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A BRIEF NOTE
Zen says:-
This begins with a most unusual mug found in Brighton, Sussex,
that originates in Farnham, Surrey,
then jumps to Horsham in Sussex,
where Zen's great-uncle lived,
and down to Devon,
while extrapolating a fair bit -
from some engraved words from 1950
on a mug first engraved by it's owner c.1820 -
on the meaning of human relationships,
finishing with reflections of one wise man Zen briefly knew,
long gone,
but remembered with gratitude
for his saying just 12 words
that seeded change in the direction of a man's life.
that originates in Farnham, Surrey,
then jumps to Horsham in Sussex,
where Zen's great-uncle lived,
and down to Devon,
while extrapolating a fair bit -
from some engraved words from 1950
on a mug first engraved by it's owner c.1820 -
on the meaning of human relationships,
finishing with reflections of one wise man Zen briefly knew,
long gone,
but remembered with gratitude
for his saying just 12 words
that seeded change in the direction of a man's life.
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SELECT MENU ITEM
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HISTORIC ENGLISH AYLWARD-STOVOLD PEWTER MUG
Origin
Fox & Hounds, 57 West Street, Farnham, Surrey
Date
late 18th, or early 19th century
Description
A well-used and very attractive public house pewter mug,
engraved in script on the base
'Fox & Hounds, Farnham',
presented to Lewis Aylward in 1950
by his employer, F. Raymond Stovold.
engraved in script on the base
'Fox & Hounds, Farnham',
presented to Lewis Aylward in 1950
by his employer, F. Raymond Stovold.
Background
This mug oozes English history,
as it was made around the time Napoleon threatened the world,
until thrashed at Waterloo by Wellington,
and was given as a gift
just after another would-be world dictator
had also just been thrashed.
as it was made around the time Napoleon threatened the world,
until thrashed at Waterloo by Wellington,
and was given as a gift
just after another would-be world dictator
had also just been thrashed.
Why Zen's interest?
Zen has always been interested
in everyone who lives and works with families, farms, enterprises, and crafts
from the highest to the lowest,
and the relationship between them.
Zen spotted the mug at a car boot sale in 2019,
and it just 'spoke' to him.
in everyone who lives and works with families, farms, enterprises, and crafts
from the highest to the lowest,
and the relationship between them.
Zen spotted the mug at a car boot sale in 2019,
and it just 'spoke' to him.
Why it matters
As Zen intuitively reads it,
it means Raymond Stovold greatly appreciated Lewis Aylward.
Hand engraving is not inexpensive,
and the mug has a relatively lengthy text,
indicating that Mr Stovold, as a wartime farmer, and beyond
with all the challenges that had involved,
together with Raymond's many other interests and enterprises,
viewed Lewis Aylward with real gratitude,
giving him a Farnham mug with a long village history,
knowing Mr Aylward would himself appreciate it.
It seems to Zen
that this was no ordinary employer-employee gift,
but a mark of friendship,
and it is that friendship
that Zen misses in today's coldly professional world.
So what spoke to Zen
was an historic artifact
that speaks volumes to those that can hear the language,
of nourishing relationships between two people
that people today
usually have no time for.
it means Raymond Stovold greatly appreciated Lewis Aylward.
Hand engraving is not inexpensive,
and the mug has a relatively lengthy text,
indicating that Mr Stovold, as a wartime farmer, and beyond
with all the challenges that had involved,
together with Raymond's many other interests and enterprises,
viewed Lewis Aylward with real gratitude,
giving him a Farnham mug with a long village history,
knowing Mr Aylward would himself appreciate it.
It seems to Zen
that this was no ordinary employer-employee gift,
but a mark of friendship,
and it is that friendship
that Zen misses in today's coldly professional world.
So what spoke to Zen
was an historic artifact
that speaks volumes to those that can hear the language,
of nourishing relationships between two people
that people today
usually have no time for.
