Just a quickie to share with you, I stumbled on this sign outside a pub in Totnes at the weekend and had to laugh, hope you do too!
Just one thing girls, get his wallet to a) limit his damage and b) increase your wardrobe.
Category: Travel
Being a tourist in my own county, that’s Devon, the most perfect place!
This weekend a lovely Australian friend came to stay and as it was her first time in Devon we tried to pick some nice spots to take her. First off we hit the city centre, planning to go to the cathedral, remember I posted about it a few weeks ago? A service was about to start so we thought we would come back later. Meanwhile the Cathedral school were holding their summer fete on the green and this is some of what we saw.
We headed through Ship Lane, passing Sir Francis Drakes favourite port of call.
to High street with its carefully restored Tudor buildings
We spent an hour in the welcome air conditioned museum, http://www.rammuseum.org.uk/ recently re-opened after a major refurbishment. At the moment there’s an exhibition of the late James Ravilious, one of my favourite photographers. Coming back to Gandy Street, we were so hot we just had to sit outside Coolings for a half pint of cider! 
there were a few cackling witches hanging around the back alley!
Some surviving parts of the castle
and city wall 
Back down the road we watched some street dance
The cathedral was closed when we got back, but we had a look around the nearby ruins of St Catherine’s Chapel, which date from the mid 15th century and were all but destroyed in the Blitz. 
Our day didn’t end there, we went on to the coast, walked on Cockle sands where the tide was out and had fish and chips on the seafront. Finally we pootled around Topsham for an hour, along Hannaford’s quay to the Goat walk. A super day, glorious sunshine and the lovely Australian had a fab time.
As I have included shots of Exeter’s ancient walls and St Catherine’s here is a few lines from the 8th century Exeter book, the poem ‘Ruin’.
Wrætlic is þes wealstan, wyrde gebræcon;
burgstede burston, brosnað enta geweorc.
Hrofas sind gehrorene, hreorge torras,
hrungeat berofen, hrim on lime,
scearde scurbeorge scorene, gedrorene,
ældo undereotone. Eorðgrap hafað
waldend wyrhtan forweorone, geleorene,
heardgripe hrusan, oþ hund cnea
werþeoda gewitan. Oft þæs wag gebad
ræghar ond readfah rice æfter oþrum,
ofstonden under stormum; steap geap gedreas.
Wonað giet se …num geheapen,
fel on
grimme gegrunden
or if modern English is more your style,
Wondrous is this wall-stead, wasted by fate.
Battlements broken, giant’s work shattered.
Roofs are in ruin, towers destroyed,
Broken the barred gate, rime on the plaster,
walls gape, torn up, destroyed,
consumed by age. Earth-grip holds
the proud builders, departed, long lost,
and the hard grasp of the grave, until a hundred generations
of people have passed. Often this wall outlasted,
hoary with lichen, red-stained, withstanding the storm,
one reign after another; the high arch has now fallen.
The wall-stone still stands, hacked by weapons,
by grim-ground files.
The Sunday Post: Door
It’s Jakes day today and his them for this week is door. Visit him over at http://jakesprinters.wordpress.com/2012/05/26/sunday-post-door/
and maybe join in. Here is my entry, the ‘Door Of No Return’ at Cape Coast, Ghana. For those who aren’t aware, it is at a 17th century castle from where millions of Africans were shipped to America and a life of slavery, never to return. There is nothing I can add.
Travel Theme: Street Markets
Ailsa has set a challenge this week that I couldn’t resist. I love street markets, well any market really 😉 this is taken at Rahba Kedima in Marrakech. It’s a wide square with little shops around the edge selling spices, caged birds, turtles and Argan oil – my main purchase. You can also find all you need for black magic should you so desire! Herbs, leeches, dried scorpions and other bizarre unmentionables, its all here. The centre of the square is occupied by Berber women selling their crafts, baskets of all shapes and sizes and knitted hats, sitting on the ground. I bought several warm, brightly coloured hats, with the intention of wearing them in winter but haven’t so far, there’s a surprise. The women are there until very late at night and are quite pushy with tourists, I imagine they have it pretty tough. These are the spice girls.
