Windows: Greenway and Tyneham

Looking through the wibbly-wobbly glass of the magnificent greenhouse at Greenway House back in March.

The greenhouse sits in a peaceful walled garden looking onto the croquet lawn

Another view catching shadows on the inside

and in contrast,

the windows from inside the old stables at the lost village of Tyneham

seen on a recent visit with Master R and Little Miss M.

I sat and crocheted at the picnic table outside while the children played a wonderful game of make-believe in the stables and barns

Have you spotted any windows of interest?

We meet here on the first Tuesday of every month to share photos of windows we have found.

Whether ancient or modern, each window tells a story.

Leave a link in the comments, any time this month, to a new or archive post – all welcome.

Advertisement

Worbarrow Bay Blanket

Last year, in April, I was in a quandry about which colours to use in my Coastal Cosy blanket – and you dear readers helped me out – pinks or no pinks that was the question.

I finished the blanket back in the Autumn, but have been waiting for a suitable sunny day to take it to the beach for its Ta Dah! moment.

Yesterday was the day and we went on a fabulous walk at Tyneham before getting to the beach

there was a bit of resistance to climbing that hill but after seeing this sign

chatting about exploding cows got us to the top

walking through coconut scented gorse bushes towards Flowers Barrow and looking inland at Lulworth Castle

and then the most glorious view of the steep descent to the beach

oh my aching knees! but Oh! it was so worth it.

The blanket had found exactly the right place to be photographed

and because it went so beautifully with the colours there, it has been re-named the Worbarrow Bay Blanket.

Master R and Little Miss M were happy to help me with the photo shoot.

and came up with some novel ideas of their own …

blanket angels

“we are a rock”

“it would look good on this rock over here Granny”

and then back to hunting for sea glass

our haul after about an hour and a half

tiny pieces of treasure.

We walked 3.8 miles bringing the total number of miles walked by Little Miss M and me to 65 of our 500 mile target.

More details of the colour order and the edging of the Worbarrow Bay Blanket to follow in a future post.

Edit

In case you would like to visit Tyneham and Worbarrow – here are the Opening times for this year.

Click on any photo to see it full screen.

 

Flake

Hi there! and Welcome to our Photographic Monthly Meet-Up, held on the first Tuesday of each month. The prompt for this month is FLAKE.

A favourite terracotta vessel I painted a few years ago  is flaking nicely

The next 4 photos were taken of flaking paint on beach huts at Church Ope Cove on Portland

I would love to be able to do a colour analysis of this photos – to me they would all make wonderful colour palettes for a crochet blanket, or a knitted Fairisle jumper.

If you know of a free website or app that would pick out the colours for me I’d love to have the link.

The next two photos were taken on the island of La Gomera in January 2008

Nearly good enough as a piece of art to hang on the wall:

Last week I went for a visit to Tyneham and Worbarrow with my daughter and her children – one of our favourite destinations for a summer’s day.

The children are fascinated by the ruined buildings and the old school room

The door to the School and its window fit the theme

Then on to the barn where there is an old theatre, with flaking scenery paint on the barn wall

 

Click on any picture to see it in more detail.

I have gone for flaking paint but I’m looking forward to seeing where the prompt has taken you.

All entries are welcome, both archive and current, just leave a link in the comments below any time up until next month’s prompt kicks in.

 

Next month’s prompt is

CASE.

16 for 2016: May

These are the targets I have set myself for 2016, inspired by Cathy.

16 WALKS (of more than an hour)

6 done, ten to go.

Three this month – that feels better.

1. In Seaton, Devon I walked from the caravan site where I was staying with a friend, taking in the hide in the Nature Reserve and then into town and up the hill to the Labyrinth,

walking the labyrinth to the centre and out again and then walking the geological time line…..back around the Nature Reserve taking in the lake and back to the caravan for a cuppa, a crochet and a relaxing half hour of jigsaw.

The view from the caravan picture window – what a view!

2. Tyneham

A walk with my daughter and 5 of my grandchildren in one of our favourite places

3. Golden Cap

Gosh, looking again at the photos of these walks I feel so blessed to be living in such a beautiful county.

15 HANDMADE GREETINGS CARDS

9 done, 6 to go

I went to a friend’s Maypole Dancing Birthday Party – Fun!

Card for Sophie made on Festisite

14 NEW ITEMS IN MY ETSY SHOP

3 done, 11 to go

No progress made on this one in May

13 SWIMS

8 done, 5 to go.

Only 1 in May

12 GARDEN POSTS

5 done, 7 to go.

I’m keeping up with the EOMV posts. I’m enjoying recording how one border develops through the seasons.

11 HAND MADE TOTE BAGS

Zero

BUT…. I am inspired by some African fabric I found on my recent visit to London.

