Flight from Liege - A Tale of The Great War

“One day the great European War will come out of some damned foolish thing in the Balkans”

— Otto Von Bismark (1888)

Today's post is the story of how my Great Aunt Rose escaped from occupied Belgium at the start of the first world war. Following her safe return home to Southend with her sister Lily, they wrote up their story for the local paper. What follows is a transcript of that article.

The poppy in the picture below was taken in St Valerie sur Somme which seems very appropriate for Remembrance Sunday.

A flight from Liege

Southenders and the fighting

Young ladies thrilling experiences

How they came home to England

The following experiences of the Misses Poulden of ‘Kingsbury’ 357 Leigh Road Westcliff have been specially written for the Southend Standard. They only reached England on Friday evening after one of the most terrifying journeys young ladies could take by themselves. Actually witnessing the fighting as they journeyed down to the coast.. The story written by them is as under -

My sister and I left London on the 25th July with a party of tourists for our fortnight’s vacation, the first week of which was to be spent sightseeing in Brussels, and the second week enjoying the beautiful scenery of the Belgian Ardennes at the little village of Aywaille, which is situated close to the German frontier. The week at Brussels passed pleasantly without any event. On Saturday 1 August my sister, two Scotch girls and I left Brussels for Aywaille: the rest of the party going in other directions. At that time, although we knew that fighting was in progress between Austria and Serbia, we had no suspicions of other complications arising, and knowing that Belgium was neutral we felt perfectly safe. We reached Aywaille safely on Saturday evening, but on arriving at the hotel were rather astonished to find that there was no English guide there to meet us. We were the only four English speaking people in the town, and as our knowledge of the French language is limited we gained very little knowledge of the outside world.

On Sunday we explored the immediate neighbourhood, and on Monday took a train to Coo, which is even nearer the German territory than Aywaille, being quite unconscious of the troublous state of affairs. On Tuesday morning we came down to breakfast and were very much surprised to find the little village in a great state of excitement, and we managed to understand by their actions that Germany had declared war against Belgium and that the enemy was then marching towards the village. The inhabitants were in a state of panic; women and children were weeping, while the men were engaged in barricading the doors and windows, and collecting together their valuables.

Whole families were abandoning everything and rushing into the woods. Seeing how matters stood, we thought it advisable to make investigations regarding our homeward journey. To our great dismay on reaching the station we found that the train services between Aywaille and Liege had been stopped. We explained out position to the station master but he told us there was no way of reaching England. We then proceeded to the post office to telephone or telegraph the nearest British Consul, but found all the wires had been cut and that there was no means of communication whatever. Our efforts to obtain any conveyance proved fruitless as all vehicles had been commandeered for the army, and we were told that even if we could obtain a conveyance we should not be able to proceed far as the roads were barricaded. Now for the first time we began to realise the helplessness of our position. This proved a most wearing day. We sat outside the hotel silently wondering whether we should ever see our friends and relations again. Every time the German soldiers passed through the street, the inhabitants rushed into their houses and bolted the door. We seemed to have the village to ourselves. As the day wore on we became desperate and determined the next morning to attempt to continue our journey to Liege on foot, a distance of about 30 miles. The cook at the hotel, a woman, told us that her home was at Liege and that she would also accompany us.

The next morning (Wednesday) soon after 8 o’clock, we abandoned our luggage and started on our walk, not knowing that Liege was the centre of the fighting. We avoided all direct roads, going through woods and by narrow paths trough the Ardennes. The first seven or eight miles were completed without much inconvenience, except that at times the peasants, hearing that we spoke a language foreign to their own, jumped to the conclusion that we were German, and consequently, we were not very cordially welcomed. Naturally we hastened to undeceive them. As a matter of fact, before many hours had passed we were quite tired of using the sentence “nous sommes Anglais” These few words made a remarkable difference in the demeanour of the people towards us. They would smile, wish to shake hands, and try to tell us the best road, but one and all shook their heads and did their best to make us understand that we were undertaking a practically impossible task, as the roads further on were impassable, being lined with soldiers. We also heard reports of Belgian civilians being killed on the road, which whether true or untrue did not tend to give us much encouragement. As we proceed further the way became more and more difficult. On either side of each village roads and paths were blocked with trees which had been cut down and piled one on top of an other; telegraph poles were lying by the roadside and several times we had difficulty in extricating our feet from the entangled telegraph wires. Rain came down in torrents, and we heard what we first took to be thunder, but which afterwards proved to be cannon.

At about 2pm we met two men who were also trying to get into Liege. One was a Belgian soldier on his way to join his regiment at Namur. What the other man was we do not know, but he told us it was absolutely impossible for us to get back to England, as there were no trains running between Liege and Brussels, and also that there were no boats to England. The road now became harder and harder, and we certainly should not have been able to get over some of the blockages if it had not been for the Belgian soldier. At times he carried us bodily over trees and over overturned carts. Often we had to go out of our way and into the woods to avoid the soldiers. As we passed through the outskirts of Vise the report of the cannon and the cracking of rifles sounded louder and louder, and after each report we would look round to see whether all were safe. We could see smoke rising from among the trees. A Belgian soldier shot in the arm was taken into a cottage as we passed.

The man who had previously joined our party by this time appeared to us to be on very friendly terms with the cook and they conversed together in an undertone. They seemed to be talking about us, and we first had suspicions of our company when we heard them say “elles ne comprennend pas”. We asked the Belgian soldier who was with us whether there was a British consul in Liege and he replied in the affirmative. The other man on hearing our question, came up and said he was going to conduct us to the British consul. Being suspicious we asked him to write down the address of the British consul, which he did. By this time about 4pm we were nearing Liege in a practically exhausted condition, not having had any food or rest on the way; excitement alone kept us going. Here we met several other men going in the same direction. We tried to put questions to the newcomers regarding the address of the British consul and also trains from Liege, but each time the man with the cook would interfere saying he was going to guide us to the British Consul, and we could get no definite information. We became more anxious and while three of us kept the cook and the man in conversation in broken French the other Scotch girl loitered behind and begged a man to try to find out for us the address of the consul in Liege. This address proved to be quite different from the one given by the other man. From time to time we heard that there were trains running from Liege but these were contradicted by our first companions. Now as we neared Liege we found the road blocked by Belgian soldiers and civilians and we had to prove our nationality before we were allowed to pass.

