March Theme Day - Cafe Chairs

Can it be March already?

This is where we sit and have hot chocolate after a nice walk around Coombe Country Park.  My favourite tree (not the one leaning precariously in the distance) is hidden behind those pillars.  The agile young lady just passing by?  No idea who she is.  She just appeared.  So glad.  She adds something to a photo of rather uninteresting (but functional) cafe chairs :).

Have a look HERE for more City Daily Photo theme day photos.

No rain in the forecast so that means a chance to play some golf.  Enjoy your weekend.

Thatched Roof Thursday #20 - Ansty

Last week I showed you Main Street, Brandon. This week it is Main Street, Ansty.  It is always neat for me to round a corner and see a thatched roof cottage in the distance.

Ansty village is dissected by a busy road. I can promise you that the speed limit of 30 mph seems a bit quick when you see how close these houses are to the road.

Wingletang (thatch on the left) is connected to The Whitehouse. Both are Grade II listed buildings. I am not at all surprised that the walls are less than bright white. Wingletang might not be the most elegant of cottages, but I still love it. To the rear is a canal and a view beyond.


I better get a move on. I think I found a photo for tomorrow's City Daily Photo Theme Day - Cafe Chairs. See you then!

G Is For Grey or Gray

Taken during our big snowfall last month.  My offering for Grey or Gray.....

The weather forecast mentioned 'more snow' but it just hasn't happened in Coventry.  I think that is it for this year. Maybe not. In the meantime I have still have loads of snow photos.  They will appear from time to time.  This one is at the entrance to Coombe Abbey Hotel (behind me).

Now to 'grey or gray'.  Moving from USA to England has many challenges.  Learning a foreign language isn't one of them or so you would think.  Spelling is!  One of my first jobs here in Coventry was spent behind a typewriter.  I transcribed shorthand notes dictated to me by a learned man who accepted nothing less than perfection.  No option for creative spelling here.  Now that I am retired and my spell-checker seems to be American too, I mix it up a little.  So you will find no spelling consistency in this blog.  That adds to the fun for me. By the way, here in England we tend to spell the colour/color of grey/gray like this - 'Grey'.  Cheers!

For more photos featuring the letter 'G', follow the link to ABC Wednesday.

PS.  Just found this Spelling USA/UK link.  Have some fun!

Home Away From Home....Candy!

Before I get to the photo, let me suggest this nice day out from Coventry by train.  In just 30 minutes you can be in Birmingham (sometimes referred to as England's second city.  It is a big place.)  The train takes you past Birmingham International Airport and across pretty countryside before arriving in the City Centre.  A comfortable walk and you are in Bullring Shopping Centre where you will find fabulous stores and best of all Selfridges, a huge department store.  And what does Selfridges sell? LOTS and LOTS of American Candy.  It isn't cheap but a lot cheaper than an airfare to our nearest USA store.  There is plenty of selection but my favourites are here - I think I will have a Baby Ruth or two or three :).  Gradually, American treats are finding their way to the UK.  I am happy.

Did you watch the Academy Awards?  How exceptionally nice that I just happened to wake up at 1.30 am, slid out of bed quietly and put the 'telly' on downstairs.  I am happy with most of the results and so glad we saw many of the movies.  I was back in bed at 5 am and got up a tad later than normal.  If you watched the show, hope you enjoyed it too!

So that is what's happening here, check out Our World Tuesday to see more photos from other Cities.

Tomorrow it is back outside in the cold, cold, cold!  

Skywatch Friday - I'm Thinking Hoarfrost

I did not know what hoarfrost was until Mammoth Lakes Daily Photo featured it more than once. (Have a look here.)  Since that time, I stumbled across this photo taken in December, 2010.  I have posted photos of this view before but wanted to add this to my collection.  Could that be hoarfrost in those trees?

We have had three very cold days here with lots of 'NO blue sky'!!!!!  If it has to be cold, I much prefer something like this view above.

For more photos featuring the sky, please follow this Skywatch Friday link. 

