Love is the Key

Picnic by the Mine

On Friday I showed this photo of a valley where we had a roadside picnic. Well I thought you might like to see where we had been to start with.

One of the first places we stopped was for me to get a photo of this new bridge over the Afon Elan

It replaces this old bridge which had become unsafe so it was fenced off and people used a bailey bridge to cross the river

The Bailey bridge had been there as long as I had been coming to the area, the last two photos were taken in 2008. I don't think I will miss the noise of driving across the old Bailey Bridge

While I was there getting mu photo's I noticed these guys photographing things. I'll comeback again sometime when they are not around

The first photo I took was near here, an old lead mine. I'll show more in my other blog

 I stopped off on the way back to get a photo of the source of the Afon Elan which I thinks here

and while I was walking back this came rumbling past empty (his mate was behind) they were the reason the old bridge was blocked off. Imagine them trundling past full up with tree trunks. I might add it is not uncommon to me them on the roads which are single track round here

I'll leave you with this Stitch photo showing the Elan source it flows off to the left. 

Taking part in Our World Tuesday

Tesco Mural

 

 

Tesco is a local Supermarket in Didcot and ran a art competition for local Kids from the various schools in the area , the winning painting was placed in the Didcot store for all to see. It has all the local features to the store. In the background you can see the remains of the power station that dominates the town. The Railway which put the town to the map, the nearby housing estate and Tesco itself with the delivery lorry. One thing to note is the steam train, Didcot has a big steam preservation museum  which is famous and the intercity train as Didcot is on the line between Bristol & London

A well thought out mural with some of the info on it below.

 

Taking Part in Monday Mural

 

Cwm Ystwyth Valley

Stopped for a roadside picnic and took this photo up the Cwm Ystwyth Valley

Cat in the Hedge

Highgate Fox

Urban foxes are becoming a common sight in our city's & towns though being some one from out in the country I don't come across them very often. Unlike their country cousins they tend to be a bit manky and covered in Mange. I have only ever seen one before while up  in one of the London suburbs and after walking round Highgate Cemetery on Monday was surprised to see this Vixen

She had just grabbed some food thrown out for her turned out the staff looked after her treating the poor thing for mange but in doing so it became rather tame and used to people around

 Chewing quickly while watching the people nearby who were only a few meters away. Try that out in the country all you would see was a tail where it ran away

Heard a noise, the staff were chasing off the hungry magpies which steel the food

Need some more food. We left after this photo not wanting to frighten the poor thing more that it was already. 

Taking Part in Our World Tuesday

Cycle Mural

Last one from Landod as it is known locally. I only noticed it of late and it looks quite new to me. It is is on some safety fencing cordoning off some empty land that has been that way as long as I have been visiting Llandrindod Wells.

 It sits beside this magnificent building which used to be among other things and Aircraft showroom 

 The building is now home to he National Cycle Collection which explains the mural

 Taking Part in Monday Mural

Thames at Mapledurham

Back to Mapledurham this week and a look along the Thames towards Pangbourne

 

Taking Part in Skywatch Friday

Reading a Book

Llandrindod Wells

Llandrindod is a spa town in mid Wales . It was developed as a spa town in the 19th century, with a boom in the late 20th century as a center of local government. Before the 1860s the site of the town was common land in Llanfihangel Cefn-llys parish. Llandrindod Wells is the fifth largest town in Powys. 

Here we look along the road leading to the station which is by the red car in the distance

One of the Victorian buildings which are a land mark of the town

This is up from the station near the Post Office

One of the former art deco stile car dealerships that was here now becoming a bit run down

The Welsh Government sign

and the government offices

This sculpture is near the County Council offices

From 
what I can make out this was the former Bach-y-crai boarding house called the Pump House
It was enlarged into a hotel  and finally bought by Powys County Council who used it till the 1980's when it was demolished and a new office built

 The new offices on the site of the former hotel

The old Guest house was restored and retained along with the boiler house you see across the pond here

a short walk away is this lake which was built for the hotel and would have been seen from there as well

the hotel would have been to the left of the photo you can read the history on the hotel in the link

Going back down town you pass  another of the turreted buildings and an impressive art deco garage

that was owned bu Tom Norton

who sold among things Aircraft, imagine that going to the local showroom and buying a plane

Opposite is a red brick building with a a covered walkway which looks like it was a former hotel

I'll leave you with this stitch of the Tom Norton Building and will return to this town another day

Taking Part in Our World Tuesday