Toad In The Hole

Not at work today, so spent the day pottering around in the garden doing some weeding and tidying up the rubbish that's accumulated over the past few months.

Whilst I was chucking some old broken pots away, I removed one that had fallen in a bowl of water. And to my surprise, up popped a small frog. So I thought he would make a good photo for the blog. If he stayed in the bowl while I went to fetch my camera.

Fortunately he was still there, waiting to have his portrait taken.

No Sale

There's been a series of photographs doing the rounds on Facebook that show abandoned places around the world that are slowly crumbling away and disappearing under vegetation. Old fairgrounds, hotels, even the stadium that the winter Olympic Games took place on.

Beeston has its own. Obviously not on the scale of deserted American shopping centres etc, but the area where up to about 18 months ago was still quite popular with shoppers and those looking for a second hand bargain.

But suddenly it closed. No one really knows why.

Serenity

Here's a shot from Bingham's churchyard.  Whenever I go to a  different place, I always like to have a look around their graveyard.

It's not morbid curiosity, but am interested in looking at gravestones; to see the names of the departed, when they died and to look for unusual designs and statues.

Being a former village, Bingham's churchyard is quite small, but there are lots of trees and greenery in it. And as yesterday was really sunny, there's plenty of dappled light coming through.

High And Dry

It's not everyday that you come across a life saving ring in the middle of the countryside. But this one is  at the farmed at Beauvale Priory.

Maybe it is used for something different other than saving people from drowning. There is a lake on the farm which I think has fish in it. But it's quite a distance away, so hopefully it may never be needed.

Well Then, How Does Your Garden Grow?

I visited a local allotment on Wollaton Road this afternoon, as they were having an open day. I've only been there once, and that was only a fleeting visit a couple of years ago, so this time I was determined to see what was on offer.

It's a pretty big allotment too. And I was surprised how big, with long grassed pathways dividing plots. There were a few stalls, including bric a brac, face painting and gardening tips. There was also refreshments on offer, and I bought a couple of big slices of home made chocolate cake, which I polished off at home, as I bought Gail a chunk too.

I spent a fascinating hour or so slowly walking around and looking for things to photograph.  Firstly I had a go at taking a micro-shot of a bee collecting nectar on a sunflower. Then I came across this neglected plot and rotting shed. I'm surprised that no one had taken it on, as allotments are more popular than ever as people try to grow their own food, rather then pay ever rising shop prices.

I also couldn't resist taking a shot of Mr and Mrs Scarecrow, standing guard over the rhubarb, onions and other vegetables that are growing in the fertile soil.

A Touch Of Pink

I know these plants are weeds, but I like the delicate pink colour of the flowers. I saw them as I was cycling through Highfields, and so thought I would stop to take some shots.

The building you can see at the back is part of the university. I tried to take a photo with the clock tower in the distance, but just couldn't get the right angle, unless I were to lay on my belly, and take it from the ground up. But as I was wearing some good trousers, it was out of the question.

Sunday Sun

Whilst passing a small area of waste land the other day, I noticed a bright yellow sunflower had sprung up amongst the weeds.

Quite an usual sight, especially as people don't normally go into this area. So it must have been dropped by a bird earlier in the year.

It was quite nice to see, basking in the late afternoon sunshine.