The most direct route isn't always the best...
I recently needed to attend RCIA class at my not so local Catholic church and I had no way to get there, so I decided to walk the 1.1 (at the shortest route) miles. Now, those who know me well enough know that there's a hill here in town that I avoid walking up like the plague.
This hill is actually part of the shortest route to my church... though, by itself, it is far too steep for me to manage to walk without paying the price for doing so for days afterwards - so I will always try to walk around it where possible. As it turns out, this strategy isn't always a bad idea.
This hill is actually part of the shortest route to my church... though, by itself, it is far too steep for me to manage to walk without paying the price for doing so for days afterwards - so I will always try to walk around it where possible. As it turns out, this strategy isn't always a bad idea.
the hill from hell
The High Street has gone through a lot of changes in my lifetime. For a start, it was just another road full of shops when I was a young girl and it got a lot of traffic from cars and buses... then they pedestrianised it.
We had times when they attempted allowing buses to continue to drop passengers off at various stages on the hill - but that was bought to a stop when it became clear that people were still driving cars up the hill.
Then, one Christmas, a road train was introduced to ferry people up and down the hill in return for a donation to charity. Of course, the service was to become one that was missed when it ended after the festive season was over - though the Train stop signs remained in place for a number of years after that. Eventually, The Co-op (the business behind the road train) reintroduced it again for a while before it went away again. Now, we have no road train and an absence of many of the departments that were once within the Co-op building.
Unfortunately, the hill still remains to be a challenge for those who have limited mobility.
We had times when they attempted allowing buses to continue to drop passengers off at various stages on the hill - but that was bought to a stop when it became clear that people were still driving cars up the hill.
Then, one Christmas, a road train was introduced to ferry people up and down the hill in return for a donation to charity. Of course, the service was to become one that was missed when it ended after the festive season was over - though the Train stop signs remained in place for a number of years after that. Eventually, The Co-op (the business behind the road train) reintroduced it again for a while before it went away again. Now, we have no road train and an absence of many of the departments that were once within the Co-op building.
Unfortunately, the hill still remains to be a challenge for those who have limited mobility.
It's no walk in the park...
Walking around the hill, there is this lovely park, which has recently been modernised and restored quite a lot.
The gates in the background were put in to replace the set that stood in the park until World War 2 saw them taken down and donated to the War Effort.
At the same time, the flower beds contained within the park were also used to grow vegetables during the war.
The park still retains a lot of it's 1940's feel, with some aspects like the band stand feeling older still.
The gates in the background were put in to replace the set that stood in the park until World War 2 saw them taken down and donated to the War Effort.
At the same time, the flower beds contained within the park were also used to grow vegetables during the war.
The park still retains a lot of it's 1940's feel, with some aspects like the band stand feeling older still.
Owl be here...
This owl seems to have migrated from Shipley Country Park, given that it's the only other place around here where I have seen carvings of a similar nature. To the rear of the owl is the carving below - which I'm guessing would be what made the current renovations of the park possible.
These pictures were a little tricky to shoot because I was standing on wood chippings at the time I shot the pictures, so I was having issues with getting my balance right and shooting the pictures at the same time.
These pictures were a little tricky to shoot because I was standing on wood chippings at the time I shot the pictures, so I was having issues with getting my balance right and shooting the pictures at the same time.
The flower gardens were just... wow
I admit that I didn't walk to church at the optimal time to shoot the flowers that I encountered on the way... but I don't think that they looked all that bad for the time of year - especially considering that the weather has been all kinds of crazy recently. Naturally, I was warm enough to walk to church wearing just a shirt and trousers - but it certainly dropped a little chilly on the walk back home.
These seed pods were huge!!!
One thing that I couldn't quite get my head around was the size of the seed pods on these purple and white flowers - especially with it being so early in Spring. In the ideal world, I would love to go back and see just how big they get before they release their seeds.
With the flowers themselves being a little past their best, I had to take a while just walking around the flower bed to find the best angle to take the shot from... and this was just about the best angle that I could get at the time.
With the flowers themselves being a little past their best, I had to take a while just walking around the flower bed to find the best angle to take the shot from... and this was just about the best angle that I could get at the time.
adding a modern twist to history
When it comes to the two pictures above, I hesitated and did some soul searching before I posted them. I wasn't too sure if I should include the sign along with the mosaic or not... but I thought that it contains information that was much better explained than it would have been if I had taken the time to sit and type out all that stuff myself.
I actually liked the mosaic because it looked different, no matter which angle I looked at it from. I preferred this angle over the other possible options that I could have took the picture from because the flower really stood out to me at this angle more than it did at some of the other angles.
I actually liked the mosaic because it looked different, no matter which angle I looked at it from. I preferred this angle over the other possible options that I could have took the picture from because the flower really stood out to me at this angle more than it did at some of the other angles.
So pretty...
This was actually a bonus picture since I had no idea that this tree actually flowers.
The location of the tree is actually where the train lines used to cut through town. Unfortunately, our train line was decommissioned in the 1960's and we were to go without a train station in town until 2017.
The train tracks were torn up and the area became a cut through for people wanting to walk the dog or shave a little time off the walk from my end of town to a point a little closer to town. Fortunately, they did plant trees and grass to make the area a little more attractive to people and wildlife.
The location of the tree is actually where the train lines used to cut through town. Unfortunately, our train line was decommissioned in the 1960's and we were to go without a train station in town until 2017.
The train tracks were torn up and the area became a cut through for people wanting to walk the dog or shave a little time off the walk from my end of town to a point a little closer to town. Fortunately, they did plant trees and grass to make the area a little more attractive to people and wildlife.
In someone's garden
Nearing church, this little bud caught my eye. Typically, I tend not to take too much interest in buds since my preference is more with the flower itself. Let's face it, it's not every day that you see a bud that looks quite as interesting as this one.
and someone else had this...
For me, these flowers were next to impossible to miss because they were right at my eye level... however, I decided to make the most of some creative angling to try and get the light from the sky reflecting down through the flowers. Over all, I quite like the way that it looks like I'm actually standing inside the plant as opposed to standing on the sidewalk.