Friday, 3 April 2020

End Of The Week

During these strange times it's been no hardship to me to take my walks early in the morning before most people are up and about. Here are a few random things that I've seen in the last few days....



I haven't encountered any really spectacular sunrises yet. Mostly the skies have been very cloudy, though one morning the sky was completely clear. Broken cloud overhead and clear in the east usually gives the best effect, but that's bound to happen one day before we're out of this thing.



I should perhaps have shown this fine memorial bench when I took you on a little tour arround the village recently. It stands outside the village school and was erected on the centenary of the end of WWI. It would be a nice place to sit if not for the activities of the pigeons overhead!



Cowslips summon up images of lazy afternoons with cows grazing beneath overhanging oak trees - but these were found beside the normally busy A10 road! It's nice to see them though, another sign of Spring rolling steadily in.



Canada Geese are always up and about early and a couple were swimming on one of the small fishing lakes near here. Many of our geese (Pink-Footed Geese, White-Fronted Geese, Bean Geese and this year some Barnacle Geese) have flown off to nest further north, leaving Canada Geese and Greylag Geese to raise their goslings around here.



Near the shop these planters made an appearance a while ago. They are designed so that you can lock your bike up to them though very few people seem to take advantage of this. When I used to pop in for a few bits on my way home from work they would have been really useful, but alas they weren't there then.



And a few shadows make interesting patterns on the church wall, which I've chosen to convert to monochrome.

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I've been dredging through my old CDs for things to play and came across a lot of things I'd forgotten about, especially a lot of re-issues of stuff I had on vinyl back in the day.

At one time Rod Stewart was a kind of late-era beatnik, bumming around Europe, playing songs he loved for passing change and sleeping rough. A few years later he was jetting round the world, sellling records by the million and sleeping with actresses and models! You can't blame the boy, but in between there was a brief period when he wrote and recorded some great stuff......


....like "Mandolin Wind". Just a little reminder of the magic of Rod 'n' Ron. 


Take care.




21 comments:

  1. Hi John - love that bench - pity about the pigeons - a petition to move it seems a good idea. Rod - sounds good ... take care and those sunrise will appear next week I'd guess - cheers Hilary

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  2. Gosh you were up early John, that was a lovely sunrise ✨ Love the planter bike rack, unusual and pretty. My older sister loves Rod Stewart, always has 😉

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  3. Thank you for featuring a CANADA Goose, John! And your association with remembrance reminds me that John McRae, the author of "In Flanders Field," was Canadian. I am sure I will feel quite patriotic all day!

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  4. That was a lovely sunrise. I love the memorial bench. I agree, it's too bad no one takes charge to clean it. Stay safe and have a wonderful day, hugs, Edna B.

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  5. Enjoyed the music, hit the old memory place in my heartstrings. Nice bench, which should be moved definitely.

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  6. Great to see the cowslips again John.
    Yes good old Rodney. There is only one Jim Cregan, a lad from Somerset.

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  7. I named my daughter "Maggie" after a Rod Stewart song. I love to see the bits of spring popping up. We don't have too much here yet but it is beginning and it is comforting. Stay safe, John.

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  8. Love seeing these photos, John. Nice to be reminded that the sun rises and the geese carry on and the beauty of the world remains.
    Ah, Mandolin Wind, I was thinking of posting this song on one of the upcoming Fridays. I think of it so often, especially the lines about loving the sun. Thank you for posting this.

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  9. Interesting lookig bench John.
    As for cowslips - I have come across a clump in my garden - hidden from view behind a clump of some other rock plants - what a lovely surprise.

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  10. Great video - Rod was awesome despite his somewhat dodgy past!
    Oh to see cowslips - our bluebells are lovely though.
    Bench is most touching - no Brit forgets those words "Lest We Forget.'" The current world situation will perhaps bring that quote back when hopefully the immense, probably unforgettable changes, we will all be seeing, will make people more cautious and honest, much kinder and more sensible.

    A large, noisy 'V' of Canada geese fly over the house each day - morning and evening - on their way to and from a nearby pond. Huge, messy birds, far too many of them here now as they don't go home to Canada. I love Canada and would take any chance possible to head north right now - but will be heading first to Devon once it's safe again - sadly our UK spring visit isn't going to happen though!

    Nice post John , many thanks - do stay safe.
    Mary -

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  11. I have been listening to Thea Gilmore since you posted her singing. Now Rod will be in my head!

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  12. Oh, Mandolin Wind! I had not thought of it in a good while...always, always a favorite.

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  13. I love these music Fridays for all the good old music people are posting. I haven't heard this song in ages.

    The sunrise photo is a marvel, and that bench -- wow. What artistry. Too bad the birds see fit to poop all over it.

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  14. Those planters are a great idea, it's a shame people are not making use of them. That first photo here is beautiful :)

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  15. Thank you for the music link. I'd forgotten about Rod Stewart. The sunrise is lovely. Haven't seen one for a while as I've been having trouble sleeping and end up getting up later than usual. Nothing like a cold to pull a person down.

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  16. Rod & Ron were so young - weren't we all! I saw Rod live years ago and he put on a great show.

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  17. The sunrise is beautiful. I sometimes wake at that time, but rarely up! Love Rod.

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  18. Enjoyed both the walk and Mandolin Wind.

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  19. One of my favorite Rod tunes. I like those planters that you can use for securing a bike, very nice and creative.

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  20. Like yourself, John, I too have been taking some early morning walks but have not been taking photos, but rather enjoying the peacefulness. My walks have been to the downtown area, which is less colorful than your nature walks. Thanks for your recent visits and comments to my blog, much appreciated.

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  21. Cowslips! I always looked on cowslips as an alien flower as they didn't grow in North Devon where I grew up. We had primroses instead.

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