Runner beans, with and without pods

We've grown and eaten runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus) for over forty years and you'd think we knew them well. However, this year, for the first time, we discovered that in many countries they are eaten differently. By that I mean in some countries only the beans themselves are eaten whereas in Britain we eat the pods with the beans inside them. Our way of eating them means we pick them when they are relatively short, young and tender: elsewhere they pick bigger, tougher pods that are discarded after removing the bigger beans. In the past we deliberately let some pods grow big to supply enough beans for planting in the following year. This year, with our new-found knowledge we are eating short, succulent beans in pods and bigger beans taken from larger pods - as seen above.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Ancient yew tree, Much Marcle

The ancient yew tree in the churchyard at Much Marcle is estimated to be several hundred years older than the thirteenth century church that it stands beside. Most estimates suggest that it is 1500 years old. That would mean that it started growing a century or so after the Romans left Britain. The tree is still growing though an iron frame supports key branches. In 1953 its girth measured 30 feet and 1 inch at a height of 4 feet 6 inches above the ground. A measurement made in April 2006 at the same height above the ground showed the girth to be 30 feet and 11 inches. That same year the tree was pruned and approximately 6 tons was removed. It is not known when the trunk became sufficiently hollow to fit seating. However, it has been in place as long as anyone can remember and can accommodate several people.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

House martins, Berrington Hall, Herefordshire

A few weeks ago, in early August, we visited the National Trust-owned Berrington Hall near Leominster in Herefordshire. This Georgian mansion is set in typical landscaped surroundings including gardens and lawns, a ha-ha, then acres of pasture with specimen trees and a lake. What struck me most on this visit (that was made at a time of year we hadn't visited before), was the flocking of house martins around the pediment of the house's main elevation. There were dozens. Many had clearly fixed their mud nests to the undersides of the architectural mouldings, and most had raised young which were now flying. I had never seen such a density of house martins before, and was particularly surprised to see an albino bird among the navy blue and white of the majority.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Rotunda, Croome Court

The rotunda (or garden temple) at Croome Court dates from c.1760 and is probably the work of Robert Adam. It stands on a rise a couple of hundred yards from the main house and is almost surrounded by conifers that are thought to be contemporary with the building. The exterior is made of Bath stone. It has a shallow dome, five pedimented windows and one entrance, each of which has a swag above. 

The interior has fine decorative Rococo plasterwork featuring egg and dart, paterae, cartouches, masks and swags, with coffering above. The floor has a central circled sunburst with Greek key edging the room.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Upton upon Severn old church tower

In 1769 the spire of the medieval church at Upton upon Severn, Worcestershire, was replaced by an octagonal timber cupola in the then current classical Georgian style. In 1937 the body of the old church was demolished but the tower and cupola were preserved and the structure became not only a visual oddity, but a clock tower. Today it stands at a busy corner by the River Severn, surrounded by lawns, flower beds and a small museum with a pedimented entrance at the base of the tower.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Climbing Pen y Fan

Recently, with one of our sons and a grand-daughter, we walked to the top of Pen y Fan, a mountain in the Brecon Beacons in Wales. Pen y Fan, at 886m (2,907 feet) is the highest mountain in the southern British Isles. It is a relatively accessible peak though the walk from the car park is pretty much "up" until the summit is reached. When we left the car the temperature was 22⁰ Celsius with a relatively gentle breeze. At the top we had to break out jackets and hats to counter the very strong wind and the temperature of 12⁰ Celsius (it felt much colder than that).

The late afternoon light benevolently hung around until we were well into our descent and we managed to capture a few reasonable photographs.

photo 1 © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

The imperfect water lily

For many years we lived in a house with a pond that featured water lilies. They made a great subject for photography because from the time they began to appear below the surface of the water in spring, to their last autumnal gasp, they offered an interesting subject for the camera. Interesting, that is, if you liked imperfection and decay because the "classic", perfect water lily flower and leaves was either non-existent or so fleeting that if you blinked you missed it. In fact, by the time the flowers were displaying their full beauty a series of dead or part eaten leaves usually accompanied them. But, I didn't mind that, as these photographs show. The water lily above may look near perfect - I thought it was, hence the shot - but the outer petals are becoming discoloured and traces of dead leaves can be seen.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