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FARNHAM HERALD
Zen contacts
Zen emailed the Farnham Herald in early 2020,
as it seemed a perfect story for them, receiving a reply from Lauren,
and they have recently published an article,
which Zen has yet to see ( their website search yields nothing ),
but it has produced 2 useful replies ( see below ).
as it seemed a perfect story for them, receiving a reply from Lauren,
and they have recently published an article,
which Zen has yet to see ( their website search yields nothing ),
but it has produced 2 useful replies ( see below ).
Link, please
Has anyone a link to the article, please?
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PETER STOVOLD
Peter emails
Peter Stovold is F. Raymond Stovold's grandson,
and himself a farmer,
and emailed Zen on 04 JUN 2020.
and himself a farmer,
and emailed Zen on 04 JUN 2020.
Email text
I have just been sent a copy of the article from the Farnham Herald showing your wonderful Pewter mug and inscription – fabulous history.
Mr F. Raymond Stovold was my late Grandfather here at Eashing. I am now the third generation to be farming here and proud to be keeping our farm going, which I also trust will be for more generations.
At this stage I cannot give much specific info to help. I was born in 1953, so do have recollections of the Aylwards, Sivyers, Linegars, Ted Drury to name a few of the old school here. My father, John, sadly passed away in 2016. There is a large old fashioned Tea chest in my store room which has my late Grandfather’s Memoirs (and Memorabilia) – he had nearly finished a book. In fact the book is on Google under his name and ‘Memoirs of the Stovolds’, so you could glance through as I cannot remember if there is any reference to [Lewis Aylward].
Mr F. Raymond Stovold was my late Grandfather here at Eashing. I am now the third generation to be farming here and proud to be keeping our farm going, which I also trust will be for more generations.
At this stage I cannot give much specific info to help. I was born in 1953, so do have recollections of the Aylwards, Sivyers, Linegars, Ted Drury to name a few of the old school here. My father, John, sadly passed away in 2016. There is a large old fashioned Tea chest in my store room which has my late Grandfather’s Memoirs (and Memorabilia) – he had nearly finished a book. In fact the book is on Google under his name and ‘Memoirs of the Stovolds’, so you could glance through as I cannot remember if there is any reference to [Lewis Aylward].
Memoirs
Zen found the Stovold farms website in 2019,
and had a good read of these memoirs,
which he enjoyed -
link below.
and had a good read of these memoirs,
which he enjoyed -
link below.
Next
Reading Raymond's account ( above ),
particularly of his hunting, horses, and hounds,
makes me realise he must have known my Great-Uncle,
which sets my mind writing something to connect the dots - see next.
particularly of his hunting, horses, and hounds,
makes me realise he must have known my Great-Uncle,
which sets my mind writing something to connect the dots - see next.
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DOCTOR GEOFFREY SPARROW, HORSHAM
Cleeve
Background
Zen's great uncle,
Geoffrey Sparrow, doctor, author, huntsman and artist,
grew up at Cleeve, our family estate in South Devon,
built by his father, Benjamin.
Geoffrey Sparrow, doctor, author, huntsman and artist,
grew up at Cleeve, our family estate in South Devon,
built by his father, Benjamin.
Quarries & Ships
The Sparrows had lived in Plymouth near their huge quarries,
where from 1812-1841, the 1.75 mile long Plymouth Breakwater
required 4.5 million tons of limestone,
plus they cut stone for fine town houses, commercial buildings, and bridges,
including the Royal Naval Dockyard at Devonport,
and the ring of forts surrounding Plymouth built in the 1860s,
and famously known as Palmerston's Follies.
In addition, our own ships took cut stone as far away as Malaya
from a quay known to this day as Sparrow's Quay,
120 years after we sold the company -
amazing what one finds on Google!
The Cholera outbreak of 1848 was a concern,
so the opening of the South Devon Railway to Ivybridge in 1849,
enabled them to move away by 1852.
