Arundel Art Trail and a Hedgerow Harvest

It has been a busy week.

Monday was very special because I went with Jenny Stacy http://jenny-handmadehappiness.blogspot.com/ to view the art and high quality crafts along the Arundel Art Trail. There were so many venues to visit but Andy Waite's new work, mostly interpretations of the South Downs around here, obviously caught my eye. See more here http://andywaite.sussexart.com/ and we were both taken by Gilly McFadden's superb colour palate in her watercolour 'stripes' and beautifully executed screen pints. We both voted for her work to win the Derek Davis Prize. After 3 hours of visiting the 47 houses that had hosted artists work, we were both pretty tired!

The rest of the week has been spent gathering as much as I can from the hedgerows for wine and jam making. The blackberries along the Wiggonholt walk have been fantastic this year. I picked enough for a gallon of blackberry wine and my Stopham walk yielded enough for 2 1/2 gallons of elderberries wine. I must have picked 16 lbs of blackberries - some for wine and the rest for Blackberry and Apple jam with a few pounds in the freezer for fruit crumbles during the winter. I only saw the Wiggonholt Church Vicar & his wife picking blackberries, it seems crazy that people are buying punnets of blackberries in Tescos when the lanes are overloaded with fruit for free.

My favorite bramble bush. I think the huge berries are a cultivated variety that has escaped over the walled garden at Wiggonholt

Charlie the hound patiently waits while I pick, sometimes helping himself to the fruit on lower brambles or occasionally seeking out nice rabbit smells in the undergrowth.

Many thanks to Jenny for her lovely Bonne Maman jam jars to refill and to the Master Craftsman for his assiduous cleaning and sterilising of the wine making equipment.

More wood

Having not been in the Workshop for a few days I spent the morning finishing the largest of the Wild Service Tree serving boards. I have decided to give them all a fine coat of varnish as the wood is quite soft and is liable to stain. Now I have six WST boards in stock, together with the Beech wood cheese board and the Hornbeam chopping block.

This afternoon I went over to Wests at Selham, I spent a small Premium Bond win on a Sycamore round - 13 inch and a smaller 12 inch English Oak round as I would like to see what this would be like to work. Having paid for these I couldn't resist temptation so went back into the wood store. I was really after a large piece of oak to create a board a bit like Jamie Oliver's Tablet board http://www.jamieoliver.com/jme/kitchen/info/tablet-wood-chopping-board-large/100029.html but there wasn't anything wide enough.

However I saw a pile of Ash wood squares so bought another piece. The Ash had been air dried so hopefully this won't warp. It still has the bark on and is nice and chunky. I will think about how to treat this. Shall I take the bark off or carefully remove it and stick it back on after finishing the block? Decisions.

I am building up enough boards and blocks so that I can have a stall - possibly at a West Chiltington Farmer's Market who have crafts as well as produce.

Photostoryette - Part 3

The tiny hamlet of Wiggonholt is in the middle of the 3 1/2 mile walk. It has a Manor House, a large Rectory divided in the 1950's into residences and a few farm buildings, some also converted into dwellings. Wiggonholt lies just off the busy A283 between Storrington and Pulborough. Church Lane leads down to the little church which, unusually, has not been dedicated to a Saint. The delightfully wooded churchyard is a profusion of primroses in the spring and wild flowers are left un-mown in the summer. Entry is under an oak lytch-gate. The church itself is a simple structure dating from the late 12th or early 13th centuries with a porch and bell tower. As Pevsner records in the ' Buildings of Sussex' the font is late Norman and made of polished Sussex marble called locally 'Winklestone' which was quarried near Kirdford . (Most Sussex churches have a slab somewhere, often as the front door step). The interior of the church is astonishingly well preserved. Other items of interest include its fine wooden roof, 17th century Jacobean altar rails and two medieval ‘Mass dials’ on the south west corner outside - sun-dials used to time Sunday services in the days before clocks.

There are services on the first and third Sundays of the month. There is no electricity here and in winter it is lit by candles and oil lamps. I was somewhat saddened to read that there is a meeting to discuss if planning permission should be sought for electricity to be brought to the church.

Passing the church we turn north, over a stile and head back towards the North Brooks.

Here the line of the old Roman Causeway that crossed over the water meadows can be seen heading west towards Stoney Crossing and Hardham Mansio. The wetlands and artificial 'scrapes' are alive with summer waders. Periodically, Lapwing rise in display flights calling to mates with their Peewit cries.

