Sunday 15 July 2012

A Torch and A Trail

The Olympic torch made a stop in our City on Saturday evening.


The weather wasn't kind to us and we all felt pretty damp and soggy as we waited in Mayflower Park,




but we did enjoy the entertainment, watching dancers and listening to Wretch 32.


The torch arrived on the ferry from the Isle of Wight and then did a lap of the City centre


before coming back to the park so the cauldron could be lit.



Today the sun shone and so we packed a picnic and went for a walk on the Cobbett Trail in the nearby village of Botley.



One of the first things to catch my eye was this beautiful honeysuckle growing over the wall of the Old Rectory.


We all liked this little wooden cabinet sat in a hedge as a means for selling eggs from a local farm.



As we came into the village there were lots of really picturesque buildings 



and a penny farthing in what looked like a shop window but it didn't look as though the shop was actually in use.



This bath planted up with lavender was on the corner of a road which led to a bathroom fittings shop!




Just off the main High Street is what I think was called Malthouse Lane which was a previous winner of a prize in Britain in Bloom and it was full of flowers. This little row of cottages were really pretty with the white window boxes and the lamps.




Slightly further along was this white washed cottage with a pretty blue wooden porch



and on the opposite side of the road ran and old brick wall which as well as having this wonderfully weathered door set into it, it had a profusion of cottage garden flowers running along the length of it.


And we weren't the only ones enjoying them.


According to an information board we found the Quay at Botley was once a thriving hub of activity when the waterways were used to transport goods, but now it just provides somewhere to sit and watch the river go by


unless of course you venture down to the water's edge and get stuck in the mud.



 Silly photo of T which just had to be included.


This lovely looking place is Steeple Court Manor where William Cobbett' s sister and brother in law lived. Very nice indeed.


Just as well we were all kitted out in wellies as as well as the mud there were plenty of puddles on the walk and S decided that the best course of action was to hopscotch through this one!



As we neared the end of the walk we wondered if we would get the chance to picnic looking at the clouds above but we needn't have worried as although there were a couple of spots of rain it didn't amount to much.



Just had to take a photo of this crisp G found, he reckons it is shaped just like a Trojan helmet!



Final photo is a bit random but I had to include my new set of polka dot tupperware type boxes and the strawberries I hulled using my new top tip.



14 comments:

  1. WE also welcomed the torch between torrential showers, although as it passed outside our house the sun did come out! Your walk looks lovely and what better fun could there be than hopscotching through puddles! Love the strawberry tip, not seen that before and will definitely be trying.

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  2. Ooh, lovely -- thanks for taking us along! And thank goodness for wellies. Wish we had been able to find a way to haul some around during our five weeks in your fair land!

    xoxo

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  3. Glad to see you didnt let the weather ruin your plans - the walk looks great. Glad you saw the torch. xxx

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  4. Great post Lisa.Another lovely fun day out. I'm off to find a straw!

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  5. I missed the torch when it came to Leeds, it was the weekend we were at Leeds Uni so our time was taken up with other things. Shame it was a bit soggy when it came to you, but at least you got to see it. Your walk looks lovely and I love the idea of planting the bath up with lavender. We've got an old bath on the allotment which we're trying to grow carrots in but the slugs keep munching the tops, lavender could be the way to go.

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  6. It is so nice to be out and about in the countryside, so much to see - you find and see things that you didn't know existed when you whizz by in the car you just don't see as much. Love your spotty container!
    Have a good week.
    June

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  7. Wellies are a must this "summer". I bought some strawberries this morning so will try that tip.

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  8. Thank you for he tour, glad you avoided the rain, we've had a huge downpour here again today!

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  9. Lovely pics Lisa....
    I wonder what's behind that door? G & T obviously know how to amuse themselves, and S is just like my S...
    Love the polka dot boxes..

    Hugs
    Lx

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  10. Botley looks gorgeous. I just love doors in walls & want to peek behind them !
    We waved at the torch on it's way to the island !

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  11. I love that wooden cabinet for selling eggs. That strawberry tip is fantastic! I can't wait to try!!! x

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  12. Hi Lisa, I got the wrapping paper from rockett st George (online) they don't seem todo this one with the stamps anymore though. They do I different one that I also have. A place called paprika shop does the stamp one though x

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  13. It looks like you had a lovely day, despite the unfriendly weather :)
    Have a very happy Birthday Lisa!!!
    Michela x

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  14. thanks lisa.....thats really kind....i hope to start and get back to normal after monday, its been a bit of a haul, perhaps the sun will decide to give us all a break! x

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