For more travel market photos and to join in visit http://wheresmybackpack.com/2012/05/25/street-markets/
Porchester, Ruins Of An English Castle
Porchester castle is on the complex coast around the edge of Hampshire. Built around the 11th century on a site that earlier housed a Roman fort. I visited with my daughter and we couldn’t help wondering about the lives of the many people who had lived there. It had a definite feel, a loud whispering of voices in the total silence. Click on an image for a larger view.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Blue
Les Jardins Majorelle in Marrakech were once owned by Yves St Laurent and his ashes are scattered there. The garden was designed by Jacques Majorelle in the 1920s and 30s and his father, the artist Louis’s name is given to the bright colour of Majorelle Blue. In the heart of the city, it is open to the public and it’s wonderful to arrive by Caleche. The cobalt blue is everywhere around the twelve acre garden and the day I visited the sky was a close match.
These photos are part of the Weekly Photo Challenge here, http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2012/05/14/weekly-photo-challenge-blue/
Totnes and the River Dart
Totnes is a little town in the South Hams where a friend, alluding to it’s alternative population, once said you can see the haze of the wacky baccy floating above as you approach. The name sign on the road from Dartington says it’s twinned with Narnia. Totnes is packed with little hippy shops, second hand bookshops, wholefoods, and cafes to suit everyone, it’s a super place for a pootle. Every alternative therapy known to man can be sampled, needless to say it’s on a ley line.
Before leaving the town centre I had a chat with a lady who runs a geisha house http://www.sarasvati-arts.co.uk/hachisu/index.html she was dressed in a beautiful kimono. One of the alternative therapies on offer is ‘gonging’, where you sit close to one of these and you are immersed in its sound. Excuse the reflections on this photo, but I had to share it, click to open and read about a Pastor offering an unusual service!
Walking down the town we reached the River Dart and had a short walk on the Access for all ‘ path. We met a couple in their 80’s you were having trip down memory lane. They had grown up in Totnes and said that as children their parents had warned them away from the river because they would drown. Needless to say that didn’t stop them from jumping in and swimming around the weir. They weren’t swimming this time, or walking – they had cycled, only around eight miles, not their usual distance of up to thirty!
Further along I took these photos of a canoeist who looked like he was having a great time. On the walk back we found him on the river bank with his canoe deflated. He had parked in Totnes, caught the steam train up to Buckfastleigh, about seven miles, boat in backpack and then paddled downstream. We envied him, it sounds idyllic, but no doubt I, if not friend, would have drowned. I hope you like the sound of Totnes, for further posts about the area click on Dartington in my category cloud and if you click on the first photo a slide show will appear!
The Sunday Post: Work
Jakes theme this week is work and once again he has created a clever animation here http://jakesprinters.wordpress.com/
Here are my work photos.
Rug making in Anatolia, a woman’s work.
Palm oil production in Ghana, the whole family share the work, even very small children.
Building repairs that seem to be shared work.
Rug uh – guarding? a man’s work!
Exeter Cathedral
The word cathedra means seat of a Bishop and the building of Exeter’s began in 1112 on ground that had been used by a religious community since the 7th century. These are the organ pipes, the biggest is 11 metres tall.
The Exeter Astronomical Clock dates from the 15th century and always fascinated me as a child. 
With its complicated workings. 
With angels watching over them, a monument to the 2nd Earl and Countess of Devon, from the 14th century.
A section of tapestry on a bench
and another tomb, this one 19th century, the Macdonalds from the isle of Skye.
An 18th century clergyman
Some little details that I like
This stone screen or pulpitum was built between 1317 and 1325
and the view through is of the Quire.
Above the Quire is the organ in a 17th century case
My favourite part of the cathedral has always been the lady Chapel but today I couldn’t take photos because of a service so this one is courtesy of © Copyright Neil Kennedy and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence
A view of the pulpit with the organ in the background
and the detail of the pulpit
Looking high
Some ceiling bosses
The West Front Window
and I saved the best until last, the vault was created as a vision of heaven in the Tierceron style. St Peters has the longest continuous medieval vault in the world, around 96 metres.
So what do you think of Exeter’s glorious cathedral?
I’m adding this photo for http://beeblu.wordpress.com/category/home/ sorry its not very good but you can read a little more about the clock!
Weekly Photo Challenge: Sun
A really difficult one this week because I usually delete photos like this as being too bleached out!
Lucid Gypsy 