Wordless Wednesday: Dorset Countryside

Wordless Wednesday: Boardwalk Views

Memories of the River Teign

I really like this picture which came bundled with one of my old computers in a file of images labelled scenic, and has been copied onto each  new system ever since. I'd love to know where it was taken.

The red of the rock and the foliage over the water reminds me of a place I used to go for a day out with some of my cousins on the banks of the River Teign when I was a child. It was called Red Rock. I found this photo of it at Wikimedia Commons.

Photo by Paul Hutchinson 

View From Richmond Park

I'm too pushed for time to write a blogpost  today, so I thought I'd show you the view from our picnic spot in Richmond Park a couple of weeks ago. We had a lovely lazy time in this beautiful spot while the sun shone for us.

Swans on the Stour

On day one of our recent holiday, we set off in the late morning to drive to our Herefordshire destination.  The weather was rather cloudy with the sun occasionally bursting through.  We decided to leave the main road and take the scenic route.  When we crossed the narrow stone bridge over the River Stour at Spetisbury, this was the delightful scene that met my eye.

I was trying to remember the word for a gathering of swans.  The word gaggle came to mind, but I believe it’s only associated with geese.  Anyway this definitely looked like a gathering together of a number of swan families.  Don’t they make a great addition to this river landscape?

Nile-side Village

I meant this to be a Wordless Wednesday post. Then I realised it needs an explanation.

It’s not a building site. It’s how families in rural Egypt acquire their homes and live. They don’t have mortgages. They save like mad and buy a plot of land. Then they build as much as they can afford. When the money runs out they stop and save again, to build on another storey. When the young ones grow up, they’ll move into the upper storey and have their own families. As families grow and can save more, buildings get higher. I believe it’s not unusual to have three or even four generations living one above the other.

Shaftesbury

This pic is of a rooftop decoration on Shaftesbury Abbey. I'm afraid it's a bit unfocused but I took it a few years ago with my old compact camera. And I guess my pic taking skills are not that good.

Shaftesbury is only a few miles from where I now live, and the Abbey is a great place to visit. It's mostly a garden planted over the ruins of the former buildings. The ones that still have a roof form a museum and some storage areas.

I took this roof photo from the pathway outside, which is called Park Walk and has the most wonderful views if you look away from the Abbey. Cue for another pic, I think.


At some point, I must write about the Abbey and its history. There are fascinating connections to a couple of Britain's monarchs. When I get to it, I'll report here. In the meantime enjoy some of the scenes of summer that keep us going through the bleak winter months.