Jebus Wants Me For A SunBeam..

Ok... tiz been another fortnight since Ive posted...... you would just not believe my life at the moment, so I wont even begin to explain, sometimes things are best unspoken...

So here is a long and probably boring post filled with beautiful photos of historical interest, if ya into that sorta thing..... and if ya aint, then I aint bovvered... (Toadie and JBelle this one is for you lol)

Last month my Jacob had an interview day for Sparsholt College in Winchester, this is were he dreams of going come September for 3 years to learn Forest Management and everything from ground level up... he passed the interview with flying colours.... my boy shone.... I was very proud..... they offered him a place subject to his GCSE exam results, which are just starting now (another reason I aint been around.. Ive been helping him with his revision)... well 2 weeks after his interview day he was invited back to the college for a 'hands on day'... so I took the day off work from me nippers and drove to Winchester and dropped him off at the college for his day...

It was not worth driving all the way home only to have to return around 4 to pick him back up..... so, I thought I would make a day of it meself in Winchester..... this is the first day in probably 26 something years that I got to spend a day on me own wandering around with no nippers in tow, with no responsibility for anyone but meself..... I so aint use to doing anything on me own lol....

So I drove back to Winchester City Centre which is about 4 miles or so from the college and eventually found the carpark.... I say eventually cos Winchester is built around a oneway system and I always get lost and end up going round and round and round. On the interview day, me and Jacob spend 20 minutes on the one-way system on the same roads, I wanted to cry but we both ended up laffing so much that I just stopped in the middle of the road with frustration...having passed the same policeman on the same corner for the 4th time lol...... all the traffic was building up behind us, and the jolly nice copper took pity on our plight and GOT IN MY CAR to show us the way off the one way system LMFAO....... he ended up laffing to.... but what a nice man :)

For those that dont know it, my little village actually comes under the blanket of Winchester, its to whom I pay my taxes etc.... its well posh lol..... it was also many many moons ago the Capital of Great Britain before London was.... its the most beautiful historical place ever..... overflowing with beautiful buildings and the Cathedral is to die for....

I wanted to go to the Cathedral which is just a snippet away from the shops.... ya see, I dont really like shopping lol.... except Winchester does have a few very unusual shops and not just all the big shops, and all the shops are in buildings of which some are 2-3 hundred years old.... so for someone like me that LOVES history and social history I was a little in me element.... me maties would of taken the piss out of me for walking around with me head up above the shop fronts just gazing at the old buildings.....

Let me show you an example..



I mean, where else do ya know where Starbucks is in a building dated 1720 :)



And look at this building for a pizza house lol....Its called 'God Bagot House'.... these are really old buildings not fake for show but the actual ancient buildings in Winchester.

The main part of the shopping area is to narrow for cars so its pedestrians only.. you can see why from the below photo looking up the high street..



This is just a tiny view of some of the old buildings, note the busker on the left of the photo.... I love street buskers and always give a few bob if they are good...



Now how about that for a clock :)note the date 1713...

I took so very many more photos of the shops but I dont wanna bore ya :)

I wandered in and out of some of the more unusual shops, but I soon became bored with shops lol.... told ya I aint into shopping (see how low maintenance I am lol) unless its buying pressies for people.... inbetween the shops is a tiny alleyway that leads behind the shops and hopefully towards the Cathedral....



Past this pub, I so would of liked to of gone in for a drink lol but cant really do that on ones own... they might of thought of was a lady of the night LOL

This is the first view of the Cathedral as you get past the pub.... its godsmacking, and sucks the breath right of ones body... or maybe its just me lol



And this is just the boring end of the Cathedral, it is so big that it wouldnt fit into the shot yet I was right across the green away..... it is after all the longest Cathedral in the whole of Europe..



This is the main end.......

ya see....... I dont do god, but love with a passion churches and Cathedrals and all the architecture and grace and power and overwhelming sense of belonging when Im in a church.... aint that strange lol.... I was on a mission on that day..... I told me maties that I was gonna sit in the Cathedral and 'God' if there was one would know where to find me..... and part of me was hoping that something would happen and he would single me out LOL oh shut it, I know, I know crazy right LOL

Anyways the Cathedral is set in beautiful grounds surrounded on all sides by houses that overlook the green....... you have to be mighty rich to live in Winchester... rich and dam posh of which Im neither.....

So I sat on a bench with me book.... I love to people watch.. it was a little overcast but it was just so lovely to have this time to meself with me book in beautiful surroundings.....

These are the houses that surround the Cathedral..... just fancy living in such splender..... with such history surrounding you....



This is one side of the green....







I love my passion for the history of my country...... my maties dont have it.... Im an oddball amongst my friends...... but then, Ive never been one to follow the crowds... I like being unique lol..... I dont have much choice, I am who I am.... take me or leave me lol

The morning was very overcast and I was getting a bit nippy sitting on the bench on the green with me book and people watching.... I had finished me cuppa coffee and I was cold, and after all I had come to the Cathedral on a mission, so I hobbled over to the main doors......



