Agatha's Birthday

It was Agatha Christie's Birthday on Sunday, easy to remember as my son was born on that day as well. Agatha lived just outside Wallingford at Winterbrook which at the time was in the parish of Cholsey where she is also buried. The statue of her you see was unveiled last year and sits over looking the Kinecroft in Wallingford or Crinny as it is locally known in front of Flint House where Wallingford Museum has a permanent display on her life. No doubt she walked around here at times but then looking at her statue you would have passed her in the street and not known who she was I dare say I did when I used to go to walling ford when I was younger. Now she has no end of visitors getting their photo taken and having selfies taken.

Happy Birthday Agatha

St Nicholas Chadlington

 

 This week the Church Explorer visits St Nicholas Chadlington a church which was a pleasure to visit with some beautiful stained glass 

Random Skys

 I sort of run out of skywatch photos so thought I would show three random ones I took

This was a lucky shot, I spotted the kite in the tree so ran indoors to get my long lens and get a photo out the bathroom window. I just took the shot as it flew off, the nearest I have got of one taking off from the tree

 

 

The entrance to the caravan site I go to, the sign with the mural is new so I took a photo and got the clouds over the hillside 

 On the way back home we went over the Severn Bridge  this is the old M4 bridge which linked England to Wales.

Happy Skywatch

Didcot Railway Centre

 

As promised some more photos from around Didcot Railway Center

The is the view of the place you get when you come in, the track here leads to that water tower 

Water tower where they fill the steam engines

Rebuilt station waiting room, the people were waiting for  a train ride

Reproduction of the Iron Duke 

 

This is the one thing I wanted to see, its part of Brunel's Atmospheric Railway. It was a lot bigger than I thought it would be

Saddle tank train taking people for rides

Stationery saddle tank train 

The sign is from a local station of the now demolished Didcot to Newbury line. The station building this came from is still there. Ironically in a place called Beacham Close named after the person who closed down the line. Can't think why the council would call it after some one who cut them off  

Inside the engine shed

Wider view of the engine shed

One of the trains outside the engine shed

That's it for now, I'll sow more another time. I hope to go aback again to get more photos

All Saints Spelsbury

 

 

This week the church explorer visits All Saints Spelsbury a church with some superb monuments to see.

Shorthampton Sky

 

Getting up to date here with my sky's as this one was from last month when I visited a church in Shorthapton, it was way out in the sticks (countryside) along a narrow country lane with only a farm and a couple of houses nearby.

This is the church it dates back the 13th or 14th century the sky behind made it worth while

The narrow road it is along

The view out of the east window you see in the photo above

Outside you just see a combined parked up in a cut field of corn (Wheat)

The glorious Oxfordshire countryside is all you see.

Happy SkyWatch

St Michael Leafield

 

 

This week the Church Explorer visits St Michael Leafield a very nice Victorian Church with some beautiful stained glass

Red Sky

 

I took the dog out for a quick walk by the lake one evening in July and this is what I saw a beautiful sunset

I went up the hill a little to get a better view

The cloud on my right looked like a luminous fish chasing something

The sky well that was something else reflecting in the lake

Just beautiful

Turing around to go back and the cloud over the hill had a pink tinge

The tint dissipated as I walked on

 But one last look at the sunset was needed

Happy Skywatch

Rejected photos

 

I took quite a few photos for use in the flower show but only a few made it to the show, here are some of the ones I did not use. The subject was round tings so I thought flowers, in the end I did not use them

Echinacea

Daisy

These are leeks that have gone to seed

I did not feel the photos looks right

artichoke

Dandelion

Take care

St Mary Shipton-under-Wychwood

 

This week the Church Explorer visits St Mary Shipton-under-Wychwood a church which dates back to 1200 and has a 15th century pulpit