In order to write a poem for her exhibition of landscapes, I needed to visit sites where Bryony had taken earth to make paint. Our original plan was to visit Church Norton and Selsey, before heading to the holloway at Halnaker.
The traffic had other ideas, however. Still, at least there was a good view over flat fields to Chichester Cathedral.
Time was already getting on when we reached Church Norton, so we hurried through the salt marsh of Pagham Harbour to the beach.
My sort of bleak. It seems to fit into my eye comfortably, somehow. Bryony pointed out the spots where she had taken sand and mud to make her paints.
The beach itself was lonely and lulling ...
... and with a tidal range far smaller than that of the Severn, we could loiter happily on Church Norton spit, unlike the causeway at Sully Island in South Wales a couple of weeks earlier.
There was sea kale and yellow horned poppy sprouting in the shingle ...
... and fossils to be photographed.
Heading back to the church, we passed the site of Norman castle, the earthworks of which are still visible.
I was a bit puzzled about the Chapel. It too proclaimed itself to be Norman, but the dimensions were wrong. It looked more like a Saxon Church to me.
Then I learnt that what we see here today is actually just the chancel of the original Church, the rest having been transported to, and rebuilt at, Selsey. It seems that with the transference of the Church's HQ to Chichester and the building of the Cathedral, there was simply no need for a large church here.
The Chapel is now in the care of the Churches Preservation Trust. There's a gruesome plaque on the tomb of John and Agnes Lewis of the martyrdom of St Agatha. Who, in a twist (ahem) of that peculiarly Roman Catholic propensity to take things literally, is the patron saint of breast cancer patients.
There's also pleasing, modern stained glass in there, of St Wilfrid 'teaching the locals to fish' and of the salt marsh and its inhabitants. More landscapes made out of sand ... but it was time we moved on to our last destination of the day.
Back in the second week of October I visited Chichester, where there is nary a straight line and a surprise around every corner.
After an extremely reasonably priced lunch in Raymond Blanc's brasserie (all the more tasty for being paid for by friends as a birthday treat), we passed the beautiful 15th century market cross ...
to visit the Cathedral, which I'd long wanted to see. And full of delights it proved, old and new ...
... graffiti with serifs, 1699! ...
... leaves in free fall ...
... and a very modern gargoyle.
I loved this decidedly porcine cherub ...
and this stunning stained glass window designed by Marc Chagall ...
matched for drama by this tapestry designed by John Piper.
I'll be here for ever if I post pictures of every delight - the early 12th century Chichester reliefs; a consecration cross; more graffiti from centuries ago; more cherubs, distraught at the 1696 death of Bishop Robert Grove from a broken leg; a Roman mosaic pavement; a wonderfully delicate ceiling painting of twining foliage. I shall, however, post photos of two tombs which caught my eye, above of Joan de Vere, who died in 1293 and who has the most graceful face of any effigy I've ever seen, and below the Arundel tomb, made famous by Larkin's poem of the same name, with its marvellous last two lines.
The Chapel is now in the care of the Churches Preservation Trust. 
