Unmitigated EnglandA Country Lost and a Country FoundWatch Out, There's a Hassock About!- August 7, 2008 We now know, thanks to Gordon and his chums, that we mustn't smoke in church. Damn, I always loved a Park Drive during the Nunc Dimittis. But the sight of this manual on the window sill of the tiny church in Stonton Wyville prompted me to think of all the other unpleasantnesses that could befall parishioners. Watch that chancel step dear, we don't want you flying headlong into the apse do we Oh no, take those bell ropes down- don't you know that they could hang at least six people at once How...http://unmitigatedengland.blogspot.com/2008/08/watch-out-theres-hassock-about.html King Poison- August 5, 2008 The recent talk of suspicious things growing out of trees had me reaching for Poisonous Fungi by John Ramsbottom. Illustrated by Rose Ellenby, this is a King Penguin book, the first foray by the publisher into hardbacks. Designed specifically as a series of beautifully illustrated and collectable books, they first appeared in November 1939. Much care went into their production under the editorship of Niklaus Pevsner and the technical supervision of R.B.Fishenden. The latter's high standards...http://unmitigatedengland.blogspot.com/2008/08/king-poison.html Blue Skies, Cream Teas- August 3, 2008 After a Saturday morning of rain lashing down, the village draws a collective sigh of relief as blue skies start to dominate the western horizons, and the perfect English summer afternoon smiles on our annual fete. The Pimms bar, the homemade cakes table, the straw-hatted ladies sorting out the yellow raffle tickets. I am always amazed at how much stuff is still managed to be cajoled from local households for the ritual displays on trestle tables: the still pristinely-boxed jigsaws, unloved...http://unmitigatedengland.blogspot.com/2008/08/feteful-afternoon.html |