St Michael, Garway

 

This week the Church Explorer visits St Michael Garway. St Michael is the Templar church with an interesting history and the church I had wanted to visit on my last tour of the area but just found it one too far. 

  

Hot sunset

 

A sunset after one of the hot days we had in June

Looking out of the bathroom window 

West past the chimneys 

 

Outside from my drive to the sunset

 

Northwest

 

West over the allotments

East from the bedroom window 

I have been blogging for just over 14 years now though this one is just coming up 14 years, I have never attained that meany followers and was pleased my blog got to 1.000,000 views but then noticed that I was getting some serious hits getting up to nearly 2.6 million views in a short time with nearly 200000 last month. I had over 2600 posts to troll through. The advent of AI has given them free rein to troll my blogs so I have now implemented a few changes to who can view and on top of that deleted over 2000 posts. The photos are all stored on my laptop any way so the post are not missed, I've been cutting down to once or twice a week to post now and may well give up sometime. The last two months of the hot weather was worse than going through Covid for us. If I take a break for a while I hope you will understand.

Happy SkyWatch 

Excitement in the Village

 

Since the main road past the village has been closed due to new pipes going in for Gas the village has become a bit of a rat run in that there are more cars passing through and emergency services.

Today I hear a lot of them going past and after seeing a fire engine and police car go through I thought the worst in that there was a field fire nearby, after going off for a nosy this fire engine came past

The field fire theory went out the window when I say the engines parked up near the station, rumor went around it was a fire there

Police cars parked up with a fire engine in the station

 

Did not look like a fire though. Another rumor some had been hit by a train.

It's bad enough along this road with commuters parking cars but the fire engines did not help. Outcome was it turned out there was someone wandering around by the track who had mental problems and was detained under the mental health act thankfully not injured.

Happy SkyWatch 

St Deny Northmoor

 

This week the Church Explorer visits St Denny Northmoor to revisit this beautiful church and because it was only a few miles along the road from the last church

 

Heat wave

 

If you have not heard we are going through dry spell in the UK they you do now. Some photos I took around the village showing the effects 

 This was in June

Into July

Wheat field waiting harvest

 

Thames at Wallingford in July

Note the dry grass

 Splash park and swimming pool, yes it used to be a paddling pool

The Allotments 

People are watering the crops

Some even have little helpers

Happy SkyWatch 

St Michael Stanton Harcourt

 

This week the Church Explorer  makes a return visit to St Michael Stanton Harcourt to look around the Harcourt Chapel which holds the Harcourt Family tombs

The Walk back

 

Did I get to Churn Knob  well nearly

There is a wooded area at  the top of Churn Hill where you find this reservoir as there was a crop field beside it I did not feel I should try that way

Not far away this small tractor was parked up beside the gallops

I did look down here to see if there was a way

Churn Knob is that clump you see sticking up over the rape field

Couple of racehorses out for a walk

Time to go back a different path

and it is not long before you come to this part

With a couple of seats, this one has a few memorial plates on it

It's a grand view you get though I think the trees have grown since the benches were placed

You cans see right across to Didcot and beyond 

That was is Blewbury where I started

 

On the other side of the trees you can see better

 Zoomed in to Didcot

The seats are at the top past the trees. the area is an old chalk pit and is now a nature reserve 

I will take my leave with some of the flora growing.

Linked with Tuesday Travel 

Happy SkyWatch 

St James, Kinnersley

 

This week the Church Explorer visits St James, Kinnersley for no other reason that I noticed it was near another church I had visited so went on my list. It's an unusual church with saddle back roof on the tower and is next door to Kinnersley Castle.

Churn Knob

 

Churn Knob is just outside Blewbury on the edge of the downs, this was the main place I had intended to walk to so a few photos.

I just found out the my blog has passed 2000000 views and I am grateful to those of you who visit but I doubt the amount of followers I have would reach that amount seems like AI bots making free with what I post 

Start of the walk uphill, need to go right

After a wile you pass this reservoir 

Then back under the trees

You soon find open space

And lots of downland

This tractor is on the hillside I went to previous

Stables below

Walk on further and more meadow

Might give an idea how far I am from the stables

More green tunnel

and a space to walk

 

Soon you near the place I was heading for and a look towards Didcot

 

Across the valley is a farm

And this place is called Rose Cottage

 

 I'll leave you with this view and show the rest next week

HappySkyWatch