View from Pips Bench

Just a couple of photos today taken this morning from Pips Bench on Aberedw Hill in Wales

   Happy SkyWatch

Vist to East End

 

I took our dog for a walk around the village and decided to go to the East End, this was the new estate on the old east end farm 

After walking through the estate I ended up on the walk that run around the outside of the estate passing this insect hotel, the pile of dirt looks like it is there for hedgehogs and other small mammals to hibernate. The insect hotel was not the only one I passed

 

Further on I passed the pond

With this duck taking the opportunity to have it to himself 

The pond it where the rainwater ends up from the drains along the estate road

Up ahead the corn dryers from the old farm

Further around the poppy head sculpture a nod to the name of the estate and the fact it was built on a poppy field

Further along a children's playground

 The wooded walk planted when the estate was finished is now flourishing well and it will not be long before you will not see the houses.

Take Care 

St Mary Monninton on Wye

 

This week the Church Explorer visits  St Mary Monnington on Wye the Third in the Kilvert churches I visited near the River Wye. Bit of a surprise finding this one was in the Bulmers Apple Cider orchards 

 

Campsite sky

 

Some photos from back in the middle of September when we were at our caravan 

The seat I am always drawn to trying to get the photo I want

Further up the path looking towards the Radnor hills

Zoomed in a little and the edge of Aberedew hill

Getting on further looking to the camping field

 Going back down near the bend in the track and you can see mist in the distance, mind you it could be rain

When we got around the end of the lake it did rain

It eased off so we got on with finishing the walk

The clouds still threatened rain

 Last time I saw this rock it was nearly out of the water, the rain has filled the lake back to nearly its normal level.

Happy SkyWatch 

The Conker tree

 

The Conker tree or Horse Chestnut tree if you want its proper name grows on the Forty or Village green to  people who are ignorant of what local places are called.

It's been there longer than I have been around 

More than I can say for this monstrosity which was built back in the 1960's with no thought whatsoever to any architecture design or being sympathetic to the fact it was a village  

 There are six shops with in, the one to the right is the Butchers and though changed hands has been here the longest along with the hairdressers which is second left which changed hands a few times, around the corner is a men's barbershop and a pharmacy. The pharmacy which used to occupy the two units was made smaller and the barber shop took the vacant unit on

Over to the left is a cafe that has changed hands so much I forgot what was there to start with. the newest shop is on the right which seems to sell vintage items for want of a better word. At least it looks better that the Accountants that used to be there.

 Anyway back to Conker trees, this is Whitehead meadow or School meadows as I used to know it, the old school is where the buildings you can see to the right are. The school was converted to be a retirement home and some new parts added to it. When were were kids we collected conkers to play the game with

 

When I walk around now I see conkers scattered  all over the ground

 

 

As kids these would be collected and a hole put through them with a  skewer and a knotted string threaded through so you could play the game of conkers. The game is banned from school yards now because H&S has come to the rescue of kids getting there knuckles rapped buy missed conker hits and teachers not wanting to be responsible for the kids getting hurt and I don't think some of the parents help either. We live in a nanny state now

 

 The conker tree still grows shedding its seeds each year though now there are more laying around. I'm not sure I miss getting my knuckles wrapped by the missed hits so may be is is a good thing it is not played so much.

Take Care 

 

St Peter & St Paul Whitney-on-Wye

This week the Church Explorer visits St Peter & St Paul Whitney-on-Wye the first of seven churches I will be visiting on the same day. Whitney-on-Wye is one of the churches that Francis Kilvert visited, this one where he was befriended by Henry Dew. 

I have just realsied that my blog has now gone over 1000000 views which I can only putdown to AI bots from the US because I have only 110 followers and a few more on email. The blog  went over 1million early in September. For those who do take the trouble to look at my blog Thank You

 

Oxford from the tower

Last weeks blog ended up at this place St Peter in the East now St Edmund's Hall Library when I was talking to the librarian who was telling me about the place she said the tower was open and you had to climb six flights to get to the top as bit of a cardio work out for you 

Needless to say she was not wrong so here are some photos through the windows which were a little dirty

Looking down the rooftops to St Mary the Virgin on the left with the Radcliffe Camera center

 

 I think we look towards New Collage Chapel here

 

 

 Right down the roof of the church

 

 

This is Queens street towards the High Street

 

Take care 

Happy SkyWatch 

 

 

 

 

St Garmon St Harmon

 

This week the Church  Explorer visits St Garmon's church at St Harmon for the first of ten churches I visited over three days to see the churches from the Clerics trail of Francis Kilvert. St Harmon was where he was vicar

 

Odd photos from around Oxford

 

It was open doors in Oxford over the weekend so on the Sunday I took the opportunity to visit a couple of Churches that had become collage library's   

First was this one which is now the center for Mission studies, it used to be St Peter & St Paul

Walking past the old Radcliffe Infirmary I noticed someone taking a photo of this fountain 

I noticed this blue plaque on the nearby wall, I have come across another not far away in Old Marsdon

The door of the old infirmary 

It was the bit under the plaque was interesting as it asked for donations, even back then hospitals needed money 

Passed this plaque

which was on this collage building

The martyrs memorial 

Who were burned at the stake at this spot along Broad Street

Further on you see this place the Sheldonian theater 

When I got here I had go too far

 

The last place was St Edmund's Hall Library the old St Peter in the East Church

 

In the grounds you found St Edmund.

 

 

Take Care