A look at Butts water meadows, Salisbury.

Walking back from the meadows, mum said she saw a Kingfisher dive into the river. Her eyesight is better then mine and I didn't see the bird until it flew across the water. The meadows have seen much change over the years. There used to be a paddling pool during the war, lots of people who couldn't afford to get to the coast used to sit there in the sun. Health and safety said it was too dangerouse and now it's gone, grassed over but not forgotten. A lot of today's generation don't know it's there, but we do; those that can remember that is. There's not a lot of pictures of the Butts water meadows as it seems to concentrate on Harnham water meadows, which is a shame as this is a nice part of the city. I will be taking pictures of the nature trail and putting them on here when I can.

This waterlogged path used to be a racetrack during the 1930's. It still has it's original surface, and there is also one in Victoria Park. During the summer the grass is covered in daisies and dandylions.

This is the river Avon, we used to go swimming here until health and safety put the kybosh on it. You can get herons here and other wildlife. Shame that when an artical about Salisbury is written, it shows only the area around the cathedral and nothing else.

There's more to Salisbury then just the cathedral and Stonehenge. Here in the distance is the old gasworks and fire station, once a thriving community the gasworks will probably close soon because gas is now being pumped in from Southampton. I haven't seen the drum go up for age's.

How long these tree's have been here I don't know, they were here before I was and will be here long after I have gone.

Salisbury Butts allotments, once of the biggest in the city. Parked behind the houses of Devises Road, most people don't know its here but the view is amazing which I will capture at a later date and put on here.

Last but not least this passage goes up behind the houses of Clifton Road. On the left is the old (now disused) saw mill. When my parents moved into the house in 1968, the workers were there then. When I was three I escaped from the back garden and wandered down this path, I remember a car going up Gas Lane past me and gran grabbing hold of me to get me back. I got such a telling off that day. Now looking back it's hard to imagine now that they are all gone into the past. I think the ghosts are still there.

Wandering the cathedral.

Went round Salisbury cathedral again to see if I could improve my shots. There are lots of coaches in today as it's market day. I went round Clifton Road just before, the area has changed so much. The old builders yard next to the house is up for sale, I remember the sound of buzzing saws when I lived next door, now it's all quiet as everyone is gone. The yard where I once saw two Alsation dogs is gone, built over by new houses. The man who used to own the dogs is dead, but when he was around he used to come across as bad tempered. He used to do the Judo club in the hall by where he kept the dogs, and they used to snarl at everyone who used to turn up for the lessons (not taught by him thankfully!) Just as well they were kept in a cage. Here are some pictures of the old pile (just joking...)

Salisbury cathedrel

What can I say about Salisbury cathedral that hasn't been said already? I watched a programme called ’The pillars of the Earth’ based on a novel by Ken Follett. Some of it is supposed to be based on Salisbury cathedral and Winchester, while others says the location is in Melksham. The novel is supposed to be set during the time of the anarchy, and the assassination of Thomas a Becket. I took my camera around there yesterday and they had leaflets about the Pillars of the Earth trail, but they only had German versions left because all the English one’s had vanished; oh well never mind. I might read the book to see what all the fuss is about.

At the moment I am reading the ‘call the midwife’ series which is about a newly qualified midwife Jenny Lee and the work of midwives and the nuns of Nonnatus House, a nursing convent, coping with the medical problems in a deprived area of East London in the 1950s. She describes a world that has now vanished and only exists in people’s memories. Soon these people will die and we will know nothing about just how it was, it’s thanks to these books that we can learn. I just found it fascinating how people lived in London then. Some of the stories are funny and some of them are sad. At the moment I am am on the third book called ’in the midst of life’ which tells how people conceive (or view) death. One old lady who lost her husband during WW1, asked the nurse if her husband would recognise her after she had died. She wasn’t sure as her hair had gone gray from the chestnut brown he last saw her in. Yes he would recognise her, because our loved one’s in spirit are there all the time waiting to greet us when it’s are time to cross.

Someone was playing the organ as I wandered around with my tripod, I don’t feel so self conscious with the tripod now. Some of my shots are still coming out over exposed, I’ll just have to save up carefully as the shutter release on this one is so slooow. Talking about the organ I believe it’s known as the The Willis Organ, one of the finest in the UK and sought after by recitalists and recording companies. Built over a hundred years ago, this masterpiece sounds today much as it did in 1877. 

