Sunday 30 October 2016

Autumn -and- Arundel

Rows of autumn splendour at Cowdray Estates, West Sussex


At last it's here. Or not.

As this blog post will show, autumn has indeed arrived in south-east England - at least in terms of colours. However I am still miserably awaiting autumn weather. Here we are, about to head into November, and every day we have temperatures in the mid-to-high teens, with overnight pretty much the same.

At least this week has seen a couple of foggy mornings, but honestly - I am so fed up with wearing the same summer / early autumn clothes, particularly after such a lengthy summer. Attention weather gods: Give us some goddamned frost! Send us some chilly days!



Winkworth Arboretum



Strawberry Tree at Winkworth Arboretum


Tunnels of... gold-green


A blaze of gold at Winkworth Arboretum


Belted Galloway on Ranmore Common, Dorking

Despite my dissatisfaction with the mercury we have been heading out to make the most of the autumn colour, both locally and slightly further afield.

Cooper beeches, maples, oaks, ash, sumachs and the occasional dazzling display of virginia creeper - I love them all. 



The parish church at Holmbury St Mary


The church tower, Holmbury St Mary


Autumn funghi at Leith Hill


Yes, folks - that's a mushroom - with Kevin's hand showing the scale


Being out and about in the beautiful Surrey countryside is helping me cope with the stresses of my current job because, yes folks, Maree has done it again - managed to find a job in an environment that was supposed to be low-stress, but it has turned out to be anything but.

I am working for a children's charity and although the people are very nice, I joined at a time of fairly major change. Within about a month of me starting the HR department had three people leave (one of whom was not replaced for two months, and another still hasn't been replaced), and another head off on five weeks' leave to get married. My boss also announced her resignation. As the only remaining full-time employee in a team of about 15 people I was burdened with picking up the slack. I'm a very team-oriented person and was more than happy to help out but after nearly three months of working 10, 11 and 12-hour days I have had enough.



The Five Arch Bridge at Painshill Park, Cobham




Treehouse at Painshill Park



'Mellow fruitfulness' - at Painshill Park



The view from The Gothic Temple, Painshill Park


The Ruined Abbey, Painshill Park


Last week I reached crisis point but after discussions with two of my bosses I'm hopeful things will now change - they have put in place some measures which have already relieved the pressure a little, so we'll see.

I was encouraged to take a couple of days off last week, to recharge the batteries, and as it's half-term (yes, Kevin is on holiday AGAIN) we decided to head down to the beautiful and historic market town of Arundel.


Arundel Castle looms over the town

This lovely West Sussex town is situated in the beautiful South Downs, on the River Arun. I'm sure it's charming in summer and spring too, but the glories of autumn were so impressive I think we picked the ideal time of year to visit.

Arundel Castle is renowned, and with good reason. It is seriously HUGE and looms over the town together with Arundel Cathedral.

Amazing history, beautiful countryside, cute little boutiques, antiques stores, eateries, incredible walking trails... this place has got the lot. It's only about 30km from Brighton and 16km from Chichester, which my readers will remember from a few blog posts ago.



About to start the Arundel Park Walk
[photo by Kevin Joy]












Pretty pastel houses just one street back from the River Arun


How's this for a portico and front door?


We stayed in a little self-contained Air B&B cottage, situated in the garden of a 500-year-old thatched, box-framed Tudor cottage in Wepham - a small hamlet about five minutes' drive outside Arundel.

So quiet, great views and a cocker spaniel puppy - it was a lovely spot with a large, rambling garden and an ancient well. 

We do constantly wonder where these people get their money to be able to afford such properties... do they all have gigantic mortgages and never expect to pay them off completely? Are they all in high-paying city jobs? Did they inherit?



Looking back towards the town of Arundel from Burpham


Our Air B&B accommodation - The Garden Room in Wepham


Our accommodation was part of Thomas Cottage -
a 500-year-old thatched, box-framed Tudor cottage


Our accommodation came complete with Cocker Spaniel puppy


The cottage next-door


We took our time ambling down to Arundel, taking the scenic route through the South Downs.

Arriving mid afternoon, after checking in at the cottage we just mooched around Arundel, looking at the antiques stores and beautiful houses, visiting the tourist information centre and planning a full program of exploration for the following day.


Avenues of gold in Arundel


On top of Arundel Park, high above the town


Hiorne Tower, constructed in 1790

Door in Hiorne Tower - see the next photo for detail

This door was made for repelling enemies - yikes!





The sun came out briefly, illuminating the autumn foliage
[photo by Kevin Joy]


After a leisurely breakfast we happily did about six hours of walking on Friday.