After this the road was less obstructed and presently we saw a motor car coming towards us. The Belgian soldier stopped the car, showed a paper and before we realised what was happening, the car was turned round and our friendly soldier born away.

At about 5pm we entered the town and were thankful to find that the street trams were still running. We all boarded a tram which we took to the middle of the town. The man who had given us the printed address of the consul said quietly to us as we were getting on to the car “A la Grande Place demandes un gendarme” (at the Grand Place ask for a policeman). Although we were in an absolutely exhausted condition, we realised the necessity of bearing up and acting for ourselves. The destination of the car happened to be the Grande Place itself. The cook and her companion got out with us and the man told us now that we were out of danger and that he would conduct us in a carriage to the British counsel. We told him we wished to go alone, but we could not get rid of him. Meantime one of the Scotch girls had found an officer to whom she explained as best she could that she did not trust the man with us and asked to be directed to the station. He seemed to understand and pointed out a certain tram. We went towards the tram but the man followed us, telling us to come with him in a carriage to the consul. We only succeeded in getting rid of the man after the officer had spoken to him. We were quite thankful to get into the car free from our companions.

The streets of Liege presented a strange sight; soldiers tired out by either fighting or walking were lying about the streets like cattle.

On arriving at the station we found to our relief that the trains were still running to Brussels. On the platform we met the Belgian soldier who had helped us earlier in the day. We offered him money in repayment for his kindness, which he courteously refused. He saw us safely into the train, wished us “Bon voyage” and hastened to his own train for Namur. The journey to Brussels which usually takes about two hours on this occasion took five hours, we not arriving in Brussels until 11pm. We put up in an hotel for the night and after breakfast on Thursday morning went to the British Consul. He told us we had had a wonderful escape and advised us to catch the first possible train to Ostend, and then, to use his expression “to nip into the first boat to England”. He also advised us to wear our national colours, which we were ready enough to do. Those in the street were sporting Belgian, French and English colours. On our way to the station we heard reports that Vise, the town through which we had passed, and Aywaille, where we had stayed had been burned to the ground. If these reports are true we have reason to be thankful.

We had three hours to wait for a train from Brussels to Ostend. As we were entering the carriage a wounded soldier was brought along and we were asked if we would take charge of him to Ghent. He had just come from active service at Liege, where he had been shot in the leg. They placed him full length on one side of the carriage. He looked in a very sorry plight, with dirty bloodstained face and hands. We made him as comfortable as we could under the circumstances.

At Ostend we had to undergo very close scrutiny before we were allowed on the boat, but had no trouble in establishing our nationality. The boat left at about 3.30pm and after a very rough passage we arrived at Folkestone at about eight pm and eventually at Charing Cross at eleven pm.

I am confident that nobody was ever more pleased to set foot on English ground than we were. It will be very many years before we forget our “holiday” in Belgium.

Southend Standard Newspaper 18th August 1914

A search for photos of Aunt Rose has not been very fruitful, this is all I can find at present and may of been taken on the occasion of my grandparents golden wedding. Aunt Rose is in the pale two-piece on the far left as you look at it and her husband Uncle Louis (who was my grandmother's brother) is the middle man on the back row.

It is hard to imagine how terrifying their ordeal was. I imagine it was quite unusual for two unmarried girls to go on holiday on their own at that time and for their escape attempt to be compromised by the inclusion of a couple of dodgy characters, with seemingly sinister plans for them, must have made it doubly scary.

I really loved Aunt Rose. For most of my childhood she lived in New Milton in Hampshire and we visited often. She was keen amateur dramatist and member of the New Forest Players. She had a selection of wigs and costumes and I used to love trying them on and pretending to act in plays with her. She was also a gifted raconteur and was great friends with a retired bishop who lived down the road and who she referred to irreverently as 'The Bish'. She died around 1976, I still miss her.

Bristol Plus - Through the Wardrobe?

The main content of this week's post is more images from my photo walk in Bristol last week. We were so lucky with the weather! On Sunday night the St Judes storm hit and we were lucky to make it back from the Isle of Wight where a gust of 99mph was recorded at the Needles, which is a stones throw from us!

Anyway back to Bristol and my meeting with my old / new friend! After lunch we headed off to St Nicholas Market passing a couple of buskers on the way. The first was playing a slide guitar.

The second was playing a pipe and remind me so much of the satyrs from the 'Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe' that I could't resist transporting him to a more sylvan setting.

Next we passed a stall selling delicious home made sushi

Before long we arrived at the market, a place I would like to spend longer exploring one day - in the meantime just a couple of photos to wet your appetite!

Finally there was just time for a cup of tea before setting off for home with a quick view of me and Viv in a shop window on the way.

See you soon xxx

Meeting an old friend for the First Time!

On Friday I had a day out in Bristol which, although it is not that far from where I live, is not somewhere I have visited very often and I certainly can't claim to know it.

It was therefore with some excitement that I set out, as not only was I going to explore a new city , but I was going to do it the company of an old friend I was meeting for the first time!

I arrived a bit early so was able to have a quick wander round before the meet up. I was very taken with this statue of John Cabot who set off from Bristol in 15th century to find America.

There was also a working replica of his ship the Philiip

Then it was time to meet up with Viv my on-line friend of over a year. We met though one of Kim Klassen's courses and membership of the Facebook group that was subsequently formed. It was, as I had hoped, a meeting of old friends not new ones and I immediately felt comfortable and relaxed in our conversation. Viv knows Bristol well and led me on a fascinating photo walk. One that is probably too long for a single post! But I'll get started!

We headed off towards the M Shed where we planned to have lunch

I loved this tiny cafe situated on a narrow bridge and was delighted to meet another old friend the Balmoral who often visits the Isle of Wight in the summer.

Outside the M Shed were some old goods carriages and lots of lovely grunge!

Time for lunch - I loved the decor inside the M Shed

In an open area of the shed a man was modelling a dinosaur

And the inside of the museum boasted a flight of balloons

I think that's probably enough for now - very picture heavy this week - so I'll leave you with this photo of me and Viv in the M Shed window and see you next time x

Pot Pourri

“You can become blind by seeing each day as a similar one. Each day is a different one a miracle of its own. Its just a matter of paying attention to this miracle. ”

— Paul Coelho

A bit of a mishmash of things this week with no particular theme. On Saturday we went to the National Theatre in London to see 'The Light Princess' a new musical. The sets were absolutely amazing and the choreography stunning. The music however was pedestrian, sounding like pretty much any other modern musical and certainly no tune you came away humming. However I would recommend it as a stunning visual performance and the lead Rosalie Craig was superb.

