There and Back

This year marks 100 years from the end of the horrors of the First World War. No, we don't learn do we, because we went to war again 20 years later! Commemorations were being marked in numerous countries, and the UK in particular marked the occasion in many, and varied ways. Being a small community, our commemorations centered around the local church, and the huge efforts of the volunteers gave us a memorable, and frankly outstanding display. From the display on the railings outside .... ...to the entrance door ..... .... and then as you entered and looked toward the East end Walking down the aisle, the effect of the Altar Poppy curtain increases. Until the full effect is apparent when you stand in front of the altar. Even better with the soldier standing beside it. The cascade from the pulpit The pews were adorned with more hand knitted poppies - A good touch I thought. And last, but not least, the Font. A...

The displays around the district were also a poignant reminder of the suffering and loss of life in the Great War - still remembered 100 years on. They ranged from the simplistic but effective display in Raydon, to the huge 21000+ poppy display in Sudbury. The beautiful, simple display of Raydon Church.  The amazing cascade in Sudbury. A cascade of more than 21,000 knitted and crocheted poppies covering the local church, many of which were donated from all over the world.  While I was dodging traffic to get my photograph , this rainbow appeared behind the church.  I wonder what he would have made of it all?  This display in the Castle Park, Colchester, features willow sculptures and a floral World War One tank, and incorporates over 11,000 plants. It is the town`s commemoration of the centenary of the end of World War One, as well as remembering the town’s important role during the conflict, when up to 20,000 soldiers wer...

Thursday started as an easy morning looking, and finding, a local Geocache with Izobelle and Rosey. Afterwards we went for coffee and cake to the Duchy Coffee shop near by. It had looked very tempting from the outside and we were not disappointed. Coffee and cake digested, on the way back I took a picture of St Bartholomew Church near the house. The present church at Lostwithiel was mainly built around 1300, though first mentioned in about 1220. Before this, Lostwithiel inhabitants had to climb the steep hill to Lanlivery or go down river to St Winnow to worship. Built in the Early English (or first Gothic) style when the town was a prosperous river port, Lostwithiel church stood at the top of a medieval triangular marketplace. The Duchy Palace and river crossing were at the lower end of this space.  Most Cornish churches were enlarged in the late medieval and Tudor period when the tin industry started to generate wealth, but not Lostwithiel. A new churchyard cr...

Wednesday was earmarked for a trip to the Eden Project - amazing to see the changes since last here. I believe there were just the two main Biomes. People were pouring in when we arrived on a beautiful sunny day. We wandered around many of the educational areas which kept Izobelle (and the rest of us) thoroughly amused. It really is well laid out and caters for all ages with its displays. Took a few images of the area to try and convey the size of the place. History:  The clay pit in which the project is sited was in use for over 160 years. In 1981, the pit was used by the BBC as the planet surface of Magrathea in the 1981 TV series of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. By the mid-1990s the pit was all but exhausted. The initial idea for the project dates back to 1996, with construction beginning in 1998. The work was hampered by torrential rain in the first few months of the project, and parts of the pit flooded as it sits 15 m (49 ft) below the water table.  ...