Walking on , in front of picturesque Banks Cottage which has magnificent views over the famous North Brooks scrapes I am curious to know more about the route as we walk up towards the A283. I am conjecturing that this was originally a Drove Way for stock brought off the hills at Springhead Down, through Rackham and over Wiggonholt Common.

The route was called the Parish Path and divides Parham and Wiggonholt Parishes. It is raised above the old winter flood levels and bounded either side with wind arresting hedges. To test the theory that this passable at high waters, we tried to walk along this road last winter. Unfortunately the waters were exceptionally high and still rising above the path at a rate of 3 inches in 20 minutes and so it was not possible to continue. The cause was that the River Stor had breached its banks. The sound was incredible as roaring and rushing torrents of water cascaded along the banks for about 1/2 a mile. Did this ever happen in previous years?

Later in the spring I found pieces of terracotta (which may be Roman) that had been washed out of the sandy banks after the high waters and just down from the Bath House site. As the hedges cease, the view again opens out to a wide vista with views of the South Downs looking towards Bignor Hill and the route of the Roman Road from Chichester to London.

In the foreground is a Portacabin which has been placed on site for the Contractors who are repairing the large breach of river bank which was washed out in the winter.

On my walk I muse upon life in previous centuries. Something which I have thought about is where shepherds would have washed and dipped their sheep. Although there is a lot of water on the brooks, sheep washing requires fast flowing water and the best spot would, I think, be here at the footbridge across the River Stor. The river narrows here and stop planks could be inserted to raise the water levels to a sufficient depth to 'dip' the sheep. It would be convenient as it would be en route for market.

The path eventually comes out on to the busy A283 and returns home past both old properties who until the middle of the 20th Century would have witnessed the passage of stock being driven to Pulborough Market and the newer homes which suffer from the heavy traffic which cannot be by-passed around the village because of the difficult typography of the siting of Pulborough
Home is just around the corner and it's time for a cup of tea.

Photostoryette - Part 2

From the river Bank of the Arun we cross the last field and up onto the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Reserve. Here the ground rises as in the photograph above. I have noticed that in winter the bank on the right is quite unstable. It often washes down where there has been some ditching. I see on the British Geological Survey Soils & Drifts Map that this is 'made up ground' and I guess that this is where soil has been dumped when the water meadows were leveled back in late Georgian times. (it's the photo that's not level LOL)

The Pulborough water meadows or North Brooks are artificial in that they were leveled to provide early spring grazing land for sheep and cattle. The meat sold at a premium and, I understand, sheep off water meadows were thought to be free of fluke because the ground was flooded for long periods every winter. Interestingly there are no rabbits on the brooks but the occasional mole only burrows on the river banks which stand proud of the high winter water levels. The North Brooks were traditionally grazed by sheep but taken off in the winter - I guess moved over to land called 'Winterfields' on the east side of the A283.

Bycontrolling the water levels and holding back the winter floods, wildfowling grounds were created encouraging ducks and waders to settle on the shallow tracts of water. The shepherds became wildfowlers during the winter months and could net hundreds of lapwing and shoot many duck, making a better living in the winter than they could from their sheep all year. A brace of lapwing fetched 1/6 in London Markets.

The meadows were very labour intensive to manage and fell into disuse. The RSPB purchased the land in the 1990's to continue to manage the grazing with 'conservation' cattle and the water levels by means of their charitable funding and volunteer labour to encourage back migrating and overwintering birds, albeit for watching rather than killing. The flagship RSPB Pulborough Reserve attracts 120,000 visitors every year.

The RSPB encourage many other birds onto the Reserve's higher land by careful planting of seed fodder crops for bird and small mammals and many berried shrubs have been established in hedgerows. Here are bracts of beautiful berries on a Wayfarer tree.

Photostoryette of our Wiggonholt Walk - Part 1

I like to walk the 3.5 miles from my house, over the water meadows, across the RSPB Wiggonholt Reserve and back along the A283 with Charlie the Hound. Doing it at least once a week is a brilliant way to follow the seasonal changes and changing wildlife patterns.

Here is a record of our walk yesterday. It was the first sunny day after days of showers and grey skies. In the winter months this walk can be impassable because the water meadows flood.

The walk starts from my back gate, over the little "Northside Brook' mentioned in old records as being in the possession of Fécamp Abbey and across Fowl Mead, an unimproved water meadow which is noted for its diverse flora.

