The rain falls at last but I'm having fun.

I always get out early and nothing is ever open until about an hour or two after I would arrive!!

Churches are often open earlier than that so.....

756 St Mary, Climping







the two ladies in the church said I had to visit Ford Church as it was so pretty. Its not in the book but...

so St Andrew, Ford


Isn't that little light by the gate cute?



And so on to West Dean Gardens




















there were 5 broods of mallards in the gardens. I was concerned by this one because one chap had become detached and was at the bottom of a waterfall. I was pleased to see him catch up.











Annoyingly I had to keep dodging rain showers (the first I've seen this week), the garden though has some nice huts you can sit in. I'll have to come back its a lovely garden with all year appeal.

And so on to the Weald and Downland Open air museum. It has a collection of historic buildings.


More cuteness




















So it was still relatively early and there was a church within 12 miles.... I knew roughly where it was but there is no village so it wasn't on my map....

I thought i had gone wrong, as I came to a junction there was a sign which would bring me back to my room but I thought I'll just go on a bit and look what I found....

757 St Huberts, Idsworth

The chapel was built in 1053 and the wall painting is 14th century, it is in Hampshire but feels like a Sussex downland chapel (its just over the border).






As I walked across the field back to my car I felt a sense of pride. This church has no community and sits alone in a field, and yet its not unloved. The flowers show that people still care for it. For over 900 years it has stood on its hill and bore witness to a nation and its people, long may it to so