Haslemere

 On our way home from the spa we stopped in the small town of Haslemere in Surrey.

The first thing I noticed was this Penfold Postbox which I thought was an original but I then discovered it was a replica. Penfolds are the only letter boxes which Royal Mail has produced replicas of in this way. This one was installed in 1990 outside Penfold's former home. Penfold was born in 1828 and studied architecture and surveying. The Post Office had been attempting to standardise letter boxes throughout the country for some time but had not managed to establish a national standard. I 1866 Penfold submitted his design which was hexagonal in shape and highly decorative which made it very expensive to produce. The design was modified and became a popular postbox with many of its features initiated with the Penfold boxes remain in use today. Postboxes were initially green but these were the first to be produced from 1874 in red.

It was a very pleasant town with interesting  shops, cafes and houses.

At the back of the town is the Town Well. It was used from medieval times until the late 19th century. this was one of two principal sources of water for the town. Haslemere's last public water carrier was Hannah Oakford who died in 1898. She charged a penny ha'penny per bucket to deliver water to houses in the town.

Spa break

A couple of weekends ago my daughter and myself enjoyed a weekend at a spa hotel. This was a Christmas present from my son and dil. We had to wait until now before the relaxing of Covid regulations allowed us to go. The hotel was just over an hour's drive away in the heart of Surrey. It had extensive grounds and when we arrived  the sun was shining and we were able to take advantage of lounging in the sunshine. I forgot to take any photos until we were leaving and the weather was cloudy with drizzling rain.

We made use of the gym, indoor pool, sauna, steam room as well as having a relaxing massage. It was a wonderful present and a well needed break for us both.

Mum's oak tree

 Whilst visiting my son and Dil a couple of weeks ago in Leeds I paid a visit to Tatton Park near Manchester. It is here that the family had a tree planted in Mum's  memory.

 I first saw the tree in March 2019 shortly after it was planted. It is an English oak.

I didn't think it would be over two years before I would be able to see it again but this is how it looks today.

Fortunately the tree is well protected from the deer that wander freely throughout the park.

Somerset House - Global Goals

 Last month I visited the Forest for Change at Somerset House in London. It was created by artist Es Devlin to raise awareness of the U.N.'s 17 Global Goals. At the heart of the forest of 400 trees are the United Nations Global Goals for Sustainable Development. 

Every tree in the forest will be replanted in London as part of the Queen's Green Canopy, a unique tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee in 2022.  Everyone in the UK will be encouraged to 'Plant a tree for the Jubilee'. It will have schools, scouts, community, sports groups etc as well as individuals planting trees.  Its aim is to create a living legacy which will contribute to cleaner air and make our lives greener.

As well as the inviting of planting new trees, The Queen's Green Canopy will dedicate a network of 70 Ancient Woodlands across the United Kingdom and identify 70 Ancient Trees to celebrate Her Majesty's 70 years of service. Obviously it will be something else to add to my bucket list to go and find these 70 Ancient woodlands and trees!

As you walked through the Forest for Change you could hear the sound of birdsong, created by Brian Eno.

You emerge from the Forest into a clearing with 17 mirrored pillars representing the Global Goals. In 2015, world leaders agreed to 17 Global goals to create a better world by 2030. The exhibition is a reminder for all of us, governments, businesses, civil society and the general public to work together to build a better future for everyone. Below are a few examples of the goals with reasons why they were chosen.

Each pillar has the Goal on one side and an explanation with further information on each side.

The 17 global goals:

Goal 1: No Poverty

Goal 2: Zero hunger

Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being

Goal 4: Quality Education

Goal 5: Gender equality

Goal 6: Clean Water and sanitation

Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Goal 10: Reduced Inequality

Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

Goal 13: Climate Action

Goal 14: Life below Water

Goal 15: Life on Land

Goal 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions

Goal 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal

Sharing with Our World Tuesday