Shropshire Walkabouts – Page 4

Monthly Photo Challenge: The Changing Seasons #9

Month number nine already and the summer is slipping away fast. Not that there has been much of a summer in this region, July and August proved to be wetter than average and colder too. No sitting outside on a warm evening sipping a cold Sauvignon blanc. More a case of looking for the bedsocks.

Date: September 11 2015
Weather: sunshine and overcast
Temperature: Mild (17°C)
Time: 12:30 – 14:30 PM

Corve Street – looking south to the Shropshire Hills

September in Ludlow is Food Festival time when the town is invaded by visitors seeking the perfect sausage on the sausage trail. The three butchers compete to create a new one each year. So far I have only tasted the boar, sage and red currant one but can report that it is VERY nice. In fact some are sizzling in the pan as I write this. If that doesn’t float your boat then there is a Real Ale Trail and Pudding Tastings too as well as many different exhibitors, demonstrations and free samples.

We’ll begin then with a few views of the festival and some of the interesting window displays that shops enter each year. I don’t agree with the results, but what do you think? And I shall link these to Dawn’s Lingering Windows.

First Prize: Harp Lane Deli

Second Prize: Jewellers

Third Prize: Emporos

Now for a wander around the town which is a lot quieter than I would have expected on this first day of the festival. But a class of excited youngsters queue up in Castle Square to stroke the ‘dog in the pram’ which makes its presence here every year to raise money for the Animal Hospital. Continue reading Monthly Photo Challenge: The Changing Seasons #9

Discovering St Leonards

One of my favourite places to take a local walk is in the burial ground of St Leonard’s in Ludlow. The grounds are now a naturalised area for people to enjoy nature and wildlife, an attractive environment that residents and visitors alike can enjoy. There are many trees including Yew trees which were grown to make bows, but as the berries are poisonous to animals (and humans), the trees had to be grown in places like churchyards where animals were excluded.

There are also some ageing Lawson’s Cypresses and self-sown Sycamores and Horse-Chestnuts. A large number of birds, butterflies and a colony of rabbits live in the grounds and there are many benches on which to sit and rest and enjoy the birdsong and the countryside views, as well as a few picnic tables and benches situated in a grass clearing.

I love to wander around the monuments and select interesting carvings, words, shapes to photograph. Often hidden by clumps of stinging nettles and moss or lichens each time I visit I see something different. Continue reading Discovering St Leonards

Monthly Photo Challenge: The Changing Seasons #8

Whatever happened to the summer?

Month eight already? This year is zooming past sooo quickly. I have already noticed the night drawing in around 9 pm now. And summer is coming to an end. I no longer hear the dawn chorus and the swifts and their offspring appear to have gone back to Africa. And here in the Marches it has been unseasonally grey for weeks. The odd summer day breaks through, but I crave for more sunlight to get me through the winter.

The challenge asks you to change the time of day; perhaps have a go at night photography; play with your camera settings. I have decided to show some of my monthly location in black and white. Not just any black and white, but a grainy film mode on my new camera. I went out for a nature walk around the castle in the golden hour, just before the sun set. Fancy coming with me?

First have a look at those funny trees I showed you in January, the pollarded limes (Linden). Pollarding is a pruning system in which the upper branches of a tree are removed, promoting a dense head of foliage and branches. It has been common in Europe since medieval times and is practised today in urban areas worldwide, primarily to maintain trees at a predetermined height. Wikipedia

The Lime (LInden) trees (August)

Pollarded Lime trees (January)

Date: August 12 2015
Weather: Partly cloudy
Temperature: (23°C during the day, warm and calm in the evening)
Time: 19:30 – 20:30 PM

The wild flowers have grown tall and some are almost over. The Rosebay Willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium) that dominates the castle slope are full of fluffy seed-heads. A successful coloniser this flower is known as ‘Bombweed’ in the south of England due to its increasing spread as a result of the clearing of bombed sites during both wars. Ragwort is still in flower, but the thistles are now in seed. Continue reading Monthly Photo Challenge: The Changing Seasons #8

Monthly Photo Challenge: The Changing Seasons #7

Summertime,
An’ the livin’ is easy

More than half way through the year now and for us in the northern hemisphere the days are starting to get shorter. Which is why I have always wondered who decided that school holidays have to be in August? I know that from an historical aspect it was so that the kids could help with the harvests, but those days are long gone so surely it is time to change the term dates? How nice it would be for school children to have the long summer days of June and July off and to sit their exams in April before the hay-fever season starts. Anyway for all you teaching staff out there, happy holidays, I know you deserve each and every day of them!

I thought I’d have a different wander around the town this month and see what Ludlow in Bloom has to offer and to show you more of the beautiful historic buildings in this town. We’ll start in the street where I usually finish the stroll.

Ludford bridge towards town (Lower Broad Street)

Date: July 10 2015
Weather: sunshine
Temperature: Warm (20°C)
Time: 17:00 – 18:30 PM

Roses and honeysuckle

Summer flowers

I thought I’d show you part of Ludford as there are a few interesting buildings here. And from the terrace of the Charlton Arms you get good views along the Teme. The warmer weather makes these terraces a great spot for a G&T. Continue reading Monthly Photo Challenge: The Changing Seasons #7

Monthly Photo Challenge: The Changing Seasons #6

Midsummer: Why midsummer? Here in the northern hemisphere summer has only just begun (1 June according to meteorological terms, 21 June in astronomical) so midsummer should surely be mid to late July? However, it actually refers to the summer solstice and is regarded as a very important holiday in the Scandinavian countries – 24 June this year in case you are interested.

Tourists have arrived now in their hundreds. Usually during this month the Ludlow Arts Festival is held, but due to economic reasons there isn’t one this year, a shame as I always enjoy the outdoor Shakespearian play. However there is a Fringe Festival so all sorts of odd things are going on around town.

The lime trees are fully in leaf now and you will notice that the benches are quite crowded today.

Date: June 14 2015
Weather: sunshine, cloud, thundery
Temperature: Warm (18°C)
Time: 13:30 – 18:00 PM

We’re going on a slightly different ‘walk’ today as it is the Secret Gardens opening and, as many of you will already know, I crave a garden so how can I resist a nosey into the backyards of my fellow Ludlovians? You may recognise parts of previous posts as the route covered some of the same ground, just not around the river.

Fringe band in Castle Square

Shrub roses in the churchyard

Scallop Shells

See that honeysuckle? (June)

Along the Teme

Green Alkanet (June)

Yes, it is almost time for Wimbledon

Millennium Green is very busy. Children paddling in the water (on Ludlow Beach) many others sprawled on the lawn where some arty thing is going on. I couldn’t quite make out what was being built, but it was sure colourful.

Ludlow ‘Beach’

Arty thing…

And I can show you a different view of the river as I am in a garden which backs onto it. A bit too close for comfort in my opinion as this river does flood on occasions.

Some of the lovely summer blooms I encountered.

Lots of roses

My favourite garden

Garden lights

Geums and Clematis

Another pretty rose (June)

Wasn’t expecting one of these though!

Herbs for sale

Especially for Pommepal

My final stretch is along Mill Street this time where I find an interesting statue and more evidence of the love of flowers people living here seem to have, as more containers line the front of their houses.

More containers (June)

Interesting statue (griffin?)

The Cardinal has decided to have a photo project going throughout 2015 – a blogging event, a monthly photo challenge. Find a location near your home, take somewhere between 5-20 photos and post them in a gallery in your blog. Continue to do this every month. The idea is to capture all the changes: the seasons, the weather, different times of the day, some night photography perhaps?