Another of the leading actors was Clive Rowe who my son and I met at a restaurant in The Cut about 10 or more years ago. The tables were very close together and both Clive and my son were reading Terry Pratchet and struck up a conversation. Turned out we had seen him in Peter Pan when my son was four and that he was currently in rehearsal at the Young Vic. He was absolutely charming and we have followed his career ever since!

Sunday saw the start of the Brene Brown e-course Gifts of Imperfection. It combines the material from the book with art journalling. Three key words from this week's intention are 'courage, compassion and connection'

One of the first exercises was to take the perfection pledge - the idea was to write it on your hand and then take a selfie but this went a bit wrong in my case and I ended up with a rather messy hand so I made this heart instead!

Another course I am taking is Sebastian Michael's photoshop artistry. This week he challenged the group to make something special for Kim Klassen and her husband John who is seriously ill with leukaemia. It was Kim that introduced me to both Photoshop and Lightroom and guided my first faltering steps in her classes, so it was a pleasure to work on this piece which I also dedicate to a dear friend I have learned this week is fighting cancer.

I do realise of course that I am in grave danger of over-using the Scarlet angel - but I can't resist!

Finally we have been starting to think seriously about where we might move to when we retire in a couple of years. At the moment the top hit is Salisbury which we visited last weekend, but watch this space!

A Cornish Interlude - Thoughts on the Nature of Beauty

“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul”

— Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

This week's post is part of a brave blogging link-up that's part of Liv Lane's How To Build a Blog You Truly Love e-course. As a participant, I was challenged to step outside my comfort zone and share something with you that felt especially brave.

This is a problem for me as I have just returned from a magical weekend in Cornwall where we went for the weekend to celebrate our fortieth wedding anniversary with friends who were celebrating their fortieth on the same day.

Everything about the weekend was fantastic. The weather was fabulous (sitting out on the terrace in a swimsuit in Cornwall in October!), the hotel as near to perfection as I could ever have imagined and I feel full to the brim with joy and love at the wonderful weekend I experienced.

We have not stayed at many expensive hotels over our 40 years of marriage and I fully realise how lucky I am to have spent a weekend in this wonderful place of both natural and man made beauty. This has lead me to ponder on the nature of beauty itself and the different types of beauty that fill me with joy.

Natural beauty is perhaps the easiest place to start. The hotel had direct views over the beach at Mawgan Porth and the view from our bedroom was just stunning, with the light changing at different times of the day.

The net curtains in the bedroom took on the colour of the sunset and turned from a pale gold into a vivid orange

The design brief of the hotel was 'to create a unique and sustainable building that blends with and enhances the local environment, utilising the spectacular cliff-top location and views to construct a feeling of space and light.' This it has surely achieved. I have not taken photos of the outside of the building as it blends in with the environment rather than standing out as an architectural statement. it is rather the interior and the outdoor landscaped areas which stun with their beauty. The fusion of the hotel with its environment is evident throughout but I loved the outdoor natural swimming pool and the path down to the beach.

One of the things I enjoyed most about the hotel was that there was not one jarring note throughout the place (even the rubbish bins were attractive) and that everything was designed to be brilliantly functional. The chairs were comfortable, the balconies slanted to catch the sun (not always easy on the north coast) the lighting design amazing - I could go on - and all of these areas looked absolutely stunning as well! I'm not sure how beautiful I think things are if they look nice but don't perform the function they were intended to effectively. Something that looks beautiful and is well designed is a joy in all ways.

Another feature of the hotel were the works of art, some of which belonged to the owners and some of which were for sale. My favourite was this angel but there were plenty to choose from.

Most spectacular was the beauty of light and space, whether looking out to nature or in to the building

There are of course other types of beauty than the visual. The beauty of celebrating our 37 year friendship with our co-travellers (we are godparents to each other's children) and of the forty years of love and companionship that we have had as a couple.

I 'm not really sure how much this qualifies as a brave post, but it is what is in my heart this week. I hope you have enjoyed sharing our celebration weekend.

““Youth is happy because it has the capacity to see beauty. Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.” ”

— Franz Kafka

From Study to Studio by way of Baltimore!

Today I am one step nearer to having a studio. We have just finished the transformation of our study by having it painted and plan to start calling it the studio from now on.

This room has always doubled as a spare bedroom as it has an ensuite shower room but I sold the big sofa bed on eBay and replaced it with a smaller transportable solution which can live upstairs and be brought down for the dozen or so nights we need it each year. Instead I have a comfy chair bought from our local independent furniture store and a wide set of drawers from Ikea which will take art paper.

Lots of stuff from Ikea in the room including the heart lights,

and these two kitchen trolleys for storing paints etc. I first saw them used for this purpose in a picture of the art studio Kelly Rae Roberts, Flora Bowley and others have opened in Portland Oregon and just thought wow! (at least I think I did, but don't seem to be able to find it now)

Of course everything in the room isn't new, the desk bookcase and the filing cabinets have been there for years although the contents of the latter have changed significantly over the last 18 months

Books are an important part of my world and these are some I have been exploring recently.

In terms of decoration I have imported objects with meaning from other parts of the house, the Buddha I bought in Cambodia, the glass heart is from St Ives Cornwall where I used to spend time every summer with my son and one of my best friends. The candle holders are from our local agricultural show, the little pot from a family holiday in Turkey and the vase was a gift when I left my first social work job in 1979 to go on to start my training. All are treasured and seeing them brings back happy memories.

This little paper boat I bought at the Museum of Visionary Art in Baltimore just after 9/11. I was in Baltimore to attend the First International Conference of Appreciative Inquiry and after the conference had ended I spent the last day prior to my evening flight sightseeing. I ended up at the American Visionary Art Museum which was dedicated to showing the art of people who had no formal training. Sadly it was mostly closed in preparation for a new exhibition. I got talking to the lady in the shop and conversation predictably turned to the tragedy of 9/11 as every conversation did when you met someone in those days. She told me she had received an email from a friend who lived in Cornwall which said 'now you know what it feels like' said that she had not, until that moment, considered that the IRA were terrorists; which as I had been living in London at the time of the IRA terror campaign in the seventies and actually heard the Old Bailey bomb go off, rather shocked me. However it perfectly illustrates the old adage that 'one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter'. Having chatted for sometime the shop lady decided it was terrible that I couldn't see the exhibition and got the security man to take me round which was a real delight. I bought the peace boat (made by a local elderly lady) as a reminder of my visit to the museum and my conversation.