That's me done for the week.  I may have to take Monday off  if I stay up all night watching the academy awards.  It starts around 1.30 am here.  Cable TV is organised.  (Adele will be singing.)  But, if I have any common sense, I will record it and watch it in comfort on Monday morning.  We shall see :).  Have a good weekend all.

Thatched Roof Thursday #19 - Brandon

We drive past here at least 3 times a week to go swimming at the Brandon Hall Hotel located at the end of this road.  On a very sunny day last week, I took this photo.  I thought you might like to see a village main street.  Most villages around here seem to have a 'Main Street'.

Earlier today, I drove past the cottage that is being re-thatched. They were covering it with wire netting.  I took a photo with some of the roof uncovered.  It looks good.  Now we just need another sunny day so I can get a nice final photo of it.

It was cold today.  So we did go to the cinema and saw 'Django Unchained'.  I had to close my eyes quite a bit because it was way over the top with violence, a la Quentin Tarantino.  Those parts were not my cup of tea but the rest of it was ok.  If you go to see it, it has good acting, amazing scenery, but just be prepared for....well, be prepared.

F Is For Flying...

...the Flying Cross sitting on top of Coventry Cathedral's flèche.

When I was doing my post last Friday about the new Coventry Cathedral's spire, I discovered that the spire was in fact called a flèche.  That word beginning with  'F' would have been great for today's ABC Wednesday entry.  How convenient that on top of the flèche is the 'Flying' Cross.  So here is another photo of the cross.  I don't have a telephoto lens yet but this photo does show more of the modern design.  Apparently, this is a replacement cross.  The original fell off in high winds in 1967 (on to the Cathedral roof)  and was replaced with this lighter copy.

Follow the link for more photos featuring the letter 'F' -  ABC Wednesday.

It is cinema day today.  If we get there, I'll let you know what we saw.  Which reminds me - Academy Awards on the 24th. Better see if I can get that program on cable tv over here :).

If I Find This Interesting...

...maybe you will too.

Three days in a row of sunshine!!  Drop everything, jump into the car, because in 5 minutes we will be at Coombe having a nice walk with the promise of a hot chocolate too!  It is still cold out!

The area beyond the arches was once a garden which supplied all the vegetables and fruit for Coombe Abbey. The 'kitchen garden' as it was known was created in the mid 1860's and exotic fruits (said to be renowned locally) were grown in hot houses.  Sadly, all that remains today is the outer wall and that area is closed to the public.

This part of Coombe Abbey has since been sold and that area is owned by the farmer next door.  I wonder if I might get permission to have a closer look.  (It's on the list!)  I can see the logic of having a garden's perimeter denoted by a wall but, goodness me, that is some wall.  In the meantime, have look from afar.

Well, that is my world today, participating in Our World Tuesday.   Have a good day, folks!

'Where's That Apple?'...

....I can only guess that is what he is thinking.  

This isn't today.  I took this a couple of week's ago when we had that heavy snow, and we could only go out for walks. The photo didn't quite come out as I hoped.  But when I was looking at it over the weekend....I decided to use it because I rather like that horse.  I have taken his picture before.  He came right up to me because my camera is red (I think).  The horses in this field are very well looked after, but I still feel that I owe him an apple...bet he thinks the same :).

Happy, happy Monday!  It was  a beautiful day yesterday and we actually got in a game of golf (and it was a good game of golf!).

A Flèche With Flying Cross

Coventry Cathedral spire is known as a flèche.  It is 80 feet high with a Flying Cross sculpture on top (by Geoffrey Clark).  A closer look is called for when I get a telephoto lens. This somewhat unusual spire was lowered on to the flat roof of the new Coventry Cathedral by helicopter in 1962 in two stages.  The flèche first, then the sculpture was placed on top.

When we were in town today, the sky was blue for a good part of the morning.  Hooray!  We went on our usual walk to the area known as The Cathedral Quarter (see below).

For more photos sharing skies from around the world, follow this link - Skywatch Friday.

Have a great weekend all.  See you next week.  That's the plan :).

PS.  Saw the film, 'I Give it a Year'.  The previews looked funny but those were the best bits.  For me, I should have 'given it a miss'. Disappointed.