Saturday 18th February 2023

The weekend again.

And if truth be known, we had not recovered from the very last night Thursday and the late nights Wednesday and Friday, which meant a king of lay in until just before seven.

I get up and after getting dressed go straight out to Tesco for fuel and supplies. Jools stayed home to make beds and have a shower.

There are shortages through the store, mostly in fresh produce where tomatoes are hard to come by, but at least more than red peppers were now available. I get the usual stuff and go to pay and load the car and to home.

Straight home for a coffee before we put the shopping away and have fruit.

A couple of hours to lollygagg about before we had appointments. Well, appointment.

Before that there was an hour to fill, so I knew a church that could fill that hole.

Before going to Swingfield, we called in at Capel, mainly because I knew it would be open, but also because it had been nearly 7 years since I was last here.

To Capel, then take a lane out into the countryside, round some sharp corners before taking the second dead end lane on the right, which was caked in mud from the farm halfway along.

And I wanted to make sure I captured the details in the windows.

Most notable feature here, is clearly the stone rood screen, with three lower arches and the one with the cross above, not sure of the screen would have been painted on plaster or on a wooden board in front.

From there, we head across country to Rver where we were to pick Ang (from last week) up to take her to see Swingfield. The lanes meandered across the countryside, past St Radigan's Abbey, or the ruin of, before plunging into Combe Valley, past the old box factory to where she was waiting beside the road.

We had an hour before the appointment, so as Ang liked churches, I took her on a whistle-stop tour of Barfrestone, which she had not heard of.

There is just one place to park in the village, beside the old phone box, then walk up the lane before climbing the steps into the churchyard. It was unlocked, so was able to show Ang the carvings, corbels and details that make this such a special church.

But time was against us, as we had to be in Swingfield in half an hour.

Back to the car, then drive to the A2, down Lydden Hill, then along to Swingfield, where for the first time ever, the gate to the car park was open.

Between Lydden and Hawkinge, there is a large medieval building beside the back road. It is called St John's Commandery, and was built and used by the Knights Hospitallers.

I have been trying to see inside it for 15 years, and now that English Heritage provide a phone number to the keyholder, an appointment to visit can easily be made.

And at one this afternoon, we arrived to find the gate to the small car park open, and once we had parked and walked round, found the door open.

The building was a chapel, then converted to a farm house in the 16th century. Sadly, when it fell under the control of English Heritage, they demolished the farm house, as the policy then was to try to create how the building was when new.

Needless to say, a preserved farmhouse from that period would now be quite the thing. But it is lost.

The east end of the building is still quite church-like, but the western half is pretty much a house, though with no furniture, rickety stairs lead up and along, and small windows pierce the two feet thick walls.

Not quite was I was expecting, but I think all of it to be a church, or all like the east-end, I guess.

The rest of the building is part-house, now empty of all furniture and fittings except some well-used fireplaces.

I took shots, not as many as I had thought, but the job was done, another tick in the box.

Pub lunch?

Outside we met the keyholder who had come to see us, even better for him was the fact we were done by just after one, so he could lock up. But before that, we had a long talk about the building, what has been done and what needs to be done to secure it.

We walk to the car, then drive to the road from Hawkinge, but turn north to Barham, though we stopped at Denton (the home of happiness), where the cats used to to stay when we went on our holibobs.

The Jackdaw is a fine old pub, and used as a location for the film, The Battle of Britain, so had many photos from the filming on the walls.

We took a set in the window, and though Jools and Ang just ordered a starter, I saw steak and stout pie, so ordered that along with a pint of ale.

We were warned of delays due to a parge group that had arrived, but 20 minutes later the food came, all freshly cooked, and mine so hot I could barely eat it at first.

And was delicious too.

We passed on dessert, and with the afternoon now having reached two, we dropped Ang back home and then drove back to Chez Jelltex, where I put the kettle on for a brew before the footy started at three.

Norwich struggled to a 0-0 draw at Wigan, so the new dawn fades. Again.

More football in the evening on the tellybox, Newcastle v Liverpool, which should have been a tight game, but Liverpool found themselves 2-0 and the Newcatle keeper sent off, all in the first twenty minutes.

I watched this, sitting on the sofa with scully in front of the roaring fire, as our heating has failed, so this is the only way to warm the house until a guy comes round on Monday.

By the time we went to bed, the living room was a little smokey, which spread round the house. I thought I had broken the burner, but was much funnier than that, as you wll find out tomorrow.

To bed at half eight, for nine straight hours kip.

I hoped.