Day 19: Cheltenham

Today Pene and Mark took me to The Wilson, the Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum named for Edward Wilson, the Cheltenham-born explorer who died on Scott's Antarctic Expedition. Christopher joined us there.

The Wilson has a collection of artefacts, documents and paintings from the expedition. Downloadable and printable photos of 51 or these are available in the Museum's online-collection.

The Wilson also has a substantial Arts and Crafts collection including a collection of furniture. 469 items, mostly with photographs are catalogued online.  There is also an archeological, a fine art and a local history collection.

Among my favourites were a May Morris embroidery,

this extraordinary bust,

a stained-glass roundel entitled "Taffy was a Welshman" by Paul Woodroffe



 this piece of paving








and a rather worse-for-wear
wear weaving comb.

I was intrigued by these objects that looked like stone donuts and turned out to be weights for weaving.













This re-creation of a muffin man has had the nursery rhyme running through my head all day.

Oh do you know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man?
Oh do you know the muffin man who lives in Drury Lane?

I had never imagined him with a top hat!









Edward Wilson had been married three weeks when he left on the expedition to the Antarctic from which he did not return













Outside it was pretty cold and overcast but there were a few daffodils and jonquils to be seen.







We then went to the Gustav Holst Birthplace Museum at 4 Clarence St. Holst was born here in 1872 and lived here until he was 8. The two ground-floor rooms contain many of his possessions, including his piano and a very lovely painted storage box.

















I liked these plates commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Planets Suite.









Upstairs were a couple of rooms furnished in the style of the time. Downstairs was a kitchen where you could take cooking classes - or just sample the bake of the day - seed cake.





In the foyer of the Museum, Christopher pointed out that the plastered ceiling was the kind of work our grandfather used to do. That seemed a fitting time to move to a cafe for a very late (3.30pm) lunch.













Christopher went home from here. Andrew and a mate who had been shopping in the city found us to hitch a ride home. We repaired to Daniel and Jenny's place for a cup of tea before returning to find Christine and Eddie back from visiting their other son in London.


I really enjoyed The Wilson and the company was great.

Day 18: Good Friday in Swindon Village

Yesterday I missed posting this photo of Christine's friend Sidney, who regularly comes to visit. His interest is not, I suspect, based purely on the need for friendship.

Today's sky was roughly the colour of Sidney's fur but it held off raining until early afternoon. Pene and Mark encountered snow on their drive from Appledore.











We had a quiet morning. Eddie did some shopping and brought back some hot cross buns.  I have started the zenbroidery piece I brought with me. It doesn't require much concentration and is very relaxing.

In the afternoon we prepared for the arrival, around 4,  of Pene, Mark, Christopher, Emily and Thomas. Jenny and Jess also called in.


There was, of course, a tonne of food. I didn't take many photos, as I was preoccupied and it would have been intrusive.


It was lovely to see everyone and to pick up where we left off.

Later in the evening, while sharing photos and stories, Christine told us about some Punch and Judy puppets she had made for a birthday party - more than 30 years ago. Eddie found them to show us.

They were fantastic.- authentic, stitched faces and marvellous clothes. Christine could do a cracking Judy voice, along with wooden spoon actions.








The puppets are stored in a wooden box made for the purpose by Uncle Phil. Déjà vu - I could produce a very similar one in Australia, made by my father  for me to keep my shells in.  Such are the threads of family across continents and time.




I made progress on my zenbroidery too.

Day 17: Gloucester Dock

Another rainy and fairly cold day. Eddie and Christine took me into Gloucester to the Dock. We had been here briefly in 2015 when we went to Gloucester Cathedral, but this time we explored the whole Dock area.

We began elegantly in the Shopping Mall, but soon left that behind.

There was clearly preparation underway for a festival or concert over Easter.

The old warehouses and granaries have been converted into apartments, or, occasionally Museums. The Antiques Centre we had visited in 2015 did not seem to be open.
It was very quiet, with few visitors.
I like the little bits of train track and cobble that have been left.


 There is equipment - both working and retired - around every corner.

I like the incorporation of old, rusted containers into useful buildings - but also the new - such as these completely flat shutters on a new building.

Gloucester's Soldiers' Museum

Everywhere there are reminders of Gloucester's History - including the Glorious Glosters.

Gloucester Gaol

The Gaol is now empty and looking for plans for its use.












A number of the weirs and sluice gates are operational, with boats plying in an out of the dock.



There are two working dry docks. Only one was in use today.

There are glimpses of church spires from many places





















and the Marners' Chapel still serves as a functioning parish church.

 It currently has a tent-like structure representing Jesus' tomb, helping  children understand the Easter story.

There is a lock - and we watched a boat going through. The bridge was also raised a couple of times as we walked around.














We had lunch at The Lord High Constable of England pub and just managed to stay dry on our return to the car.

Day 16 Cheltenham

The day began fairly wet here in Cheltenham - but that did not affect us here inside in the warm.
Eddie had a funeral to go to, but before he went he showed me the records he has of his father's World War II Service and his grandfather's World War I service. We were both pretty animated about family history and the history of the Wars. 

William Henry Hunt

Eddie's grandfather, William Edward Hunt was killed at Passchendale in  1917, possibly never seeing his son. I think that we may be able to find out more about his regimental movements through Lives of the First World War. and Forces War Records.  It's hard to imagine how the impact of never knowing your father because of War - but an experience of too many children.

William Henry Hunt (top row right end) in his regiment.

So I spent several enjoyable hours researching Eddie's family tree, using Ancestry.com.au. By the time Eddie returned I had quite a bit of information and more questions. I had discovered that his 2xGreat Grandfather was a "tennis marker". To date I  have not been able to find an explanation for exactly what that involved, or who might employ one.  We've also found a printer's compositor and a French polisher

I haven't as yet posted a request for information from Forces War Records, but I will do so over the next few days.
Eventually I dragged myself away from Ancestry (my computer battery being nearly flat) and back to my Estense Embroidery. I managed to make a bit of a twisted cord in my hands and thread it through the drawn thread hem I'd sewn.

I'm not sure what I'll do with this (after I've ironed it!) - but it is quite attractive.

By the late afternoon the sun was peeping through, although the forecast from now to the end of Easter is for rain.

I noticed, across the road, a couple of tall trees with clumps of mistletoe in them. Apparently, unlike mistletoe in Australia, it does not harm the tree.
In front of two mistletoe-adorned trees is an intriguing house with a vine - apparently ivy- trained over the front wall and part of the roof. It also has a topiaried tree and meticulously manicured lawn and garden.









It must look amazing in Summer, when the wall is completely covered with ivy and the window just peeping out. Very much a Sleeping Beauty abode. I really love it (my father would hate it) but admit it presents some maintenance issues.





Here it is with the trees.

Many thanks to Christine and Eddy for their hospitality and company.