10 TYPES OF HANDMADE BEADS

Zero

9 PIECES OF TEXTILE ART (started)

2 started, 7 to go

8 MORNINGS of SORTING and STORING

1 done, 7 to go.

I think this is going to be my toughest challenge, I watch myself doing anything to avoid it. Prevaricate, prevaricate, prevaricate! Help!

7 PAINTINGS (or other pieces of art)

Zero

6 BUS RIDES (using my bus pass)

2 done, 4 to go

1 in May: my sister and I hopped on the bus home from the Chelsea Flower Show. She was all for taking a taxi but I persuaded her to go on the bus so that I could notch up another ride for this challenge. We were so glad we did, there was a marvellous festival feel on the bus with many from the show travelling with us.

So many of the shop windows and restaurants we passed had Chelsea themed displays which we could see from our elevated position on the bus. It rounded off a fabulous day perfectly – hurray for the 16 for 16 challenge! So many positive benefits.

5 NEW TYPES OF EXERCISE TRIED

4 done, 1 to go

So far I have tried Pilates, Belly Dancing, a Dance Class, a Zumba-like class.

4 NEW PATTERNS for my ETSY SHOP

Zero

3 MASSAGES

One

2 WAYS TO HELP REFUGEES

Zero

For now I am going to have to stick to crocheting ‘Squares for Blankets‘, but I am still on the look out for a suitable trip to make.

1 NOVEL READ

Zero

Still 2 false starts.

0 BEADS BOUGHT

Zero

Despite being very tempted by some African Beads in the Petticoat Lane area in London. If I was not doing this challenge, I would definitely have bought some – but I have a huge stash from my jewellery making days – I must NOT buy more!

Thank you Cathy for this inspiration. I have set aside today to move forward on some of these to get them out of ZERO status.

Photo Challenge Round-Up: FERN

Unfurling fronds in the woods at Tyneham, a most magical place with an intriguing history.

Yesterday was one of those especially memorable days. My daughter and I took the 5 Dorset grandchildren to Tyneham where they could play amongst the ruined houses, see how schools used to be in times gone by, walk to the beach, and through the woods. Hours of happy time together in one of our favourite places.

Frond photo friends this week in our weekly Photo Challenge:

Jane at Rainbow Junkie……. …………….. …..detail

Cathy at Nanacathy…….. ……. …………….magenta

 me at Wild Daffodil……… …… ……… …6 ferns

⭐️ Denis at Haiku Hound…….. ……….. ….   munch

Jen at Let the Sewing Begin ……….. ….. …… …..lush

Christina A Look at the Little Things ……. …….spiral

Dorris at Dig with Dorris ………… ……..Pteridomania

 

The 💜 denotes a post that is also joining in with Ronovan’s Haiku Challenge – it’s fun to combine the two.

⭐️ denotes a photo with a poem or haiku, not including the haiku challenge prompt words.

Please let me know if I have forgotten anyone

Thank you everyone for a great group of FERNS

Next up

Frivolous

Hope you have fun with this one. Can’t wait to see the Photos this week.

Here are all the photo prompts listed beautifully by Rainbow Jane, join in any time you like click here to read how.

“She did what she could”

About 20 years ago my Mum and I visited the lost village of  Tyneham – we used to love looking at Epitaphs in graveyards. I did this with my Grandad too, we were interested in the history and making up stories about the lives recorded. Mum said I learnt to read from the gravestones. Apparently I insisted that she helped me to sound out the words of the epitaphs, and I’m still fascinated.

Twenty years ago, we found the gravestone of Priscilla Styles. The wording must have been much easier to read then, as I’m sure I would not have spotted it today. I had remembered the inscription as ‘SHE DID WHAT SHE COULD’.

This photo was taken on a recent walk, you can see more pictures of the walk here and here.                                                                                                          Epitaph: “She hath done what she could”

I have thought about her often in the last 20 years and now with the help of the internet I could find out a little bit of what it was she did:

Priscilla Styles (nee Phippard)

1859: born: Jan, Feb or March, St. George Hanover Square, (Pimlico?) London

1861: Priscilla aged 3, her father died in Pimlico, London. According to the Census, it seems that she then went to live with her maternal Grandmother in Swanage.

1871: aged 12, she ws living with her Grandmother in New Road, Swanage

1881: aged 22, still living with her Grandmother, Mary Phippard, nee Chinchen, in Mill Pond, Swanage, Dorset.

