Jephson Gardens

Jephson Gardens (formerly Newbold Gardens)

Royal Leamington Spa

It has been a week 'lacking in blue sky' so I have

opted to share these photos taken in August, 2014 on a sunny day :).

Interested in learning a bit more about a town with 'Royal' in the name

and visited by Queen Victoria?  Have a look HERE.

Participating in Skywatch Friday

Thatched Roof Thursday #81 - Shottery Village

Brookside Cottage

(formerly The White Cottage)

This thached cottage has a wonderful little brook

to the rear and is located about 5 minutes by foot from Anne Hathaway's Cottage.

The building dates back to the 17th Century,

albeit there have been additions since giving it a more modern look.

The thatch is described as being a 'hipped thatched roof'.

Grade II listed.  Here are the actual listing details:

Cottage. C17 with later additions, including early C20 wings. 

Timber-frame with some plaster infill and colourwashed brick; 

hipped thatch roof with brick end stacks and stack to rear of

ridge. 2-unit, cross wing, hall house. Single storey and 

attic; catslide outshut to left of 2-window range with gabled 

wing to right return. Entrance to left of centre has plank 

door and side light. Cross-mullioned window to right of centre

extends to eaves; 2 dormer windows of 2 lights; all with 

leaded glazing. Some square framing to centre and right. Wing 

to right return has 2 small lights flanking projecting stack 

with narrow light and capped shaft. Rear has varied 

fenestration, including tall mullioned window; square framing 

with tension brace; wing has timber-framed 1st floor, jettied 

to end, and projecting end stack.

PS. Happy Thanksgiving. I do miss this holiday.

Where In Coventry?

To those of you who like to take photographs:

This photo was taken on impulse whilst on a moving escalator the other day.

Mad rush followed to get phone out and take photo of something directly above me.

It was fun and I didn't lose my balance :).

To those of you who know Coventry:

Any idea where this was taken?

Participating in Our World Tuesday

Fosse Way

IPhone shot taken yesterday on the Fosse Way

near the village of Stretton-under-Fosse.

Stretton means 'settlement on a Roman Road'.

Can you see (very faintly over the black sign on the M6 motorway) Coventry Cathedral

some 8 miles away.

Thatched Roof Thursday #80 - Shottery Village

The photo above is how I first saw this 

cottage from the road (just down the street from Anne Hathaway's Cottage).

Luckily I was able to get a little closer (below).

My favorite photo is the one below taken on our walk back to the car.  

The addition of the 2 horses (and there is a cat too) 

just makes this thatched roof home look extra special.

Shottery Village is located just outside Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Well worth a visit.  Only 30 minutes by car from Coventry.

Warwick - Spot The Castle

Today the sun came out so we abandoned all our 'to do' list

jobs and went for a walk at St. Nicholas Park, Warwick.

How exciting it is for me to look across the park 

and see a real castle. Love it!
(iPhone shots)

Hope your week is going well :).

Participating in Our World Tuesday

Framed (Again)

 Taken last week from inside the bird hide at

Coombe Country Park.  I love sharing photos from this location.

I now know that what looks like a fishing rod next to the lake

is designed to be a perch for birds, like kingfishers.

The photo below was taken yesterday.  

No fog and no sunshine either.

This is the path we follow to the bird hide 

which is to the right of where I am standing.

It's Monday.  Have a good week!

PS.  Happy Birthday, Nadine, for last Saturday.

Thatched Roof Thursday #79 - Anne Hathaway's Cottage

Anne Hathaway's Cottage

Shottery, Warwickshire

It was here that William Shakespeare courted his future bride

before they married in 1582.

Follow the link HERE for the whole story.

RAF Ansty Airmen

Ansty Village, Warwickshire

Commemorated on the memorial in the Village of Ansty

are six Royal Air Force trainee pilots as well as

PTE R Nason, killed in action in Italy.

Taken on Remembrance Sunday, 9th November, 2014

----------------------------------------

If you have a moment, let me show you how I

came to be at this memorial last Sunday.

The story goes a little bit like this:

During the summer, Mr LOL and I went for a walk outside 

Coombe Country Park to find an airfield next to

Rolls Royce engine works.  It was a beautiful day.

Almost directly behind where we are standing now is the 

former site of the Royal Air Force Station, Ansty.