My great-great-grandfather bought Cleeve and Drew farms ( 194 acres ),
with Cleeve then being an ancient manor house
( once owned by a family of that name - at least until the 17th century )
of which only 2 granite arches and a short wall now survive.
In 1886, a new Cleeve was built from our square-cut limestone,
with just one huge medieval granite arch forming the back door
as a tribute to the old house.
where from 1812-1841, the 1.75 mile long Plymouth Breakwater
required 4.5 million tons of limestone,
plus they cut stone for fine town houses, commercial buildings, and bridges,
including the Royal Naval Dockyard at Devonport,
and the ring of forts surrounding Plymouth built in the 1860s,
and famously known as Palmerston's Follies.
In addition, our own ships took cut stone as far away as Malaya
from a quay known to this day as Sparrow's Quay,
120 years after we sold the company -
amazing what one finds on Google!
The Cholera outbreak of 1848 was a concern,
so the opening of the South Devon Railway to Ivybridge in 1849,
enabled them to move away by 1852.
My great-great-grandfather bought Cleeve and Drew farms ( 194 acres ),
with Cleeve then being an ancient manor house
( once owned by a family of that name - at least until the 17th century )
of which only 2 granite arches and a short wall now survive.
In 1886, a new Cleeve was built from our square-cut limestone,
with just one huge medieval granite arch forming the back door
as a tribute to the old house.
////////
A MESSAGE FROM THE PAST TO THE FUTURE
Access to the Railway
My ancestors were early commuters,
checking the quarry business and managers were in order,
later going off hunting or shooting with their many friends -
all made possible by regular trains -
amazing what one can deduce from diaries!
As the family employed quarrymen blasters and sold cut stone,
to shorten the journey to the railway station by 2 miles,
a spectacular three-quarters of a mile carriage drive
was constructed down along a very steep wood,
with a smart new bungalow known as Eastern Lodge
and a one-arch stone bridge dated 1864 across the River Erme.
The iron drive gates and railings went to bomb Germany in WW2,
so I never saw them,
but a VERY strange thing happened very soon after my father's death.
I came across a Pathe News video on YouTube
called Postcard to Devon,
which, although dated 1946, was clearly made before WW2.
By 7:17,
I first recognised the Postman.
Brief diversion -
his first job as a boy sailor in the Royal Navy, pre-1914,
was to polish a battleship's bell on HMS Colossus.
It was later given to Geoffrey's brother, Captain Arthur Sparrow, RN.,
my grandfather,
who put it in the porch at Cleeve as the front door bell -
precisely where the Postman was amazed to see it -
as he told me when I met him in his eighties.
Back - then he cycled across our bridge,
and through the Eastern Lodge gates I had never seen,
before handing a letter into the lodge to a woman.
My late mother lived in Eastern Lodge for 20 years until death -
and I was estranged from her for 40 years.
Stranger still, in the last moments of the video,
it shows the Postman coming down the western drive,
and giving the postcard to 3 children,
with a background of a barn
that I had used to store antique furniture in.
I have no idea who the 3 children were,
but I was the oldest of 3 children -
2 boys and a girl - almost exactly as in the video ( girl youngest ).
My younger brother began farming in 1982,
and abruptly ordered that I empty the barn,
as he claimed he wanted it for storing hay.
I knew it was the worst barn on the farm ( poor access ),
and there were others empty,
so I knew he was trying to edge me out,
so I politely said 'I have a perfect right to use it!'
My mother and father had given me use of it 5 years before,
and with my father gone through divorce,
I felt it was for my mother to change things - not him.
With no further conversation,
or him moving my furniture to adjacent small empty buildings,
or even moving it to my shops 4 miles away,
my brother later burnt
thousands of pounds worth of antique furniture and so on,
expelling me from the family permanently, as it turned out.
I never sued - one does not sue family.
