Summer’s Coming – sometime!

With the advent of summer  we decided that the conservatory roof needed a lot of TLC. The conservatory is about 14 years old and the roof was beyond it so we decided to have a new one. Fortunately on the day the weather was very good so the builders managed to get the roof off and the new one installed and made weather tight. The following day they had to finish off, but couldn’t finish until the afternoon because of the poor weather.

Before

After

   

Nearly finished

Finished

  

North of Ringwood, at Hale, a new geocaching circuit had been put out so we went off to tackle this on a nice sunny day. Sue as you probably know prefers flat walks, but she did manage the steep hill at the beginning (and the one in the middle). At the start we walked along the edge of Hale park which looked really nice especially with some of the bluebells on show.

Hale House

The lime avenue to the house

    

Hale House from its front gate

Bluebell woods in Hale Park

   

We have had a few visitors recently. Sue’s sister Pam came for an overnight stay followed by Norm and Maya who also stayed overnight. Sue and I have known Norm since my college days at Loughborough – that was a few years ago.

We had a trip down to Christchurch – well dressed for the summer weather!

    

Drinks at the Beach House Café – we even sat in the same seats as we did with Maggie and Andy – it was marginally warmer and drier this time.

     

Sue has been busy painting recently. Here are 2 she has done out of the many she has painted this year. For and idea of size they measure about 15 inches (38 cms) across.

We have the caravan serviced close to Blandford Forum so this year we decided to visit the town and then collect the caravan when finished and bring it home. It saved quite a lot of travelling. Much of the town was destroyed by fire in 1731 and over subsequent years it was rebuilt in the Georgian style. We had tea and a piece of cake (small) in a newly opened café. Unfortunately the teapot didn’t pour properly (nothing new here) and so it spilt on the nicely pressed linen.

      

The Red Lion Yard

---

Oldie Photos from 1985

Sue, Stuart and Carol on Stuart’s birthday at the Dummersee - Germany

Celebrations at the nearby gastätte. Spot the Wordsworths, Bielbys and the Michies

         

Sue at Lake Garda

Great Malvern–Part 2

 The Morgan Car Factory is in Great Malvern and so I took the opportunity to have a factory tour whilst Sue did some retail therapy.

From the Morgan website – ‘For over 100 years the Morgan Motor Company have been making exciting sports cars in the beautiful spa town of Malvern.
Morgan cars are famous the world over for their unique blend of charisma, quality materials, craftsmanship and performance.
Equally at home on the race track or the open road, there is nothing quite like a Morgan.’

Here is a finished and partially complete 3 wheeler.

 

They really are hand made.

      

The wooden framework in production. Ash is the hardwood that is used.

      

This is a rebuilt special for racing. It was crashed 2 years ago by Luther Blissett (footballer). YouTube link at the end of the blog. It’s a MUST see.

A new Morgan cost £117 in the early 1900’s!

Just over the hill to the west of Great Malvern is the quaint town of Ledbury.

St. Michaels and All Angels Church

The Market House, erected in 1653 is a dominating structure of brick and timber supported on 16 massive posts

 

A welcome rest in the sunshine

Sue liked the china

   

We spent a day doing a tour of the Malvern Hills. In the first car park we encountered a Lotus car club on an outing. On the right Sue near the top of the hills – we walked up. It was windy!

    

On the left – Hayslad - The pure untreated water at this most prolific spout is piped directly from a group of three natural springs on the hillside. I met a chap here who was filling loads of containers with the water. He had travelled quite some way. On the right looking west from British Camp.

     

Stuart on the British Camp - The British Camp is an Iron Age hill fort located at the top of Herefordshire Beacon. The fort is thought to have been first constructed in the 2nd century BC.

The caravan site was close to the village of Hanley Swan. This is the village centre with pond and pub. And the the name of the pub is ……………..The Swan!

 

Oldie Photos:

Sue tapping rubber in France – yes France!

 

Stuart on the Atlantic coast France.

 

YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAU6Lv8zPXA

Great Malvern – Part 1

In mid April we took the caravan to Malvern Hills Caravan Club Site. The site is about 4 miles from Great Malvern which is a small, very hilly town.

Great Malvern lies at the foot of the Malvern Hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is a designated a ‘Conservation Area’ in recognition of the special architectural and historic interest of the area.

It is the original main urban centre of the area of Malvern that began with the founding of an 11th century priory. During the 19th century, it became a popular centre for hydrotherapy.

Looking down Church Street

Enigma Fountain with the statue of Edward Elgar and Sue

    

Looking towards the Priory and Severn Valley

Abbey Gate

    

Great Malvern station was opened by the Worcester & Hereford Railway in 1860. The buildings are in local Malvern Rag stone and follow a French Gothic theme. A particular feature of the station are the awning pillar capitals. They are decorated with high relief mouldings depicting different arrangements of flowers and foliage.

  

St. Ann’s Well, situated above the town, has had many celebrated visitors and now the Buchans have been there. The café is best avoided, long story will explain if asked.

 

Worcester was a short bus ride from the caravan site. We visited it twice the first time we had a walk along the River Severn and then a look around Worcester Cathedral.

Worcester Cathedral viewed through one of its engraved windows.

Worcester Cathedral’s stunning roof.

Morris dancing the Border’s way with blackened faces. There are various theories about why the faces are blackened. One is that the black face tradition derives from earlier forms of the dance involving a Moroccan king and his followers. There is recorded evidence from 1688 of payments in Shrewsbury of 10 shillings to "Ye Bedlam Morris and 2 shillings for Ye King of Morroco".

 

Friar Street has many ‘Olde Worlde’ buildings, it’s a wonder some of them are still standing looking at the cockeyed beams.

   

Greyfriars House and Garden are in the same street. It is a late Medieval merchant’s house. It is National Trust so we had a walk round it. Built in 1480, with early 17th and 18th-century additions, this fine timber-framed house was rescued from demolition after the Second World War and has been carefully restored and refurbished.

   

Greyfriars’ Garden

On the weekend Maggie and Andy visited us at the caravan site. The weather was good so we managed a 3 mile walk.

Oldie Photos – 1974 Italy

Stuart doing the chores

Al fresco meal