Halloween pumpkins

I'm not a fan of Halloween. What was an easily ignored modest festival (All Hallows' Eve) has, in the past 20-30 years, become a confused, frenzied mish-mash of U.S. pumpkins and trick or treating, ghosts, ghouls, spiders, witches, bats, black cats, grave stones etc all served up in the tackiest ways possible way for the benefit of commercial interests. But, when you have grandchildren, you get drawn into aspects of it, hence our involvement in the trip to choose pumpkins and the carving of them in our kitchen. The pumpkin above, the work of one of our sons, features a Minecraft shape surrounding an Enderman. The accompanying photographs below were taken at the pumpkin field.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: iPhone

Vicars' Close, Wells

The vicars of Wells were minor officials of the cathedral. The street shown in the photograph housed them and was built as early as 1348. It is 456 feet long and most of the twenty seven residences (originally 44) are identical. The front gardens are an addition of c.1410-20. Improvements and modernisations have been applied to the buildings of the Close during every century between their initial construction and today. Despite this, it is considered to be the oldest purely residential street in Europe.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

The brightest autumn leaves?

I imagine that if people were asked to name the leaves that produced the brightest colours in autumn most would mention the Acer, a tree that has been bred specifically to produce colourful leaves. However, this autumn, though I've photographed my share of Acers, I've also come across a leaf that could well be brighter than the brightest acer. I don't know the variety of Cotinus (also known as Smoke Bush) shown above, but I do know that its leaves "out-glow" most Acers. I came across this one growing behind a school fence, stretching towards the pavement seeking light.

 photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Reflections on the River Avon

The meaning of the word "reflections" includes "thinking about" and "mirroring". I employed both those meanings when I sat down to process this photograph of the reflections in the River Avon of the Borough Flour Mill, Tewkesbury. I reflected that the name "Avon" is one of the most common river names in the British Isles, is an ancient word meaning "river", and hence the River Avon is "River River". I also noted that the surface of the water reflecting the windows and brickwork had been beautifully disturbed by passing mallards making it worthy of a semi-abstract photograph.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Abbot's kitchen, Glastonbury Abbey

Not many medieval kitchens have survived the years since their construction. One of the best preserved in Europe is the Abbot's Kitchen that still stands in the ruins of the Benedictine abbey at Glastonbury, Somerset. It dates from the second half of the fourteenth century and is, externally, square in plan. However, in each corner is a fireplace and this makes interior space octagonal, a shape that is carried through in the truncated pyramidal roof. The latter is surmounted by a tall lantern which itself has a tiny lantern on top.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

West front, Wells Cathedral

I haven't had much luck photographing at Wells Cathedral. On the last but one visit to the building it rained making outside shots difficult or impossible and interiors a lot darker than I would wish. On my most recent visit, a few weeks ago, we were about to step over the threshold and enter the building when the fire alarm sounded within and everyone came briskly out into the close. A wait of twenty minutes or so was only enlivened by the arrival of a fire engine and finally the all clear at a false alarm. This time I did the inside shots first - fewer people! Then went out  and took this photograph of the west front and its impressive tiers of canopies, many with medieval carved figures.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

Puzzle on Hergest Ridge

The puzzle on Hergest Ridge is this: why is there a 3X3 grid of monkey puzzle trees (Araucaria araucana) on top of the upland hill? It is unusual to find this tree, also known as the Chilean Pine, outside of gardens, and its presence on this exposed, wind-swept summit on the border of Herefordshire and Wales is a conundrum. They are likely to be there on a landowner's whim, and are perhaps associated with the former horse racetrack whose oval can still be seen. The tree was not widely known in Britain until around the 1850s, and I remember reading that one of the Victorian houses below the Ridge had a driveway flanked by them. Perhaps that is the connection. 

photo © T. Boughen     Camera:iPhone

Views from Hergest Ridge

click images to enlarge
A road closure involving us in a detour down muddy, single-track roads, followed by a bank of cloud that appeared over Kington and Hergest Ridge, nearly caused us to look for a different destination than our planned walk on the famous hill. But we overcame and accepted the impediments and were rewarded with an interesting (if very windy) walk and some reasonable views. Here are two taken when the clouds admitted pools of light. They show the cultivation of the lower valleys and the uncultivated steep slopes and tops of the outcrops.

 photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

On Hergest Ridge

We recently made our first visit to Hergest Ridge. This 1394 feet (425m) hill is on the Herefordshire-Wales border. Its summit is notable for piles of local rock, gorse, small pools of water, semi-wild Welsh Mountain Ponies, an odd stand of trees (see later post) and quite good views. People of a certain age, or with a relatively deep interest in popular music, will recognise "Hergest Ridge" as the title of Mike Oldfield's second album of 1974, following his very popular "Tubular Bells (1973). The composer/performer bought a house near the Ridge where he composed his music.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Boston Ivy

At this time of year many garden climbing plants become much more eye-catching as their leaves change colour. A couple of weeks ago we came upon this Boston Ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) making a fine display as its green leaves turned to pink against a brick wall. In the past I've considered this to be a variant of Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), but if I'd taken note of the Latin names I'd have realised my error - the clue is in the tri and quinque.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2