Author: Heyjude

I have lived in the UK for most of my life, but when young I definitely had wanderlust and even ended up living in South Africa for several years which was a wonderful experience. I now look forward to a long and leisurely retirement doing what I like most - gardening, photography, walking and travelling.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Twist

Several things immediately entered my head when I read the subject of this week’s photo challenge:

  • Dancing away in a holiday club to Chubby Checker’s “Let’s Twist Again” in the summer of 1961
  • The ‘twist‘ of blue paper containing salt in a packet of crisps
  • Barley Twist – that amber stick of twisted sugar which was probably the cause of many a tooth needing to be filled.

All very nostalgic but the twist is that I don’t have a photo of any of these things, so I am going with this delightful Springbok in Namibia who had to twist her neck to be able to scratch the itch. Springbok or what about these twisty horns of a male Kudu? kudu-2 so what has got you into a twist?

Anglo-Saxon England

The Fuller Brooch
Anglo-Saxon England, late AD 800s

This large Anglo-Saxon silver brooch is of extraordinary craftsmanship and perhaps belonged to a high ranking churchman. The centre part is decorated with five figures representing each of the human senses.  Sight is in the centre with large bulging eyes and he is surrounded by Touch, Taste, Smell and Hearing, who can be identified by their actions.

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The Desborough Necklace
Anglo-Saxon England, late AD 600s

This necklace, found in a woman’s grave, is the finest of its kind to survive from Anglo-Saxon England. Its gold wire beads and pendants set with garnets reflect a mix of Mediterranean and continental fashions. The inclusion of a cross pendant reflects the influence of Christianity.

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The Strickland Brooch
Anglo-Saxon England, AD 800s

This silver brooch is an especially fine piece of Anglo-Saxon jewellery. Its intricate pattern of lively animals with glittering gold bodies and blue glass eyes is inlaid with niello, a black metal alloy that was popular at this time. The mixture of materials is unusual for a brooch of this date and it was probably worn by a wealthy woman.

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Images are my own. Descriptions are from the British Museum.

Road Trip: Route 62 – Wine and Roses

After spending five days in Cape Town it was time to head for the road and the Garden Route, one of the most spectacular regions in South Africa.

I hope you’ll join me on this journey, it is not the usual route that tourists take to get to the Garden Route – comments welcome on the original post.

Do you like taking alternative routes?

A Table and a Tablecloth

In Cape Town one thing dominates the horizon, and that is Table Mountain – not Table Top as I have heard it called, but simply Table. There are several such named mountains in the world, but only one with views like this one.

Make sure you get up to the top if the weather is good – you won’t regret it.

(please visit the original to post comments – I’d love to hear from you 🙂 )

T for Týn Church / Týnský chrám

frizztext hosts a weekly A – Z Challenge

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Event Type: General Blogging

Start Date: Tuesdays, recurring weekly

Description: Every Tuesday I offer the “A to Z challenge”, walking step by step through the alphabet.

If you would like to join in then please click here

Back in Prague (the city of 101 spires apparently) this week for one of the most recognisable buildings in the Old Town, a Gothic church called ‘The Church of Our Lady in front of Týn‘

The current church is a late Gothic style and construction began in the 14th century. The roof, the 80m high church towers and the smaller spires were completed in the 15th century. It dominates one side of the Old Town Square. (Wikipedia)

T---tyn's-church

The front is decorated with a golden image of the Virgin Mary, made in the 1620s from the melted down Hussite chalice that previously adorned the church. This was during the tumultuous period when Roman Catholics were slaughtering the Hussites who had controlled the church for two centuries.

T - tyn's church (2)

And take a close look at the two spires on the church. They are not symmetrical. They represent the masculine and feminine sides of the world. This is characteristic of Gothic architecture of the period.

The church is difficult to picture in its entirety as it is hidden behind the  four-storey Týn School, and although impressively Gothic on the outside it is heavily Baroque on the inside. It is open to the public, though closed on Mondays, and often used for mass, so check before you  visit.

T---tyn's-church-3

Entrance to the church can be difficult to find as you have to negotiate through the narrow lanes behind the square. This amazing portal dates from 1390 and depicts scenes of Christ’s Passion.

Legend has it that Walt Disney based his Sleeping Beauty Castle on this church. What do you think?