My family's attitude was that I was in the wrong,
so the entire estate became my brother's.
He sold Cleeve for peanuts 4 years after my mother died,
just as 1978 I always knew he would -
I 'know' things about people -
useful for those into spiritual healing and personal development.
I knew with some certainty in the final scene of the video
that my father's spirit,
now aware of all the facts during his Life Review,
was letting me know
that he now understood my side of things.
One of the many moments in my life
when the hair stands up on the back of the neck
when Life sends me personal messages!
Mine was delivered by a video,
but a friend's was delivered by a Canada Goose -
which flew into a small terraced house in the centre of a village -
but that's another story.
checking the quarry business and managers were in order,
later going off hunting or shooting with their many friends -
all made possible by regular trains -
amazing what one can deduce from diaries!
As the family employed quarrymen blasters and sold cut stone,
to shorten the journey to the railway station by 2 miles,
a spectacular three-quarters of a mile carriage drive
was constructed down along a very steep wood,
with a smart new bungalow known as Eastern Lodge
and a one-arch stone bridge dated 1864 across the River Erme.
The iron drive gates and railings went to bomb Germany in WW2,
so I never saw them,
but a VERY strange thing happened very soon after my father's death.
I came across a Pathe News video on YouTube
which, although dated 1946, was clearly made before WW2.
By 7:17,
I first recognised the Postman.
Brief diversion -
his first job as a boy sailor in the Royal Navy, pre-1914,
was to polish a battleship's bell on HMS Colossus.
It was later given to Geoffrey's brother, Captain Arthur Sparrow, RN.,
my grandfather,
who put it in the porch at Cleeve as the front door bell -
precisely where the Postman was amazed to see it -
as he told me when I met him in his eighties.
Back - then he cycled across our bridge,
and through the Eastern Lodge gates I had never seen,
before handing a letter into the lodge to a woman.
My late mother lived in Eastern Lodge for 20 years until death -
and I was estranged from her for 40 years.
Stranger still, in the last moments of the video,
it shows the Postman coming down the western drive,
and giving the postcard to 3 children,
with a background of a barn
that I had used to store antique furniture in.
I have no idea who the 3 children were,
but I was the oldest of 3 children -
2 boys and a girl - almost exactly as in the video ( girl youngest ).
My younger brother began farming in 1982,
and abruptly ordered that I empty the barn,
as he claimed he wanted it for storing hay.
I knew it was the worst barn on the farm ( poor access ),
and there were others empty,
so I knew he was trying to edge me out,
so I politely said 'I have a perfect right to use it!'
My mother and father had given me use of it 5 years before,
and with my father gone through divorce,
I felt it was for my mother to change things - not him.
With no further conversation,
or him moving my furniture to adjacent small empty buildings,
or even moving it to my shops 4 miles away,
my brother later burnt
thousands of pounds worth of antique furniture and so on,
expelling me from the family permanently, as it turned out.
I never sued - one does not sue family.
My family's attitude was that I was in the wrong,
so the entire estate became my brother's.
He sold Cleeve for peanuts 4 years after my mother died,
just as 1978 I always knew he would -
I 'know' things about people -
useful for those into spiritual healing and personal development.
I knew with some certainty in the final scene of the video
that my father's spirit,
now aware of all the facts during his Life Review,
was letting me know
that he now understood my side of things.
One of the many moments in my life
when the hair stands up on the back of the neck
when Life sends me personal messages!
Mine was delivered by a video,
but a friend's was delivered by a Canada Goose -
which flew into a small terraced house in the centre of a village -
but that's another story.
////////
Geoffrey Sparrow, MC
Hunting IMG
Geoffery - Artist
After service in WW1 as a Medical Officer in the Royal Naval Division,
Geoffrey was a doctor in Horsham from 1919,
experiencing horses and country life
very much as Raymond Stover did ( and wrote about in the link above ),
and recording much of it in copperplate engravings
with a style unique to himself,
and now highly collectable, even at Sotheby's.