And finally I bought some new goodies to decorate the studio including this magnetic angel and inspirational magnets from Kelly Rae Roberts

And this banner (not in place yet) also from Kelly Rae

and finally the string of leaves from my favourite shop in Winchester

I hope you have enjoyed your virtual trip round my new studio

See you soon

xxx

The Sunshine Awards

Hello all, the universe has really helped me out this week! last night I was conscious that I hadn't started, never mind completed, this week's post. There were reasons for this - yesterday we hosted a family party of 15 to celebrate our Ruby Wedding Anniversary, (which takes place next weekend) so I have been a bit preoccupied with food, tidying, and putting all this stuff back into our newly decorated Study, henceforth to be know as the studio! I haven't even taken any photographs this week which is almost unheard of. So what could I blog about? I was pondering this when an email popped into my in-box nominating me for a sunshine award.

This means a fellow blogger Kelly, who you can visit over on http://kellylmckenzie.com, invited me to answer her ten questions about myself and then pass the torch on to 10 other blogging pals.

These were Kelly's questions for me

1. Cats or Dogs?

I haven't any pets right now, but when I was a child we had a dog a cat and a budgerigar. I guess I like cats better than dogs I admire their elegance, their 'devil may care' attitude and their independence

2. Would you rather come back as a man or a woman?

Difficult one this, but I think I will stick to being a woman but would hope to be born into a society where female values such as nuturing and peace making are valued more highly than they sometimes appear to be today

3. Do you prefer fiction or nonfiction?

On the whole non fiction. I read a lot of biographies and have recently enjoyed Diana Athill's memoirs. I have also been researching happiness recently and would recommend Gretchen Rubin's books.

4. What did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a ballet dancer and later an actress. I loved my ballet lessons and being taken to live theatre, although the latter only happened very occasionally. I have made up for that since though.

5. What is your most favourite method of transportation?

Probably boat. I grew up on an island so it was the only way off! Our most exciting trip across the Solent was when I was 13 and going with my french exchange to take the ferry to france from Southampton. Dad got the ferry times wrong from Cowes and we realised we had missed the ferry that would get there in time to cross the channel where Michele's parents would be waiting for us us at Le Havre. Dad, normally the soul of prudence, had to hire a speedboat to take us across - now that was exciting!

6. Would you rather live in a hot climate or a cold climate?

I think the Mediterranean would suit me very well! I really love to be warm and to feel my whole body relax rather than be tensed up against the cold. That said we had a brilliant Christmas in North Norway in 2000 where it was -12c and the sun didn't rise above the horizon but for all that it was calm crisp and incredibly beautiful, though maybe a week was enough!

7. Are you a “visual” or “auditory” learner?

my ideal way to learn would be to look at something while some one tells me a story about it

8. Do you prefer to live in the city or in the country?

I have lived in the country for most of my life with only a brief spell in London during my twenties - I love it but it does have some major disadvantages like having to get into the car every time you want to go somewhere. When we retire in a couple of years we are planning a complete lifestyle change with a move into the city - so watch this space!

9. Do you prefer savoury or sweet dishes?

Savoury. I would be happy with two starters and no dessert

10. Are you a night owl or morning person?

Definitely a night owl. I keep coming across people who get up at 5 in the morning to start their daily routine and all I can think is why

Now it’s my turn to ask the questions. My 10 nominees for the Sunshine Award are:

Viv at Within the Frame

Stacie at Stacie Jewellery

Sarah at Paisley Rain Boots

Suzie at Vignettes de la Vie

Moyra at Getting stuff done

Roxi at Creating Beyond the Layers

Lisa at The Wright stuff

Holly at Holly Hinton

Nancy at Nancy Jean Creative thoughts

Sally at Day 2 Day Radishes

Dear Nominees:

Please know that this is not a chain letter – nothing untoward will befall you should you choose not to participate. If you wish to just answer the questions I’m fine with that, too. But if you Do want to join in the fun, here are the “rules”:

1. Include the award logo in a post or on your blog.

2. Link to the person who nominated you.

3. Answer 10 questions about yourself and write 10 questions for your nominees to answer

4. Nominate 10 bloggers to receive the award. Link your nominees to the post and comment on their blogs, letting them know they have been nominated.

Ready to play? Excellent. Here are my questions for you:

What's your favourite poem?
If you had been born into another century which one would you have chosen ?
McDonalds or Michelin Star?
Who has inspired you most during the last year?
If you were to emigrate to another country, which would you choose and why?
What is your favourite piece of music /song?
Which character in history would you most like to have dinner with?
What's your favourite TV programme?
Which book have you enjoyed the most this year?
What's your favourite quote?

Enjoy!

The Isle of Wight Pulls it Off

Last weekend we went off to the Isle of Wight not expecting anything special or unusual to be going on in Mid-September. Wrong! We walked into the inaugural year of Festival of the Sea, which appeared to be pretty low key except for the Classic cars event where cars had come from all over Europe to take part. Sensing some photo opportunities we decide to go along.

When we arrived at Newport Quay there were literally hundreds of fascinating cars and bikes - many with gleaming engines and shining wheels

Looking at some of the emblems I was reminded of figureheads on old schooners - perhaps that was the connection between the cars and the Festival of the Sea?

And of course I couldn't resist having a go with the grunge techniques

I was really taken with some of the old motor bikes

This bus came in to service just before we left the Island in 1966 - it had an exciting new feature - doors! the conductor's uniform is the one I remember from childhood.

All of this doesn't really give a flavour of the event and the number of cars and people there - nor of the various curiosities and as true to form I didn't take any panoramic shots. I did shoot some video with my phone however, and have combined it with some of the stills to make a Treasure Chest. I haven't captioned it but the very last car you see is a Delorean - very rare and something we haven't seen before. As usual the Island lived up to it reputation of pulling rabbits out of hats with fun, interesting (and free) events!

