MONO MONDAY - FACELESS PORTRAIT

I didn’t rush to get up this morning, thinking we wouldn’t be going for a walk, but Mr. HCB said he was happy to go before he went out into the garden.  Having told him yesterday about the “sanctuary” I had found, he was quite eager to see it for himself, so off we went.

The sun had come out, although there was a little nip in the air, but we didn’t have to walk far before we reached the special place I had found.  I have to say that it was as magical today as it was yesterday, and the bonus was that today I got to share it with Mr. HCB.  

After looking around at the various trees, many of which were fruit trees, Mr. HCB thinks it may have been an orchard, perhaps at one of the farms and we know that there were at least two farms nearby before our houses were built - Lower and Upper Snodshill.  In fact, the great-grandparents of someone I used to work for owned one of the farms, but this is going back a long time.  We have lived in our house for 38 years, so probably well over 50 years ago.

I did some research online and found out the following: 

“There were three farms at Snodshill in 1845 all being “entirely under pasture” (pasture being land with grass growing on it for animals to eat).  Two of the free tenants on the farms of Badbury Manor were allowed to pasture 15 plough beasts and 12 other animals with those of the lord at this date, while the virgaters (those farming about 30 acres) were allowed to pasture 7 similar animals, and the half-virgaters to have 4 beasts and their pigs on the pasture with the lord's beasts.”

The above may not be of interest to you, but as our house backs on to Snodshill  Roundabout, and my old boss often spoke about his great-grandparents being at  Snodshill Farm, I wanted to put this into my journal for posterity.  I learned quite a lot whilst doing the research - did you know what a "virgater" was?  I didn’t until I looked it up and now you know too!

It was good to be out with Mr. HCB and we just wandered around the very large field, enjoying the birdsong, the beauty of the trees all around us and only when I got back did I realise that the theme for Mono Monday was “Faceless Self Portrait”.  Well, I am sorry to disappoint you, but this is a faceless portrait of my wonderful model, Mr. HCB, looking up at the large apple tree in my sanctuary.  

I have made a collage and put it in as an extra showing the wonderful vista in an adjoining field with a beautiful willow tree, a selfie of us, apple blossom, a stunning oak tree, part of the trunk and apple blossom buds, so hope those of you who wanted to see the sanctuary I spoke of yesterday, will enjoy this.

“Never say there is nothing beautiful 
     in the world anymore. 
There is always something to make you wonder 
     in the shape of a tree, 
          the trembling of a leaf.” 
Albert Schweitzer