Just look at that..... it takes my breath away just looking at it..... see the little door on the left with the board. thats where ya go in...... ya see, you have to pay to actually go into this Catheral.... its a fiver which is about $10.... but on that signboard it does say that no one is refused and if you want to go in for private prayer or other reasons then you just ask at the information desk inside and someone will take you in and help you with your problems....... oh they so didnt wanna know about my problems lmfao......

So, I did know you have to pay to go in to wander around this most amazing of all buildings..... its been years since Ive been in there.... but I know I was in for a treat..... so I wandered in paid me fiver and just sat in stunning silence gazing at this most spectacular building...... its huge, I mean you cant really fathom it in the following photos..... but, if ever I get a doodle come visit, I will take ya there.... and for someone like me that dont do god, well..... at that exact moment I so wanted to be able to...... I was almost begging him inside to come and find me LOL

Anyways I was sitting there before I was gonna wander around when I noticed little groups of people gathering around someone, so being the nosey git that I am, I crept closer to see what the fuss was about......

Hello this bloke said, have you come for the tour..... oh, I say.... sorry I dont do god..... you dont have to he says, the tour is for all, and its free, and I could do with you on my side to make up the numbers lol - so what brings you here he said besides not doing god.... so without going into to much detail I explains I had dropped me lad off at Sparsholt and I had a huge pulling to come to the Cathedral and see if the man himself would find me.... for some reason this made the bloke laff lol I also said I had just not long finished reading The Pillars Of The Earth which was the most beautiful book I have ever read.... and its about the building of a Cathedral and the story was set in medievil times and based around the local area of where I live and Winchester..... he said he had read that book and that he too thought it was beautiful....... there was 7 people in our little party.... and the tour bloke asked me if I would like to tag along.... so I thought what the heck, Im sure it must be more informative being told about the many wonderful things in the Cathedral then just wandering around meself.....



This is Reg the tour guide, he has been a very high up council member in his time and patron to many organisations and believe it or not was even something to do with our village schools...and his passion for his local area just oozed out of him.... AND his name was Reg and that was my fathers name, so maybe it was a sign LOL - Only this man I could tell had a gentle soul lol...... the others in our little group was really into religion so I did feel a little out of place, but, if ya cant beat them I say join them lol...

I have hundreds of photos so bare with me LOL I just wish I had a better camera.... cos me photos have come out crap lol..... but if you google Winchester Cathedral you might get better information and photos....



This is the huge stained glass window that is at the front of the Cathedral..... it was so amazing, so beautiful, so colourfull, so bloody old lol

Did you know that Cathedrals are built in the shape of a cross.... and this huge one had other wings off of it, it was like a rabbit warren........ and ya know what, for someone that dont do god, it sure had a calming affect on me, and for a few hours all me worries and troubles of life just seemed to be packed away and forgotten....

The others on our little tour all asked sensible questions lmfao.... but not me.... I wanted to know if different things.... I think Reg took a shine to me, he kept laffing at me everytime I opened me mouth to ask something....I was just me, no more and no less.



Just look at part of the ceiling, it felt like one had been swallowed by a dinosaur and ya was staring at its ribcage lol..... Reg just smiled at me when I said this lol I think he might of thought I had escaped from some loonie bin.... what is it with people shaking there heads at me and smiling lol

The pictures of mine so dont do this place justice.... but here is a little snippet of the inside of the Cathedral that left me at times speechless.. you cant tell by my crappy photos just how huge a scale everything was.... stunning..





There were many many beautiful stainglass panels all over the outer walls.... I would LOVE to learn how to make them......



There was also many of these.... cant remember the name of this bloke but so many important historical figures buried inside Winchester Cathedral....

Im glad I tagged onto the little tour.... old Reggie was a mind of information.... he was brilliant....



This font is over 600 years old.... or was it made in 600AD I cant remember now lol



I bet ya didnt know that Jane Austen is buried in the Cathedral, she is just plonked there in one of the walk ways, it was strange walking over the graves, I had visions of a hand coming out and grabbing me and dragging me in lol...... I asked Reggie if her body was actually there or was it just a memorial plague thing and he said, no, all the engraved floor stones have the bodies of the people under them.... and believe me there was loads of the buggers.... if ya didnt walk on them ya would be hopping and dancing around so it was easier just to be brave and walk on them, after all, they couldnt feel ya lol they are only an old pile of bones....



There were many of this little side chapels with their own little altars.... I looked in everyone and lingered a little behind the others...... Reggies asked if I was alright and I said sure I was, I was just hoping that this 'god bloke' might show up and find me lol....... oh hush Reg I had to say, stop with the smiles...... oh he will find you in his own time he said..... I think he needs you....... GULP... talk about putting the willies up someone lol



This one is for JBelle.... dont know why but this little figure left me speechless and I stood staring at it for about 10 minutes.... I couldnt take my eyes off it...



These old paintings were discovered 200 years ago I think the bloke said, but dont quote me on that.... they were discovered when they was doing up this little chapel and a bit of the old painting paster fell off only to find that there were much older paintings underneath the already 300 year old paintings..... bloody amazing I tell ya to be looking a paintings that were painted all those years ago....



All handcarved from stone, it was huge.... jebus it was beautiful..