Classic Cars from Barbara Evans on Vimeo.

The Glory of the Garden

“And the Glory of the Garden it shall never pass away ! ”

— Rudyard Kiplling

When I arrived back from Yoga on Thursday the sun had just begun to surface after a shower and everything in the garden was sparkling - it looked quite magical!

It was as though this fennel plant was hung with diamonds

And the seeds looked almost as spectacular, as did a late sprig of lavender with this bee on board

I suddenly found the last to lines of Kipling's poem running through my head "and the Glory of the garden shall never pass away" and went to look up the whole thing, which though a tad on the jingoistic side I do rather like, and wonder if it was inspired by his own lovely garden at Batemans in Sussex which I have visited several times. I am going to quote it in full here.

OUR England is a garden that is full of stately views,
Of borders, beds and shrubberies and lawns and avenues,
With statues on the terraces and peacocks strutting by;
But the Glory of the Garden lies in more than meets the eye.
For where the old thick laurels grow, along the thin red wall,
You'll find the tool- and potting-sheds which are the heart of all
The cold-frames and the hot-houses, the dung-pits and the tanks,
The rollers, carts, and drain-pipes, with the barrows and the planks.

And there you'll see the gardeners, the men and 'prentice boys
Told off to do as they are bid and do it without noise ;
For, except when seeds are planted and we shout to scare the birds,
The Glory of the Garden it abideth not in words.
And some can pot begonias and some can bud a rose,
And some are hardly fit to trust with anything that grows ;
But they can roll and trim the lawns and sift the sand and loam,
For the Glory of the Garden occupieth all who come.

Our England is a garden, and such gardens are not made
By singing:-" Oh, how beautiful," and sitting in the shade
While better men than we go out and start their working lives
At grubbing weeds from gravel-paths with broken dinner-knives.
There's not a pair of legs so thin, there's not a head so thick,
There's not a hand so weak and white, nor yet a heart so sick
But it can find some needful job that's crying to be done,
For the Glory of the Garden glorifieth every one.

Then seek your job with thankfulness and work till further orders,
If it's only netting strawberries or killing slugs on borders;
And when your back stops aching and your hands begin to harden,
You will find yourself a partner In the Glory of the Garden.
Oh, Adam was a gardener, and God who made him sees
That half a proper gardener's work is done upon his knees,
So when your work is finished, you can wash your hands and pray
For the Glory of the Garden that it may not pass away!

And the Glory of the Garden it shall never pass away !

Rudyard Kipling

All of this then inspired me to do the first piece of art journaling I've done for ages

My sparking moments this week literally were sparkling - hope yours were too

Meditation Weekend

““Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.” ”

— Thích Nhất Hạnh

Last weekend I went on a meditation course organised by my Yoga teacher and the Traditional Yoga Centre. I have never done anything like this before and I really didn't know what to expect. These are my impressions of the weekend.

In bud

Four wonderful teachers, keen students, some experienced, some meditation virgins, some from my yoga class.

Refreshments, fruit, herbal teas, biscuits, nuts.

Mats, blankets, things to make you comfortable.

Context, theory, explanations, science.

Chanting, I love this.

Breathing, focussing on your breath, concentrate, drift., concentrate, drift. Itchy nose - to scratch or not to scratch? Hard

Count breaths, loose track, begin again,

Focus. will I ever be able to do this?

Sending love and peace around the universe

Beginning to bloom!

Carried Away With Grunge?

I think I have mentioned previously that I am currently taking a photoshop grunge e-course and am really loving it - the problem is how to stop myself getting completely carried away and adding grunge to absolutely every picture I take.

Yesterday I popped out to a local stately home I haven't visited in a while. Its a National Trust property the Vyne near Basingstoke. The building has a fascinating history which you can find out more about by reading this article.

True to form I don't have any grand pictures of the facade but here you can just see it peeking out between the trees across the lake

Something different to see on this visit were a number of art installations around the house and garden - unfortunately there are no details on the website nor was there info to pick up so I can't tell you mud about the artists or their concepts, and I have to say that some of the NT volunteers were clearly not smitten by the whole thing!

One of the main pieces was a fabric tree with birds and flowers situated in the tapestry room with roots descending into the room below via the fireplace, seen here together with some lovely wooden pomegranates, a symbol of Catherine of Aragorn who apparently visited with her husband Henry viii

This picture only shows a small branch of the tree against he background of the room but the tree in its entirety was huge!

My favourite installation however was in the library

I loved all the little cut out figures and of course really couldn't resist grunging up this one

Out in the grounds the most impressive feature was the summerhouse which also had an installation of birds partying - they were really spread about the space so didn't lend itself to photography, but this might give you an idea of the summerhouse, the birds and the beautiful garden around it

Inspired by the installations I decided to try my own artistic concept by merging the summerhouse with the fabric tree and one of the birds - I'd love to know whether you think it works.

One final ungrunged picture from the way back to the car park - the green on these willows and their reflections was just stunning

Hmm only two with grunge, not bad at all considering my current obsession, see you soon and keep sharing the sparking moments!

Digital Enhancement - The Root of All Evil?

Yesterday we visited a small local craft fayre. There was a variety of goods on offer, including some very attractive pottery, some wonderful coastal paintings and some photography.

I was drawn to a stall selling cards of flower and wildlife images, with close ups of flowers very similar to ones I have taken. On the stall there was a notice saying that none of the pictures had been digitally enhanced, no Photoshop had been used in the making of these pictures. I checked with the photographer if this included Lightroom and it did, the photos were, he said, straight out of the camera. There was an implied inference of moral high ground here.

I suppose it all comes down to why you are taking pictures in the first place. To capture the moment? To preserve the beauty of the scene? To record the facts as they are? Or to make art? I'm not suggesting any of these are mutually exclusive, rather that they are a variety of lenses through which we can view our photographic images.

This is a photograph I took of a deckchair at Shanklin earlier in the week. I took it because it epitomised the seaside of my childhood - I haven't seen a deckchair with a canopy in years - yet unenhanced it doesn't quite capture what I felt to be the vibrancy of the scene.

