Love is not a thing to understand.
Love is not a thing to feel.
Love is not a thing to give and receive.
Love is a thing only to become
And eternally be.
Sri Chinmoy
8 Comments CherryPie on Nov 20th 2016
On my first visit to the Mary Rose in in September 2014 she was behind perspex as she was being dried out as part of the final stages of work undertaken to preserve her. The view of her was to some extent obscured by the tubes that were in place to dry her out.
When I heard that the drying process was complete and that the Mary Rose was now completely unwrapped I knrw I had to visit again. It was lovely to see the full view of what remains of her without screens and drying pipes obscuring the view. The exhibition blew me away. The ship is alternately illuminated to reveal the ship and then darkened to show living displays to various areas that bring ship to life. On arrival at the top level of the exhibition we found that the view of the ship was completely open without even the Perspex.
You can learn more about the ship and the museum here.
21 Comments CherryPie on Nov 19th 2016
We have a clear desk policy at work which means that every night we tidy our papers into a draw or cabinet. Every evening I store my work papers and work notes in a cabinet near to my desk. A few weeks ago I returned to work after the weekend to find that one of my notebooks had gone missing. This wasn’t terribly important in the great scheme of things, it only contained work jottings to remind me how to do things (process steps).
But where had it gone? I checked through my papers, my drawers, the cabinet where I had placed it, underneath the cabinets and drawers and also the trays of my colleague who files his papers next to mine each evening. I couldn’t find it anywhere.
A colleague double checked and couldn’t find it either. It left me with the disturbing feeling that perhaps I had done something strange with it. After a couple of days I arranged for an email to be sent out building wide to see if anyone had found it. I heard nothing.
Just before lunch time today, my colleague who files his papers next to mine and who also sits next to me exclaimed ‘Oh!! Look what I have found!!’ He was most startled to find my missing notebook in the bottom of his work trays. He was also a bit discomforted because some papers had gone from his bottom tray and that is how he noticed my notebook…
It seems the universe is still up to its tricks…
10 Comments CherryPie on Nov 18th 2016
…by the 52nd Regiment at Waterloo 1896
This incident took place during the final stages of the Battle of Waterloo, after the 52nd Light Infantry had routed the last advancing column of the French Imperial Guard and the pursuit of the French by Wellington’s army was in progress. *
*from an information plate next to the painting
4 Comments CherryPie on Nov 17th 2016
I planned my morning to make sure I could set off to work a little earlier than usual just in case the man with the stop go signs was controlling the traffic. All was going well but then I heard the sound of ladders outside our house. The window cleaner had arrived early, he doesn’t usually come before I go to work. Shortly after he arrived he knocked on the front door, which I thought was a little odd because he normally arrives and washes all the windows before knocking on the door.
The gate to the side of our house which should have been unlocked for him was locked… I had to go and find the key so that I could unlock the gate for him. Whilst unlocking the padlock to the gate I noticed that that the latch on the gate was not closed, the gate flung open as I unlocked the padlock. I wondered who had left the gate semi closed and locked like that!
I was left feeling hassled by this unwarranted interruption to my early morning schedule. I don’t do mornings at the best of times 
I got back on track getting myself sorted out for work and managed to leave for work earlier as I had planned. There was hardly any traffic on the roads and the road that had the temporary traffic control yesterday seemed clear. I was lulled into a false sense of security, I soon realised that the traffic was still being controlled by stop go signs. However the queues were smaller and I didn’t have to wait long. I followed the cars in front and proceeded slowly through the work area. As I was about to turn back onto the normal portion of the road I heard a large metallic ring sound to the rear offside of my car. It was one of those slow motion moments where you assess everything around you whilst still proceeding along your way.
I had slowed down even more whilst this was going on but could see nothing untoward so I accelerated and continued on my way to work. The car felt a little weird to drive and I felt every bump in the road. I could also hear a rhythmic ‘catchink catchink’ sound which sped up the faster I went. I began to wonder if I had a flat tyre, so I proceeded slowly until I was able to pull up to have a look. The tyre was still inflated so I continued the last few yards to my office car park and parked up. I had a closer but rather brief look at the tyre (I didn’t want to be late again) and noticed that there was something lodged in the tread of the tyre.
The whole incident unsettled me (again) and I was feeling out of sorts as I entered the office which wasn’t helped by phone calls, visitors and some of our systems being down as soon as I arrived. One of my colleagues suggested that I check the car out properly at lunchtime to make sure the tyre had not gone down since I left it. I took his advice, the tyre was still inflated but on on closer inspection I realised that a bolt had become embedded in the tyre! I rang Mr C who suggested that rather than me trying to get it fixed today he would change my wheel for the spare when I got home this evening.
I left work earlier than usually so that I didn’t get held up in any traffic which might delay a smooth journey home. Thankfully the roadworks with the stop go signs had finished for the evening so I didn’t have that to endure all over again. Mr C swapped the wheel over and I went for a short drive. My car feels normal again, but I am trying not to think about what tomorrow will bring!