This bloke was a very important figure in British History..... been dead a while though lol



Another little side chapel......... aint it strange, I dont do God as such, but in my kitchen I have a 130 year old church altar table and 10 foot church pew that I LOVE with a passion.... I sometimes run my fingers over it and will HIM to come find me lol ya know, give me a sigh....... but he never does...... I dont think he wants me LOL Im probably more trouble then Im worth LOL



Apparently these are the oldest handmade tiles anywhere in the whole world.... and they aint even roped off, ya can just walk on them..... I touched them with my fingers and imagined all the millions of people that had walked on them....



This was strange this little side chapel had the most brightest painted ceiling which was different from the other plain stone ceilings... the shapes on the stone carvings tell a story, or so Reggie said, but I cant remember what it was not..... oye, I aint a bloody memory bank ya know......



I had to laff at this one.... Reggie asked our little group what was different about this one..... to which I replied....Richard Fox seems to be holding his nuts to protect them LOL...... jebus I thought Reggie was gonna have a heart attack he laffed so hard lol...... the right answer would of been that the statue was carved with him naked, and nuffin to do with nut clutching lol



Just look at this, all carved from stone..... speachless..



I had to laff at this one.... apparently there use to be quiet a few of this little coffins balanced up high dotted around the place, and 100s of years ago they were lifted down to clean or something and the old work men that were asked to do it dropped the buggers and all the old crumbly bones got mixed up, so they couldnt tell who was who so they just swept them up and placed them all in this one lol



This is the list of who is in there lol..... well old or what...... I think Winchester Cahtedral was built in 600 and something..... old or what :)



Even though this is a crap photo, this wall of carvings which was HUGE was the most stunning thing I have ever EVER seen in my life..... EVER.... it is undescribable....



sigh....





This was a more modern sculpture in the little fishman chapel.... I would of liked to of nicked this as a sovenier but I couldnt bring meself to do it LOL

Well 2 hours into the tour and there was still so much to see, but dear old Reggie had other commitments and said he would leave us to wander the rest on our own.....

I shook his hand and said fanks for the most enjoyable afternoon... and he said...... NO, thank you for your company and making the afternoon a mixture of unusal questions and laughter and if I ever wanted a job he would dearly love me to be his sidekick... WTF is that suppose to mean lmfao.....

I was sad to leave the little party.... at first these religious nuts done me head in with their boring questions and their knowledge of all things godly, but I had come to appreciate their knowledge and love for what they believed in.... I would be sad to see them depart.... well, all except the tosser with the big nose that just kept telling me to be quiet LOL... tosser....

So I wandered around a little on me own and I discovered down a side aisle some old stone stairs.... so I hobbled very carefully up them one at a time, cos by now me dodgy knee had just about had it lol..... but oh my Im so glad I did..... upstairs is the old library.... this wonderous place of the most ancient books in the whole land, and some even in the whole world......... it was like going back in time....



I had only just taken this photo when I was almost jumped upon by 2 guards lol well guards of the books which must of been about 84 years old, like they would guard anything lol........ please no photos, it could damage the books..... dam, and I hadnt even taken photos of the oldest.... but at least I got one shot..... in the adjoining room way up in the heavens of the Cathedral was a musuem room with some of the oldest hand written and hand decorated bibles in the Britain, going back to 600ad.... all behind glass they were so very rare and so very beautiful..... HUGE.... with that beautiful old writings...... not for the first time that day I lost the ability to speak LOL

As I started towards the stairs I heard the most beautiful music and heavenly voices coming from downstairs and when I look, well hung over the parapit I could see this..



Upon investigation I found out it was the musicians and chorus practising for the up and coming easter service......



If there is a heaven then this is what the music must sound like, it was the most beautiful music and voices I had ever heard, even better then James Blunt lol

All to soon it was time to leave, but I wanted to nip over to the gift shop and have a butchers, usually gift shops at places are cheap and tackie and a waste of money.. but I followed the sign to a little 300 year old building and oh my I was so not disappointed....... it was filled with beautiful if not a little expensive things.... I never spend money on me except for the odd CD, but I did treat meself to this.....



Its a little sealing wax and stamper, so those that ever get a proper hand written letter from me, will in future get my seal of approval LOL I just LOVE it...

When I came out of the shop to make my way back to the carpark, the sun came out, it was overcast and cold when I first went into the Cathedral and now it was brilliant sunshine and warm..



Tis a sign I tell ya......

I made me way back to the carpark to find that my parking fees were 15 quid lol thats like $30, usually I would of sworn at that price, but on that day, I didnt care, cos it was the most wonderful day I had had for such a long time....

I picked me lad up to be told that the college were so impressed with him, with his ability on the day, his passion, and his compassion and empathy for some of those less able on the day that they said, its not often that someone like Jacob comes along and fits like a glove into a college course, and they want to offer him a place irrespective of his exam results, and if he dont make the grades he can resit them at college with their help......... so, my boy has got his future next few years on a plate...... tis a long way to go everyday.... but I think he has found a passion that will stand him in good stead for the future......

Ok, I doubt anyone has read this far lol........ like Im bovvered......

To much Twaddle on a very wet overcast Monday afternoon....

x