I Am Archive

I Am Archive is an installation designed by an architectural practice in one of the rooms at Croome Court, a Georgian mansion in Worcestershire owned by the National Trust. The designers say that "the tower visually links the ground floor exhibitions with the top floor offices and archive storage, and celebrates the direct relationship between events at Croome and it's (sic) historic archive." The visitor sees a structure that incorporates numerous box files and hears "abstracted recorded voices taken from Croome’s archive (which) gives the sculpture a voice and encourages a more intimate connection with the visitor". My photograph shows part of the "immersive infinity effect" which many people don't notice because they don't look directly above their head.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Wild flower garden

I suppose it was inevitable that, as wild flowers succumbed to the ravages of industrialised agriculture, they should become a desirable adornment of private gardens and public spaces. In recent years I've seen increasing numbers of "wild flower gardens" in cities, towns and villages, often with signs pointing out their environmental advantages. In most cases they include native species as well as a few varieties that aren't, strictly speaking, wild, or are only wild in other parts of the world.

The example above has the usual field poppies, cornflowers, Oxford ragwort etc, but also California poppies that clearly originate thousands of miles from the British Isles. But, even though the term "wild" is somewhat misleading, there is no denying the spectacular beauty of this collection of flowers and the attraction that it has for our diminishing insect life.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

The Gloucester Hole near Chepstow

When you stand on the Chepstow (Wales) bank of the River Wye and look across at the Gloucestershire (England) bank, you notice, in the limestone cliffs, an unnatural looking square hole with sides of about five and a half feet. It is accessible only from a boat at high tide. This hole leads into a large chamber whose origin isn't entirely clear. It is said to have been an enlarged natural feature that may have been a store for tea or explosives, though a more likely purpose was as a transhipment site for goods brought by sea-going ships that would be put into smaller boats for carriage up the Wye to Monmouth, Hereford and other destinations.

The painted Union flag nearby originated in connection with the Silver Jubilee of King George V in 1935. It has been repainted periodically.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Restoring the sailing barge "Gladys"

On a walk through Gloucester Docks we came upon the sailing barge "Gladys". It was undergoing restoration in the dry dock of T. Nielsen & Co. The spritsail barge was built in 1901 at Harwich. For sixty years, from 1912 to 1972, it operated as a bulk grain cargo vessel. A diesel engine was added to "Gladys" in the early 1950s. In the 1970s the barge was used as a pleasure yacht and in more recent times has been the provider of corporate entertainment.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

A rustic opening

One of the charms of old gardens is the aged walls, gates, buildings, fences and other fixtures that are frequently found giving structure to the planting. Judging by its time-worn condition it will be many decades, or perhaps even a century or two, since this doorway-cum-gate was erected as a way through the enclosing wall. It seems to be still in use, together with the new sign, welcoming visitors to the garden and the house beyond.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

A gatekeeper butterfly

One of the things that can make identifying butterflies problematic is the variation within species. I've recently photographed what my eyes suggest is a quite rare High Brown Fritillary but my mind is fairly sure is a much more common Dark Green Fritillary. I've also photographed this Gatekeeper, and even though it looks somewhat different to my previous photograph of the species, both have variations in colour and markings that correspond with fairly common examples of the type.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

The changing cloisters of Gloucester Cathedral

"Changing" might seem an odd word to describe the Gothic cloisters of Gloucester Cathedral, structures that were built between 1351 and 1390, and have remained much the same since those years. But, every time we visit the cathedral I look through the door that opens on to the cloisters to see how they look. What I am interested in is how they are being illuminated. Different seasons, different times of day, and the addition of artificial light to the natural light all make for different appearances. In 2013 it was the complementary colours of the two sources of light that attracted me. In 2018 it was the contrasting pools of light and deep shadows (plus the silhouetted figure of my wife). On a recent morning the lights had not gone off and daylight was flooding in making for warm colouring. I asked my wife to, once again, provide the scale and foreground interest.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

The Outdoor Inn, Gloucester

The Covid19 pandemic has forced change on many businesses and at first glance I thought The Outdoor Inn in Gloucester was just such a reaction. However, reading its website I discovered that the pub started life in 2018 in a horse box(!) and has since expanded to a shipping container conversion and four "pods"(!!) Only the discreet name gave away the nature of the business since the only indication on one of the other elevations was the giant letters "OI". Presumably music is a selling point of the pub too judging by the robot DJ graffito.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300