Monday
I had a great weekend with two more things ticked of the 'adventures' list and seven items sold. I'm waiting for confirmation of payments and will get the parcels ready to be posted off, hopefully today or tomorrow.
On Saturday morning I was one of the first to arrive at the church for the Heritage Open Day event so I had one of the guides all to myself. I don't know if this was a good or a bad thing as he wasn't at all interested in the history of the church and kept bringing the conversation back to the plans to use the building as a community centre of music and the arts. However, he was able to answer one of my questions which was to tell me the location of the one thing I wanted to see and my reason for choosing this church. It's this ... does anyone know what it is?
To help you, here's another clue. This is the back left hand corner of the structure as seen in the photo above. It's badly weathered, but there is a manmade groove clearly visible in the stone top.
Any idea? I'll put the answer at the end of this post.
As I was walking back to my car I bumped into someone I haven't seen in years. I knew LS from the time we played in the same brass band and a couple of her children were members of the Youth Band, so probably about 20 years ago. It was lovely to see her again and to catch up with the news of her children, all now teachers or training to teach, and we chatted for quite a long time. When we parted company I meandered back to the car park and took some photos for my monthly photo challenge on the way.
Next on the list was a visit to see the flight of locks at Caen Hill ...
... not one of my better photos, but you get the idea! I didn't stay long as one couple had an aggressive dog with them which was on a lead but they were only just in control of it, and I didn't feel comfortable. It's not the couple in the photo - their dog was a real sweetie. It doesn't look it in the photo but it was actually quite busy there. I think I was lucky when I took the photo but by the time I'd walked back over the bridge and down the slope to the towpath a group of walkers had overtaken me as well as people drifting across from the car park. I got to see it though, so I'm happy with that.
By the time I decided to leave, the sky had filled with dark clouds and the light (from a photography point of view) had gone, so I decided to leave my other choice (a walk along Quaker's Walk) for another day and came home. I was really expecting rain, which didn't materialise, but I was ready for my lunch and spent an enjoyable afternoon at home, with a walk around the marina later on to finish off the day.
Sunday was spent at home, catching up with the laundry in between watching my eBay items sell and practicing the piano. A lovely relaxing day, capped off with the final Harry Potter film on TV.
Today it's the Style Coach for an hour this afternoon and I need to fit in the piano and Italian practices, but the rest of my time is my own. There's nothing in the diary and I'm wishing for a rain free day so, if my wish is granted, I will be out and about this morning ... I just have to decide where!
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My September decluttering challenge:
- 1st = 2 stained storage boxes (to be recycled)
- 2nd = a band fleece (only worn once so returning it to the band as I will never wear it again)
- 3rd = 3 sci-fi books (gifting to L)
- 4th = digital photo frame (never used, sold to H)
- 5th = a measuring jug (to be donated as I never use it)
- 6th = a band tie (returning to the band)
- 7th = unused greetings cards (I'm unlikely to use them so they will be donated)
- 8th = a pair of shoes (one of the heels is wobbly, so only fit for the bin)
- 9th = discoloured drinks bottle (in recycling bin)
- 10th = one of the music bags I used for teaching (to be donated)
- 11th = plastic storage boxes (I never use them, gifting to E)
- 12th = broken candle lighter (to be recycled)
- 13th = instruction booklets for items that I no longer own (to be recycled)
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The photos shows a dole table, also called a dole stone. There aren't many left now so this one is quite a rarity, although there are a couple of others in the area. The dole table was usually located inside the church porch but this one, as with the other local ones, is out in the churchyard. They are made from stone and were usually tables like this one but sometimes were just ledges. They were used from medieval times until the 16th/17th centuries and were used for settling debt payments, contracts, tithes and church dues, etc. They were also used to distribute alms, money or bread, to the poor of the parish or to passing travellers who were in need. The groove was formed over many years by people sharpening the knives used to cut the bread - it's one of the things that identifies it as a dole table rather than a tomb. The 'dole' part of the name comes from the meaning 'to allocate or share out'.
