Week 17/52 113-119/365

113/365 Sunset
Seems like everywhere in the UK had some fabulous sunsets this week



114/365 Grasscutting
I've already used this shot in another blog post, but I like it so much, here it is again, Rog cutting the grass



115/365 Misty morning



116/365 Two Ginger men
Well, I can assure you that I wouldn't part with any one of my three ginger men for this sort of money!



117/365 Swindon
A free bus ride to Swindon to see the Steam Museum and indulge in a bit of shopping



118/365 Carrots



119/365 Frog

Swindon Steam Museum

This may not be everyone's idea of a good day out, but being of a "certain age" it brought back memories for me, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Isambard Kingdom Brunel is one of my historic heroes, he decided what it was he wanted and just got on with it, despite opposition from all sides, go Issie!



It just goes to show that no matter how silly your name, if you do great stuff they will name something after you in the end.



This engine is the one that holds the record for being the fastest steam engine ever . . .



. . . and here's how it looks from underneath.



One of Queen Victoria's carriages is on show, this is the clerestory roof



A buffet car (I dont think QV would have needed to use this!)



I can actually remember when you used to have to pay one penny (that is when there were 12 of them to a shilling) to buy a platform ticket if you wanted to see someone off or meet someone from a train.



This is one of the windows to the aforementioned QV's carriage



A shot of the front of the old Swindon Railway works, now sadly no longer and up for sale for redevelopment



The steam museum is situated at one end of the vast complex that used to comprise the Swindon Railway and Engine works, which was the main employer in Swindon for many years. Most of the surrounding houses were built by the GWR to house the factory workers, there are rows and rows of back-to-back houses one of which is home to the Swindon Railway Village Museum, sadly we didn't have time to visit - another day, maybe.

G is for . . .

. . . garden, the very best place to be on a sunny sunday afternoon



. . . Guinness, one of my favourite tipples



. . . grill tray, shortly after having cooked (and eaten) some delicious (and cheap) pork belly strips



. . . grass cuttings, one of my all-time favourite smells.

Week 16/52 106-112/365

106/365. All Cannings is a village about 5 miles out of Devizes in the Pewsey Vale, we go there approximately once a month for a beer at the Kings Arms which happens to be one of the best pubs around. Like all the local out-of-town pubs it's quite expensive, which is why we dont go more often. The unused BT phone box in the village has been put to use in an interesting way, it's the HQ of the village book-swap.



107/365. One of the petunias in my hanging basket.



108/365. As I'll be starting to pack soon in preparation for our house move, I left this sign on the fridge, near to the newspaper recycle box. Someone with a sense of humour wrote the additional comments.



109/365. One of the best sunrises so far this year.



110/365. This book turned up in the post, I didn't order it or pay for it, it just turned up. If anyone out there knows who sent it to me or why, please let me know. I have started to read it.



111/365. Sunset



112/365. An autumnal morning

Bournemouth

Yesterday we took Oli back to Bournemouth for his third and final year at Uni. Previously when we've been to Bournemouth we visited the beach to dip our toes in the water, have an ice-cream (me) and a beer (Rog), and generally make a nice day out of the trip. But yesterday, well, we couldn't have picked a worse day to go! It rained heavily almost all day, we could see the River Avon between Fordingbridge and Ringwood almost bursting its banks, traffic in town was practically gridlocked as the Air Show was scheduled, although the start was delayed due to the unseasonally bad weather, but there was still plenty of traffic around. As Oli has lived down there for a couple of years now he was able to navigate us around via back streets and whatever until we reached his new digs. We offloaded him as quickly as we could, although by this time the rain had eased off a bit and was thankfully only a mild drizzle, and then followed our noses to make our way back to the A338 and head off home.

So, many apologies, no nice pictures of Boscombe beach, or my ice-cream or anything else seaside related!

Instead, here are some pictures of my garden, taken this morning on what was an incredibly Autumnal start to the day.

Week 15/52 99-105/365

99/365 I was very lucky to be able to stop on my journey to take this picture.



100/365 The gorgeous Marissa with her Dad



101/365 Urban foxes rule in semi-suburban Surrey



102/365 Breaking my own rule by posting a picture taken by someone else, this is me with the gorgeous Marissa



103/365 Broke the journey home by stopping in Ludgershall and having a roam around the Castle



104/365 Fuschias in my hanging basket



105/365 A new kitten in the pub, very difficult to shoot, as she wouldn't stay still for a second!

Week 14/52 92-98/365

In to week 14 now, and over a quarter of the 365 challenge is complete.

92/365 Annual sweetpeas just about to open, I had a few seeds left over and just threw them on to the soil, not really expecting much, but here they are.



93/365 With a house move on the cards within the next couple of months, its about time for a bit of a sort-out. Here are my remaining shoes neatly stacked, after sending several pairs to Oxfam.



94/365 We announce to the world that we are off and away.



95/365 Meet up with my friend Jean for a cuppa and some chat at the White Bear Hotel, a thoroughly enjoyable morning.



96/365 The Shambles is Devizes's indoor market hall, and is currently undergoing a make-over.



97/365 Our first ever encounter with a crop circle



98/365 I love reading Caitlin Moran, I wish I could get inside her head and understand her a bit more. I've just bought this book, and as I'm off away to Surrey for a few days to visit family and friends, I shall take it with me as bedtime reading, and may do a review of it when I've finished.



See you when I get back.

Its that time of year again . . .

. . . when the world descends on Wiltshire to see the crop circles. This is our 4th summer here and until now I've not been up close and personal to a single one, so today was a first for me. I had heard from a friend that there was a small circle below the White Horse, so we went up to the top of the hill to look down on it, only to discover that above the horse was a much larger and more interesting one, you can view aerial photos here. Oli and I walked across the field along the tractor tracks until we came to the circles, but I have to admit that what we saw at ground level no way did justice to the magnificence of the artistry.