His 'trademark' was bandy-legged countrymen, foxes and horses,
and when he gave away his engravings in a frame,
he would often draw a tiny sketch on the mount card.
When Zen was born in 1957,
Geoffrey sent an engraving
of Uncle Tom Cobley and his mare, of Widecombe Fair,
and the tiny picture
was of the mare lying exhausted on the ground
with a circle of worried farmers around her -
complete in every detail,
measuring at the most 2 inches by 1 inch.
Geoffrey would visit Zen's mother,
and her leather-bound Visitor's Book
had lots of these tiny little drawings in it,
marking Geoffrey's visits over the years.
Geoffrey had an 'eye'
that no-one raised in the motor age
can have again.
Geoffrey was a doctor in Horsham from 1919,
experiencing horses and country life
very much as Raymond Stover did ( and wrote about in the link above ),
and recording much of it in copperplate engravings
with a style unique to himself,
and now highly collectable, even at Sotheby's.
His 'trademark' was bandy-legged countrymen, foxes and horses,
and when he gave away his engravings in a frame,
he would often draw a tiny sketch on the mount card.
When Zen was born in 1957,
Geoffrey sent an engraving
of Uncle Tom Cobley and his mare, of Widecombe Fair,
and the tiny picture
was of the mare lying exhausted on the ground
with a circle of worried farmers around her -
complete in every detail,
measuring at the most 2 inches by 1 inch.
Geoffrey would visit Zen's mother,
and her leather-bound Visitor's Book
had lots of these tiny little drawings in it,
marking Geoffrey's visits over the years.
Geoffrey had an 'eye'
that no-one raised in the motor age
can have again.
Geoffery & Raymond
As Raymond Stover was a hunting man,
I am fairly certain they knew of each other,
as Geoffrey rode to the Crawley and Horsham for decades.
I am fairly certain they knew of each other,
as Geoffrey rode to the Crawley and Horsham for decades.
What none of the writers on Geoffrey Sparrow mention,
is that Geoffrey's father - my great-grandfather - Benjamin Sparrow,
came off a horse onto a granite boulder at a point-to-point,
and suffered a very bad head injury,
with a long, drawn-out dying at only 38 in 1893 -
a traumatic event
with serious consequences for all the family then,
and affect it to this day.
It is tempting to think
that maybe this influenced Geoffrey's decision to study medicine,
and to love, not fear, horses?
is that Geoffrey's father - my great-grandfather - Benjamin Sparrow,
came off a horse onto a granite boulder at a point-to-point,
and suffered a very bad head injury,
with a long, drawn-out dying at only 38 in 1893 -
a traumatic event
with serious consequences for all the family then,
and affect it to this day.
It is tempting to think
that maybe this influenced Geoffrey's decision to study medicine,
and to love, not fear, horses?
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THE HORSHAM HITCH-HIKER
Hitch-hiker Horsham
About 30 years ago,
Zen was hitch-hiking through Sussex,
and chose to travel towards Devon via Horsham,
as Zen wanted to see if anyone he met on the road
knew of Geoffrey Sparrow.
Zen was picked up by a man in a Land Rover,
who not only knew Geoffrey Sparrow,
but was DELIVERED into this world by him.
Sometimes Life hands you a message on a plate,
against all chance.
Zen was hitch-hiking through Sussex,
and chose to travel towards Devon via Horsham,
as Zen wanted to see if anyone he met on the road
knew of Geoffrey Sparrow.
Zen was picked up by a man in a Land Rover,
who not only knew Geoffrey Sparrow,
but was DELIVERED into this world by him.
Sometimes Life hands you a message on a plate,
against all chance.
Remembered by Horsham
It is good
that Geoffrey is so well-remembered by Horsham
50 years after his death.
that Geoffrey is so well-remembered by Horsham
50 years after his death.
