Autumn Cottage Diarist

So THAT'S who's Been Eating my Roses!

I wondered why Lily & Pippin were teetering on the back of the sofa, peering out of the window in the conservatory, when I came down this morning. Not interested in their breakfasts, they could not wait to get outside.

I looked towards the bottom of the garden and saw this  cheeky character, a young roe deer, reposing calmly in the flower bed. Reposing calmly after munching his way through all the roses that I have planted this year - most of them now have no tops, and no buds. Where's my (pop) gun? !

More later, I suspect - said invader was last seen in my veg garden - shooed out, but I draw the line at my new herb beds. I need to block off the only access, to make it completely secure.

This means war!

Paper Crowns for Purity

I went "church crawling" today with my Reverend friend D, a fellow student
on my course at Winchester. Torrential rain, but what a good time we had!

It was a follow-up from a chance remark by my Tutor that the church at
Abbott's Ann, just south of Andover, held a large number of "Maiden's
Garlands" or Crants - tributes built on hazel wood spars in the shape of a
crown, decorated with paper rosette flowers, that were traditionally carried
at the funeral of "an unmarried member of the parish of unblemished
character" (usually female, though there are several male at Abbott's Ann)
since medieval times.

I had seen a few examples over the last ten years in Derbyshire, (for
example, at the Church in Ashford in the Water) - but did not know that
there were some in my own home county - and that there were so many
(49) in one place

 Many of them are now in a state of decay, though the last one, placed
there in 1973, is still bright and sharp - all the verses written on the paper
gauntlets (emblematic "challenges" to those who would contest the purity
of the deceased) can still be read.

These are a wonderful example of a folk tradition which has all but died out
in the UK now. Another tradition associated with them is that they are
hung in the church until they decay - but it seems such a dreadful pity to

let the last of these artifacts disintegrate in this way. Yet another example

of the extraordinary wealth of both modest and magnificent works of art
that are gathered in so many of our tucked away and sometimes
neglected, strapped-for-cash parish churches - surely now is the time for
them to be funded from central government?

For the present, they seem to be one more example of our embarras de
richesses - historical items that will be ignored because, well, we have so
many of them, don't we? Until they are all lost or in dreadful condition.
THEN someone will sit up and take notice - but by then, it will be too late.

Stateside readers, can you transport some of your reverence for history
over to these shores, please, and plonk it at the feet of our Treasury? ;-)

In the Night Garden

Taken at about 9 pm, down by the pond - a perfect example of why it is worthwhile to plant white flowers. these are aquilegias (Grannies Bonnets, Columbines) - and I didn't plant them - they just seeded themselves there. Don't they just glow in the twilight?

By the way - sorry about the "Chelsea Flower Show" letdown, if you were outside the UK and tried to view the show garden videos last night. Stingy old BBC were only allowing UK viewers to see them. Poor show, I say!

A few Autumn Cottage snippets

I've been given permission to just post pictures here for the duration of "the blessed essay writing" - so here are just a few snippet images...above, a posy of the prettiest flowers, given to me by one of the attendees at a writing workshop I ran - and thoroughly enjoyed - last week...

While here is the pathway down to the pond


And the little sign that welcomes visitors at the entrance...

More soon ;-)

Just a Quick Visit

Pippin & Lily by the pond

Seems ages since I visited you all here at the blog - Spring has raced into
early Summer, my university classes have finished for this year - BUT - the
semester is not over yet - a 4000 word essay lies between me and
freedom!

As you can see, Lily and Pippin are already enjoying the warmer days -
they play "jungles" in the garden most of the time (when they are not
asleep!) - And as everything is still damp and mild, the foliage is growing at
a rate of knots - making the jungle very realistic - especially here by the
pond.

I'll try to look in more often - but until the middle of June it will only be "a
picture and a paragraph - or two. Forgive me - more later (in the year!)