Happy Halloween

 

Its that time of year when the Ghosts and ghouls come out to play and only place in our village really does like to play and put on a show

 Happy Halloween

St Mary Chesterton

 

 This week The Church Explorer visits St Mary Chesterton, a beautiful old church which dates back to the 12th century 

A Friday Wander

 

One Friday earlier this month I took a short walk out side the village to look at something I also notice the sky's while looking, well I had to take some for Skywatch, they were superb

 

I had been checking out an old water course that stopped running it followed the hedge line here but is very overgrown

 

Somewhere in the distance it makes a turn right

 

Across this field you can see St Mary's church in the distance

 

I took walk back along a brook and looking back across the field towards the Lees

Happy Skywatch

Through the carwash

 

Driving back from Wales today I spotted what looked like smoke in the distance

We had to stop at the traffic lights and noticed this sign

That's when I released it was not smoke

 Not a good way to upgrade pipes but we got a free carwash

St Mary Bampton

 

This week The Church Explorer  visits St Mary  Bampton a church which featured in Downton Abbey, I have also published it in two parts one after the other

End of September

 

The end of September we were at our caravan in Wales taking an evening walk around the lake with the dog. As normal I lagged as I wanted to get photos of the sunset, it was glorious. I took photos using both iphone and digital camera. This week I'll show the phone photos and next week the camera

Looking out over the end of the lake

Wider view of the after glow

Looking past the swing chair

Over the reeds

looking down the lake from the jetty

 Last look over the caravans

Happy Skywatch

St JAmes Aston

 

This week the Church Explorer visits St James Church Aston one of four churches I managed to visit one Saturday morning

Vyne Skys

 

 Some of the gorgeous skys we had on our visit to The Vyne last month

Going along the path to the house and the sky over the chapel

Bit of sun flair here but this is the chapel, think Henry VIII and Elizabeth I both have been here

Looking across the lawn at what was the front of the house

This was the rear but was changed to the front after the road behind me was opened

Looking up the lake from the weir

Cows grazing in a nearby field

 Finally looking across the lake to the house

Happy Skywatch

Agatha

Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie’s Bronze on the Kinecroft in Wallingford with Flint House in the background. You may have seen on the news about the unveiling on the 15th September 2023 which was her birthday, it was unveiled by her grandson. The bronze was paid for by Wallingford Council who proclaimed that she was a resident of Wallingford for 42 years. That is what they would like you to think! The fact is she was a resident of Winterbrook which, while she was alive, was in the parish of Cholsey SU6088 : Winterbrook. When Agatha passed away, because she was in the parish of Cholsey, she was entitled to be buried at St Mary's church in Cholsey SU5887 : Flowers on the grave. Had she lived in Wallingford her grave would have been lost amongst the others in the cemetery on the edge of town. Wallingford can only claim she was a resident because of a technicality in that Winterbrook is now part of the town. Had Agatha been alive, I think she would have been, like the rest of the residents, upset at joining Wallingford against their wishes.

 I'm not sure it is a good likeness from the photos I have seen

Agatha sat on her bench, most times you see her in the week there is a bus parked behind her

Sitting on her bench she looks over the Kinecroft in Wallingford

Take Care

St Peter & St Paul Shiplake

 

 This week the Church Explorer visits  St Peter & St Paul Shiplake a church which dates back to the middle ages and has some stunning stained glass to see

13th September

 

Which also happened to be my Birthday, I had a couple of trips out that day both to the same place, On the second time there I parked my car up and had a walk around

 

While walking back I looked at the sky's over the Air Ambulance Landing pad 

 

Better view further up a few feet

 

 

Turn left a tad and the after glow was still there

Google effects

 

Overlooking the landing pad with the windsock

Happy Skywatch

Three Photos

 

This week I'm showing three photos, I'm not saying where it is but you might have seen it on the TV or in a few films at one time. See if you can guess where it is and the Program. I'll post where it is in this blog on Wed

 Take Care

One of you guessed right. The places shown were in Downton Abbey. First one was the Hospital, second the dower house and the church7 used in the services and wedding.