The 7 mile view at Cleeve
The Last Meeting
Zen can still recall Geoffrey in the drawing room at Cleeve,
where both he and Zen spent childhoods
looking out over the rolling hills of South Devon,
seated at the table in the bay window,
doing his little drawing in the Visitor's Book,
shortly before his death,
when Zen was around 10 or 12.
where both he and Zen spent childhoods
looking out over the rolling hills of South Devon,
seated at the table in the bay window,
doing his little drawing in the Visitor's Book,
shortly before his death,
when Zen was around 10 or 12.
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MATT SAVILL
12 JUN
Matt Savill has kindly sent new information on Lewis Aylward,
which is much appreciated.
which is much appreciated.
Matt's email
I was intrigued by your query relating the pewter mug.
This is what I've found using the Ancestry website (and other resources).
Lewis Albert Aylward was born in Bramley 20 Dec 1903. In 1903 he was living in Dunsfold with his mother and father, a farm carter. In 1928 he married Lucy Peake in Dunsfold. In 1939 he was living with his wife at Dockenfield Farm working as a carter and cowman. One son located, James L. Aylward b. 1935. In the 1950s Lewis was living with his wife at "Greenways", Lower Eashing.
Lewis Aylward died in 1987 in S.W. Surrey.
This is what I've found using the Ancestry website (and other resources).
Lewis Albert Aylward was born in Bramley 20 Dec 1903. In 1903 he was living in Dunsfold with his mother and father, a farm carter. In 1928 he married Lucy Peake in Dunsfold. In 1939 he was living with his wife at Dockenfield Farm working as a carter and cowman. One son located, James L. Aylward b. 1935. In the 1950s Lewis was living with his wife at "Greenways", Lower Eashing.
Lewis Aylward died in 1987 in S.W. Surrey.
Thank You!
Good work, Matt!.
Zen Googles
Zen googled 'James L. Aylward, Surrey' on 12 JUN,
and found another piece of the jigsaw of history:-
AYLWARD JAMES LEWIS (JIM) of Godalming,
died peacefully at the Royal Surrey County Hospital
on 1st April 2019, aged 83 years.'
This explains why Zen found the mug later in 2019.
and found another piece of the jigsaw of history:-
AYLWARD JAMES LEWIS (JIM) of Godalming,
died peacefully at the Royal Surrey County Hospital
on 1st April 2019, aged 83 years.'
This explains why Zen found the mug later in 2019.
Go2 IMG
Aylward Family
If anyone from the Aylward Family reads any of this,
be assured
that Jim's father's mug is much appreciated.
One can tell that the family took great care of it,
as pewter goes dull if not rubbed with a soft cloth,
and the mug glows with many years of TLC.
So the mug is a lasting teastament
to a link between two men,
forged in time of war and peace,
deep in the ancient soil of Surrey,
and that, surely, counts for something.
be assured
that Jim's father's mug is much appreciated.
One can tell that the family took great care of it,
as pewter goes dull if not rubbed with a soft cloth,
and the mug glows with many years of TLC.
So the mug is a lasting teastament
to a link between two men,
forged in time of war and peace,
deep in the ancient soil of Surrey,
and that, surely, counts for something.
Aylward Family
If anyone from the Aylward Family
has a photo of Lewis,
perhaps of him working,
it would add a face to the story here.
has a photo of Lewis,
perhaps of him working,
it would add a face to the story here.
Go2
Go2
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OLD COUNTRY WAYS Vs FACELESS GREY EGALITARIAN PARADISE
Green desert
The land is the foundation of all life,
yet by the way city people behave
towards those who have worked the land for centuries,
saving the country in two world wars,
it is seen as no more than a commodity
to be plundered like any other,
neglected or appreciated by the whim of the 'market',
or of short-sighted governments.
