New Discoveries

One of the great things about moving to a new place is discovering new things about the environment. Today we went for a country walk in the city and the possibility of doing this is one of the things I love about Salisbury.

We started off on familiar territory going through Elizabeth Gardens on our way to the industrial estate. There we followed a grassy track down the side of one of the units which led to the river. It was like entering another world, green peaceful and a million miles away from the industrial estate we left behind. During this part of our walk we only came across two other groups both walking in the opposite direction.

On the other side of the river were stunning views of the cathedral across the water meadows.

There were lots of wild flowers but my favourites were these yellow 'flags' or irises

Then there was the wildlife, families of geese with their goslings,

I love this one with mum (or dad) eating a fish,

A beautiful grey heron,

and last but not least an egret.

Across the river we entered a more wooded area where we spotted some magnificent fungi

Finally on the way back more views of the cathedral this time with sheep!

In all a fabulous country walk without leaving the city boundaries, or having to get into the car.

If you are in Salisbury and would like to try this walk it is detailed in the Salisbury & Wilton Walking map available from the Tourist Information Centre

Head & Heart

As you may know I'm not posting very regularly at the moment, the reason is that this moving house business is all consuming. If all goes well (and with moving there are always plenty of things that can go wrong!) we might be in by Christmas, or maybe early January. There is really a panic inducing amount to do, we have lived in our current house so thirty-three years so you can imagine the amount of clutter we have collected!

I have recently started a photograpy course in Salisbury, the city we are moving to, which is around an hours drive from our current home. Our first assignment was to produce two pictures one illustrating where our heart is and the other where our head is.

This is what I am taking to class tomorrow night -

My head picture. This is attempting to illustrate that I am wearing way too many hats at present. Wife, mother, employee, project director to name but a few. I like the writing on the phrenology head as it references how much my head is buzzing with stuff, different projects, different lists, different agendas. I know it will get worse before it gets better, but it WILL be worth it! (I should perhaps also add that my husband is pretty busy too!)

This is my heart photo, I took it last week on a photo shoot with the class.

“the Cathedral was enlarged upwards between 1300 and 1320, by the incomparable tower and spire. This development was not unique to Salisbury – the cathedrals in London (old St Paul’s) and Lincoln both had taller spires, if only of timber and lead – but this one has proved the longest-lived, and since the late 16th century has been the tallest in England, standing at 404 ft/123m. ”

— http://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/history/adding-spire

My heart has definitely moved to Salisbury and the cathedral, especially the spire, is the symbol of Salisbury. You can see it from almost everywhere in the city and it acts as a marker or guidepost in the city's life. I choose this photo because I liked the way the birds were juxtaposed with the spire and the black and white really draws attention to this, although I also like the coloured version with the evening sun turning the stone a glorious gold

While I'm here I can't resist adding a picture of the chapter house from the cloisters. This magnificent building houses one of the 4 surviving originals of the Magna Carta

“Magna Carta is famous as a symbol of justice, fairness, and human rights. For centuries it has inspired and encouraged movements for freedom and constitutional government in Britain and around the world. But when it was issued by England’s King John in June 1215 it was an attempt to prevent a civil war between the king and his powerful barons.

Magna Carta means simply ‘big charter’. A charter is a legal document issued by the king or queen which guarantees certain rights. This charter has over 60 clauses, covering many areas of the nation’s life, including the right to a fair trial. It is one of several copies written immediately after King John agreed peace terms with his barons at Runnymede, which were sent around the country as evidence of the king’s decision. Salisbury Cathedral’s copy is one of four which survive from this original issue. It was written in Latin by hand, by an expert scribe, on vellum (preserved animal skin). Medieval documents like this were not signed, but sealed, and at the bottom of our Magna Carta you can see the marks where King John’s seal used to hang.”

— http://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/magna-carta/what-magna-carta

Finally I had to include this - I haven't seen a clerical hat like this in the UK for decades - welcome home Father Brown!

Yes, there is no doubt about it, my heart has definitely moved to Salisbury!

Independence Day

“Where liberty dwells, there is my country”

— Benjamin Franklin

Last week we had some American cousins staying with us and on the days I wasn't working I offered to take them out and about. On Thursday we did Bath and on Friday 4th July it was the turn of Stonehenge and Salisbury.

Stonehenge is in the middle of Salisbury Plain and I love the big skies you find there

Although we had driven past it many times, I had only visited on one other occasion when our school trip stopped off at the stones on the way home to Dorset from London. It was quite magical, the sun was setting and we were able to wander around inside the stones to our hearts' content, it has become a cherished memory.

Later, driving past on frequent trips to visit my parents in Somerset, I saw a large wire perimeter fence had sprung up separating the visitors from the stones - I had no wish to stop as I felt it would only spoil the memory.

Last year, however, English Heritage changed the access to the stones and opened a new visitors' centre as befits a World Heritage Site. The transformation was radical! Gone was the fence, visitors are able to get really close to the stones in some places and, to my great surprise, it was fairly easy to take photographs without hordes of people in them.

It's hard to know if the stones are more impressive in colour or black and white

The stones and the visitors' centre explored, we set off for Salisbury where another stone edifice was the main attraction - the cathedral.

After exploring the main church we set off through the cloisters to the beautiful Chapter House where one of the two original versions of the Magna Carta signed at Runnymede in 1215 is displayed. Again I have only been to Runnymede once, under similar circumstance to my trip to Stonehenge, on the way back from a school trip. We stopped at the Airforce Memorial in the early evening and were infused with such a sense of beauty and peace. Since my visit there a memorial to JFK has been added.

The exhibitions showed links between the Declaration of Independence and Magna Carta and had quotes from various individuals in history who had paved the way to freedom, such as Martin Luther King. I think we all felt it very special to be viewing this historic document on American Independence Day.

“Any people anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up, and shake off the existing government, and form a new one that suits them better. This is a most valuable - a most sacred right - a right, which we hope and believe, is to liberate the world.”

— Abraham Lincoln

A Salisbury Saturday

Last Saturday we headed off to Salisbury for the day - one of our favourite places! First stop was Fisherton Mill ,a local craft centre, for lunch,where we saw this sculptor at work.