12 Comments CherryPie on Nov 16th 2016
Last night I was home alone due to Mr C being away overnight on business. Shortly after I arrived home the doorbell rang. I considered answering but it was dark and at that time in the evening it was most likely a salesman of some sort and I rationalised that if it was a neighbour they would call back again a little later on.
The doorbell didn’t ring again but about an hour later the phone did. I thought it would be Mr C as I knew this was the time he was due to arrive at his hotel. We have call screening on our phone so I knew immediately it wasn’t Mr C. I was however rather puzzled to see the screen say ‘Internal’ which made me think that one of the other handsets was paging the handset near to me. As I was home alone I dismissed this idea and thought that it must be a clever nuisance call.
Dinner was cooking in the oven and I went back to my reading. After dinner I went upstairs to turn on my computer and noticed that the handset was not flashing and therefore there had been no missed call. I checked the phone menu to be doubly sure. By this time I was feeling a little unnerved so I checked round the house a couple of times even though I knew there was nobody there…
I have to confess I left the bedroom light on overnight, but all was well and I woke up feeling refreshed. Just as I was about to leave for work a belated birthday card and present were pushed through the letterbox. I popped them into my bag, thinking I would open them in my lunch hour and headed off for work. This is when the fun started…
As I tried to get of my estate the exit road was much busier than usual which meant I had to wait for several minutes before I could be on my way. I then encountered a much longer queue of traffic on a road that is normally traffic free at that time in the morning. As I slowly made my way down the road I realised that in addition to the permanent set of traffic lights there was also a man with a stop go sign controlling the traffic. The effect was a lot more stop than go and large queues of traffic in both directions. Eventually I got past this roadblock only to catch up with a learner driver going at a snail’s pace!!
In due course I reached the approach to my workplace and was pipped to the post by two lorries that would have to go through the booking in procedure causing me further delays… I elected to go the slightly longer route only to be delayed by the learner driver once again. By this time I knew that I was going to be late!! And sure enough when I arrived at the key point and keyed in I was annoyingly (for me) two minutes late. In the bigger scheme of things it doesn’t matter because I work flexible hours, so apart from being technically late the minutes get made up.
I would like to say that the day got better but that would be pushing it a bit…
When lunchtime arrived I made my way to a seating area that is usually empty apart from me. But on this occasion two other colleagues were also having a few quiet moments there. I joined in the conversation with them; the present that had arrived through my letterbox was left unopened in my bag beside me. After a little while they said goodbye and returned to work. Almost as soon as they had gone a gentleman who I see walking past me almost every lunch time arrived. This time he didn’t walk past he came towards the seating area and asked if I minded if he joined me (of course I didn’t). We got chatting and I think that him seeing me there every lunch made him realise that he needed to get away from his desk for a break too. My gift remained unopened in my bag until I got home rather later than usual due to the day being rather hectic.
After opening my gift, a book (see picture above) I sat and read the first few pages whilst my dinner was cooking in the oven. Just as my dinner had come out of the oven Mr C phoned, he was arriving home earlier than planned and could he have a lift home from the station. Things got rather hectic again…
9 Comments CherryPie on Nov 15th 2016
This painting by South African-born artist, Jason Askew, has been commissioned by The Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum to mark the Bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo.
It is 7.50 p.m. on Sunday, 18th June 1815. A column of French Imperial Guard has just been repulsed by the 1st Foot Guards of Major-General Maitland’s brigade (top left, and red uniforms, colours flying). The final column of advancing chasseurs (centre, middle ground) is about to be attacked in the flank by the 52nd Light Infantry of Major-General Adam’s brigade (bottom right).
Colonel Sir John Colborne, commanding the 52nd, who, on his own initiative, ordered his Regiment to move forward and attack the Imperial Guard in the flank, is shown on his horse with his sword raised (bottom right). Ensign William Leeke, aged 17, who survived and wrote a vivid account about the manoeuvre, ist to his left carrying the 52nd’s Regimental Colour. (Ensign Nettles carrying the King’s Colour was killed earlier in the day and the Colour is not recovered until the following day.)
The 2nd/95th Rifles (bottom left), commanded by Captain Logan, on foot carrying a sword, are providing fire support for the 52nd with their Baker rifles. The Imperial Guard, with an Eagle and Tricolour prominent in the centre of the painting, is facing outwards to oppose the 52nd. On the hill (top left) the Duke of Wellington on horseback is surveying the scene, accompanied by Baron Tripp, 60th Regiment, aide-de-camp to HRH the Prince of Orange.
Within minutes the Imperial Guard is routed under the sudden impact of the 52nd’s musketry and a battalion charge, bayonets fixed. Wellington then orders his army to advance and the Allied victory at Waterloo soon follows.*
*Information next to the painting in The Royal Green Jackets Museum
8 Comments CherryPie on Nov 14th 2016
