The early purple orchid is one of the first orchids to appear each Spring in an English ancient woodland. It has about fifty small flowers which are arranged in a cone shaped cluster on a tall spike. Like many orchids it has a rather unpleasant smell. The leaves are very distinctive with dark blotches which some people think look like dried blood. An old name for the plant was dead men’s fingers. Continue reading “Early purple orchid at Folly farm”
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Foraging for wild garlic
Here in Britain the country is going into full panic mode with the corona virus scare. When I went to the supermarket this morning I noticed a lot of empty shelves. So it is good to know that many of the plants in our woodlands are edible and can be very tasty. A couple of weeks ago I went on a plant foraging walk in our local nature reserve and the leader Steve England introduced us to several plants that were safe to eat or had other uses such as making string or home remedies. Wild garlic is particularly easy to distinguish because of its distinctive pungent smell.
Bristol Street art for Thursday doors
Bristol is famous for its street art. It is after all the home of Banksy. Over the last few years the buildings, underpasses, bridges, buildings and street furniture of inner Bristol have been turned into an art gallery. Continue reading “Bristol Street art for Thursday doors”
Cardiff flower show 2020
The Royal Horticultural Society holds a series of flower shows through out the year including the world famous Chelsea flower show. The season starts in April with the Cardiff flower show. It is always held in Bute Park next to Cardiff Castle. This year, Corona virus permitting it will take place between the 17th and 20th of April. The early date gives visitors a chance to buy bulbs and other plants for the summer.
Click here for more details and to purchase tickets
My photo which will be added to the flower of the day FOTD photo challenge run by Cee Neuner is of the winning entry from last year in the floral marquee. I hope she will allow a succulent display.
Daffodils for St. David’s day
It is not certain how the daffodil became the national flower of Wales but Welsh people often wear a daffodil in their buttonhole on March 1st for St. David’s day.
#Sunday Stills is a weekly photo challenge run by Terri Webster Shrandt. For the second Sunday in March, the challenge is your national or state flower.
I am English and our national flower is the rose. I love roses but they flower in the summer here. So I cheated and took a trip across the Severn Bridge to Wales and chose the daffodil. Continue reading “Daffodils for St. David’s day”
A Falconry display at Tintern Abbey
Last year we decided to visit Tintern Abbey a ruined Cistercian abbey that sits high above the river wye, the river that divides South Wales from England. The abbey was built in the gothic style between 1361 and 1550 and the monks grew rich from the profits of the wool trade. It was dissolved by Henry VIII but the fact that so much survives is a tribute to the skill of the early builders. Continue reading “A Falconry display at Tintern Abbey”
Sugar and spice and all things nice.
This week is valentine’s week and the theme for this week’s photo challenge is sweet.
First a confession I don’t usually like sweet things, I prefer savoury snacks and don’t take sugar in my tea. However since this week’s #Sunday stills photo challenge is “sweet” I thought I would try to see what I could manage.
The Shambles Bradford on Avon
The Tolsey Bradford on Avon.
I am adding this post to #Thursday Doors. This is a weekly fun feature run by Norman Frampton which allows door lovers from around the world to share their finds.
I discovered this door on a walk in Bradford on Avon near Bath. As it was obviously very old I tried to find out a bit more about it. Bradford on Avon was a Saxon town which grew up around a monastery. It is famous for having one of the earliest stone churches in England dating from around a thousand A.D. It also has an enormous medieval tithe barn which attests to the wealth of the area. (In medieval England people were expected to pay a tenth of their income to the church).
This door is in a road known as the shambles which gives Anglo Saxon scholars a clue to its identity. Shambles is believed to come from an old word for stall and often indicates a market. The shambles in York is particularly famous and well worth a visit. Local historians think my door would have once been the home of the market manager or Tolsey who would have collected market tolls. It is thought to be late 15th century. A pillory once stood opposite it and the cellars of the houses opposite were used as the town jail. The site may have been used as a market for over a thousand years and as you can see from the photo below looking along the Shambles is still in use. In case you are wondering the gold pillar box is to celebrate local man Ed Mckeever’s kayak win in the London 2012 Olympics.
Bradford on Avon museum has more information about the town and some lovely old photos.
If you want to read more about our walk around Bradford on Avon or find out about me please visit the platinumline
The South West rambler Competitions page
The South West of England is a favourite tourist destination. I will try to share the latest holiday and some other local competitions here. If you win any thing from one of my links please let me know in the comments below. Continue reading “The South West rambler Competitions page”
Places to visit near Bristol
Clevedon is a small Victorian seaside town at the mouth of the river Severn about thirteen miles from Bristol. Recently it became famous as the location for many of the scenes in the television series Broadchurch starring Olivia Coleman and David Tennant. It is also home to the Curzon, one of the oldest purpose built cinemas still in use. However the grade 1 listed Pier is the town’s main claim to fame. Continue reading “Places to visit near Bristol”
