Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Nat Trust to Southwell Minster - Wet again

A busy day but so enjoyable.

Eastwood for the doctor's, then I cooked sausage & mash (in which I mixed chopped chives - Bungus will be delighted to learn that I used 3
whole leaves).

Then to Mansfield Curry's for a replacement phone for our new Office. The one we've chosen has a ten-slot memory, instant redial, and other gubbins and cost £7.99 - amazing. After that we continued our journey to Southwell where our Mansfield National Trust Group were booked in for a guided-tour. We watched a very enjoyable and informative DVD in the Visitor Centre and then toured the inside of the building. The 22 of us were split into 2 groups of 11 (fortunately no-one had a football) each with our own guide and we all had a great and muchly informative trip round the Minster.

No matter how many times one visits this glorious cathedral one learns something new. For me, this time, it was little pigs carved into the masonry behind some leaves in the Chapter House, and you certainly wouldn't spot them unless you were shown. The skill of the masons was awesome. I have made Southwell Minster a live link for you to click. If you do, you will find more delights on the website. If you hover your cursor over their live links in the left hand column you get a thumbnail picture relevant to the contents. I'd like to know how the designer did that.

Picture 1 is the 'pepper pots' on a dull day (how different from yesterday) and for reasons of unobtrusive-ity I took the Casio rather than the Nikon. I made certain I had knocked the flash off because nothing is more irritating for ther people, particularly in a place of worship. The few photos I took seem fine, if a little blurry, and it was only as we reached the end of our tour that I saw a notice saying that for photography you needed a permit. So I didn't take any more, and I certainly think the rule is most reasonable and I shall remember next time we visit.

Picture 2 is a fairly modern piece of work and is quite spectacularly lit. It represents Christ welcoming and not the Crucifixion. After our tour we had arranged for us a cup of tea and a cake and Jean had obtained for me a piece of blueberry cheesecake which was gorgeous. The way the 'teams' were separated resulted in Y being in one and me in the other. When I was suffering abit going round, Joan S took me under her wing even though, bless her, she is over 10 years older than me. Joan (Peter's Joan) who also suffers walking problems, and I walked round together and sympathised with each other!

It is very nice how nearly everyone makes a point of thanking Jean B for these lovely trips. The thanks are well-deserved because she works so hard to ensure that they are a success and, therefore, they invariably are. We gave her a lift home, whch saved Peter from a detour, and then nipped into Sainsburys for essentials. A lovely fresh malted grain loaf which made excellent toast, under some smoked salmon, for tea. Then it was 'deal with photographs' and finally 'blog'.

If I owe anyone an e-mail, or there are other undertakings which have overtaken me, I apologise and will do my best to catch up tomorrow. Which is a Burton Joyce day so Y will be over there till I collect her in the early evening.

....That's it folks. Sleep tight and I'll catch you tomorrow. Too late for a quote so you will have to google your own.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I apologise in advance as I feel what may be a somewhat acid comment coming on. But I shall do my best to inject a bit of gentle humour to soften the effect!

You always have been frugal with the chives’; something I could understand if they were expensive or rationed. I would have used at least 37, possibly 42, in order to taste them.

The phone sounds very impressive but does it wash the paintwork and Cardinal the step while you are out?

I had my fill of Southwell Minster as a student. The Norman columns and arches are what I like best. In general. apart from Ely and a few others, I can now enthuse only about buildings erected in the 20C.

The camera angle for the external shot is an unusual one.

I suppose leaving the Nikon behind gave the golfers’ elbow a bit of respite?
But still you make the tour sound rather like a pilgrimage to Lourdes. If I had been there I think I would have felt that I should have been wearing a cowl and sounding a bell at regular intervals.

For some reason I am reminded of two long-ago comments:
1) from my father when he saw the ‘racing’ saddle of my new bike - “I’d as soon ride round on a spade handle”;
2) the other, from my old family doctor (he must have been at least 45) when I visited him suffering the first stages of frostbite having cycled a hundred miles from Chester in the pouring rain without gloves - “We all go mad in different ways”.

Anonymous said...

I have a friend who lives in Upton, down the road to Southwell, and I remember years ago visiting the cathedral and being shown round by her very enthusiastic 10 yr. old lad - who pointed out the pigs to me! I'd forgotten them until you reminded me.

That's just the amount of chives I like......as long as I don't get them all in my portion.....