The cathedral had a black cat called Wolfie. I don’t think this picture does him justice. He was a big boy (bout the size of a small dog). First saw him in reception and had to take a double look, didn’t think cats could get that big. I’d love a black cat (you know I’m Wiccan). All my animals have Celtic names. Wolfie died after a short illness in November 2011.

The spire looks like a missile waiting to take off. Its the first thing people see when they enter into the city. It can be seen as far as old Sarum castle, and the red light on top. Salisbury was spared Nazi bombing because the Luftwaffe used Britain’s tallest spire (at 123 meters / 404 feet) as a navigational guidepost as they targeted other English cities. The Cathedral not only has the tallest spire, but the largest medieval cloisters. I was once told that Hitler because he so confident that of victory that he wanted to keep the cathedral, I don't know how true this is.

Landscapes

If I can remember what and where they were taken I will mention it. Thanks :)

Stratford sub Castle. Some of the roads nearby have been names with Shakespear in mind, like Hathaway Close and Shakespear Road. Why don't they have a Bards Cross or Romeo and Juliette avenue ete... Startford village isn't as small as it used to be, villages are vanishing as they turn into suburbs of surrounding towns and cities.

Elizabeth Gardens was once an allotments then it was changed in 1953 when the queen came to the throne. Built on a water meadow it’s no wonder it floods, especially as the River Avon runs through it. I came here as a kid with my parents on Sunday’s, I still come here to take pictures. Ducks and swans gather here as do many other animals. I expect the ducks enjoyed the flooding.

A water meadow is a man-made pasture irrigation system operated at the discretion of the farmer. The aim is either to increase total grass production, or bring it forward in time during the agricultural year. Water meadows cause the grass to grow by bringing production earlier in the spring (by as much as one month) through warming the soil above 5oC. Triggers temperate grass growth producing the early bite for grazing animals.

This road goes past Sarum castle. I expect this area has seen a lot of history.

The old moat at Sarum Castle, I know someone who fell in it. Not a lot there now except stinging nettles up your bum.

As mentioned in my earlier entry (post) this is the meadow at the end of the magic Circle.

At the time of writing, the tree in the foreground has now been chopped down. We counted the rings and concluded that the tree had been there in 1895. My grandmothers funeral was held at this church in June 1981 ( a Monday I think). Not sure if the church is still being used. What stories could it tell us?

The magic circle and beyond

This is the magic circle at the RDA (Riding for the Disabled) it doesn't look this green (unless it rains too much) but it's very peaceful during the summer. Peppered with horse doo's which I assure you is picked up every day, it's quiet until someone brings that blasted squeaky wheelbarrow up!

No the path is not this purple. This leads to the meadow which you can see below.

So many woods and forests are disappearing from England that it’s hard to find proper woodland these days. I hear that the Jubilee forest is going to be planted in commemoration of the queens Jubilee, hence the name ‘Jubilee’. I hope they do plant it because tree’s are the lungs of the earth.

Where the RDA is belongs to the Pembrokes (original name Hurbert) who are cousins of the present queen, I think they are earls. The family go back centuries right back to king henry 8th and beyond.

Well I hope this isn't too bad for a first posting. I have to make a port folio of my photo's. I would like to work in a museum but I don't know if that will happen, If I am lucky, someone who does photography may see this blog; but then again pigs could fly to Mars to join 'Curiosity', that weird machine that's been sent there by NASA. They say curiosity killed the cat so I hope they don't discover anything weird or dangerouse. Thanks for staring at my shaky pictures :)

Gotta start somewhere haven't I?

I am a landscape photographer, I also do inside shots and still life. The only thing I don’t do is fashion, glamour and nude. I am interested in history and a bit of night photography. I am only a beginner so don't expect amazing miracles, but there’s always room to learn har har. At the moment I am using a bridge camera, but I hope to get a Pentax SLR. Why you ask? Because it has the stabiliser built into the body and not the lens. Lets face it you’ll have to mortgage your house or win the Euro lottery for some of these lenses prices. It’s not the camera but usually the photographer. In my case ‘CAR CRASH’. Thanks for viewing my shaky pictures.