Saturday, February 09, 2013
Saturday morning with Mary Winifred.
Hunting in the rain is hard work!
Bother - I didn't actually check the weather forecast properly.
But despite the rain, it was a good morning out.
Actually we saw the sun first thing - the sky was pink and a big red sun slowly appeared. I tried some pictures from the car - but hedges were too high and images were too blurred.
This pink sky is not too bad.
By the time we reached Ford it was obviously drizzling. Ah well, it would clear I thought, optimistically.
But it didn't clear - it got worse.
I left Ford with a great vase and some books.
It's 12 inches tall.
After breakfast we walked round to the lifeboat station for Bill to buy some Lifeboat tea. It's not necessarily better than any other tea - but at least the profit goes to the lifeboats.
My eye was taken by a fine old boat being guided down the river.
The Mary Winifred, being towed by Three Brothers.
I have seen the Three Brothers before.
It was being guided into the birth by the lifeboat station.
It looked beautiful, with lovely polished wood - almost pristine.
Some of the lifeboat people came out and we talked about the boat.
I was not surprised really to learn that Mary Winifred is not old. Her life as a boat began 6 years ago.
One of the brothers holds her steady at the back.
But was Mary Winifred?
The boat is not yet finished. It needs a propeller. Brian can be seen in the yellow wetproof jacket above and also in the picture below.
Littlehampton never fails us.
Every time we are there we seem to find something new and interesting.
Mary Winifred is based on the pilot boats of the 1870 - 1910 era.
Naturally I hoped to find out more about the man and his boat.
Fortunately the Littlehampton Gazette had a feature about it last June.
http://www.littlehamptongazette.co.uk/news/local/former-rustington-man-sets-sail-on-boat-in-memory-of-his-mother-1-3970982
Soon I was quite cold and wet standing out there by the river.
And we had another errand to run.
One person who had not made it to Ford this morning was Steve......he is the man who, with his wife, runs the charity SCRIPT.
I like these people and I like the charity and the work that they do.
We like to give them things to sell.
Today we wanted to give them an unused food processor.....one I had bought from somebody who brought it into the shop. Once I got it home, I knew I didn't want it.
Anyway, we drove home via Wisborough Green where they have a charity shop - selling antiques, collectables and bric a brac......and anything that will make money for the cause.
The cause is providing meaningful education and work to young women and young girls to keep them out of the hands of the sex traffickers.
SCRIPT - Securing Childhood, Restoring Innocence, Preventing Trafficking.
There is a facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/SCRIPTworldwide
We saw posters in the village for a table top sale.....so we followed the arrows, expecting to end up in the village hall, maybe.
But no, we continued along a country lane and we were directed in through some wrought iron gates to a complex of wooden buiildings, large and small - Ansell's Yard.
A number of small industries were based there - blacksmiths, motor repairs.....all sorts.
And there were individual units selling antiques and collectables. We explored all of them of course.
They only open on Saturdays.
I bought a lot of books - mostly to be passed to somebody else - given as a birthday present, I mean.
We spent a while with Eamonn, the book dealer.
We browsed the stalls at the table top sale too of course - I bought a plate.
The rain had continued all this while and we were cold. Time to get home for a cup of tea.
Now the curtains are pulled across and we will find some food for the evening and maybe a film.
Bother - I didn't actually check the weather forecast properly.
But despite the rain, it was a good morning out.
Actually we saw the sun first thing - the sky was pink and a big red sun slowly appeared. I tried some pictures from the car - but hedges were too high and images were too blurred.
This pink sky is not too bad.
By the time we reached Ford it was obviously drizzling. Ah well, it would clear I thought, optimistically.
But it didn't clear - it got worse.
I left Ford with a great vase and some books.
It's 12 inches tall.
After breakfast we walked round to the lifeboat station for Bill to buy some Lifeboat tea. It's not necessarily better than any other tea - but at least the profit goes to the lifeboats.
My eye was taken by a fine old boat being guided down the river.
I have seen the Three Brothers before.
It was being guided into the birth by the lifeboat station.
It looked beautiful, with lovely polished wood - almost pristine.
Some of the lifeboat people came out and we talked about the boat.
I was not surprised really to learn that Mary Winifred is not old. Her life as a boat began 6 years ago.
One of the brothers holds her steady at the back.
But was Mary Winifred?
The boat is not yet finished. It needs a propeller. Brian can be seen in the yellow wetproof jacket above and also in the picture below.
Every time we are there we seem to find something new and interesting.
Mary Winifred is based on the pilot boats of the 1870 - 1910 era.
Naturally I hoped to find out more about the man and his boat.
Fortunately the Littlehampton Gazette had a feature about it last June.
http://www.littlehamptongazette.co.uk/news/local/former-rustington-man-sets-sail-on-boat-in-memory-of-his-mother-1-3970982
Soon I was quite cold and wet standing out there by the river.
And we had another errand to run.
One person who had not made it to Ford this morning was Steve......he is the man who, with his wife, runs the charity SCRIPT.
I like these people and I like the charity and the work that they do.
We like to give them things to sell.
Today we wanted to give them an unused food processor.....one I had bought from somebody who brought it into the shop. Once I got it home, I knew I didn't want it.
Anyway, we drove home via Wisborough Green where they have a charity shop - selling antiques, collectables and bric a brac......and anything that will make money for the cause.
The cause is providing meaningful education and work to young women and young girls to keep them out of the hands of the sex traffickers.
SCRIPT - Securing Childhood, Restoring Innocence, Preventing Trafficking.
There is a facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/SCRIPTworldwide
We saw posters in the village for a table top sale.....so we followed the arrows, expecting to end up in the village hall, maybe.
But no, we continued along a country lane and we were directed in through some wrought iron gates to a complex of wooden buiildings, large and small - Ansell's Yard.
A number of small industries were based there - blacksmiths, motor repairs.....all sorts.
And there were individual units selling antiques and collectables. We explored all of them of course.
They only open on Saturdays.
I bought a lot of books - mostly to be passed to somebody else - given as a birthday present, I mean.
We spent a while with Eamonn, the book dealer.
We browsed the stalls at the table top sale too of course - I bought a plate.
The rain had continued all this while and we were cold. Time to get home for a cup of tea.
Now the curtains are pulled across and we will find some food for the evening and maybe a film.