First we took a circular route that ran from the castle to Swanbourne Lake through beautiful woodland, then up a fairly steep climb to Arundel Park which sits above the town, and back down through the town to the castle.

Then we spent three hours exploring the castle and its amazing grounds. We were fortunate to be catching the last of the summer blooms as well as the colours of autumn.



The Courtyard, Arundel Castle
[photo by Kevin Joy]


Just look at those colours!
[photo by Kevin Joy]


The Keep, Arundel Castle




The view from The Keep, Arundel Castle


View from The Keep over the town, with the River Arun in the background


Kevin in the Collector Earl's Garden, Arundel Castle

Arbour in The Collector Earl's Garden


Last of the dahlias in The Collector Earl's Garden, Arundel Castle
(with Cathedral Church of Our Lady and St Philip Howard behind)


The Dancing Crown Fountain inside Oberon's Palace, Arundel Castle
- the crown is supported solely by a jet of water, and it spins around as if by magic!




Whilst I am hoping not to be living in the London borough of Epsom indefinitely it really is a fantastic location - we are in reach of so many beautiful places, within an hour or two of driving. Will we ever run out of gorgeous towns to visit? It seems not. We've been here well over two years now and there is still plenty to discover.








Until next time,
- Maree  xo

Sunday 23 October 2016

Post-summer rambling

Orchids in early Autumn sunlight - our flat, Winchester House


Just a quick post to reassure my readers that I am still exploring the delights of south-east England, despite the blog being a bit quiet of late. 

After the more challenging pace of summer we've been patiently waiting for Autumn and its more leisurely pace. Correction: Kevin's been patient, I have been turning the air blue with protestations something along the lines of :

When is this goddamned warm weather going to bloody-well end?!

We are still occasionally having temperatures in the high teens throughout the day and although our thermostat has started triggering the heating for brief periods at night or early morning, winter seems a long way off yet.

The house at Polesden Lacey, one of our favourite National Trust properties


Woodland at Polesden Lacey


Autumn berries at Polesden Lacey

All the same it is a beautiful time of year - with the light softened, the hedges bountiful with berries, and the leaves starting to turn.

And with the fruit come the deer - beautiful, soft-eyed creatures with twitching little tails and coats of velvet. Our excitement when we see them on our lawn, or in the woods on our walks, is not lessened for the regularity of the sight.

The last couple of months have also provided diversions of a more metropolitan nature. 






360 degrees of Björk
[image courtesy of http://coshamie.com/]
Last month I caught up with my former colleagues at the Australian High Commission, and friend Julianne and I took the opportunity to cross the street to Somerset House where the incredible artistry of Icelandic pixie Björk is on display in the form of a digital exhibition.

I've been a fan of hers since the days of the Sugar Cubes, and saw her live in Australia back in the mid 90s. 

This exhibition is incredible -  it includes groundbreaking 360-degree filmwork shot in the highlands of Iceland, and an amazing virtual reality experience which you view through a virtual reality headset. I wish I'd visited a second time as it finished today, having been sold out for many weeks.

St Paul's Cathedral, opposite the pathway to the Milennium Bridge

A couple of weekends ago we spent the day in town enjoying a free breakfast in Sloane Square (all those TripAdvisor reviews are paying off), followed by a visit to Brixton to see the David Bowie mural.


Breakfast in Sloane Square




I am still grieving daily for Bowie. His death was so unexpected to all but his most intimate circle, and I am struggling to come to terms with it. His artistry has been a presence for the entirety of my life and it is difficult to believe that he is no more.


The David Bowie memorial wall in Brixton







Electric Avenue, Brixton



After visiting Brixton we took a jaunt to Camden which we hadn't visited for some years. Wow - crowded! The market was in full swing and the Lock full of boats. It's very touristy but there's so much to see.


Camden Town















Finally, that evening, we met up with friends Roy and Tracey for a pub meal followed by a very rare live performance by Thomas Lang. Roy introduced me to his music back in the early 1990s - it's sort of jazz-tinged pop and he has a very distinctive, smokey voice that lends itself well to contemporary music as well as the jazz standards.

The concert was great - Thomas' voice as good as it ever was - and he so seldom plays live that it was a real privilege to be there.


Regent's Canal, Islington

For the last couple of weekends we've taken advantage of slightly-too-warm-for-me Autumn weather, going for long rambles to make the most of this all too brief season.

I have been working very long hours for the past 7-8 weeks so in fact have not had much energy for anything more challenging.




Autumn in the vines at Denbies Vineyard, Dorking


I'll reserve my Autumn pictures for another post, save for the shots above which were taken at Denbies Vineyard in nearby Dorking in early October.

I'm hoping the frosts will have arrived by the time I write again.

Until next time,
- Maree  xo