Saturday ramblings

I have been listening to Fergal Sharkey, taking Claire Balding for a walk,  they have just found the place where Millais painted the picture of Ophelia.  I suppose you would call it over romanticised and an elegant depiction of a pretty English scene, unfortunately Elizabeth Siddal, the model, caught a bad cold from lying in a cold bath. 

Gosh Sharkey sounds old but such an expert on the natural world, and I have just learnt that there are two hundred chalk rivers in England, a chalk river is one of nature's delight.  Apparently the band of chalk starts in East Yorkshire sweeps down to the South and is responsible for the white cliffs of Dover.

Ophelia by Millais

My header photo has some of the elements to be found in the painting, the white water flowers and drifting green plants.  My picture should have had the dozens of demoiselle damselflies that were dancing over the water, unfortunately I only managed to capture one low down in the r/h corner. 

Where is it? Wellow Brook, out in the countryside of Wiltshire not far from Bath. 

A place often visited to see  Stoney Littleton long barrow, here I would traipse with  Moss up the hill past the sheep, to brood and meditate.

If you went into the village of Wellow, you would see a place where other artists had once lived, The Brotherhood of Ruralists, of which I have written plenty, just type in search box if you are interested.  They lived in the old railway station, if you are an artist you just have to be 'with it' ;) bet it was all wicked and communal! 

Only of course that was not important, as is the kerfuffle we find ourselves in at the moment, don't weep for Mrs May, it had to happen, as does a different political system.  We will get to a point of reconcilation sometime just enjoy the pantomime at the moment and reflect on the awful truth. The Human Race is not as clever as it thinks itself.  We are floundering in a mess of our own making.