Happy Easter…

Walking around Ludlow before Easter you can’t help noticing all the sheep and fluffy chicks and eggs adorning the window displays in the town.

P1180495

The bookshop, sweetshop and even the coffee shop have a spring feeling

P1180452

The florist is a bit steamed up…

P1180474

Emporos always puts on a good display, no matter what the theme. It’s actually a GOOD thing that my grandchildren live so far away or I’d spend a fortune in this shop. I mean, can you resist that velvet rabbit?

And spring flowers in tubs add colour to the charm of the town

…even artificial ones!

P1180484

This monthly challenge is hosted by Dawn from ‘The Day After’ who invites participants to post pictures of any windows that they find curious, inviting, photogenic, or in some way tell a story. Visit her blog to see more windows and/or to join in with the challenge.

The Wrekin

The best-known landmark in Shropshire is the Wrekin, at only 1,335 feet it has attracted a lot of attention given its modest size. Those of you who have passed Shrewsbury on the M54 heading to mid-Wales will have noticed this volcanic-looking lump by the side of the road and from the Cressage side (south of Shrewsbury) which is my usual approach these days, it looks like a sleeping dragon with the tree-line resembling scales along its backbone. From the top you can supposedly see 15 counties.

wrekin 032
The pink cooling towers at Buildwas in the Severn Gorge

Whenever I drove around Shrewsbury when I first came to the county in 2002  I used to say to the OH that I could never get lost if I could see the Wrekin – I just headed straight for it – so I was amused to find this saying “a Shropshire mon is nivver lost if he con see the Wrekin” Apparently I wasn’t the first to think of it though naturally being from Yorkshire I’d never pronounce it like THAT!

I remember my mother referring to a circuitous route as “going all around the houses”, here in Shropshire it is “going all around the Wrekin”.

There, somewhere, nor-nor-east from me
Was Shropshire, where I longed to be
Ercall and Mynd, Severn and Wrekin, you and me

~ John Masefield on the heaving deck of a ship in Cardigan Bay Continue reading The Wrekin

Bench series #13

For the month of March I’m looking for Wooden benches

Sweet seat (D)
The Rose Garden – Mottisfont (NT) Hampshire

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: March
  • 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
  • Get your post in by the end of the month, as the new bench theme comes out on the first Sunday in April

This is the last week for your wooden benches. Next month I am looking for any bench with a view. The view is important so make sure to include it. (You can use sea views though that is a topic for May, so you might want to save those for that month 🙂 )

My Picks of the Week:

Klara finds yet another unusually shaped bench – I can see myself lying around on this one!
Daily Musings finds a well-worn bench that is frequented by seagulls.
Julia has provided a very sturdy bench, though I’m not too sure about sitting underneath a tree that attracts birds…
Debbie is going for an arty look in Vienna, whilst a new visitor, Marsha, from California joins in with a natural bench on a beach and Gilly also has a beautiful natural bench for us. Final pick is a very colourful bench from Issy.

Thanks to everyone who has linked in their wooden benches this month.

Froggie went a-courtin’, and he did ride, mm-hmm

A lovely spring walk in the walled garden at Croft Castle this weekend brought me to the pond. I like the pond, but so does everyone else so you have to be patient and wait until almost closing time to have it to yourself.

DSCF1127

The beech hedge is still brown, but the weeping willow is showing signs of new life and at last the bench is empty of people.

DSCF1130

But look closer at the pond… and the curious ramp in the corner

DSCF1148

and you will see there is life …and new life beginning.

DSCF1138

As these frogs get fresh with one another.

DSCF1144

I think we should leave them alone, don’t you?