Ha, ha, at first, I thought it was a tomb, maybe of some famous historical person. Then, when you mentioned the manmade groove, I thought it was where people, heretics, perhaps, or those of the "wrong faith" during the Tudor era, depending on which monarch was reigning, were beheaded, with the groove to let the blood drain! :D You can see where my imagination takes me! I'm glad it was for doling out alms, etc., and the groove was made by sharpening knives to cut bread and not people's heads! :D
ReplyDeleteThat's so nice that you bumped into a friend and got a chance to catch up on each other's news.
Caen Hill and the locks look amazing. I've never seen something like that, in person.
Sounds like you had a restful Sunday and are ready for action, today! :)
Ha ha, I wasn't expecting anyone to come up with quite so bloodthirsty a suggestion! There is a bloodstone locally where the captured enemy were executed after the battle of Ethandune but that's back a few centuries to 878 AD when King Alfred fought the Vikings.
DeleteIt was lovely catching up with LS. Neither of us live in Devizes so it really was a happy accident.
Caen Hill is amazing. Well, everything about the canal is amazing in my opinion and I'm lucky to live so close to it.
Sunday was quiet, but good, and I feel rested for what will be a busy week.
I thought it was a tomb too. The origins of words is interesting and I'll remember that when I use the words dole out. Gosh Bless....a groove for letting blood drain, now I have a horrible picture in my mind's eye :) You had a wonderful day out apart from encountering an aggressive dog, that's a thing that worries me the most when out and about with my young pup. The locks do look amazing. Well done on your sales, I hope everyone pays promptly then you can get all your parcels posted in one go.
ReplyDeleteThe dole tables seem to have been important in the church business so I'm always surprised that so few remain.
DeleteThe dog incident scared me even though all it did was bark and growl at me so I left as soon as I could. The owners didn't really have control of it but at least it was on a lead. But I did have time to see the locks and they are, as you say, amazing.
Five of the buyers have paid so I have packed up their goodies and posted them off to them. I'm just waiting on the other two buyers to cough up and I can get those items out of the house as well.
That's interesting - I would have just guessed a tomb too.
ReplyDeleteLovely photo of Caen Hill staircase locks. I've walked up the hill and into Devises many years ago and would have loved to do it by boat
I can distinctly remember being taught about dole tables when I was at school but maybe that was because there are still some in the area ... we saw one of the other ones on a school trip, so that may explain it.
DeleteI've travelled through all the locks by boat, just once. We were invited to join friends on their boat for the day but decided afterwards that they probably just wanted our help to deal with all the locks - it was hard work!
So hence we now know why it's called being "on the dole" I like the history of an expressions & how cool to actually see the origins. My first guest went that it was a sin eater's table. I think those cascading locks are SO interesting. Aggressive & over friendly dogs on or off leash are a real problem in our community parks, but there's no one to apply the rules so what does our mayor do - he builds a dog leash free park, which stands empty most of the day ... I'll say no more.
ReplyDeleteYeah to de-cluttering successes & getting money for that clearing out.
Yes, 'on the dole' derives from the same origins. I'm fascinated by the etymology of words and phrases.
DeleteA sin eater's table was much less gory than Bless' idea!
The flight of locks are interesting and I'm glad that you think so too. I haven't experienced many problems with out of control dogs lately and most owners locally seem to be really responsible so this one came as a bit of a shock. We do have dog wardens in this area so I don't know if that helps matters.
Yay for checking off adventures. I am a bit jealous! And thanks for the education on the dole table. I had never heard of it, and certainly would have assumed that to be a tombstone. My de-cluttering is continuing too, I just to get around to doing a blog post from my little scribbled post-it notes, so that then I can de-clutter those as well!
ReplyDeleteI haven't checked off many adventures this year but it does feel good to do the occasional one!
DeleteI wonder if dole tables were a thing in the US, or other countries come to that. I'll do a bit of research on the subject.
Well done for continuing with your decluttering. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now so I'm pushing quite hard over the next three weeks to get to the stage where everything is either advertised, donated or recycled ... keeping my fingers crossed that I can meet that deadline.
How fascinating about the dole table. I've seen a dole cupboard in a church and one of our local churches has a tithe stone outside it, but this is a new one on me! Arilx
ReplyDeleteDo you have photos of the dole cupboard and the tithe stone? I'd love to see them if you do please x
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