Snow and newborn lambs, Good Friday, Malvern

Although it hasn't snowed now for about four day's, and even though it is sunny and warm enough to go walking in, still their is sun on the ground. Sheep due to give birth, and those with new born lambs really need to be kept inside to keep them warm and safe. These lambs have all just been born in the last few days.

Newborn lambs with their Mum's

Snow in March- inspires poetry.T

 It is still snowing here, which although beautiful is rather annoying, which has inspired me to write this poem.

Snow in March

A white Christmas
A child's delight
Virgin, pristine, pure
Most festive sight

But March is almost over
Cold still your lying there

Tank Quarry clock tower

A suffocating blanket
Of beauty and despair

Beneath you flowers try to grow
Searching for the sun
Please melt and then reveal
Their colours bright and fun

By Izzy B. Silver

West Malvern Village, Worcestershire

West Malvern Village Hall

St James Church, West Malvern Road

 West Malvern village is a sleepy little picturesque village.The sleepyness I put down to the fact that being on the west side of the hill it takes the sun about an hour longer to reach the village than the rest of Worcestershire. In the summer however the late arrival of the sun each day is more than made up for the locals by the spectacular subsets.

The village looks lovely all year, and at Christmas the carols by candle light at the local church are enchantingly  festive. In summer there is a local art's festival, and my personal favourite is the summer music festival West-Fest.


There are many footpaths and once you have burnt off the calories you can replace them at the local pub, the Brewers Arm's. This pub has won competitions for its views, and has a very quaint "olde worlde" style.

Sign indicating footpath of West Malvern Road

Brewers Arm's public house

Lower Dingle view

The Quabs footpath

Cyclamen near "The Runnings"

Cyclamen detail

Great Malvern, History and Architecture

Holly Mount Church

Tudor Shambles entrance to Church Walk

Today I took some pictures around Belle Vue Terrace, Church Street and Church Walk, in Great Malvern. Malvern has many churches, almost all of which are made of the same yellowish stone as the pictured Holly Mount, but varying greatly in design, I think because building on a hill causes problems that must be overcome using interesting architecture.

The towns buildings also are very varied, as buildings seem to date from any period in history after and including the Tudor period, for example the building over the entrance to Church walks.

Wrought iron detail above post office.

Although as with all towns, major shop chains attempt to make there store look identical to all it's others, the history still shines out, above the shop fronts and in stained glass windows and wrought iron details, and the odd random column that still survive. My favourite stained glass is the window above the Mount Pleasant Hotels Tea Room, but unfortunately a large van was parked just outside making it impossible to photograph.

As well as the rich architectural history of the town it has played host to many famous characters. I have included the blue badge plaque outside the house which was home to Charles Darwin and his daughter when she was ill. It was her death that spurned Charles to reject the Churches teachings about creation and publish his book explaining his theory of evolution.

Example of one of the stained glass windows above the shops on Belle Vue Terrace

Plaque on Lloyds Bank commemorating Water Treatment

Plaque outside Darwin's home

Plaque on The Unicorn Pub

The Unicorn, Belle Vue Terrace

I also include the blue badge on The Unicorn pub, and a picture of the pub. It is where C.S.Lewis wrote the Chronicles of Narnia. He was inspired by both the local woods on the hills which are dotted with gas lamps, just like the entrance to Narnia, and the actual, "wardrobe" which is actually a door within Malvern Abbey, (see previous blogs for pictures and details).

Tank Hill Quarry, Malvern

Photo 1, Ivy covered tree trunks.

Photo 2.

Photo 3.

 Today I explored a bit more of Tank Hill Quarry. The wood feels magical with its narrow meandering paths, and you have expect to turn a corner and bump into a hobbit. Some of the trees grow straight out of the side of the quarry itself. The picture of the particularly impressively odd trunk and root, (photo 4) is a close up of the tree that bows slightly to the right of photo 3. I had not realised quite how disturbingly phallic photo 4 was, I just thought it was unbelievable that it had managed to root, grow and apparently flourish when it is growing out of a granite quarry wall.

Photo 4, Trunk and root detail.

Old Hills, Callow End, near Malvern, Worcestershire

Old Hills entrance sign

 Today is just beautiful, and not too chilly. I decided to walk on the, "Old Hill's" who's name makes them sound like more of a challenge than they are. If hill's were boobs then the Old Hill's wouldn't even need a training bra yet.

The woods there however are criss-crossed by a myriad of narrow paths for walkers and wider paths where often there are horses being taken out for exercise.

It is the perfect place for a gentle walk
 and picnic in the summer, though they are
 rather muddy under foot at the moment. 

The skies today were full of scurrying clouds, of slightly pink, pristine white and palest grey. The blue behind was so clear. At the far side of the hill you have the most wonderful distance views across towards the Malvern Hill's, my pictures don't capture the hills majesty, but I did my best. 

Malvern Hill as viewed from Old Hills

There were also horses who had been put out and left for the day, and some fabulous trees. I have included pictures of the horse I thought looked the sweetest, and the tree I liked most

T 

A rather lovely tree

If you look carefully you should spot, two horses with riders and a lady walking three dogs

Snowdrops

From left-right, Benji and Bella keeping warm

Snowdrops

 It snowed again overnight. A beautiful light dusting like icing sugar on a sponge cake. My cat's were not impressed, they hate snow, and couldn't be persuaded to leave the sofa.

Signs of spring are everywhere in my garden. There are buds and green shoots everywhere and the first flowers have appeared.

The sun is doing it's best, and so by lunch time everywhere not in shade was again green and warm.

Hazel catkins

Primrose

Snow in the shade

No snow

Hill Found !

Photo with hill, (really)

 A while ago I took two pictures in the fog to show you how the hill had disappeared. Photo 1 that day should have shown the hill. So today as it is nice and bright I went to the same place to re-take the photos. Sadly I then discovered that the hill doesn't seem to show up to well on the panoramic shots. The third photo was taken about two foot from the first and the hill is so much more visable.

View without hill

Hill as seen if photo not panoramic

British Camp, Malvern, Sunday stroll

Snowdrops near gate entrance

View of reservoir from brow of hill

View across top of hill

Path down hill towards wood

In the wood

Tree detail

View across reservoir

Another view across reservoir

View from carpark

A beautiful, if rather cloudy day. Lot's of people had, like me, decided it was the ideal time for a stroll. I went up the middle path and then came back along the lowest path. took so many pictures. Here are some of them.