With a little help from my phone, we

were able to navigate our way through the fields

to see what was left of the airfield.

Not a lot.  A shame that some of this has not been preserved.

RAF Ansty opened in 1936 and closed in 1953. It was used mainly for

training new recruits in navigation skills and flying

using a variety of planes like the Tiger Moth.

 The blue dot is where I am standing 

to take some of these shots.

 In the photo below you can see a buildings belonging to Rolls Royce.

When I got home, I looked at my photos (as we all do) and

then started doing a little research.  It was then that I remembered

seeing some graves of airmen at St James Church, Ansty.  

I went back last week to take some more photos.

St James Parish Churchyard, Ansty, England

From left to right:

Flight Lieutenant R G Burke, AFC,  Pilot Instructor, Royal Air Force, 20th April, 1941, Age 33

Pilot Officer D N McCarthy, Pilot Instructor, Royal Air Force, 20th April, 1941, Age 24

Leading Aircraftman J Scholes, U/T Pilot, Royal Air Force, 20th April, 1941, Age 26

Pilot Officer C C Brackenbury, Pilot Instructor, Royal Air Force, 16th May, 1941, Age 24

Leading Aircraftman I S Forbes, U/T Pilot, Royal Air Force, 7th July, 1941, Age 24

Leading Aircraftman R A A Miskimmin, U/T Pilot, Royal Air Force, 27th July, 1941 (No age)

View just over the hedge:

The photo I used for November's City Daily Photo Theme Day,

Three Spires of Coventry.

Today all around the world tributes are being paid to servicemen and women

who died in service to their country since the start of World War I,

100 years ago.

Lifting Fog

Coombe Abbey Hotel

This photo was taken from one of the main walkways

at Coombe Country Park looking towards the hotel

yesterday morning.  The fog was just lifting.

York Railway Station

IPhone to the rescue...couldn't pass on this.

Yes, we visited York recently.  Only briefly but time enough

to stop by the train station.  I could spend hours there.

Read all about it HERE.

York is about 3 hours by car to the north of Coventry. 

Or, you can travel by train!

Well, that is me done for the week.

Have a super weekend :).

Thatched Roof Thursday #78 - Shottery Village

What a delight!  I found a collection of thatched cottages

in this charming village located just outside Stratford Upon Avon.

This is one.  And, it is only 30 minutes away by car from

where I live in Coventry.

There is a rather famous home located just down the lane from this cottage.

I'll show you that one next week.

Time for a cup of tea.  It was really cold out today :).

Postcard from Arizona - Cotton Fields

Taken in September off the road between

Needles, California, and Bullhead City, Arizona.

Amazing to see those cotton balls as a living plant.

I don't think we have anything like this in England. If we do,

please tell me where.

Tomorrow is Thatched Roof Thursday. I looked everywhere

on our trip in the States with little success. Wonder what I can post tomorrow :).

My Tree In November

Taken on Sunday. A favorite Oak Tree I like to

photograph throughout the year as a part of a Tree Series.

The bench?  

A super place to enjoy a hot chocolate

after a nice walk around Coombe Country Park.

The photo below was taken from a bird hide some distance

from the oak tree above.  Hey!  I can see my oak tree.

Can you?  (It is way, way far away.)

Participating in Our World Tuesday

Council House Square

The construction trucks are gone, grass is down and

please do note some blue sky too.

 I'm thinking that the photo above of the landscape outside Coventry's Council House

 is a vast improvement over how things looked earlier in May (below).

It's Monday and I am back.  It is going to be a slow 

process getting back into the blogging routine.  I've

got plenty of photos to share, some from our trip to the States.

Take care all.  See you tomorrow!

PS I'll add a couple more shots below.

It looks like this is going to be a busy spot.

City Daily Photo Theme Day - Landmark

Coventry's Three Spires
Photo taken from the village of Ansty (4.7 miles away).

In the days before skyscrapers, Coventry's 'Three Spires' would have
dominated the skyline of the City and served as an impressive and easily recognizable
landmark for visitors to the City.  As you can see, the Spires are visible from some distance.
The trick is to find a vantage point where you can see all three.

Left spire - Christ Church (Greyfriars), just over 200 ft/61 m
Middle spire - St Michael's (Old Cathedral) 300 ft/91 m
Right spire - Holy Trinity 230 ft/70 m

Participating in City Daily Photo Theme Day