I feel this second version is a far truer capture of what I was experiencing when I took the photograph. I was experiencing a vibrant seaside resort in full swing on a sunny day in August not a faded out of season vibe. So I cropped the photo a little, bumped up the contrast, clarity and vibrance and enhanced the blue in the picture. I have chosen this example as it is easy to spot the difference between the two pictures. Often the digital enhancements I make are much more subtle, barely visible at all.

For me there is something about honesty here. If I am viewing a photograph in a guidebook or botanical guide, I want to be able to identify the plant or see the view as pictured. I don't want the removal of unsightly pylons to make the scene seem other than it really is. If, however, I am looking to hang a picture on my wall or buy it on a card I want it to look as good as it can, whilst preserving the essence of the subject. I don't for example see anything very wrong in bumping up the vibrancy of the blue on a sea scape, especially if you have seen the sea just that colour blue on a previous occasion. Nor do it see enhancing the colour of a flower to highlight its vibrancy an unforgivable sin, merely exaggerating its jewel-like appearance to give increased pleasure.

This is a photograph of a waterlily straight from the camera. Below is the digitally enhanced version. In addition to the usual adjustments to clarity and contrast etc I have taken down the exposure a little, cropped the image to give greater focus on the lily, and removed a small insect from a petal and a distracting blemish from a leaf - is this version less 'essence of lily' than the other? Not to my mind.

The old adage 'the camera doesn't lie' is of course the biggest lie of all. As a photographer you select the angle and perspective from which you take the photographs, you chose what to include and exclude. In post-processing you enter your digital darkroom to develop your photograph in the way which most resonates with your experience of the view or object that you have taken. It has always been thus.

The advent of Photoshop has however allowed the possibility of new dimensions to our photograpy by adding textures and blending photographs together. I have recently started a new Photoshop course called Fine-Art Grunge which takes photography to a whole new level. This is not about capturing the reality of what we see but rather using individual photographs as tools or matter to create art. I am still very much at the beginning of this journey but am loving it!

I took these photos in the silversmith's in Newport on Friday, they make the most amazing silver spoons. I used the photos I took to play with some of my techniques from the new course - here are the results.

This is a fairly minor adjustment with only a couple of layers - I got braver!

And the final one where I went a bit OTT with the number of layers and textures

Lots to learn on this course so watch this space!

In conclusion I believe that all forms of photography are valid and that none has moral superiority over another. We all have our individual realities and if several of us were asked to write a description of the same photograph we would all write something slightly different, highlighting the different features that spoke to us as individuals. The truth is perhaps that we all see life, pictures, and anything else you care to mention, through the lens of our own interests and experiences so that the viewing of the picture is a dynamic experience. Long live diversity!

I would love to hear your views on this topic so do leave a comment and get the debate going.

Shalfleet Revisited

On Sunday I visited the house we lived in from when I was ten until when I was thirteen. We were able to do this because the current owners had opened it under the National Garden Scheme.

When we moved to the house it was a dream come true for my mother whose passion was gardening. At last a huge garden to do just as she wanted with, and what a challenge! While the back garden had been kept under some sort of cultivation by the previous owner, the bulk of the garden had been allowed to run wild so that a the point at which we moved in it it was six foot tall with nettles and grass. The first task was to clear it and keep the lawns mowed. Practically a full time job for my mother who didn't work outside the home.

It looks a little different now!

The house, a Georgian cottage, has been extended: a walled courtyard turned into an additional room and an orangery and new garage put in the place of the old sheds and pig sties. I am pleased to be able to say this has been very well done and looks very much in keeping with the original building. There have been pains to preserve original features and the sash windows on the front of the building look as if they were the ones that were there when we lived there.

The front gate appears to be the same too

The back garden has changed from the vegetable patch we had

into a series of charming garden rooms

The front garden too has been landscaped

Sadly we were only able to live in this beautiful spot for three years before work took my father back to the mainland after 30 years on the Isle of Wight. Leaving the garden nearly broke my mother's heart and I'm sure if her spirit is anywhere to be found on earth it would be here.

I wil leave you with a mix of past and present and hope that your week has had many sparkling moments.

Gentians on the Isle of Wight?

Last weekend we went for a walk up on Tennyson Down which is one of my favourite places in the world. You walk along an ever narrowing chalk escarpment until you reach the end of the world (or rather the Isle of Wight) at the Needles rocks and lighthouse.

The Wikipedia entry on the Needles Lighthouse tell us the following:

The Needles Lighthouse was built by Trinity House in 1859 on the outermost of the chalk rocks near sea level. Designed by James Walker, it cost £20,000. Constructed from granite, it stands 33.25 metres (109.1 ft) high and is a circular tower with straight sides.

It replaced a light tower on top of a cliff overhanging Scratchell's Bay, which was first lit on 29 September 1786. Its height of 144m above sea level meant it was often obscured by fog and sea mists.[1]

In 1987 a helipad was added to the top of the lighthouse, and it became fully automated when the last keepers left on 8 December 1994.[1] One of the last three remaining manned rock lighthouses in England and Wales, before automation it was staffed by a three man crew operating a 24 hour watch, serving one month on / one month off, living in rudimentary conditions in three levels below the light.[2]

When I was a child this was a manned lighthouse without the helicopter landing pad on the top. Early each December there would be a picture in the local paper of the Christmas food going out by boat with the men on the Christmas shift. It must have been a very tough life!

In the middle of the down, on the highest point, lies Tennyson Cross, a memorial to the great Victorian poet who lived in the lee of the downs towards Freshwater Bay. He was apparently often to be seen striding across the downs in his trademark cloak and hat and is rumoured to have composed some of his greatest work up here

At the bottom of the track that leads from Highdown pit up on to the down there is a visitor information board detailing some of the plants and wildlife one might expect to see. I was astonished to see that one of the plants listed was the gentian which I previously associated solely with alpine regions.

Up on the downs the flora mostly consisted of some small harebells and some kind of thistles, then I spotted them, the English gentians, perhaps not such a brilliant blue as their alpine counterparts but gentian shaped all the same, and just like the picture on the information board !

Continuing our walk towards the Needles we had a wonderful view of my other favourite walk on West Wight, Headon Warren, where the heather was just beginning to turn purple across the cornfields

The shadows on the top picture are of the clouds scudding quickly above the sky and I admit to using a bit of artistic licence (AKA photoshop) on the bottom picture.

