To continue the story..............

Having thawed out, but wishing we had brought a flask of hot, thick soup with us from Bicknell Grange (Old S-----m, my wrinkled retainer, failing in his duties again. He had his annual day off - what more does he want?!) I decided to take The 'Saltire' to see our wee parish church on the way home.

A word of explanation here: although my postal address is Storrington, Bicknell Grange is actually within the parish of Sullington, which is as close as one can get to Storrington without actually sitting on its lap! Sullington is not a village, it is an area without a focal point really. The ancient church of the parish is curiously situated in the middle of a farm next to the Manor House and a mile off the road!

The church itself is of Saxon origin, dating from circa 1050 with Norman and slightly later additions. The two Yew trees in the churchyard are over 900 years old:



There are two Tythe Barns behind the church and on the farm, which were built in the 17th Century are are still very much in use today.

The interior of the church, being so far from any traffic, is a haven of peace and tranquility:





I had no idea The 'Saltire' was musically inclined, but when it saw the church's tiny organ it expressed a desire to play. However, the wooden cover to the keyboard was locked and so any hopes of a rendition of Bach's Toccata and Fugue were dashed:



Outside in the sunshine again, we were posing for a final photograph on the churchyard wall:



....when we spotted the sign giving the times of services, and noticed immediately that the colouring was identical to that of The 'Saltire'. How's THAT for perfect colour co-ordination?



The visit to my parish church concluded, it was but a short dash back to Bicknell Grange for some warming crumpet (!) and tea by the fireside.

Knowing that first thing in the morning the little airship would be winging its way back across the Atlantic Ocean and crossing the North American continent to familiar San Jose, a sad evening ensued as we chatted over the events of the past week, and spoke of all that we could have seen and done had the weather been kinder. Another time, perhaps.

To be concluded...........

Take care,
Ham.