My last hurrah dancing The Mass For Peace

My last dance event in England was with Brenda Kelly.  We went up to Mirfield Monastery in Yorkshire to dance her suite of dances "Mass for Peace" - music by Karl Jenkins.  I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy it, as the music is very strong and powerful, depicting war and moving through to peace.  But it was a wonderful experience and I absolutely loved it.  Brenda hasn't danced it for a number of years, but has many requests to do it again next year.  So we are already considering venues.

The monastery had two churches and we danced in the smaller of the two.  It was a lovely square space, just the right size for our group of 40 dancers.  There was state of the art lighting and sound system.  (and underfloor heating)

Having been in the UK for the Spring, I was pleased to see some autumn colour before I leave.                    The colours are just starting to change and the leaves beginning to fall. 

But there is just enough warmth and sunshine left for the butterflies.  The monastery had a great orchard with laden apple trees.  I wish I could have had a few spare days to bottle them all.  Many were just fallen on the ground.  Some were SO red, the wicked witch could have tempted anyone to take a bite.

The upper church had a beautiful window, with panes of clear and green glass, with the colours from the trees shining through.

The gang of five.  Brenda, me and three of her Hassocks dancers, Cath, Beverly and Ruth.  We all travelled up from Sussex to Yorkshire together on the train.  Had lots of laughs.  And we were a good back-up crew to help Brenda with some of the many things that needed organising over the course of the dance weekend.

Beautiful fuchsia bushes in the Monastery gardens.

Sussex and house sitting

I drove back to Sussex from Cornwall.  After spending a few days with Brenda and dancing with her groups, I headed off to a nearby house sit in a converted barn.

 All I had to look after was an aviary of canaries and the tomatoes in the greenhouse, so nothing too stressful.

The lounge room was rather special

The barn where I house sat was right next door to Knepp re-wilding area, a 3,500 acres estate.  Since 2001, the land – once intensively farmed - has been devoted to a pioneering rewilding project, as a way of returning to a state of natural productivity.  Grazing animals such as pigs, deer, ponies and cattle imitate the range of animals that would have grazed this land thousands of years ago.   They help maintain the land, to stop it becoming too overgrown.  Animals are culled as necessary, providing slow-grown meat to the local market.  No extra feeding is necessary, except in heavy snow. These look like very happy, healthy little piggies, that I met while                                                                                            walking in the area.

The animals need no extra feeding and they can live outside all year round, with woodland and thickets to provide shelter.

The regeneration of the land, and re-establishment of natural water courses, now supports many rare species of birds, bats,  butterflies and other wildlife.

I walked through the wilding area to the local pub, very quaint, in a little village called 'Dial Post'  Had a lovely lunch here.  

The Vintage Car Club was having their monthly get-together at the pub, so there were lots of lovely old cars parked outside. 

I rather liked the ladybird mini.

I've been impressed by how many solar farms there are in England.