This stone is 'planted' in the middle of the otherwise featureless 30 acre meadow. There is some speculation by the 'locals' as to it's origin. Hugh is firmly of the belief that it is a meteorite.The mystery was solved the other day. On a faded hand drawn map hanging on the wall in the 'Oddfellows Arms' it is shown as a boundary marker for allotments which were given to the poor of Pulborough by the Church. My thoughts are that the land was worked by the inmates of the Pulborough Poor House (where Alfrey's Platt is now) and is at the top

of old footpaths which come down to the meadow.

The River Stor rises at the the foot of Chantry Hill, Storrington by Waterfall Cottage. It was no more than an open sewer for the whole of Storrington until the 20th Century when the sewage works at Wickford Bridge were built. (in the distance) Now it is a forgotten little tributary of the River Arun.

Much of the RSPB is grazed by the very docile British White Cattle. The dung from the grazing herds makes a wonderful breeding ground for insects. On a summer evening the water meadows are clouded in a 'soup' of flying insects, beloved by the many bird species who are migrant visitors or resident on the Reserve.

This is the River Arun, just below the old crossing point called 'Stoney Crossing', possibly a'clapper bridge' constructed of large slabs of Fittleworth stone raised up above the water level on stone blocks. This can be dated back to Roman times when there was a direct link from the Mansio at Hardham to the Roman Bath House (excavated by Winbolt in the 1920's) behind Banks Cottage. The line of the Roman causeway still stands proud of the flood waters in winter.

Slugs and newts and blooming Balsam.

I have a deep hatred of Himalayan Balsam.

It is pernicious, blousy and pink.

Every year I spy the creeping menace as it makes its advances from along the River Stor.

So I stalk the reaches of the high waters of the River Arun, ripping out the plants by their ineffectual roots and tossing the carmine headed cultivars into the rippling depths where they float, like Ophelia, to their decay upon the gravel shoals under Greatham Bridge.

Time is short as by tomorrow the pistol shooting seed pods will have showered their profligate progeny into the water to float further down, colonising their alien lands.

www.rhs.org.uk/Advice/profiles0705/himalayanbalsam.asp

Here's the blooming stuff at Stopham.

I am pleased to say that I had much more joyful times when I moved the dustbins out yesterday evening ready for collection (I know to live life in the fast track!)

For there, underneath, was a Smooth Newt AND a Leopard Slug. (with thanks to the Master Craftsman for some in-focus photos.)

If only I could find another Leopard slug I might just be able to induce them into mating. Until that time we will just have to content our voyeuristic selves by watching here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtD5dxTcXm4 (Go on Jenny - be brave - its fascinating)

Weekend Work

With the arrival of The Master Craftsman on Saturday we set to work in The Workshop.
We have routered out fingerholds on the bottom of each board so that lifting off a smooth surface is made easier.

On Sunday he reset the plane which I was having trouble using as it wasn't planing true. After a lot of careful adjustment it is now taking off thin curls of wood which will greatly speed the process of making the cutting and chopping boards dead flat. After a lot of work the smaller sycamore board is now finished to a gloss surface.

Very early on Sunday morning I took some photographs to send over to the Photographer in the hope that she will be able to use my boards as 'props' for her food photography. ( The onions were a gift from my neighbours Elaine & Stuart from their hugely productive allotment)

The 12 inch Sycamore Breadboard £18.00














The 13" Hornbeam Chopping Board £30.00
(work in progress)

More progress

Yesterday I went over to Partridge Green to view Sue Bartle's work in the exhibition 'Liquid Line'. It is the end of an art course show and I was very impressed by Sue's work in particular. Her charcoal drawing of the head and shoulders of a life model was a real triumph. Very bold and perceptive. I would have preferred to see the students work grouped by their work, rather than by the elements of the course - it would have been interesting to see each individual’s development.

An afternoon walk along Southwick Beach was very blustery. My Mother and I stood for a while to watch the massive rolling white waves breaking on a cerulean sea with a heavy leaden sky over the Downs behind. Crazy windsurfers battled out to catch the changing winds.

Today it was back to The Workshop. Thankfully the contractors are digging up the gas main everywhere. Pneumatic drills and the generator are drowning out any sound I make with machine tools.

Today I worked on the chopping and breadboards so that I can deliver the pending orders. The Hornbeam (i.e. as hard as horn) is also known as Iron Wood for good reason. The chopping board is very slowly taking shape. It is my favorite so far. Somewhat easier to work are the two sycamore bread boards. This is the traditional wood for breadboards - possibly you had one at home as a child, often they were carved with the word BREAD and wheatsheafs decorated the outer edge. Sanding sycamore is like sanding silk. The grain is very easy to bring up and by 6.00pm tonight one was ready to deliver to Sharon. I really hope she likes it.

Photos to follow when I get the u/load issue fixed.