They have just about wiped out the countryside,
leaving a farming industry shedding manpower rapidly,
as agribusiness gobbles up land,
fueled by beancounters good at filling in forms,
because farming
is a plaything for governments,
who keep farmer's necks tight in a hangman's noose,
because cheap food
is more important than long-term sustainable farming.
City people
spend their days looking at screens and glossy magazines
that project images into the mind
created by people with money-making in mind.
Few see any connection,
or would take the time to join the dots,
to see what this glossy world actually does.
The dramatic drops in bird population.
The dying-off of bees.
Trees dying off with new diseases.
Water that is poisoned.
Seas drenched in plastic granules.
Fish and birds trapped by debris,
or poisoned by man's rubbish,
who die a vile, slow death.
Land that is drenched in nitrogen,
that leaches into watercourses,
taking with it
much of the best topsoil,
as bigger and bigger machines
kill the greatest earthmover of all,
and the only one
that always improves soil.
The Earth worm.
yet by the way city people behave
towards those who have worked the land for centuries,
saving the country in two world wars,
it is seen as no more than a commodity
to be plundered like any other,
neglected or appreciated by the whim of the 'market',
or of short-sighted governments.
They have just about wiped out the countryside,
leaving a farming industry shedding manpower rapidly,
as agribusiness gobbles up land,
fueled by beancounters good at filling in forms,
because farming
is a plaything for governments,
who keep farmer's necks tight in a hangman's noose,
because cheap food
is more important than long-term sustainable farming.
City people
spend their days looking at screens and glossy magazines
that project images into the mind
created by people with money-making in mind.
Few see any connection,
or would take the time to join the dots,
to see what this glossy world actually does.
The dramatic drops in bird population.
The dying-off of bees.
Trees dying off with new diseases.
Water that is poisoned.
Seas drenched in plastic granules.
Fish and birds trapped by debris,
or poisoned by man's rubbish,
who die a vile, slow death.
Land that is drenched in nitrogen,
that leaches into watercourses,
taking with it
much of the best topsoil,
as bigger and bigger machines
kill the greatest earthmover of all,
and the only one
that always improves soil.
The Earth worm.
The Humus-Maker
When Zen sees an earthworm
wriggling in the hot sun, on a damp path after rain,
he picks it up,
and puts it somewhere safe.
Zen knows
that in land in good heart
there are tens of thousands of earthworms,
so one makes no difference.
But it is the thought that counts.
And the Universe Knows.
wriggling in the hot sun, on a damp path after rain,
he picks it up,
and puts it somewhere safe.
Zen knows
that in land in good heart
there are tens of thousands of earthworms,
so one makes no difference.
But it is the thought that counts.
And the Universe Knows.
Friend Sykes
If you have never read it,
read Humus and The Farmer, by Friend Sykes.
Zen did,
and it made a great impression,
as did books by John Seymour.
read Humus and The Farmer, by Friend Sykes.
Zen did,
and it made a great impression,
as did books by John Seymour.
Go2
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ZEN REFLECTIONS
A re-think
Zen thinks differently to many people,
which is why he renamed himself.
which is why he renamed himself.
Simple law
Zen sees life as a mirror to our thoughts,
for there is only one law,
and it has just 6 words.
What you put out,
comes back.
The Law of Karma.
It is quite a foundation for life.
for there is only one law,
and it has just 6 words.
What you put out,
comes back.
The Law of Karma.
It is quite a foundation for life.
IMG
Mr Tapper
40 years ago,
Zen lived in a small Devon village called Yealmpton,
where there was a retired gardener called Arthur Tapper,
who had spent much of his life at Puslinch,
one of the finest Queen Anne manor houses in England, Zen would say -
almost perfect!
Zen would occasionally chat over the wall with Arthur,
as hoe in hand, he tended his cottage garden,
and Arthur warmly recalled seeing Zen's grandfather
riding on his white horse,
perhaps 15 or 20 years before Zen's birth.
