Curly's Capers

It's been a funny old week: a little bit of an emotional roller-coaster. On Tuesday evening my friend K. , kindly took me to see Cheltenham Town play Crewe in a League  Two football match at the local Abbey Business Stadium. There is a magic quality about seeing the game under floodlights; the difference between  standing in the dark and seeing the bright green pitch and players before you. In the first half the 'Robins', pretty much dominated the play. They had many shots saved by the Crewe goal-keeper, but failed to score. At half-time, the Crewe Manager, must have given the team a ' shake of the fist, ' as they came out like terriers  and put us under so much pressure, that not only did we concede a penalty ( from which they scored, ) but they also ruined  our team composure. Thus,  we never returned to the rhythm  of our play in the first 45 minutes and the more we ' huffed and puffed, ' the worse we became. The final score was 1- 0 to Crewe;...

This week started with very sad news indeed; a telephone call announced the passing of a dear friend and colleague J. I have written a few words on this subject, and should you wish to read; click here. God Bless J. This year 2011 marks the 400 anniversary of the printing of one of the greatest works in English Literature, namely the King James 1 translation of the Bible. It was time to remind myself of our local hero William Tyndale, born in North Nibley, who according to (wikipedia) 83% of the NT and 76 % of the Old Testament used in the James' Bible, were the words of our man. With my  wife D., we set of in the car and parked in the lay-by next to the church yard in North Nibley; a village two miles from the town of Wotton- under Edge. With walking gear on, we crossed the road and made our way up the footpath to Tyndale's  Monument. The route as, you can see, took us up  a leafy flight of steps, which I reckon is the longest number of steps on the entire C...

This is a precious time of year. The days begin to shorten; the sun lies low in the sky and temperatures begin to drop; a gateway into winter and colder times ahead. So, when  the sky turns blue and brightness abounds, it is a time to explore, visit old friends and places and especially look at the beauty of life around us. Last Tuesday ( 11/10 ),  with Daughter D. in tow,  I visited Stratford Upon Avon, in order to view the now completed RSC Theatre. For construction details visit: RSC In the nearby theatre grounds, I noticed this attractive Swan Sculpture. This was unveiled by the Queen in 1996. The sculptor was Christine Lee. " The centerpiece of the fountain depicts two swans rising in flight. Swans have enjoyed royal protection for many centuries and have a special symbolic significance in Stratford-upon-Avon. The water fountain was commissioned by Stratford-upon-Avon council to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the granting of market rights to the ...

First of all, in my recent post.  " A trip to the Wier; Wye Not?  (18/9) "  I mentioned a greenhouse with some 'wondrous onions; ' well here are a few of them. Pretty impressive, I reckon. Last Tuesday, (4/10) I went on a National Trust  walk entitled "The Ebworth Centre. " The start point was Cranham Primary School, from where the walker goes upwards on a path to the left of the school and then reaching a bend turns right into a wooded area, leading to a narrow pathway, which eventually comes to  a building which The NT calls a  cottage ( looks quite big to me! ) Following the drive  out to the gates, one bears left, down through a wooded section, until a brook and' Gladys' Leap ' is reached. It is called ' Gladys' Leap ' after a former post women, Gladys Hillier, who at this spot jumped over the brook, in order to avoid a two mile detour on her post round. The place was officially named in her honour by the Ordnan...

A mile past Huntley on the A40 Ross road, is the turning to May Hill and Clifford Mesne.  The drive continues, around twisty, mostly single-track lanes; until, after passing over a cattle grid, you arrive at a parking space opposite May Hill Common. The middle path is selected and the steep uphill walk begins. On this ascent, I noticed, these brightly coloured fungi. Looking back down was this spectacular view. At the top of the slope, one goes through a kissing gate, which marks the county border. Once through, you are in Herefordshire. Here the walk meets the lovely springy grass of the common and the way is clear to the summit of May Hill. As you can see, the summit at 1000 feet has a very conspicuous clump of Corsican Pines. They were originally planted in 1887 to commemorate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee; and later some re-planting took place in 1978; this time for Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee. It is thought that in 1588, this spot was used as a bea...