The habitat over on the warren is very different, perhaps because the land is slightly less exposed. Instead of the large swathes of springy turf there are tangles of gorse, heather and brambles interlaced with honeysuckle.

The view of the needles is different too, classic but less iconic than when viewed from above.

This walk was one of my sparkling moments last week - I'd love to hear about yours

At the Beach - Then and Now!

As I reflect back on the sparkling moments of the last week or so, its the unexpected that makes me catch my breath and say wow! A couple of moments this week that stand out. One was noticing that the garden was full of butterflies in a way it hasn't been for years (presumably because of the awful summers we have been having) . The second was the realisation again of how much I love the freedom of being by the sea in warm weather, breathing that wonderful air and walking along the beach with my camera.

I love the beach at any time of year but in the school holidays it becomes a fun filled bustling kind of place with the cafes busy and the children in and out of the water and crabbing in the rock pools. It was a very special time for us and our son when he was young and I love seeing other families enjoying the beach.

My discovery this week is that you can scan in very old, small, poor quality photographs run them through Lightroom and end up with something half decent. This was very good news as I am planning to start a new blog documenting my childhood on the Isle of Wight in the nineteen fifties and I want to include some family history in this. To wet your appetite, here are some of my father's family having fun on the beach in the early twenties - I love the top two of my dad and granddad having fun and am amazed by the clothes they consider suitable for beachwear in the bottom one! I think their beach experience may have been a little less comfortable than ours.

We think these photos may have been taken in great Yarmouth, there is a train station in the background almost on the beach - anyone recognise it?

I'd love to hear about your sparking moments of the week so please add a comment - see you soon!

The Last Party

This week has been all about preparing for our son's 21st party. We are very lucky in that we have a garden that is well suited to summer parties, of which we have had many over the years. When we moved to this house over thirty years ago we used to have a big party every summer and invite everyone we knew. Although we always provided food, in those days we used to rely on our guests to bring their favourite tipple with them, and often close friends would bring a salad or a pudding. In addition to that a gang of close friends used to turn up early to help set up.

We had different themes for the food every year including curries and a number of different types of BBQ. One year for example, we went with a Mediterranean theme - there always seemed to be plenty of people to do the cooking - though I do remember that one year Brian's then boss got stuck with it for ages!

As time went on and we had our son, parties grew less frequent and more formal, focussing on major events. Our 25th wedding anniversary in 1998 was the first time we went the whole hog and hired a marquee for our celebration barn dance ( you really can't rely on the english weather in october!) we choose a harvest festival theme as the church was decorated for harvest when we married and spent hours decorating the tent.

The food had a harvest theme too - I got our local catering college to make this harvest loaf

I don't think this photos have come out badly considering they were pre-digital and had to be scanned in!

After our 25th we had big parties for our 50th & 60th birthdays ( mine was a surprise party organised by my wonderful cousin as I had decided I didn't want to do one for myself) and our son had a birthday party every year until he was 13 (we got very good at making themed cakes - the pirate treasure chest was my favourite) but this week it was time for the last party, our son's 21st.

Looking for a marquee ( people were going to need to sleep somewhere!) I found this wonderful local company who supplied beautiful indian tents including furniture - I just couldn't resist!

From then on the party developed an eastern theme with curries for the food (the only time I've ever repeated myself) and lots of lamps and lanterns adorning the garden - we've collected quite a supply over the years and we bought these Chinese lanterns back from our trip to Vietnam in the spring.

The tent came with its own lantern too

i think we bought these lanterns for the barn dance, or maybe it was my husbands 50th?

So why is this the 'last party'? . A number of reasons I think. For one thing we plan to move in a couple of years after we retire, and we are unlikely to ever again have such a perfect party house. Another reason is that I have been there, done that, and got the T-shirt - several T-shirts in fact! time to do something different. I have also realised that party planning has been a major outlet for my creative energy over the years, but possibly one I don't need any more since I discovered art and photography. Also it's really tiring and we haven't got quite as much energy as we once had. So how are we celebrating our Ruby Wedding which (DV) will happen in October? We are going to a Hotel in Cornwall for the weekend, with friends who are also celebrating their Ruby Wedding - Yay!

In the meantime I will leave you with this image of the clearing up after this week's party - see you soon

Brideshead Revisited?

I really love York, I think it's my favourite city in the country. Not only is it crammed full of history from Roman times to the present day, it's also stuffed with beautiful buildings, a great selection of independent shops and lovely cafes and restaurants. It has a real buzz about it.

We were there last week for our son's graduation and have been there on a number of occasions over the last 3 years, but I haven't really taken many photos. Why? Partly I think it's the style of photography that I enjoy, in that I don't really do panoramas, or photos of icons unless I can find a new angle on them. Rather, I usually focus on the detail (the more rust the better) and take many more photos of nature than I do of buildings. Also as I have written about in a previous post I don't do pretty. I managed to take one photo of York this time round, mainly because of the glorious colour of the evening sun on the stone of the lantern tower, spotted as we were on our way to have dinner.

At this point I thought I would review previous pictures I've taken in York and include a couple here. When I looked however I only found about 5 and I didn't like any of them very much - they were mostly bits of houses obscured behind flowering trees and didn't really give any sense of place. So I have decided not to include them.

Other than the graduation ceremony itself the highlight of this trip was a visit to Castle Howard - again no panoramic pictures of the grand facade, you can watch either of the versions of Brideshead to see this.

Brideshead Revisited - The Complete Collection (Digitally Remastered) [DVD]

Starring Jeremy Irons, Anthony Andrews, Laurence Olivier

Brideshead Revisited [DVD] [2008]

Starring Emma Thompson, Michael Gambon, Matthew Goode, Ben Whishaw, Felicity Jones

Instead, as usual, I have focused on the small elements that took my fancy in the house and garden. To be fair, I don't love Vanborough and the Palladian style of architecture or Capability Brown style gardens. I was however drawn to the sheltered rose garden and the rather grand fountain. First though we went round the house which was only partially open due to the filming of a drama called 'Murder at Pemberly' Austen sequel? the mind boggles!

The first room that really caught my attention was a child's bedroom which is not mentioned in the guide book

I loved the old toys especially the ship

I was also drawn to this bust in the antiques corridor, apparently collected by the 4th Earl when on a trip to Italy in 1738, and this detail of a Burne-Jones stained glass window in the chapel

Now to the outside, the view from the Boar Garden was impressive,

but what really drew my attention was the Atlas Fountain installed in 1853.

