Going To The Chapel - The Dixie Cups

To continue the last post, there was time to take a look at

high on a knoll affording fantastic views

across the village of Abbotsbury,

the Gardens and English Channel,

rolling Dorset Downs to the north

along with The Fleet and Portland to the east.

 

Exterior Features.

The interior is dominated by the Whalebone Roof.

Other Interior Features.

Time for a Pint and a Pie in the

ILCHESTER ARMS

Public House before continuing our journey west.

Up the steep incline that is

ABBOTSBURY HILL

and to one of, or 'the', best View Points in the county.

Looking down on The SWANNERY and

World War II Tank Traps known as

The Dragon's Teeth.

The final stop was at Ashley Chase where in days gone by this

sight was a great favourite with my 2 Daughters Julie and Lisa.

The Mysterious
HIDDEN CHAPEL in the WOODS
before continuing onwards to Cornwall.

Church With One Bell - John Martyn

Hugh and Janet returned from their holiday in France and immediately offered me an invitation to yet another major event. This involved a drive of several hours, but on the way we stopped for a while in the familiar village of Abbotsbury in Dorset with a few photographs were taken and augmented from the archive. We feel sure that those not familiar with this 'beauty spot' will be well impressed with just a small corner of what our county has to offer.
The home of the world famous Abbotsbury Swannery, it is little surprise that one of the two local public houses is

The SWAN

These birds however, just across the road on the Green are
Farmyard Geese

 SAINT NICHOLAS CHURCH
Most English Villages revolve around just 2 buildings,
the Pub, as mentioned above, and the Church.
Some say "out of the latter and into the other"!

Church Interior.

That saved a bit of typing.
 
Onward to the Village itself, to be followed by the visit to

St Catherine's Chapel, high on the hill at a later date.

ABBOTSBURY ABBEY
dedicated to St Peter would have once dominated
the scene, but today is little more than a ruin.
 
FINGER POST
to the

TITHE BARN

and the rest of this most picturesque place.

The OLD SCHOOL

How did he get in there?

One of a number of small ORCHARDS here.
  
ABBOTSBURY HILL
heading west towards Bridport.

The only other news, the 'DREADS' are gone.
As Bowie once said
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-Changes
Just gonna have to be a different man
Time may change me
But I can't trace time

Cast Not A Clout

'Till May (Blossom) Is Out which it certainly is here.
Now returned to the

for just a few days before my travels continue once again.

No far flung 'Desert Islands' or 'Far Away Shores',

no, this time very much within the boundaries of England.
PARLEY POND

There has been time for a couple of sorties since my return but little reward for the miles covered. Like, it would seem, everywhere else along the South Coast uncommon birds have been uncommon while migrants, with a couple of notable exceptions, have also been in short supply.

HARBINS FARMHOUSE

A favoured 'beat' along the River Stour where Reed Bunting and

Cetti's Warbler have been found in reasonable numbers, but so far

Sedge Warbler have are still absent.

MALLARD and BLACK-HEADED GULL rest on a floating log.

On the plus side Trees and other Vegetation appear to be in

fine fettle, with no signs of disease.

OAK

WILLOW

High flying Common Buzzard,

carpets of BUTTERCUPs covering every meadow,

and a low flying PHEASANT.

Barley and Maize were sown the day before I left for  Weymouth,

just 2 weeks ago, since when both have grown 6 inches.

LAPWING

also present a game of two halves, with 2 pairs still in attendance and look to be 'sitting'. On the other hand, during spraying operations last week 2 chicks were encountered and given a wide berth only to 'fall' to a

Common Buzzard later in the day.

ASH

Always a huge bonus to meet up with Mousie the Game Keeper

when here and catch up with tales from the wild side.

He showed me the newly planted Game Crop, not intended 

exclusively for 'game' birds, bordering many of the fields and

beneficial to all other birds as well.

With that a distant

GREY PARTRIDGE

appeared, origins unknown as they don't 'put them down' here.

A small stand of ASH saplings

and HORSES CHESTNUT of about the same age.