More orders

I have been working in The Workshop all morning and again I have a few visits from neighbours to enquire what I was doing. Elaine admired the serving boards and ordered a chopping block, larger than the beech one that I had finished and will also take the smallest board. (Possibly a larger one if husband agrees)

Then another neighbour stopped by and admired my work. She mentioned that a previous resident of the Close is a photographer for a National 'Good Food' Magazine and suggested that I email her with some photos. I will do this, post haste!

So it was back to W L West near Petworth for more wood this afternoon. I found a lovely round of hornbeam which, on the first planings, looks to have a beautiful grain. It is very hard and is used for croquet mallets.

I also bought two rounds of sycamore. I know this wood of old as long ago, when doing woodwork at Bishop Otter College. I turned a sycamore bowl. It was a joy to work with this pale blond hardwood.

(I'm having a bit of a problem uploading photographs as the broadband speed in Pulborough is very slow)

Signs of Autumn

Charlie's afternoon walk was about 2.5 miles on the Stopham Estate, starting at the little church and walking by Walter's Plantation, up though Church Wood and back through fields of barley and oats.
I was a bit saddened to see signs of autumn all around. The 'season of mists and mellow fruitfullness'. I do not look forward to those cold, dark, miserable days from after Christmas to mid March. Mud, cold winds and gloves become the order of the day. The autumn months are a joy but you just know what is going to be around the corner.
Sweet Chestnuts are developing on the branches

The green hazel nuts and all the Bay Boletus (Boletus Badius) are already under attack from squirrels.

Last years barley crop was literally washed out of the friable sandy soil but this year (no doubt with the addition of lots of super phosphates) the barley is looking extrodinary good with heavy 4 row ears. The straw is the longest I have seen for a long time.

Board Work

Yesterday and today have been devoted to working on my serving boards and walking Charlie the Hound. Yesterday I was greatly inspired by The Master Craftsman who set a much higher standard of finish for my boards, especially the end grain. So this morning I set to and planed the ends. Brilliant - much crisper than sanding and takes them away from the 'drift wood' look.

Here are the first to be finished. I will have 7 boards in all.

First thing this morning, the dawn was bright so I made an early start and took Charlie for a 3.5 mile walk over the North Brooks. I picked a lovely lot of fresh field mushrooms in the 'Cow Field' which I will have for my lunch

.............and my favorite Blackberry bush was offering forth a few of it's huge and succulent berries. I rather think that the bush is an escaped cultivated variety from the Rectory Garden, the other side of the wall.

A Busy Day

While out on Wiggonholt Common early this morning, I found two Wild Service Trees. They are growing near the pond. Here is a leaf from the tree lying on my sanded plank.


This is the first serving board showing how it can be used indoors,







or outside.










While I was busy in The Workshop, three neighbours called by.
Sue dropped off an invitation to see her work exhibited at the Seawhite Gallery, Partridge Green. The exhibition is called 'Liquid Line' and is on from Monday 27th to Friday 31st July.


It is always just too tempting to go to Seawhites - but I can pick up some blank sketch books for Jenny while I am there but will have to be very controlled and not buy anything else!



The second visitor was Sharon who ordered one of the thick beechwood chopping blocks and then Diane popped over to hand me four really lovely 'proof copy' baby books for Granddaughter Lucy from her bookshop in Horsham. Thank you!

The Workshop is up and running!

I have been dithering about for the last six weeks trying to decide in which direction I should go. For a while I considered doing some 2-D stuff but it was after I took the bold step of tidying up The Workshop, organising tools and materials, sweeping it out and making space around the machine tools, that I realised this is where I want to be. I just love working in there. So wood it will be.

Yesterday I went over to W. L West & Sons http://www.wlwest.co.uk/home/index.asp as I wanted to make some big wooden serving boards. I haven't been able to source one so I will design some.

When friends and family come for a meal, I like to be able to just put out some great cheese, good bread, olives, perhaps Parma ham and a few figs and everyone can help themselves. I hate labouring in the kitchen while the conversation is ranging about in another room.

I couldn't see what I wanted at Wests. I bought a small round of beech to have a trial run and I was pleased with the finish but not the shape.

Jenny (friend and mentor) wrote me a strongly worded email telling me to 'be wild and free' so back I went today and there, hiding in a corner, was a very dusty, neglected but beautiful plank off a Wild Service Tree. I hesitated for a few minutes but this wood is very rare and has fantastic grain. I borrowed a marker and decisively drew up where it needed to be band sawed. Within minutes it was back in 8 pieces and now I can set to work.