Its not the kind of thing I normally like but it looked so right in the grand surroundings and the play of the water on the statue is quite magical, as were the vista's on every side of this giant water spout.

Even if I had wanted to take a panoramic view of the front I wouldn't have been able to as there was scaffolding up for the filming and large numbers of white vans parked out front!

On to the Rose Garden - the perfect time to see it in all its glory, though again the prettiness didn't attract the photographer in me, although the gardener was very impressed.

I particularly liked this, with the seeds reminding me of pomegranates, I think it was a peony

Back to York and a couple of final photos I took while having lunch outside before driving home

This is the herb garden by the patchwork museum and co-incidentally our favourite Italian,

and I'm including this one just because I like it!

Sparkles to Share

Family

This has been a very family orientated week with my niece's baby shower on Sunday and my son's graduation from the University of York on Wednesday ( if the chancellor looks familiar its Greg Dyke). Both were lovely occasions and really made me count my blessings.

Books

A book that I have been reading off and on for a while, and have just finished, is 'Steal Like an Artist' by Austin Kleon. Lots of good stuff here and I have decided to keep a log book as suggested by Austin. This is not a journal but rather 'a little book in which you list the things you do every day'. I kept a gratitude diary for over a year so am hoping to combine the log book idea with this and make sure I capture the 'sparkling moments' in my log book, or in my case log app as I hate writing!

Steal Like An Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told Me About the Creative Life

By Austin Kleon

Discovery

This week I signed up for anew e-course, the Renaissance Woman's Tool Box. I spotted the link on Kelly Rae Roberts sponsor page and before I knew it had signed on the dotted line. I have been majoring on art and photography courses this year so this is something a little different. Starts next week - very exciting!

Photography

I am lucky enough to either run courses or attend events at Hilliers Gardens where as well as displays of plants and shrubs, they also often have 'Art in the Garden' exhibitions. I only had about 15 minutes to nip out and take photographs on Monday but it was well worth it.

I really love delphiniums, but they are a flower you don't see a lot of so I was thrilled to see this display.

Even without the 'geraniums red' they bought this poem to mind - this is just an extract

“There once was a Dormouse who lived in a bed
Of delphiniums (blue) and geraniums (red),
And all the day long he’d a wonderful view
Of geraniums (red) and delphiniums (blue).”

— A A Milne

See you next week, and in the meantime do share your own sparkling moments in the comments section.

Introducing Week of Sparkles

“The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.”

— Henry Miller

Today I'm trying out what I hope will become a regular feature on my blog 'Week of Sparkles', where I share with you some of my sparking moments of the week and would love it if you would share some of yours in the comments section. Anyway, here goes!

Film

I have been watching an amazing documentary about British photojournalist Don McCullin. It has been hard to watch as he has documented some terrible atrocities, but what gives the sparkle is the way in which his soul and his integrity shine through the horror he is capturing and the fact that someone has had the courage to record what has happened gives hope to the world in the long term.

“I don’t just take photographs, I think”

— Don McCullin

I saw this on the BBC as part of the Imagine series, so it is probably available on iPlayer, otherwise you can get it from Amazon.

McCullin [DVD]

Starring Don McCullin

Discovery

Stuff about the demise of google reader had been all over the net this week with various people suggesting replacement programmes. I didn't use google reader and to be honest I wasn't sure (and still don't know) exactly what it did. I have never been really good about keeping up with other people's blogs and always felt vaguely guilty about it, mostly reading the few that were delivered into my in box. So I decided to give Bloglovin' a try and I'm really lovin' it! It works brilliantly. especially when using the app on my phone or iPad, and makes it quick and easy to keep up with everyone's blogs. You can find it here or by clicking on the Bloglovin' button on the sidebar of this page.

Books

As always I have more than one book on the go, but this weeks sparkle winner is 'Life is a Verb' by Patty Digh. I love the way she interweaves the stories of her life with her quest to live 'each individual, glorious day with more intention', though I have to admit I haven't been doing the exercises, something to go back to perhaps?

Life Is a Verb: 37 Days to Wake Up, Be Mindful, and Live Intentionally

By Patti Digh

Photography

Limited opportunities here this week but I did go to London for an appointment and afterwards got my camera out on the walk between Oxford Circus tube station (having learned that getting the camera out of its bag helps immeasurably with the process of taking pictures!) and one of my favourite clothes shops. These are my favourites of the pictures I took.

I really wanted to see this couple sitting at this cafe!

I loved the fabric on this bag that someone was carrying!

I was intrigued watching this guy prepare the mixture for the bubble pipes outside a Moroccan cafe ( you can catch a glimpse at the right hand side of the bike photo) - I'm sure there is a whole terminology surrounding this, but I have no idea what it is.

I love reading the blue and in this case green plaques on the London buildings. I especially love the idea of a 'Man of Science' even though I have no clue as to who he was. I was getting my husband to proof read this and he was horrified by my ignorance as his college science society was named after him as an alumnus.

I thought this new cafe looked really cool with its iPad on every table and a lovely condiment tray.

These were some of my sparking moments of the week - I would love to hear about yours

Blooming True and Other Stories

This post is mainly about my experience of the Bloom True on-line painting class I have been taking for the last 5 weeks led by Flora Bowley but before I start sharing my experience of the class I have a new treasure chest to share with you. I am still processing my holiday photos from the spring and this short video focuses on our visit to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

Cambodia, Land of Temple, Road and Lake from Barbara Evans on Vimeo.

I'm not going to give a blow by blow account of my Bloom True journey just to say its been fabulous - the course has been holistic rather than only about painting and painting techniques and this has worked well, engaging your whole being, body, mind and spirit, in the process. Throughout the course I worked on two paintings and I am going to illustrate the story of one of them from start to finish. Flora's technique is based on adding many, many layers to each painting and practicing non- attachment and intuitive painting to further each canvas - much harder than it sounds!

My first painting started like this

Then progressed to this

Followed by this

Then this

and this

Still going!

nearly there now!

and finally!

I'm not of course absolutely guaranteeing that it is the final final version, so watch this space! What of the other painting I hear you ask - well having been through a tree phase its current iteration is an elephant which I am not loving, lets just say it has a way to go!