Zen lived in a small Devon village called Yealmpton,
where there was a retired gardener called Arthur Tapper,
who had spent much of his life at Puslinch,
one of the finest Queen Anne manor houses in England, Zen would say -
almost perfect!
Zen would occasionally chat over the wall with Arthur,
as hoe in hand, he tended his cottage garden,
and Arthur warmly recalled seeing Zen's grandfather
riding on his white horse,
perhaps 15 or 20 years before Zen's birth.
White Horse
Geoffrey Sparrow did a painting of his brother, Zen's grandfather,
on that same white horse,
jumping across the top of a Devon bank,
looking across Cleeve to the southern slopes of Dartmoor,
which for no known reason
took pride of place in the downstairs loo.
Devon hedges are serious things,
wide earth banks with stone-faced walls,
wide enough at the top for horses' hooves,
as they are 5 or 6 feet tall at least,
too great an obstacle to jump in one go,
so Geoffrey must have found Surrey and Sussex's tiddly fences light relief!
on that same white horse,
jumping across the top of a Devon bank,
looking across Cleeve to the southern slopes of Dartmoor,
which for no known reason
took pride of place in the downstairs loo.
Devon hedges are serious things,
wide earth banks with stone-faced walls,
wide enough at the top for horses' hooves,
as they are 5 or 6 feet tall at least,
too great an obstacle to jump in one go,
so Geoffrey must have found Surrey and Sussex's tiddly fences light relief!
Tapper Wisdom
But Arthur Tapper once said something to Zen
that really rang a bell.
This is why Zen remembers Arthur,
and what he said,
in his gentle Devon burr.
'It's not what you do,
but what you be,
that matters'.
Arthur was a very wise man,
and Zen remembers him with gratitude.
Arthur spoke with KISS.
Keep It Superbly Simple.
Zen knew it had meaning for him,
and never forgot it,
and, in time, it's meaning came to him.
that really rang a bell.
This is why Zen remembers Arthur,
and what he said,
in his gentle Devon burr.
'It's not what you do,
but what you be,
that matters'.
Arthur was a very wise man,
and Zen remembers him with gratitude.
Arthur spoke with KISS.
Keep It Superbly Simple.
Zen knew it had meaning for him,
and never forgot it,
and, in time, it's meaning came to him.
A gift
Arthur Tapper was not by ordinary standards a wealthy man,
or one that many would see as someone to follow,
but Arthur had a 'certain something'
that made him a very wealthy man indeed.
Arthur glowed with happiness,
and a young man noticed.
Arthur enriched Zen's life
with just 12 words,
like a baton
in the relay race of Life.
or one that many would see as someone to follow,
but Arthur had a 'certain something'
that made him a very wealthy man indeed.
Arthur glowed with happiness,
and a young man noticed.
Arthur enriched Zen's life
with just 12 words,
like a baton
in the relay race of Life.
Tapper Garden
And from googling 'Arthur Tapper, Yealmpton',
Zen discovered the Arthur Tapper Memorial Garden,
which shows others too remember him with gratitude.
Arthur Tapper rang church bells at Yealmpton for many years,
and to this day there is an Arthur Tapper Shield
competed for all over Devon.
Arthur lived right beside the church,
just across the road from the 2 shops I bought aged 21,
and lived in for 8 years.
My Labrador, Sam, and I, would often see him.
Zen discovered the Arthur Tapper Memorial Garden,
which shows others too remember him with gratitude.
Arthur Tapper rang church bells at Yealmpton for many years,
and to this day there is an Arthur Tapper Shield
competed for all over Devon.
Arthur lived right beside the church,
just across the road from the 2 shops I bought aged 21,
and lived in for 8 years.
My Labrador, Sam, and I, would often see him.
From a mug ...
And all this webpage
stems from one car boot sale pewter mug ......
Best wishes, Zen
stems from one car boot sale pewter mug ......
Best wishes, Zen
Go2
