Forty-two years is just a blip in this beauty's life. It helps to keep things in perspective. (Giant Sequoia Tree, Sequoia National Park, California).

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'But very bright were the stars upon the margin of the world, when at times the clouds about the West were drawn aside.'

Aha! It is my evil plan to inflict more photographs of my beloved Sussex upon you all.

This one is very like the area about 1/2 mile from my house. I was often up here in the South Down alone ... with only my imagination and the sheep for company.



This is St. Mary de Haura. A very beautiful Norman 11c church. I did attend services here, but from the age of about 10, I prefered to wander in when it was empty so I could be alone.
50 years later, I still sometimes dream about St. Mary's. It remains one of the most important and influential and beautiful buildings I have ever experienced. The interior always invoked an awe in me ... yet it was not remote ... it always felt palpable.



There is an even older <10c Saxon church in Shoreham ... if anyone is interested I will post pictures.

<I'm not breaking the rules or anything am I? By posting pictures of man-made structures.>

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Ever mindful of the maxim that brevity is the soul of wit, axordil sums up the Sil:


"Too many Fingolfins, not enough Sams."

Yes.

Sass, how lovely. Thank you for sharing that. That picture of Sussex makes me want to go there.

I was actually thinking of starting a thread for posting pictures that brought back old memories, because I came across one yesterday that did just that. Do you think that would be a good idea? (Of course, that would mean I would need to figure out how to scan the picture, but I think I can manage that.)

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'But very bright were the stars upon the margin of the world, when at times the clouds about the West were drawn aside.'

Wonderful idea, V.

Then I can innundate the thread with pictures from my idyllic childhood.



Not that it really was idyllic, you understand. It was actually quite traumatic but the places and the memories they invoke remain pristine and unspoiled.

Um, you don't know how to use a scanner?

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Ever mindful of the maxim that brevity is the soul of wit, axordil sums up the Sil:


"Too many Fingolfins, not enough Sams."

Yes.

Monasterio de Piedra, Spain

Beautiful, Ber.

(And the picture is too )

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'But very bright were the stars upon the margin of the world, when at times the clouds about the West were drawn aside.'

Amaryllis, from Mrs. Whistler's garden.

Wow, Mrs. W sure has the touch with the Amaryllis.

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'But very bright were the stars upon the margin of the world, when at times the clouds about the West were drawn aside.'

Do inflict some more, Sassy!

The landscape pic is just soooo beautiful!
Have you read the autobiographical books that Dirk Bogarde wrote about his childhood in Sussex? I thought they brought the beauty of the place to life so marvellously!

(And we had thought of having a thread about pretty buildings, didn't we? Just sayin'! )

A happy memories pics thread? Ooooh, lovely!

And a to Ber and another to Whistler!

Lower Doyles River Falls, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia.

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'But very bright were the stars upon the margin of the world, when at times the clouds about the West were drawn aside.'

Voronwë, that beautiful photograph reminds me of a book I loved called,
In Wilderness is the Preservation of the World. It contained a most extraordinary collection of sublime nature pictures using Thoreau's words as text.

I treasured it for many years.

And now for my daily Sussex reminder:

The garden at Sissinghurst Castle.

I would sw00n for a garden like this ...

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Ever mindful of the maxim that brevity is the soul of wit, axordil sums up the Sil:


"Too many Fingolfins, not enough Sams."

Yes.

This thread is so restorative.

Sass, I hope you don't mind if I correct you, but feel free to wop me with the salmon. We also had that wonderful book of pictures inspired by Thoreau, and I often see that line misquoted. It is 'In wildness is the preservation of the world' rather than 'wilderness'.

I do hope you will relentlessly inundate us with pictures of your idyllic childhood. I know what you mean about it not being actually idyllic, but the memories. Those pictures are so wonderful.

I was sort of starved for nature growing up in Brooklyn, but it's amazing the reservoir of wonder hidden in a scraggly stand of forsythia or a single hibiscus bush, for a child. I look at a hibiscus bush now and I just see a hibiscus bush most of the time, but when growing up, it seemed there was an entire world inside each blossom, and perhaps all the more poignantly set in relief against concrete and brick.

For Cerin, with love:

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'But very bright were the stars upon the margin of the world, when at times the clouds about the West were drawn aside.'

I can't see the pic, Voronwë!

Cerin, that was so lovely to read - why don't you repost it in the thread for picturing these things in words?
(Same with Ath's beautiful post about Charlotte!)
I so adore a gift for making such love for these things come to life in words!

Oh, Voronwë. Thank you.

Thank you, hobby. That forum had thus far escaped my attention! But I will go investigate shortly.

Not a forum, just another thread in this forum, Cerin!

And why can you see the pic and I can't?

Hobby, I have no idea why you can't see that picture. It is a close-up of a hibiscus blossum, which I think you would really appreciate. Unfortunately, I have no idea what I can do to make it so that you can see it.

Here's a link to the url. Maybe that will work:

http://www.kozmicdreams.com/images/Favorite%20Photos/Natural%20Settings/flowers/hibiscus%20closeup.jpg

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'But very bright were the stars upon the margin of the world, when at times the clouds about the West were drawn aside.'

When I click the link I get:





No idea what's going on there.

But thanks for trying!

So sorry you can't see that picture, hobby!


Got it!


I was conversing with my Dad about that Thoreau quote, and he provided the context (not a large context, however, perhaps I'll enquire further). I thought it was so interesting that Thoreau talked about the West:

Cerin ... correct away!

You're right, of course. It's been a long time since I held that book in my hot little hands. I lost it somewhere along the way. And it was almost 40 years ago.

V. I can't see the picture either.

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Ever mindful of the maxim that brevity is the soul of wit, axordil sums up the Sil:


"Too many Fingolfins, not enough Sams."

Yes.