Bench series #51

For the month of December you can choose any bench you like

bums on seats
Bums on Seat – in the snow

No it hasn’t snowed here. Yet. In fact it is unseasonably warm as in most of the UK, wet and windy. This is a bench from my archives. From another unusual winter. And they say there is no climate change.

A wintry bench taken during the harsh winter of 2010 when I was snowed in even though I was living in Surrey at the time! Some wit had made their mark on this bench on the village green. 

If you would like to join in with the Bench photo challenge then please take a look at my Bench Series page. No complicated rules, just a bench and a camera required 🙂

  • Create your own post and title it Bench Series: December
  • Include a link to this page in your post so others can find it too
  • Add the tag ‘bench series’ so everyone can find the benches easily in the WP Reader
  • This is the final month of the challenge. So dig out those bench photos that missed out on previous months. And next year I have a different challenge for you over on my flower blog. If you are interested then pop over and have a look. I hope many of you will join me there next year.

Happy Holidays Everybody 🙂

My Picks of the Week:

Jackie finds a beauty in New Mexico, whilst Aletta has a much more delicate bench. Kaz presents a Bench Bonanza to try and use up her excess bench photos, Traudel has benches on a boat, and Cee finds us a lovely colourful bench. Elaine has a few benches from New Orleans that are worth a look at and Anabel goes all the way to Bermuda. Sherri finds benches amongst the Christmas trees and finally one of my favourite bench posts of the year from Tish who shows us exactly why a bench is important.

An Aussie Post Box

Some of you following this blog may remember my Post Boxes. Whilst searching through the digital shoebox for something else I came across this little beauty in The Rocks, Sydney, Australia

sydney - the rocks (2)

This post box is made by Bubb and Sons Victoria Foundry. The first street posting boxes were cast in bronze by the Bubb & Sons foundry at Pyrmont in 1856.

sydney - the rocks (3)

Robert Bubb, born 23 June 1805 in Avening, Gloucestershire, England, migrated to Australia and established a foundry in Sydney. Victoria Iron Foundry was located at 10 Victoria Place, Sydney (the firm is listed in the Sands Directory until 1880).

sydney - the rocks (1)
These boxes were designed by T. W. Levinge of the New South Wales Postmaster General’s Department and initially manufactured by Robert Bubb and Son of Pyrmont. The boxes were in the style of the Penfold boxes with the Acanthus leaves and bud at the top. Note this one has a vertical aperture so probably one of the earlier designs.

Apparently there is another one in the Rocks district on Hickson Street which is dated to the 1880’s-1890’s with a horizontal aperture and still in use. Other Bubb mailboxes can be found in Sydney suburbs such as Manly and Marrickville. So you Aussies out there see if you can spot one for me!

Bench series #50

For the month of December you can choose any bench you like

Burton Bradstock
One of my favourite Dorset views and a curvy bench

Another look at the sea with a bench that missed the ‘by the beach‘ month

If you would like to join in with the Bench photo challenge then please take a look at my Bench Series page. No complicated rules, just a bench and a camera required 🙂

  • Create your own post and title it Bench Series: December
  • Include a link to this page in your post so others can find it too
  • Add the tag ‘bench series’ so everyone can find the benches easily in the WP Reader
  • This is the final month of the challenge. So dig out those bench photos that missed out on previous months. And next year I have a different challenge for you over on my flower blog. If you are interested then pop over and have a look. I hope many of you will join me there next year.

My Picks of the Week:

It appears that a lot of you have a drawer full of benches to use up this month and I am happy to see them coming in from all around the world. So here are a few that caught my eye this week: From Australia we have Mick, Kaz , Ruth and Pauline; from the USA Cee; from Canada Mama Cormier and from the UK /Europe Simon, TrevorElaine, DebbieMajka, Eklastic, and Traudel. I have to say that I ❤ the red benches!

Phew! I’m sure the benches will start to run out as we head towards Christmas but if you have time then please pop over to say hi to those who have joined in.

Monthly Photo Challenge: The Changing Seasons #12

For me, November and December are the harshest months. The days constrict to just a few hours and all light seems to get sucked from the air. We are left with a dull pewter greyness that seems to invade my soul making me feel dull and joyless. I look for anything that casts a precious light into this bleakness and was pleasantly surprised to find some cheer on my December stroll.

A bad hair day
A bad hair day

Date: December 06 2015
Weather: cloudy and mizzling
Temperature: Mild (14°C)
Time: 14:00 – 15:45 PM

The linden (lime) trees were in a sorry state, only a few golden leaves hanging on after all the recent gales, their whippy branches resembling some sort of alien creatures. The benches empty, despite the unusual warmth of the day. Continue reading Monthly Photo Challenge: The Changing Seasons #12