Wincanton Races: Admirals's Advice:Spring Walks: No-Ah!

Wincanton.

I visited the above Racecourse in 1997on a coach trip. The racecourse lies deep in Somerset away from - well anywhere. It officially  is 37 miles south of Bristol and 38 miles north of Bournmouth- quite!
 It is not far from A303 which runs past Stonehenge; so maybe it is on a ley-line and materialises  on race days.
Be that as it may it is certainly friendly enough. The racecourse runs clock-wise; or as they say in racing parlance right-handed.  The finish is uphill with a short run-in after the last fence/hurdle.

That's about all I can remember owing to the generosity  of the sponsoring brewery Hall and Woodhouse of Blandford St.Mary ( since 1777 ) and  more particularly Badger Beers.
Here's the picture. We arrive early and find the Badger is selling at a pound a pint, So what does one do? Fill your boots of course.
However out of this haze, I did manage to pick the winner of the Badger Chase, " Lively Night '' ( a tad prophetic?) at the price of 8/1; ridden, would you believe by one Leighton Aspell, the very same jockey, who last week won the Grand National. Fancy that.



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@CTFCOfficial Cheltenham Expects--- Resolve to
                                                                Entertain and
                                                                Seek to so
                                                                Unsettle the other team, that they will
                                                                Lose and you will
                                                                Triumph.
RESULT  COYR


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Last Friday ( 11 / 4 )  D.and I visited the National Trust property  Snowshill Manor, near Broadway.
It  was a perfect day for a spring walk.

Walking up the pathway to the Manor, we were struck as always, by the beauty of the valley below us, with its fields and sheep gently grazing.


In the Manor grounds were daffodils , delicately offset by blossom from the overhanging trees.





I am always impressed by the way   Snowshill manages its flowers, by placing them in attractive pots.






In this attractive courtyard we sat down and enjoyed the sunshine.



In the building at the far end we saw this little display of plants.




A nearby roof announced the dovecot.





As we left the Manor garden I noticed this inscription above the gate.




" A garden enclosed with walles strong the arbores and ayles  so pleasant and so dulce."


Following a refreshing cup of tea, we made our way to Dover's Hill, near Chipping Campden.
After our picnic we walked down the hill to the woods, enjoying the floral carpet as we went.





In the woods we  saw the emerging mass of blue- bells and after that wearily, we scrambled up the hill side and made our way contently homewards.








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Last Tuesday D. and I watched the movie "Noah, " starring Russell Crowe.



Frankly it left a lot to be desired. Russell was portrayed as an aggressive vegan eco-warrior; determined to follow the orders of the Creator. This meant building an Ark to avoid the forthcoming flood. So far, so good; but then the 'Watchers' were introduced; looking like rock-shaped robots and speaking like ' Tree-beard ' from Lord of the Rings. These 'Watchers ' or Angels 'helped' Noah and family  build the Ark. Why did the director introduce a sci-fi element; heaven knows.

The villain character Tubal-Cain was played by none other than Ray " Bet 365 N===O===W ! " Winstone. He produced his usual very convincing  performance and delivered his lines with relish.

Methuselah was played by (Sir) Anthony Hopkins; who merely had to lie back upon the ground in a cave and look mournful.
There was some some good effects, but generally the film was dull and fragmented and  should have been at least 20 minutes shorter than its 138 minutes total time.
The Bible says the ark was afloat for a hundred and fifty two days; but if that was the case how did Noah age so quickly?
He went from a brownish buzz-cut to a grey fuzz. Clearly the strain of keeping all those animals in prime condition had got to him.
only **


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Good News! according to Yahoo May  is going to be warm; so get your sunblock out and watch out for those early UR rays.
Cheerio,
Ck.

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