Waxwing

Waxwing
"To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour."

From "Auguries of Innocence"

by William Blake

Tuesday 20 September 2022

Recent Reading, Garden Vegetables, Birmngham Polinations and Local Walk Around Historic Parkland.

 


Recent Reading

I don't seem to have read so many books recently partly because for a variety of reasons I am not sleeping well recently and am too tired to read! but also because I have a backlog of magazines to catch up on!

Another Shire Book - this time on Rood Screens. An interesting book on  a feature in churches I am often guilty of ignoring.



The next Miss Marple book - really a series of separate short stories but light and easy reading.




The next in the Jackman and Evans series - this was a good gripping book with a lot of twists and turns.




The next Cooper and Fry. Gosh this book had shock ending. I won't reveal more in case people haven't yet read the book but I actually said "oh no" out loud at the end.



Baking

D made this lovely moist courgette and walnut loaf recently from homegrown courgettes.




More vegetables from the garden which


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were used for Vegetable Couscous.


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I didn't go but B, D and E went to see the bull from the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony which was on display in Birmingham City Centre.  To be honest I am glad I didn't visit as the place from D's photos was heaving with people.


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Birmingham Polinations

This is something else I didn't go to but I thought you might like to see the photos. 

Again I think it is connected with the recent Commonwealth Games.  A City Centre garden has been created, full of colour and nature, in Victoria Square. It contains giant architectural trees and thousands of plants.  

It is a celebration of colour, beauty and nature diversity.  It tells story of  the origin of plant species - many of our garden flower species did not originate in the UK.

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Walk Around Historic Parkland

Occasionally D and I go for a walk around historic parkland in Solihull. I don't usually take my camera so I haven't mentioned it before but on last week's walk I did take it.

It consists of 30 acres of parkland which is part of the wider Castle Bromwich Conservation Area. Historically the parkland was part of the Earl of Bradford's estate.  The last resident of Castle Bromwich Hall was Lady Ida Bradford (1848-1956), widow of George Bridgeman, 4th Earl of Bradford.  

The hall has now been restored and is now a hotel.  The gardens to the hall are run by the Castle Bromwich Gardens Trust.  A "Claire Voie" in the wall of the gardens reveals a view of the West Avenue of Trees from the hall towards what is today the centre of Birmingham. Years ago I used to visit the gardens a lot and did many posts on them - I am not sure if anyone has been reading my blog long enough to recall them.

The parkland is known locally as "Lady Bradford's".





Today the parkland contains:

  • The Cow Pasture where cows were once grazed.
  • The West Avenue replanted in 1895 after a storm destroyed the trees.
  • Acid Grassland.
  • Dog Kennel Pond
  • Wood and Wetland Trail.
  • Hedgerow and Holloway.
  • Wetland with reeds.
  • Grassland
The parkland is public land owned by the local authority.  In 2021 the Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens Trust was given funding to improve the parkland, provide better access and restore habitats. I think they have done a really good job.





















A wasp nest





It is a lovely area to walk and blissfully free of people. You could be in the middle of the countryside if it wasn't for the roar of the traffic from the nearby M6.


I hope everyone is staying safe and well.  

Photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera and the ones marked *D taken by my son. (I don't rate most of my photos but if ever anyone wants to use one I would be grateful for an email first - thank you).


13 comments:

Rustic Pumpkin said...

I confess to a mountain of magazines that need reading. I have a terrible tendency to buy, flick through, put to one side with the promise of coming back and never do so. The mountain just keeps getting higher and higher. As long as it doesn't topple over on a certain small bear, it'll be okay.
The Courgette and Walnut Loaf looks utterly delicious. As does your vegetable couscous with home grown veg. Nothing better than home grown is there?
Thank you for sharing the photo of the bull. For me, it was one of the highlights of the opening ceremony. The Pollinator project looks quite interesting too.

Ragged Robin said...

Rustic Pumpkin - Thanks so much. Well I have magazines I subscribe to which I can never keep up with! Then thos from organisations I am a member of. Plus about 4 magazine boxes with mags I bought years ago - craft type mags in the main and never read.

David has done well with his vegetables this year.

CherryPie said...

The parkland looks lovely, I am glad you took your camera and shared what you saw.

Ragged Robin said...

CherryPie - Thanks so much. It is a tranquil place.

Rosie said...

Your post is full of interesting things. I'd love to see the bull and the city centre garden, those giant tree sculptures are wonderful but like you the crowds would deter me as would the train journey, I always feel disorientated on New Street station and find it all so tiring. Glad you are still enjoying the Joy Ellis books, I have pre-ordered the next Jackman and Evans book which is out in early October. I think I know which Stephen Booth story that is and if it's the one I'm remembering yes the end is a shock. The parkland looks wonderful, I don't remember you mentioning it before, love the carved owl. Both vegetable couscous and courgette loaf look delicious:)

The Quacks of Life said...

the parkland looks really nice! you never know what you might see !

Ragged Robin said...

Rosie - Thanks so much. It was very very busy for the bull event. I think they went in the car for both events. New Street Station is horrid it really is - far too large and as you say disorientating. Yes loving the Joy Ellis series. Yes I am sure it is the Cooper and Fry you remember - a real shock! I don't usually take the camera but I will from time to time. Thanks re: recipes.

The Quacks of Life - Thanks Pete. You never do know :)

Simon Douglas Thompson said...

misread that as "homegrown cigarettes"

Ragged Robin said...

Simon Douglas Thompson Thank you and lol! :)

Billy Blue Eyes said...

I never forget rood screens, I love seeing them the older the better, but I have only ever seen one rood loft.

Ragged Robin said...

Billy Blue Eyes - thanks so much. A few do stand out in my mind but I need to take notice of them more.

The Wessex Reiver said...

Sadly 😄 I'm old enough to remember you posting from the Castle Bromwich Parkland. I seemed to recall a lovely posting when we had a heavy snowfall at the time I had pneumonia (you don't forget pneumonia dates). So I looked it up,yep December 2010. Photos still look fabulous 12 years later. Likewise I don't blog as much as I once did, partly due to now writing a bound diary in old fashioned pen on paper. By the time I've done that, doesn't seem time to do one online. Hope you and family are well, we are both mid Covid after being in London for the Queen's mourning.

Ragged Robin said...

The Wessex Reiver - Lovely to hear from you Andrew - our blogs do go back a long way don't they?

I am so sorry you both have covid and I hope you will both recover soon. Thinking of you both

Yes I did see some Castle Bromwich Hall Garden posts when it was snowing. Those gardens helped me through a very difficult time when mum was in a nursing home with alzheimer's and it was somewhere I could escape to for the occasional hour. Now we go to Herefordshie so often I don't seem to have the time to go any more. Sorry to hear you had pneumonia at the time my husband had it once was and it was very unpleasant.

Loely to hear from you.