Thursday Doors

29-06-17

Here’s my “Thursday Doors” contribution for the excellent Norm 2.0 blog.

I went into town today to meet up with my photo walk buddies not really intending to do a door walk. The weather was cold and drizzly (nearly turned the heating back on) so not that good for taking photographs, but after a cup of coffee and a catch up we made our way to the old castle area of the town and the Newarke Houses museum.

Museum Gateway & Entrance

I used to visit this museum as a young kid, mainly to see the Daniel Lambert exhibit, he was once the heaviest person in England. Next Friday they are having a talk about historic Leicester so we are going to combine this with another photo walk.

Museum Door Detail

Castle Gateway


They think the gateway dates from the fourteenth century. The furthest building you can see through the gateway used to be a courthouse, when I was at printing college we went to the public gallery to watch a hearing as part of social studies.

Houses Through The Gateway (and doors)

St Mary De Castro Church

There’s some interesting history about the church here. There used to be a spire on the church but it had to be taken down when it became unsafe.
After this shot the battery in my camera gave out so I had to use my mobile for the next few.

Around The Graveyard

The walls are part of the old castle and apparently the holes are where they used to point canons (armory not ecclesiastical) through.

Grave Monuments

Gateway

Finally I couldn’t resist this gate at the side of the museum.

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A Few From My Garden

28-06-17

I’ve been meaning to post these images for a little while. The weather is back to normal UK summertime at the moment, raining and quite chilly.

I took these on my Olympus EPL1 with the old Russian Helios 58mm lens and an extension tube.

First Rose

This was the first Rose in full bloom in my garden, it’s has a lovely scent.

Along Came A Spider

Peony

I only have one Peony in the garden and it’s flowering always seems to coincide with blustery rainy weather, so sadly it doesn’t last very long.

In The Garden

Well it’s taken me a long time to shake off my man flu but I felt much better yesterday, the weather helped, it was actually sunny and quite warm for a change. So a catch up on the garden chores were desperately needed.

I read a few weeks ago much to my disbelief and dismay that garden plants from many DIY stores and nurseries have been treated with insecticides that can be deadly to bees. I really don’t understand this, one of the reasons I buy plants is to attract wildlife, not kill it. But it makes money for big chemical corporations I guess !!!!!!!!!!!. The film “Idiocracy” comes to mind. The good news is one of the biggest DIY chains in the UK is no longer going to sell plants treated with insecticides, hopefully the others will follow their lead.

After the lawn was mowed and shrubs were pruned I took the camera into the garden to get a few images of some of the flowers, they have had a hard time this year with the cold and rain.

In The Garden Today

Thought I would spend the day pottering around the garden, having a slight hangover I thought the fresh air would do me good. It was a lovely sunny day but the wind was cold.

Reason For The Hangover!

 I really enjoy seeing this band they are called “The Moonlights”, and the venue had 2 beers I hadn’t tried before, well that’s my excuse.

Lavender Bud

Bluebells

Grape Hyacinth

Corn Flower

Rhododendron

Forget Me Not

Lavender

Clematis

Clematis

It’s a bugs life

I used my Olympus EPL1 with an old Helios 58mm lens and extension tube. It was quite tricky getting the shots because of the breezy conditions and really narrow depth of field. It’s lovely to see the signs of spring well underway in the garden, not so good to see the amount of work I need to do.

Thursday Doors

13-04-17

Managed a short visit to Oakham in Rutland this week, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutland) the weather forecast was reasonable and it’s only two stops down the line from my hometown. It’s been a long time since I visited Oakham for sightseeing, used to go there 2 or 3 times a month for business when I still worked. It’s a lovely old market town and most importantly has a fine selection of doors for my contribution to the excellent Norm 2.0 “Thursday Doors” Blog.

Oakham Cemetery

You can see the cemetery from the railway as you enter Oakham, it looked interesting so went straight there from the station. I know it’s not really a door but it’s a lovely building and entrance way. The lodge is Grade-II listed.

Oakham Cemetery Chapel

On the High Street

Partial selfie !

The Dentists Door !

Can’t have too many Blue doors.

All Saints Church

The Post Office

From The Side Streets

There are some lovely cottages along the side streets, a lot of them are constructed from the local stone and many have thatched roofs. Really enjoyed the visit to Oakham.

A Few Images

A few images from the past 3 weeks or so. I have 3 film cameras on the go at the moment so haven’t been taking so many digital images, well that’s my excuse.

Tyred Twig

Trim

Hangover

I took the next few on my way back from town today.

Grate

Still Life

Inca

Did It’s Job

Thursday Doors

30-03-17

It really should be Thursday Gates for my contribution to Norm’s excellent Norm 2.0 blog. The weather has been really temperamental in my part of the UK but I managed to gather a few gates on my travels over the last few weeks.

Some Attention Needed

This one belongs to a pub, a good real ale house.

Faded

I liked the colour and the bars above this gate.

Well Protected

Scissors

Victorian Filigree

24 Hour Access

I actually took this image 2 years ago, but have been looking for a reason to post it.

Ecclesiastical Gates

From my visit to Stamford Lincolnshire last week.

Thursday Doors

23-03-17

Here’s my contribution to “Thursday Doors” on the  Norm 2.0 blog, some great contributions over there, worth checking out.

It’s been over 20 years since I visited Stamford in Lincolnshire so on Tuesday I jumped on a train, and 3 stops and 40 minutes later I arrived at Stamford. It was a lovely sunny day but cold.

Candlesticks

The first door that caught my eye was this curved restaurant door. The menu looked really good, including a bottle of wine for £650.oo ! The food prices were far more reasonable.

The Blossoms Were Out

Georgian

Most of the buildings in Stamford are constructed using this lovely honey coloured stone.

The Pub Door

Broad & Slim

Pink or Cerise ?

A Bit Of Symmetry

Red & Stone

I thought this door had quite an unusual design.

Moon Door

Green & Stone

Wall Clock

St John The Baptist Church Door

Really enjoyed the visit to Stamford, the people were very friendly and I had some of the best Fish & Chips I’ve had in a long time. Definitely be going back.

Thursday Doors

09-03-17

Here’s my contribution to the excellent Thursday Doors blog over at Norm 2.0 blog.

My theme for this week is Grotty Industrial

Blake Street

The sign on the lamp post says this is a conservation area, I hope so. There’s a great pub at the end of this street, I used to drink there in the late 1970’s when It was rather eccentric for want of a better word, but that’s another story.

I Love You

Around The Back

Corah Building

This was the largest hosiery factory in Leicester at one time. There’s a short history of Corah on Wikipedia. It’s sad to see the factory in this condition.

End of The Line

And just a couple of streets away these two Victorian gems

It’s only a mile away #2

Part 2 of the visit to the Botanic Gardens. There is a bit of history about the gardens on the Leicester University website  Botanic Gardens

Cacti and Succulents Greenhouse

I do like the word succulent, I’m sure there must be a cure!

Golden Acer & Crocus

Looking forward to the warmer weather as there are lots of parts to this garden where you can while away the time and take the weight off.

Lush

A Few Blooms