1883: (age24) married 7.March, Parish church, Swanage to Henry Thomas Thorn Styles (Thomas was born 1858 in ‘Union’ – Langton Matravers. son of John Trim and Emily Styles, 5 siblings, some with surname Trim)

1887: (age28) 17.Aug. Amy Louise born in Swanage. (Amy died Dec. 1973 in Waltham Forest, London)

1889: (aged 30) 5.Aug. Freda May Priscilla born in Hill Bottom Coast Guard station, Dorset. (Freda died 9.Feb,1970, Enfield, Greater London).

1891: (aged 32), living with husband in (Coast Guard Station) Corfe Castle in April, Emily Violet born, Hill Bottom, Dorset

1896: (aged 37) 3rd June, Dorothy Gertrude Styles born in Lyme Regis (Dorothy died, aged76, in 1972 in Wales)

Mother of 4 daughters: Amy Louise Styles, Freda May Priscilla Styles, Emily Violet Styles and Dorothy Gertrude Styles.

1901: living at No2. Coastguard Station, Worbarrow (Dorothy aged 4)This is a photo on the Worbarrow information board down by the bay. I’m sure Priscilla and/or all or some of her children must be in this picture. Her daughters would have been 13, 11, 9 and 4. I’d love to know which ones they are.  As far as I could tell there is nothing left of these cottages now.

Priscilla died: 24.April.1903, aged 44,  in Coastguard Station, Worbarrow-in-Tyneham, Dorset. Her daughters were aged 16, 14, 12, and 6.

Her husband: Henry Thomas Thorn Styles, was born at Studland in 1858, and after Priscilla died, he went on to marry Martha Minnie White on 1.Aug.1904 in Tyneham, and had 3 boys: 1905, William, 1906 Roland, and 1908 George all born in Swanage.                                                                                                      Thomas died aged 66 in 1925 in royal Naval Hospital Portland.                              In 1881, 2 years before marrying Priscilla, he was in the Royal Navy.

I would so love to be able to share this with my Mum, she is 86 and has Alzheimers and would not have a clue what I was talking about. My Mum is Welsh and known as Mamgu (mam-gee, with a hard G), Welsh for Granny. Miss E says she thinks “Mamgu’s brain has fallen over sideways”, a good way of putting it!

I am still intrigued to know more about what prompted the words on Priscilla’s epitaph and why she died aged 44. I wonder if I will ever discover more.

If you would like to know more about Tyneham, there are quite a few You Tube clips with interviews of the villagers and walks round the village.

Tyneham Village

……..having walked to the beach and climbed the cliffs we went back through the woods to the village, now mostly in ruins (the story of Tyneham) here is the old Rectory with its abandoned gardens – croquet on the lawn anyone?We could imagine the vicar walking to church past his ponds, and wondering if he and his wife planted the snowdrops.The church still stands with poignant reminders of ancient families uprooted

and loss and then this oh so cute kneeler. I came to Tyneham about 20 years ago with my Mum, we used to love reading epitaphs in graveyards and found a grave stone here on which was written ‘she did what she could’ – at least this is how I remembered it. My Mum and I had had a good chuckle about this, we did not know what she had done, or not done, but she did what she could.  I remembered it was behind the church and to the left ….. had I remembered correctly would I find it? …….. YES! Here it is! Priscilla Styles, died in 1903, aged 44. The inscription actually says “She hath done what she could”. I was so pleased to find her again! (With the wonders of the internet I have since been able to find out a bit more about what she did – more of that another day).The School has been preserved with charming examples of pupils work on the desks a page from the teacher’s diary and empty coat pegs in the entrance. Such a strong mix of thoughts and emotions, mingling with ghosts and memories of a small, fairly isolated, busy seaside community. It is a peaceful setting on a sunny day, surrounded by beauty, a really fabulous place for a walk or a picnic – but for us a delicious pub lunch at the Weld Arms in East Lulworth, sitting out in the sunshine on a Sunday in February    ……………..      and home to watch a wonderful sundown from my bedroom window, feeling full of gratitude for where I live.

If you are as interested in Epitaphs as me and my Mum (and her Dad) there are a few more on my Dec 2012 post of a Winter Solstice Walk

Wednesday Walk-Along at Worbarrow

Lost village, beautiful beach, poignant experience ….

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Ramsons (wild garlic) peeping up beside the path to the beach majestic sweep of Worbarrow Bay looking back towards the village view from the cliff topback through the woods to Tyneham village ……….
a village that was cleared of its inhabitants just before Christmas in 1943 to use that area for training troops. It must have been SO hard to leave this beautiful place and although the villagers were told they could return after the War, they were never allowed to. After we had walked to the beach we went and explored the village ……… (to be continued)

Here are some more walks to enjoy: Above the River in the Cotswolds, Alistair at Still Walks in Wales, Janette at Green Dragonfly in New Zealand, Melissa at Aran Artisan in Ireland,