up. His Mum's family were from Sheppey like my Mum's but Dad grew up here in this amazing little village. You turn off of a fairly main road into Maidstone, and after about a five minute drive, you end up in this idyllic valley. A little river runs through it below the church. Dad used to skid on the ice on the path you can see in this picture. From all the tales he has told me recently I think he was quite mischievous and adventurous as a boy. He told me a story about how he and his friends used to collect the bangers from bird scarers in the local fields, and put them all together to make a kind of bomb, which they put into the wall of a little bridge near where he lived. On their second go of this fun pastime, the local policeman caught them in the act and told them all to go home, tell their fathers, and for their fathers to repair the farmer's wall! He also used to play knock down ginger by tying a string to door knockers so people couldn't see who it was. 

The smirk of someone remembering school boy pranks!

Imagine living here. Such a fairy tale setting. 

This is the stone with my Grandparents' inscription on. For all this time I thought my Gran's name was Margery Selina. I found out that it was Margery Olive. Equally lovely name but where did I get the other idea from?!

This tree is approximately 1500 years old. It is a yew, a traditional churchyard tree. There are many possible reasons for so many of them being found in church yards, such as that the churches were built on sites of much older Druidic worship, that the trees are poisonous so animals could not easily reach them in these places, and that the heart wood, being red and white, represents the body and blood of Christ. Whatever the reason, I suppose the church yards are a fairly safe place to grow really, really old.

My Dad showed me this notice box which he made when his Dad died and which is in his memory. I like how a practical thing that can still be used all these years later was made. Dad is a practical person who can make many things, and so was his Father so it seems appropriate. The brass plaque was very tarnished, so I decided to go back soon to clean it. 

This is a recreation of a sign that used to be at this junction. 

Over the road from Dad's old house lives this magnificent Highland Cow. With some cow friends. 

The house on the left was my Dad's. 

 These photos are what started the idea of visiting his childhood home. This is my Grandad and his army pals who were all from Yorkshire. (I think, I will check that!) He is the one on the top right. 

Below is my Dad, and his little brother Norman. I think the dog was called Judy. 

This is my Aunt, Brenda when she was about ten, standing on the grass in front of the house, and my Granmum and Grandad in the drive way. Another tale my Dad told me, was of a V2 rocket. He and my Gran watched a fighter plane nudge the rocket, as, if you did that, their navigation device wouldn't carry on working so they could be made to land in a relatively safe area. He knew what would happen, so he rushed around the house shutting all the windows to protect the house. Sadly, the opposite of this would have been the right choice, and when the rocket landed at some distance in an orchard behind the house, many of the windows smashed! He was only eight, and said he was trying to be the man of the house while his Dad was away!

I did go back to polish the plaque. It was much harder than I foresaw, but I gave it a good twenty minutes and this was the result. 

Then I walked around the corner of the church where I hadn't before, and came across this strange head. It is called the Charlton Memorial from what I can find out on the internet, with not a lot of other information. It is to a local family. I am not sure when it dates from but it looks pretty old. It is a little spooky I have to say!

Mystery Slides

More clearing at my Mum's house today. I found boxes of slides but don't have a projector. The light box was Mum's and came in handy. I took photos and enlarged them in the hope I would recognise the people in the photos. But I have no idea who they are. The features are not clear and the settings are not ones I recognise. The atmosphere of the pictures seems strange to me. Partly the lack of recognition, and partly the snow and loneliness of some of the shots of the children. 

 Who are you mystery people from the past? 

Mudlarking Girlettes and a Mystery Man's Mystery Activity

Not long after Racer and Minnie arrived, I was looking after a little cat who lives right on the stretch of river where I like to go the most. So, after visiting her one morning, I took the girlettes for their first mudlarking trip. Minnie left her shoes at home so she wouldn't lose them.

 This brick probably said 'Foster' which is kind of what I am doing with the girlettes. So we liked that one. Left it there though as my brick collection is already too large.

 We found a reasonably clean and dry spot for them to sit for photos. To be honest though, they were more interested in looking for stuff!

 Looking down, an important skill in mudlarking. 

This is the building used by the wildlife centre. There are water areas and a stream/river? Not sure but there is a board walk that goes through the middle. It is really lovely. There are flats that have balconies on the water. I would love that.

Herons are pretty common, and for such a large and impressive bird I am grateful for that. There are also coots and moorhens in the water, ducks and gulls. There are always crows on the foreshore, eating the tasty worms in the mud I presume. Not sure if it is a gull or a tern. 

Here is the man. At first I thought he was a well prepared mudlark, but after watching him for a bit, I think he may be a boat owner. He seemed to be pulling a chain from the water and coiling it up. He used the boat hook to test the depth of the mud before he stepped on it. If I see him again and I am nearer I will ask him.