Wendens Ambo in Watercolour

Something I had planned to do for a very long time.I painted this watercolour of Wendens Ambo about 12 years ago. I copied it from a photograph belonging to my then art teacher. I had always wanted to find the village and take my own photograph but just never got around to it.

On the day we drove through Newport (last post) I did just that. Wendens Ambro is about 2 miles away and a 5 minute detour off the road.

The trees are in fuller leaf

And the cottages have been repainted

And there are a couple of cars - but apart from that I think I have a good reproduction

I have been playing around with the new 'updated editor' here but it won't do what I want it to do!

Newport Village,Essex

It takes longer to get home when one is a blogger!! We were driving through the village of Newport in our County of Essex on our way home from a day out recently when it struck me how interesting the houses were. Before I became a blogger I would just drive through these places without a second thought, but not now. Everything becomes posting material.

Poor Alan! Here you see him in the first picture finding something to read while sitting waiting in the car while I wander down the High Street taking pictures.

Built 1692

A lovely cottage but the railway line is almost overhead

The White Horse Pub

A few shops

Quite a window feature The Toll House for an ancient toll bridge

Basildon Park

Here we have a peep at Basildon Park. It is the Palladian mansion featured in the recent film adaption of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It was built in 1776-83 by John Carr for francis Sykes who made his fortune in India. The interior is notable for it's original delicate plaster work and elegant staircase, as well as for the unusual Octagon room. The house fell on hard times early in the last century, but was rescued by Lord and Lady Lliffe who filled it with fine pictures and furniture. I thought it worthwhile stopping for lunch there as we were in the area.

Photograph from the house during filming

Sunshine in October

What does one do when the sun shines in October! Well if you are 78 in a few weeks like Alan, you are up a ladder painting the house.

If you are my son Peter, you are taking a trip up the Amazon at Manaus in Brazil

If you are Oliver you are learning French when not charging around on your scooter

If you are Becca then you are growing fast

As for 'yours truly', I am eating,roasting,cooking, chopping and freezing tomatoes (amongst other things you understand) as we have had such a good crop this year and with a sunny and mellow Autumn just now I may be doing this for a while yet.

Luke 10:22

All things are delivered unto me of my Father – Luke 10:22


Lets have a break in our travels for some spiritual inspiration. Everyone of us has times when life is hard and questions, and maybe even doubts creep in. I know that I have to remind myself at times that God has my best interests at heart and take a faith stand against any condemnation that might rear it's ugly head as I struggle with one issue or another. In browsing through my files I came upon this word written by a Pastor in Florida who was speaking at a conference that I was attending back in the mid-nineties.



Ask the crucified One who authored His death, and He will reply, “My Father.”
If crucified by the will of God, as horrifying as the experience was, it must end in triumph. That which comes to us by the hand of God must end in triumph!
“The fullness of joy is to behold God in everything!”

Seen rightly, even pain and suffering are agents of God’s steadfast love, escorting us into glory. He will expose our inadequacies, but only to reveal Himself as our adequacy. He will identify our weaknesses, so His strength might become ours by experience.

When we begin to see life with God at the centre, we have ears to hear Him say,

“I dug your pits of fear, in order to intimately fill you with my perfect love. I dashed your house of dreams, to personally build your house of life on unshakeable reality. I meant your hellish despair, it drove you into my heavenly hope. I caused you to experience that haunting hollowness of heart….so you might be filled, intimately and personally filled, with My Life.”

Taken from, “One in Christ” newsletter by Steve Pettit

Malmesbury,Wiltshire Pt.14

Malmesbury is one of the oldest continually inhabited sites in the country, dating back to the 7th Century. The Abbey and town sit on the top of a hill and it was interesting as we climbed the steps below the abbey, each step had a plaque depicting some historical relevance to the town and abbey. I photographed these two as we climbed the steps.

941 Athelstan,King of England dies at Gloucester and is buried in Malmesbury Abbey having given King's Heath to the men of Malmesbury forever

1539 Henry the eighth sells the abbey to William Stumpe, an "exceding rich Clothiar"

The abbey ruins surround the part of the building that is still in use as a parish church today

The Inn right next door would have been used as a stopping place for pilgrims

The tomb of King Athelstan

The abbey's position in the centre of town

Abb*ey Hou*se Gard*ens,Wiltshire Pt.13

This 5 acre garden is located in the heart of Malmesbury's historic town centre. There are over 10,000 different species of trees and plants in this beautiful setting beside the unique and dramatic backdrop of the world famous Malmesbury Abbey. This site has 1300 years of recorded history and is set on the top of an ancient hilltop. The Abbot's house was once part of the Benedictine Monastry and the resting place of Athelstan, the first King of all England.

This is a private garden belonging to Ian and Barbara Poll*ard who bought the manor and garden just 12 years ago and turned it from a wilderness to the amazing and beautiful place it is today in 10 years. Alan Titchmarsh, one of our well known TV gardening personalities says, "The Wow! factor is here in abundance".

For myself, I have visited some of the most beautiful gardens in the country, but it was the diversity of this garden, developed within just 5 acres with so many different areas and styles, and developed in such a short time.. The top gardens are all in a formal layout with the river gardens adorning the slopes down to the river and its surrounding areas.

A little history
The site once belonged to the Benedictine Monastery founded in the 7th century.
The monastery, in its prime, was the third most important religious centre in England, after Canterbury and Winchester.

William of Malmesbury, considered by some to be one of 'the Fathers of English history, alongside the Venerable Bede, was instrumental in building up a library for Malmesbury Abbey, which became famous across Europe.

Willian of Coherne (1260-1296) enlarged the built complex. He constructed a new Abbot's lodging for himself (later used as the foundation for the 16th century house), a lady chapel and an herbarium on this site alone.

A timber spine (taller than Salisbury Cathedral's tower now) once rose above the tower of The Great Cresssing (1st photo). It collapsed around the end of the 15th century.

The Yew hedging planted on the upper level of the garden deliniates part of the lady chapel plan.

It's now time to come with me and just enjoy the garden. I'll take you to The Abbey and town in the next post.

Yes, Alan stopped and made a few moves!

All monasteries had their Carp ponds for fresh fish and this one was restored alongside the tearoom

We have now left the formal gardens and are making our way down the paths to the river gardens

The gardens, sheltered by the hillside and abbey, has it's own micro-climate so that exotic plants can be grown here

We are now back up the hill and on our way out, for the second time today. We came back after wandering around the town and Abbey.

And pass this statue on leaving