Wiltshire; Avebury; 2011

When I went to Avebury last October, I took this photo of a couple of the stones. I had to take a photograph of the stone on the left; it just looked like the face of a sheep, seen from the side!
As I'm busy thinking and dreaming about felt (!) because of this course I'm doing, I thought this image fitted rather well here.


When I went to The Hepworth last week to hear Clare Woods 'In Conversation', I was interested to hear she was a big fan of Paul Nash, John Piper, Graham Sutherland, Barbara Hepworth. Though not surprised, as she had curated a mini-exhibition of a selection of their work in one of the rooms of The Hepworth at the entrance of her exhibition.
When I saw the exhibition, I was really pleased to see the work in that small room; I've had a particular interest in such artists since I was an art student back in the 1980's. There's something about their concern with landscape in the shadow of WW2; almost a sense of what might be lost. Clare Woods articulated that this fear may have a similar resonance at the moment, with the economic 'austerity' we face, and current ecological worries.....though to be fair, there have been ecological anxieties at least since the 1960's, that I'm aware of....and they probably go back further that that.
    

Wiltshire; Tipi

We stayed on a campsite just down the road from the Uffington White Horse, and near to the Ridgeway. Sharon, Stanny and Eli stayed in the tipi, whilst Jon and I stayed in Blanche. We had a wonderful time, and had a roaring fire on the Sunday night. We let off fireworks, and danced around with sparklers.....well Sharon and I did! It stayed dry, and sunny, and I would have loved more time to spend with our friends.

Wiltshire; The Vale of the White Horse

To the right of this photograph is the Uffington White Horse. To be honest, it's best seen from the air. I was particularly fascinated by the chalk hills. Like ribs, rippling under the green. There are some interpretations that the White Horse is in fact a dragon; that's what these hills looked like to me. The bones under the skin.

Wiltshire; Avebury

Avebury; the village in the henge. Walking round Avebury, we were struck by the 'trig-points', the concrete posts which indicated the positions of stones that were no longer in existence. We wondered about this wall.....was it made up of broken bits of ancient stones that had been removed from their original spots? Beyond it though, was the contrasting textures of a thatched roof; and in the garden, a tree, with some apples remaining.

Between them, they seemed to tell one of the stories of Britain.

Wiltshire; Wayland's Smithy

Wayland's Smithy in the autumn light. The leaves collecting in the entrance. The dappled sun shining through the trees create shadows; and darkness to the passage tomb's entrance. It looks a bit artificial, this light. But it's how the day was. I like the golden path of leaves; a carpet to soften the walk to death. Hmmm; very seasonal.

Of course, the information boards say that it's been 'reconstructed', as many stone circles/ rows, and standing stones are. This 'front' part had fallen down in the 1920's, so what we see is a modern construct.