ABC Wednesday - Roche Bernard

La Roche Bernard is a small harbour town on the River La Vilaine, with a popular marina and Michelin starred restaurants. Its origins date back to the 9th Century with stories of Vikings but today it is a popular tourist destination.

Designated a "Petites cités de caractère" it has a historic centre but here we are walking down to the harbour.

The boat that takes trips up and down the river in Summer was about to leave but my attention was taken with

the numerous photos in the water by the yachts.

which were blown up postcards of the building of the bridge across the Vilaine. I collect old postcards so a lot of camera clicking went on at this point, this one is my favourite, all the town's population in those past times seems to be gathered on one side of the river.  I guess the reason these photos were here was that there was a celebration of photography and an exhibition in La Roche Bernard and

l

large pictures were posted throughout the town. No time to be recumbent here, lots to see and do, not to mention canoes

to be hired and paddled.

An entry to ABC Wednesday a journey from A to B stopping at R this week

ABC Wednesday - Quince

I remembered back in April I had taken photographs of the quince bush in bright sunlight, ABC Wednesday sorted. In the language of flowers, send a quince flower and it means temptation. Unfortunately the quince fruit on the bush this year are not very tempting.

One of just three on there at the moment, usually it is full. Maybe it is due for some cosseting. Certainly no-one will be queuing pick its fruit.

 

But on such a beautiful weekend lots were queuing to climb on board the ferry and shorter queues because there are more doors

to climb on board one of the trains of the Thomas the Tank Engine weekend. Thomas himself was further down the line.

An entry for ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet.

Lakeland Weekend

In the rhythm of the seasons the beaches in the Rusland valley are always the last to change colour which usually coincides with the first frosts, the prelude to winter. All though of winter are put aside for clear skies and sunshine this weekend have been perfect for

cycling club

who soon whizzed by towards their destination

Sailing on the lakes. The ferry Miss Lakeland was packed as it came to disgorge its passenger at Lakeside and fill up with more to travel down back down Windermere.

whereas the sailing boats were enjoying tacking across the lake. The smaller visitors to the Lakes were steaming

from Haverthwaite to Lakeside on Thomas the Tank Engine

ABC Wednesday - Peregrination

For the perfect peregrination sometimes a little effort is required, gets the heart palpitating when winding

for water filling up the lock, two barges parked in parallel

but lots of other mechanical things to do while the pooch is patrolling along the top, meanwhile the driver

is relaxing having a powwow with a fellow peripatetic bargee on their rise up to the next part of the Chester Canal

The gates open and the journey continues. This canal has lots of possible destinations because it is is part of the Shropshire Union Canal, and as its name implies it is a union of many.  We walked a small stretch at the weekend and

on the way back another two barges were going the other way.  The Lock Keepers cottage (c1800) is a listed building, including its walled yard and privy which used to drain into the sluice-way under the house. Happily the latter aspect is not listed, modern plumbing rules.

 

 The object of our peregrination was to walk around the medieval walls of the city of Chester , our entry point being by the side of this dovecote which was in possession of pigeons who suddenly flew into the air as I snapped my photograph.

Pop over to ABC Wednesday for more words beginning with P

ABC Wednesday - Old

Its working days over this old tractor is gently disintegrating. If a member of the David Brown Owners Club spied this he might take it on as a renovation project. The company was an innovative builder of tractors between 1939 and 1988 and in its heyday this tractor may have looked like this-

I found this picture on an antique tractors site and its owner says it was the favourite tractor in the Netherlands "Dit is een simpele trekker en makkelijk te bedienen voor weinig geld en zo sterk als een beer!" (Simple and easy to operate for little money and strong as a bear). But elsewhere down on the farm the little heifer

is finding an old bath is ideal for cooling feet,  

An entry for ABC Wednesday - a journey from A to Z. 

ABC Wednesday - Etang Moulin Neuf

A peaceful lake near Rochfort en Terre in France.  This is the Etang du Moulin-Neuf, I did not spot any trace of the nine windmills but this 40 hectare stretch of water now attracts runners, walkers (with and without dogs) and fishermen. The wily pike and perch may even lurk beneath these water lilies.  No French leisure destination would be complete without a restaurant and that is the building in the distance. A path runs all the the way round and nature surrounds,  the only swan I saw was this one -

  but there were many birds

I think I know where this artist of nature lives because by all these little touches of art was a painted sign

advertising the walk from the lake to the village of Pluherlin which seems to have everything to keep body and soul together.

The letter of N is this week's stop on the ABC Wednesday journey of  the alphabet.

ABC Wednesday - Maritime

They had a series of posters outside the Museum of Liverpool on the theme "Made in Liverpool" , these two feature the blue and red of the two football teams and the Mania of the Beatles, a product of the local Merseybeat scene. Music is still everywhere in Liverpool which may be one of the attractions of the numerous tourists who also make their way to

the Albert Dock for its shops, restaurants, bars and museums. Six areas of the historic centre and docklands have been designated UNESCO heritage status as a "Maritime Mercantile City"

 and there were quite a few old sailing ships in the dock which is now a location for pleasure craft (the Maritime Museum is the building on the right).  The workhorses of the merchant marine are miles down the road in the working docks. Worth a mooch if you are interested in industrial history for there are vast areas of docks which are gently decaying and mind blowing to imagine when all these miles were full of ships coming and going.  One thing will be the same today as it would be then

seagulls doing battle with mussels. This is a juvenile who was not having a lot of success with its potential dinner, I think the shell might remain unopened  

The Letter M entry for this week's ABC Wednesday - A Journey from A to Z