Fun on the Funicular...

Bridgnorth is an old market town in Shropshire situated on the Severn Valley. It is somewhat unusual as it is on two levels, called appropriately, High Town and Low Town.

To save shoe leather, and puff, on the 200 steps, which already connected the two levels, a funicular railway was opened in 1892.

 Dictionary definition of funicular: (of a railway, especially one on a mountainside) operating by cable with ascending and descending cars counterbalanced.   

When we were up...

 This week I had the opportunity to travel on this unusual mode of transport for the princely sum of £1.20. There’s a memory lurking somewhere in my psyche, I have been on it before, but not sure when.

 Thanks for your time.

The Old Crone xx  

Woody and co...

Woody and co.

Woody Junior

Again this year, we are incredibly lucky to have Great Spotted Woodpeckers frequenting our garden. Our bird feeding platform, situated near the top of the washing line post, is out of reach of the resident cats, although this year, grey squirrels are more of a challenge. The bird feeders appear to be the local ‘service station’ where Woody and co. can stop off for refreshment en route to the neighbouring trees. 

Dad

Grub up!

 

The woodpeckers are very skittish birds. The least movement from within the windows and they’re off, hence photographing them is fraught with problems.

Dad and Junior

Feathers found underneath the bird platform last year

 I have learnt that the male has a small red patch on the back of his head, the female has no red on her head, and the juvenile has a bright red cap.

They are beautiful birds and whenever they are about I have to watch them.

Their flight is undulating, often accompanied by a sharp ‘kek’ call as they flit between trees. Luckily we are on their flight path.

Thanks for your time.

The Old Crone xx        

The Oldest Tree in Europe?

Is the Preen Yew Tree in Shropshire the oldest tree in Europe? Well, yes according to the sign which stands beneath it. Whether this statement is true or not the tree is certainly a majestic sight. For over 1500 years it has stood surveying the scene, and who knows what sights it has seen and what secrets it could reveal.

 Measured in 1945 its girth came in at 21 feet and 10 inches at the five foot high mark. (6.6 metres and 1.5 metres respectively for those of you who deal in new money.) 

 

 The tree stands in the churchyard adjacent to Preen Manor, which was the site in 1150 of a small cell attached to the Cluniac Priory of Much Wenlock, a few miles away as the raven flies. (There were many croaking about as I snapped away at this amazing tree.)

 

 Thanks for your time.

The Old Country Crone xx

Two Nights in Borth

Borth is a coastal village 7 miles north of Aberystwyth in the Mid Wales county of Ceredigion and about 70 miles from land-locked Shropshire. Definitely a fair weather port of call, but if the weather is clement it is a pleasant place. 

Borth by the sea

We, as a family, when the children were small, enjoyed holidays there over the years. Researching Borth’s ‘things to do’ I found the grand total of four! The Station Museum, The Golf Club, The Animalarium and the Ynyslas Nature Reserve, which I assume is better known to us as the Sand Dunes. On my visits I have seen the animals, trudged through the dunes, totally missed the Museum and as for golf… Bah! Humbug! Not a place to visit if you want oodles of excitement!

Last year my favourite campsite was devastated by the summer floods.

Borth is predominantly seaside with ample camping and caravan sites. Last week found my Long Term Attachment and me pitching our tent near the coast. After turning down the offer of two nights camping at a cost of £59, the receptionist’s excuse for charging this extortionate amount was ‘we’re a big company’, our next stop was a family run site for £15 a night. More like it!! £59!! We wanted to camp for two nights not buy the site!! Within minutes of setting up there was a red kite drifting lazily overhead, swallows skimming the meadow frantically mopping up insects and screeching gulls competing for a suitable perch. And then, as it tends to do in Borth, it rained…and kept on raining…

Red Kite

Between storms we ambled briefly on the beach, walked down to the nearby cove and dried our clothing! Typical Borth!

Homeward bound

Thanks for your time.

The Old Country Crone (by the sea) xx     

Silaging on St Swithun's Day...

Silaging was in full swing on the neighbouring farm yesterday. Huge tractors towing equally huge silage trailers hurtled along our narrow country lanes. This vital work, providing the animals with winter fodder, is usually carried out by contracting firms who move their fleet of machinery from one farm to the next as long as the grass continues to grow.

After rolling the grass, the ‘pit’ or ‘clamp’ is then covered with sheeting and secured down with redundant tyres.

Hope the brakes are good...

Silage making appears to be a science. All I can say is, after residing in the country all my life, I can tell whether it’s good or not by the smell of the finished product and its effluent!

Days of yore...

The weather was kind, even though it was St Swithun’s/Swithin’s day.

St Swithun/Swithin was a Bishop of Winchester born around the year 800. On his death he was buried outside where he could be walked and rained upon, as was his wish.

In 971 his body was moved inside the Cathedral and as you might imagine he was a bit mad. As the lightning flashed and the thunder roared it started to rain…and rain…

If it rains on the 15^th July, St Swithun’s/Swithin’s day it will rain for 40 days.

Thanks for your time.

The Old Country Crone xx