Flowers and other details/Charmouth 2012

Seaside Sunset/Charmouth Part Two.

Just a few more photographs from my Charmouth holiday. Being able to walk the beach at sunset was such a treat, I would go every day if I was lucky enough to live there. Wishing you a lovely weekend!

“Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

June

Hard to believe June has flown by so quickly! Here are some photos from the trusty Olympus XA3 this month, lets start with some botanical beauties:

 Grandads Lupins, see last years version HERE

We had to build this "bedouin tent" style arrangement over the plot for when the scorching sun was killing off the seedings, needless to say it went on to protect them from drowning too! Time to take it down this week, but doesn't it look nice and green? Certainly looking fuller these days!

The toughest part of this month was that my best friend Claire finally followerd her dream of moving away from suburbia and into Brighton. Big change for us, and considering we worked together too, it's now very strange to not see her there, but I am very excited for her, and can't wait to visit! Here's my fave 'gal before she went!

 

And finally one of our weather vane, I can't bear to think that the nights will start drawing in again now, not fair!

Hope you're having a good week! I'm a bit frazzled myself, counting down the days until seaside-holiday time!

Weekend in Kent

I'm lucky that i get to escape work at the weekends and head to Kent instead! This weekend, Bruce and I managed to get out in the sunshine and visit Coldrum Long Barrow, the best preserved of Kent's megalithic tombs. Bruce's Grandad first visited this site around 50 years ago, and it seems it's changed a lot even since then, he is particularly interested in the ley-lines that appear to connect the stones to several churches in the area. We had a fantastic walk up to the stones, past a very nice church, horse paddocks and then these stunning rapeseed fields, very picturesque indeed!

 

At the turn of the century there was still a medial stone in the burial chamber, and the site has been excavated many times, one excavation producing the bones of 20+ individuals of varying ages and both sexes. Nowadays Coldrum is still used as a place for meditation and quiet thought, and the solstices and equinoxes are celebrated here. The overhanging tree was full of ribbons, corn dollies, and other little gifts from visitors.

Bruce always attracts attention by using the 10x8, the usual 'hilarious' remarks of "That's nice and compact" are always popular, yawwwwwn! Sorry, but I don't have as much patience as he does with these things! Either admit you don't know what it is and be interested to learn, or don't make silly remarks! Sorry again, I'm a grump. He doesn't mind the attention really! ;)

 We also headed to some beautiful bluebell woods, glad to see this latest monsoon weather hadn't washed them all away! This is definitely my favourite aspect of spring, very special ideed.

Nice to see 'Blighty looking so bloomin' gorgeous eh? :) As ever, thanks for popping by!

Katie

Trip to Lymington

Back in the Easter break, the family and I headed to Lymington (which is just south of The New Forest) for a weekend. Our hotel was only moments away from the quay, so we could walk off all the lovely dinners, and despite some foreboding clouds, we escaped the rain!

One of the most interesting features of Lymington is the Sea Water Baths, which was built in 1833, and would have been one of the largest on the south coast. Mrs Beeston, who took over the baths in November 1872 following her husband’s death capitalised on the growing public health interest in sea water and mud by using an inlet from the Salterns and advertising her “strengthening sea baths”

The baths continued under several different owners until 1929 when they were taken over the by the Lymington Corporation. The 1930s were something of a golden period for outdoors baths and lidos with people flocking to bathe on bank holidays in the summer - look at those amazing costumes!

This was the off-season baths when we visited (with some foreboding rain clouds naturally!) You could still clearly see some of the 1930s Art Deco influences in the design. I would love to see it in use during the summer, i bet it's quite chilly! The bottom of the pool is covered in sand and shells from last years sea water.

We also took a bracing walk around the salt marshes, which is a top birdwatching spot and very popular! For hundreds of years until the mid 19th century a major salt industry thrived along this coastline. As you walk along there are a series of lagoons that were used to collect the seawater.  Once evaporation had taken place the brine solution was drawn off by wind pumps into metal basins, and heated until only the salt remained. Amazing that once such a busy industrial operation can now be such a natural beauty spot!

Windswept! 

I came home with quite a few new books, here were some that had beautiful covers, but i had to sadly leave behind! I would highly recommend a few days stay in Lymington, we were at the lovely Stanwell House Hotel.

Hope you've had a good week, despite the April monsoons!

Katie

End Of March

I decided to swap back to my Olympus XA3, well after my trusty Yashica gave up the ghost (despite Bruce's best attempts at fixing it!) I needed a trusty replacement! It can be a bit annoying to change the focus each time, but you can mostly trust it to behave! Just a few springtime shots from mine&Bruce&Jocks weekends in Kent recently, lots of walking, lots of rocks, and lots of trees! Bliss!

Jock enjoying himself!

Harrisons Rocks, Tunbridge Wells

Broadwater Warren - RSPB site

First sighting of frog AND toad spawn this year!

Broadwater Warren's amazing trees, can anyone explain why?

Eridge Park 

 Eridge Parks highest point in Kent, hello Surrey!

Eridge Park was a particularly good place to explore, the fantastic tower was built just before the turn of the 20th century, despite it looking rather mythical and medieval! The woods themselves were full of Yew trees, a very gothic and striking landscape - we'll be heading back there soon!

Now, lets see what April has to come!

Katie

Winter Woodland Wanderings!

I'm sad to say that my faithful Yashica T3 has given up the ghost this week! There may still be hope if we take it apart...but at least the last roll in it was a good one! These were from Mine and Bruce's and Thom's woodland walk after New Year, Thom was trying out his recently purchased (from Bruce) Mamiya! Its our usual Hargate Forest route in Tunbridge Wells, you can't beat it!

And then the snow came of course! So here's the last picture the poor little Yashica managed to take:

Lets hope it makes a full recovery! For now, the Olympus will come to the rescue! Hope you're having a good week....it's just started snowing again!