St Mary Uffington

This week the Church Explorer visits Uffington & St Mary's church which is know as the Cathedral of the Vale. It is unusual from its octagonal bell tower

February Flowers

Snow Moon

Back around the middle of February we had what was called a snow moon I went out when it was rising around 6.45 in the evening and got a couple of photos using a 400mm lens on my

 Canon EOS 70D

 Taking looking through a tree with the moon in the clouds

 Minute later at a different setting

Later still with a cloud haze

Happy Skywatch 

Ferry Lane

This week I'll take you to another part of the Thames Path at Cholsey Marsh, this is the other end of the place I showed a week or so ago. The Marsh has changed a lot over the years and is a far cry to what I remember as a kid.

This is Ferry lane of the end of it near the River Thames. Ferry lane used to be called Papist way

Looking over to the left you can see the Marsh, this has grown up over the years with trees and reeds. Cattle used to graze here and the places was cropped short then

The Thames Path Finger sign

Above the Thames Path that runs through the marsh



One of the information signs at the Marsh gate, there is another the opposite end

 The River Thames looking over towards Little Stoke

That is Ferry Lane on the Little stoke side. There was a ferry there that used to take people across. I heard storeys of my dad taking it across to a pub in South Stoke during the Second World War. The American forces also made a bridge across here before D Day no doubt as a practise for the real thing. If you click on the Link I put above you can see an old view taken in 1890 from the other side of the river

Left looking upstream from Ferry Lane

I'll leave you with this view of the Thames from Ferry Lane. I'll take you on a walk through the Mash another time.

Taking Part in Our World Tuesday

St John the Baptist Kingstone Lisle

This week The Church Explorer takes to to Kingstone Lisle and the church of St John the Baptist which was built in 1200 and still has the 14th century murals on the walls.

Spring Daffodils

Childrey

On my visit to Childrey church a few weeks ago I stopped off for some photos around the Village pond

The village sign was most impressive

Made to commemorate the Millennium

Nearby was the village War Memorial with painted stones at the base

By the pond you could read the story of the pond and the wildlife on it

The geese were obliging in standing there posing. Before I went I stopped off to get a photo of the Coventry Almsehouses built in 1912

Childrey sky's

The other week I visited a church in Childrey which is a very pretty village, I took the opportunity to  stop for a few photos of the village, while taking them I could not help taking some views of the sky as well.

The local Methodist church showed off the sky a treat

Nearby the local woking men's club and reading room set off a blue sky

Nearby the Almshouses sat under a clear blue sky

Out the back of the church you got a wonderful view of the Vale of the White Horse with a cloud decked sky.

Happy Skywatch

Holy Cross Sparsholt

This week the Church Explorer takes you the Holy Cross Sparsholt where you find Wooden Tomb Effigies as well as stone ones

Skytrails in the clouds

So the other week we were out for a walk to the church when I looked up and saw the clouds, they looked like they had fingers going through them

Spreading out like a hand

This is one of the culprits causing them

Happy Skywatch