Hoad

The Hoad Monument was made in the style of an Eddystone Lighthouse, and restored thanks to a National Lottery grant last year.

Judith and me climbed up to see Hoad today - Easter Sunday.

It is the first time in 28 years of going to Ulverston that I have ever climbed right to the top. We were the last visitors of the day.

Ulverston - St George Day Pageant 2011

We are up in Ulverston in Cumbria for Easter and saw St George come into town.

A young damsel watching from a balcony was kidnapped and tied up by an evil baron.

All this happened while a jester was entertaining the crowds.

A few jokes later and two damsels were kidnapped. St George arrived to deal with the dragon.

and the evil baron got caught with his pants down. Audience participation was taken a little too far on this occasion

Trafalgar Square

Christmas Eve and the wind caught the spray and got you wet if you went too close to the fountains in Trafalgar Square.

Morcambe Bay seen near Ulverston

Summer Holiday in Corfu

We have been off for a weeks holiday and I had a full week without taking pictures or blogging.

These pictures are by my wife. She also did lots of pencil drawings.
One day we caught a coach to the capital of the Island of Corfu. All the church bells were ringing. Bands were taking part in a ceremony as priests paraded the remains of a Saint round the town.
This is one priest on his mobile after the event.
Another shot of the same town - its old quarter was built by Venetians.
Over the other side of the island we stayed in an isolated resort and so most of the time we just stayed put and had a restful holiday.

South Lakes Wild Animal Park

It is quite a few years since we last visited this animal park. We used to go when our children were young, but today we went without the children who have grown up. Entrance fee was £11.50 each, and £1.50 of that went to a charity for Samatran Tigers. It was a lovely sunny Easter Sunday. The following are probably my best pictures ....

Giraffe.

African Lion.

The emperor tamarin from South America - thought to have been named after Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany due to their distinctive long, white, drooping moustache.

Not Finding The Egg

The Beatrix Potter museum have put some eggs round the Lakes. You must understand the cryptic clue to find the location, then find the egg and claim a prize. One clue pointed to Conishead Priory, near Ulverston, so we looked round the grounds for a couple of hours but did not find the egg...
I looked in a tunnel under the road near the overflow carpark.
down near the shore line at Morcambe Bay...
along many tree lines pathways.

Afterwards I went to the buddhist temple at the priory, took off my shoes and walked on their soft new carpet looking at the golden Buddhas and the votive offering which even included packets of crisps, fizzy drink bottles, and penguin bars. Things have moved on since a previous visit where people left mostly candles, fruit, and flowers.

We heard that somebody else did find the egg today as it was marked as found on the internet. I'd love to know where.

Otmoor Revisited

A bird watchers paradise and near this area of wetland a large hide is being built so we can watch without being seen.

Day Trip To Plymouth

The weather forecast was for heavy rain, but as things turned out, while my daughter went to an audition and interview at Plymouth University, I got a good look round a City I do not know.
The harbour wall has a number plaques commemorating early settlers going off to America.
The lighthouse, called Smeatons Tower, was originally built on Eddystone reef, and moved stone by stone in the 1880s, to its current commanding vantage point, when the sea was undermining the rock on which it stood.

Mr Hopkins Revisited

I recently signed up for Friends reunited, and uploaded an old class picture from when I was 8 or 9. And these are the interesting things (for me anyway) I've found from other people... A picture of Mr Hopkins our English teacher from about aged 13 to 15. His comment on my first essay in his class was "5/10 : All very sad. Your story is too breathless to make much sense".

The next one was "8/10: A lively imaginative piece of work."

But a little later..."At present you are trying too hard for the unusual word and your writing is strained. However I expect you'll come to terms with it.'