Occassionally an everyday object shows itself as something other than everyday. I had just such an occurence with a white wild rose. It suddenly became The Tudor Rose & I finally understood the stylized heraldic rose associated with this royal house. Previously I had thought "what an odd depiction of a rose" the Tudor rose was, having in my mind the multi-petalled garden rose. It seems a small thing but this new knowledge has changed my view of the rose - taken it from being an exotic import to an integral part of the English country and locked it firmly into English history. So now when I look at wild roses in the hedgerows I wonder if this is the type of rose a woman in the C15th would stop & admire. Perhaps she would pick a few blooms & seperate the heart-shaped petals & dry them to scatter amongst her clothes or collect a small posy for her beloved. A romantic rose indeed and one of peace representing the joining of two warring Houses.

Recent activities on the church restoration project has also plunged me back in time, it's not everyday that I get an epistal or use the word "terrier" in it's non-canine way. The Epistal was an instruction from the Bishop regarding the tombstones. A terrier is "a book or roll in which the lands of private persons are described by their site, boundaries, umber of acres etc" (The "King's English Dictionary"- this edition has a picture of H.M. King George V as it's front plate). I suppose that makes those ho work in modern day Land Registery "a pack of terriers" - how apt is the phrase "let sleeping dogs lie"! Land disputes are one of those areas that go from petty to deadly in one stride.

I've had good views of three fast moving things this week:

* a Red Admiral butterfly obligingly sat still with open wings - what gorgeous colours
* a green woodpecker flew straight in front of the car - startling green, yellow & red.
* a bright green cricket found it's way into the car - it's the bright-greenest creature I have ever seen.

Finally - this week we managed to upload our own photos. Until e do thanks Wikipedia for the images.