Dorchester: A Riverside Walk

We set off on our riverside walk to the Fordington district of Dorchester from the hangman's cottage (the model for the hangman's cottage in Thomas Hardy's eerie, Gothic-type, short story, 'The Withered Arm'):

 We kept trying to look upwards towards where people would've been publicly hanged outside the jail during Hardy's time, but couldn't really see anything because of all the bushes and trees:

Soon afterwards, our riverside walk became quite picturesque:

Must be wonderful to live in a house on the river:

Very soon, we were at the point where we had to cross the road:

The riverside walk continued next to the building below:

Most of the old houses here, which had been Hardy's model for the rough side of town in 'The Mayor of Casterbridge', had long been demolished, but it was nice to see a mother swan looking after her young ones on the water:

It looked like she had quite a job on her hands:

Nearing the Fordington district, we saw the mysterious, old mill engraving below:

And the bridge below signalled that we were near Fordington:

Yeah, all in all, this was a nice, leisurely, 30-40 minute stroll on a Friday evening.

Puddletown Thatched Roofs/Rooves

Couple of shots of the great thatched roofs/rooves near one of the bus stops at Puddletown:

Was sod's law that we waited for the Dorchester bus at the Puddletown bus stop for 20 minutes or so after its scheduled time, and lo and behold, we set off walking and it soon passed us.

Bury (Lancashire): Houses Near Tentering Tower

Loved the old-worldly settlement of houses that we encountered on the way up to Tentering Tower:

Will have to explore the Stubbins Estate area a lot more thoroughly when I next visit Bury:

The old footpaths there look as though they could lead to some interesting places:

The house below looks like it would be a perfect place to live:

This one would be fine too:

Really like the old bridge below, it's full of character:

Eastern Poland: Red Roof

Really like this what looks like a red, metallic roof on a house in a small town in eastern Poland.

Nessi Gomes Live at Warsaw Progresja 26th September

Was really nice to see something so subtle and beautiful.

 'All Related' and 'En el Cielo' (Isabel Ruiz cover) were always going to be the crowd-pleasers, but also really enjoyed all the other tunes ('Into the Earth'; 'Diamonds & Demons' etc.).

Interesting sociology too with such a gentle, sophisticated crowd appreciating something a bit different, something wonderful that doesn't come around too often.

Bury (Lancashire): Passing Where I Went to the Cubs

While passing St. Marie's Catholic church in Bury town centre, a short sidewalk seemed familiar:

This lead to a small building where I had attended St. Marie's cubs as a child many years ago:

Can still remember having my nose badly bust open during a game of British bulldog in the building above, and playing for the St. Marie's cubs football team on Saturday mornings (all this is now a lifetime away, of course).

Have always found St. Marie's quite a beautiful church:

Galway: Entering the Latin Quarter

Like these couple of pictures as they offer something of the atmosphere of entering the Latin Quarter in Galway:

With many pubs and shops tightly compressed together, the Latin Quarter is a good place to have a beer outside to watch the world go by.

Eastern Poland: Salty Onion Pie

My wife's home-baked, salty onion pie from a small town in eastern Poland.

Eastern Poland: A Rich Load of Walnuts

It blew a gale in eastern Poland last night, so it was rich pickings in walnuts today as shown above.

Below, my wife's most recent, delicious-looking apple pie with apples fresh from the orchard:

Bury (Lancashire): Passing the Deserted Fire Station

While passing the deserted fire station in Bury town centre, I couldn't help but question where the new one was.

Then, while cutting through St. Gabriel's to Bolton Road, I think I may've found the answer:

Galway: The Claddagh Quay Church

While strolling round Claddagh Quay in Galway, I spotted a Catholic church across the water.

When I had a quick look outside the church, I saw that it had a Lourdes grotto (I visited Lourdes in 1983, quite some time ago now):

Have just read on the Internet that St. Mary's at Claddagh Quay is a Dominican church which is built on the site of a much earlier church.

Bury (Lancashire): Visiting the Trackside

Having visited Ainsworth to take shots of the Unitarian church and Duke pub there, and walked through Reddisher Wood, earlier in the day, we made our way down to Bury town centre to have a few pints at the Trackside pub in the early evening.

The Trackside is the perfect setting for a few pints outside with it being located on one of the platforms of the steam train station on Bolton Street:

A Final Look at Wimborne Minister

Before setting off for Shaftesbury, we felt the need to have a final, quick look at Wimborne Minster, because this was, after all, a place where Thomas Hardy had spent some deep reflective moments while living in the town.

The picture below is of Wimborne Minster at sundown the evening before:

A Friendly Horse

Came across this friendly horse high up on the hill, near Grants Tower and Whitelow Cairn, overlooking Ramsbottom at the top of Walmersley Road in my hometown of Bury, Lancashire.

Bury (Lancashire): Passing Lowes Park

Late one Sunday afternoon, I was exploring some country paths at the back of Clarence Park and Chesham School when I came across Lowes Park golf course:

If my memory serves me right, this is where people used to go (or maybe still go) very early in the morning around August time to pick a certain kind of mushroom.

Galway: My Hostel Room

After a cold and wet few days camping at Doolin Folk Festival, it was a relief to get into a hostel room for a couple of days in Galway.  Also had the opportunity to dry my tent out.

Mary's Cat, Nuddy

Nice shot of Mary's cat, Nuddy, from a living-room in my hometown of Bury, Lancashire.