detail from the easton neston gate

 

croggan late coade ... i believe the formula for coade stone was lost and never re-discovered

all four foot eight of mavis ferguson-butler blocking out my light at clodock church

The guidebook to the church tells an interesting story as to how Clydawg became a martyr.

'Our crowned Prince Clydawg, now King or Ruler of Ewias, was out hunting one day (according to the Book of Llandaff) and amongst those hunting with him was one who was jealous of his relationship with a lady friend.

In his jealousy he killed Clydawg.

On the day of his burial the two oxen carrying him refused to cross a ford and the yoke between them broke.

He was buried, therefore, near the bank of the river.

Such an act of murder made Clydawg, because of his godly life, a martyr'.

A Celtic 'Llan' or church was set up around his tomb and later a wooden church would have been built on the site, to be replaced with a stone church sometime in the 11th century.

stormy weather over southwark bridge

 

mister butler's lamp

 

a red bull in herefordshire ...

 

... master of all he surveys

 

clodock churchyard lettering (one)

 

clodock churchyard lettering (2)

 

clodock churchyard lettering (3)

The script reads :

How short is life how sure is death Our days alas are few
This mortal life is but a breath; Tis like the morning dew

interior of the church at clodock

 

the vicar of clodock demands cash instead of kind

tucked away in a dark corner of clodock church ... set in stone ... the vicar repudiates the old tithes and the courts award him cash ... he must have been rarther unpopular ... and he can't have been short of cash if he could afford this carving extravaganza

to read the text for yourself, click once on the picture for an enlargement, then again on the enlargement icon when it appears at the bottom right corner

this article has been published subsequently ...

http://www.ewyaslacy.org.uk/doc.php?d=nw_clo_3004

... and furthermore ...

 

... and was this symbol of peace meant to fit on the top ?

 

mavis ferguson-butler, aged ninety-something, but livelier than ever when she sniffs a bookshop

richard booth at hay-on-wye ... books bought anywhere in the world

 

the view toward the brecon beacons from hay common

 

the vale of ewyas

 

the tiny church of saint mary magdalene at capel-y-ffin

 

... in a deep valley ...

 

... shaded in a grove of ancient yew trees

 

madehurst church

madehurst church has unbelievably old bells

when the bell tower was restored it was discovered that the original wooden church tower is encased within the ancient stone tower

 

this is the pub that is right next door to the brewery ... the spreadeagle is across the road

 

old york road in wandsworth

while i was taking this picture at about quarter past four this morning, i was approached by a man wearing an orange railway worker's jacket who had a lifetime's stink of drink about him ... in fact it preceeded his arrival at my side

he asked first if i had a car jack, which was odd because i was riding a bicycle, and then if i could lend him the bus fare to vauxhall

i lied, uncharitably

cyclists eye-view of west hill in wandsworth